2015 1.4 Advise

[Pcrr]

Hello all,
my mother is looking at a 64 plate 2015 1.4 TSFI sport (120) manual.
Is there anything specific to watch out for? It has 50k on it? Timing belt and water pump just done.

thanks

 

[JohnM100]

Nothing specific as they are generally solid reliable cars. Some reports of turbo issues but not a huge number.

It’s more about the condition of the specific vehicle, and options *that are important to your mother/you*.
The 1.4 CoD (140 or 150 depending on year) is a much better engine than the 122
Climate control vs air conditioning
Check she is happy with the audio quality of the radio/CD as the basic system isn’t for audiophiles. It should have DAB but worth checking.

 

[Pcrr]

Nothing specific as they are generally solid reliable cars. Some reports of turbo issues but not a huge number.

It’s more about the condition of the specific vehicle, and options *that are important to your mother/you*.
The 1.4 CoD (140 or 150 depending on year) is a much better engine than the 122
Climate control vs air conditioning
Check she is happy with the audio quality of the radio/CD as the basic system isn’t for audiophiles. It should have DAB but worth checking.

Hello

thanks for info. I will let her know

 

[toooldforboyracing]

Adding a comment here as it’s the latest one I could find that’s a “buying advice” type thread.

I’m the consultant for a friend who’s toying with a 150PS A1 and I’ve seen a well specced A3 1.4 125. Said friend is coming from a 1.2 Fiat 500 so I think either will do. The question is that whilst the 150PS motor is no doubt much better for the miscreants who hang out in places like this, would the 125 be good enough for the civvie drivers out there, like my friend? No maps, mods will be done to the car, it’s just a tool in life

@JohnM100 I know you‘ve said in many threads the 150 is far better, the use case here is a local trips with stop / start coming into use.

I figure Direct injection only means walnuts may come into play waaay down the line, but is there any deal breaker reason the 150 should be chosen over the 1.4 125?

I can’t see it, but figured people will pipe up if there is something, either from experience or knowledge

Thanks everyone
PS Not been about lately, life :-(

 

[JohnM100]

Both engines are reliable.

The key factor with the 140/150PS is it’s flexibility as it has cylinder on demand so you get significantly more power for minimal drop in fuel economy - sometimes more economical as there is no need to work the engine harder. It also gets up to temperature quicker.

The 125 engine is much older tech and IIRC some reports of chain stretch. The 150 has a belt with 5 year replacement recommendation, so factor that into cost.

Trips to the shops - no real difference depending on distance but on a longer run the ease of driving is night and day.

The A3 is a step up in size from the Fiat 500 - is that likely to cause an issue e.g. parking? Bigger car & smaller engine does mean more work.

The A1 of that era is old school Audi build quality - just try lifting the bonnet or boot lid - they are both heavier than those in the A3. The 150PS in the A1 can be a pocket rocket. GF loves hers. Not as much tech as the A3 and do check the A1 boot size is sufficient as it’s pretty small - can’t comment in Fiat 500 boot size.

A3s normally came with a space saver spare vs the can of goo in the A1.

 

[toooldforboyracing]

Both engines are reliable.

The key factor with the 140/150PS is it’s flexibility as it has cylinder on demand so you get significantly more power for minimal drop in fuel economy - sometimes more economical as there is no need to work the engine harder. It also gets up to temperature quicker.

The 125 engine is much older tech and IIRC some reports of chain stretch. The 150 has a belt with 5 year replacement recommendation, so factor that into cost.

Trips to the shops - no real difference depending on distance but on a longer run the ease of driving is night and day.

The A3 is a step up in size from the Fiat 500 - is that likely to cause an issue e.g. parking? Bigger car & smaller engine does mean more work.

The A1 of that era is old school Audi build quality - just try lifting the bonnet or boot lid - they are both heavier than those in the A3. The 150PS in the A1 can be a pocket rocket. GF loves hers. Not as much tech as the A3 and do check the A1 boot size is sufficient as it’s pretty small - can’t comment in Fiat 500 boot size.

A3s normally came with a space saver spare vs the can of goo in the A1.

Thanks John, as always

The finer details help swing the choice

It’ll be a little harder to find the right 150PS A1, but long term I think it’s best. The A3 was canned as it’s been deemed too big

The A1 being the latter examples of old school Audi build quality, wider performance envelope and better fuel economy on slightly longer trips, plus as I’ve been told “It looks cute”, it looks like the hunt is on

Will try and find a nice 18 model with that 70mpg rating (I know its a fairytale) despite the £155 Road Tax cost, flat 3 spoke wheel.

