Audi

Executive saloon or quattro SUV: the replacement part is not the same

An A3 used for short urban runs places very different demands on its gearbox compared with a heavily loaded Q5 quattro on the motorway or an A6 3.0 TDI driven hard in mixed conditions. The vehicle's actual use — high mileage, towing, spirited driving in a TT or S3, stop-start city driving in an A1 — determines the nature of the fault and the type of part required just as much as the model itself does. Within this Audi range, covering model years 1996 to 2024, the available part families are gearboxes, turbos, bare engines and transfer cases.

A3, A4, TT, A6: four models, very different configurations

The A3 alone accounts for the largest share of the catalogue, ahead of the A4, TT and A6. These four models make up the bulk of the available gearboxes and turbos, in 5- or 6-speed manual, DSG 6 or DSG 7. The same engine — the 2.0 TDI or 2.0 TFSI, for example — may be paired with different gearboxes depending on the year, power output and whether quattro all-wheel drive is fitted. The engine code is the key identifier here: a 2.0 TFSI bearing the code CJXA, CJXB or CJXC corresponds to 306 or 310 hp versions (fitted in particular to the TT RS and S3), whereas a CAEB or CDNC denotes 180 to 220 hp units from an earlier generation. Mixing up the two families at the identification stage is a common mistake.

Turbos and engines: the most widely represented power units

Turbos make up the second largest family by volume, covering a broad spectrum: from the 1.2 TFSI (codes CBZA, CBZB, CBZC) found in the compact A1 and A3, through to the 3.0 TDI quattro of the Q5, Q7 and A6. The 1.9 TDI units — very common across the A3 8L, A4 B6 and TT 8N generations — have distinct engine codes (AGR, BKE, BXE…) that must be cross-referenced with the vehicle's first registration date before placing any order. The available bare engines cover everything from the 1.8 T 20V to the 4.2 and the 3.2 — units whose replacement is often necessary following advanced wear caused by hard use or insufficient oil maintenance. DSG gearboxes are supplied without the mechatronic unit, with a new dual-clutch included. Two sales methods are available depending on the part: exchange or rebuild of your own unit.