The 5 year belt change is worth it, in my opinion, as you then check the car over at the same time & it’ll be cheaper with the water pump on the other side of the lump

Size isn’t an Issue, they used to drive an Altea, Edition 30 and TFSI Leon Cupra’s. Absolute worst case, we’ve all got access to DJAlix to work the aftermarket magic

The 500 has a smaller boot than an A1 so that’s an upgrade here.

So I guess it‘s fair warning that I’ll be posting in the A1 forum sometime soon as I become their amateur mechanic

 

[JohnM100]

No probs.

Be aware that Audi stopped putting the 1.4 150PS In the Original chassis (8X) as of ~08-Dec-17 so you’d be looking for an early 67 plate or previous reg. Any 1.4s built from mid Dec 2017 onwards until model run-out would be the 125 PS.

I can’t recall when the ‘new’ chassis A1s became available - whether 18 or 68 plate but they are all use the 30/35/40 naming convention anyway.

IIRC climate control was an option vs manual aircon (perhaps standard on S-Line) and is single zone only.

The base audio system sounds erm, basic so make sure that it satisfies needs. I don’t know the cut-off date for DAB+ but GFs 67 plate can receive it: I would anticipate it was several years prior. The 8X uses old school AMI connectors (not USB) for wired phone audio but does work over Bluetooth or SD card. No CarPlay but Bluetooth hands free phone calls work fine. If you need wired phone connection for audio, the AMI socket is in the glovebox which is a PITA.

67 plates or earlier are at the 5 year timing belt interval, though on the 150 PS the water pump is on the other end of the engine to the belt so doesn’t need to be done at the same time - though great for you if the previous owner did. Ditto for expiry date of the can of goo.

‘Half leather’ isn’t leather - it’s vinyl so isn’t the upgrade over cloth it may seem to be.

The chassis handles really well with good feedback.

 

[toooldforboyracing]

Everything seems good except three things…

“Audi stopped putting the 1.4 150PS In the Original chassis (8X) as of ~08-Dec-17

I’m seeing a few 2018/03 plated specimens, advertised out there with a 1395cc / 148hp / 184ft/lbs with 116g/km CO2 but still showing up as a 1.4 150PS TFSI

Based on this post from you…

1.4 COD no longer available for new builds

As of 19-Dec-17 the 1.4 COD 150 PS is no longer available for new orders in the UK. Cars ordered with 1.4 COD 150 but not yet built would get the lower spec 1.4 125 PS instead. Apparently this is due to manufacture of the A1 winding down ahead of the model refresh towards the end of the year...

www.audi-sport.net

I summise that these 2018/03 cars have the last of the 150PS engines that were orders before that cutoff.

I’ve tried to find more information on this engine, but it’s muddy anywhere online I try to read up about it

Best I’ve found is this…

1.4 TSI EA211 Engine - In-Depth Look at Design and Reliability

What is the 1.4 TSI EA211 Engine ? Is it good or bad? Read about VW/Audi 1.4 TSI EA211 Engine design and features, its the most common problems and relaibility.

www.motorreviewer.com

that infers this is the “CZDA/CHPB” engine

Seems like the way to go, albeit with £155 tax brackets but with that performance envelope, I guess that’s the cost of entry

”Climate”
S Line has it, presume its the left knob with the temps printed on the face

“DAB+”
It’s got DAB on it, so presume it’s DAB+ instead of the older DAB radio

 

[JohnM100]

Climate control - if the left button has temps rather that red & blue wave/wedges then yes.

for DAB+ check it can receive RadioX as that is DAB+ only.
Cars that move geographically when sold don't do full retunes, and I don't think there is an "update station list" option, so go into DAB, find manual tuning and press the 'seek up' button every few seconds to force a manual rescan of all ensembles.

Only CZEA engine in your list has Cylinder on Demand (CoD) / ACT.

In terms of CoD/ACT vs engines with same PS output but without this functionality, don't quote me on this but I believe only the CPTA (140 PS with CoD /ACT) up to ~2014 or CZEA (150 PS with CoD/ACT) 2015+ were available in UK and only on S-Line or Black edition trim levels.

If some made it to 18 plates then great but keep your eyes peeled - you are obviously on the case already. Great that you found my old post - you were quicker than me!

Don't pin your hat on a flat bottomed steering wheel - GFs S-Line doesn't have it, though the 'it looks cute' commment did ring true when we were buying it.