Audi P0301

Cylinder 1 misfire on Audi — coil pack, injector or carbon-build-up on direct-injection EA888.

Audi P0301 — Cylinder 1 misfire on Audi — coil pack, injector or carbon-build-up on direct-injection EA888. Typical UK independent garage cost: £60–£480.

What actually causes P0301 on a Audi

Audi P0301 on EA888 is most commonly a failed coil pack on cylinder 1 — they fail one at a time and the symptom is a shake at idle. On higher-mileage cars, carbon build-up on intake valves (direct injection, no port fuel wash) causes lean misfires that show as P0301. Less commonly, a sticking injector.

Audi engines that log P0301

• 2.0 TFSI EA888 (A3, A4, A5, Q5, TT)
• 1.8 TFSI EA888
• 2.0 TFSI EA113

How we diagnose P0301 on a Audi

1. Swap coil pack from cylinder 1 to another cylinder, clear codes, re-test
2. Check spark plug condition and gap (NGK or OEM spec)
3. VCDS: read misfire counter per cylinder
4. Compression and leak-down test if coil/plug excluded
5. Walnut blast intake valves if carbon-related misfire (high-mileage DI engines)

The common misdiagnosis to avoid

Always swap coil packs cylinder-to-cylinder as a diagnostic step — if the misfire follows the coil to a different cylinder, you've confirmed the fault without parts thrown at it.

Audi P0301 repair cost in the UK

Expect £60–£480 including parts and labour at an independent garage. Main-dealer quotes on Audi are usually higher for the same job, and the spread exists because the cheap cause and the expensive cause throw the same code — pay for the diagnosis before you pay for parts.

Bob's workshop tip

EA888 owners over 80k who've never had a walnut blast often see P0301-P0304 wandering between cylinders — a £350 carbon clean restores the engine to factory feel.

Codes usually seen alongside P0301 on Audi

• P0300
• P0302
• P0303
• P0304

Symptoms drivers report with P0301

• Engine 'juddering' like a wet dog when you try to overtake on the A9.
• The car 'kangaroos' at low speeds, especially when the engine is stone cold.
• The EML (Engine Management Light) is flashing at you—that's a 'stop now' warning for your catalytic converter.
• A distinct 'put-put-put' sound from the exhaust pipe at idle.
• Massive loss of power, feels like you're towing a caravan that isn't there.

Repairs that clear P0301

• Replace spark plug
• Swap coil pack
• Injector test
• Compression test

For the generic, all-makes explanation of this code — meaning, every known cause and UK cost bands — see our P0301 guide.

Reading P0301 on a Audi properly

A generic reader will show P0301 and nothing else. What matters is the freeze-frame data stored with it — engine speed, load, coolant temperature and fuel trims at the moment the fault was logged — plus whether any other module on the Audi has logged something at the same time. Codes rarely arrive alone, and the order they were stored in usually points at which one is the cause and which are the consequences.

Clearing P0301 without fixing it

Erasing the code resets the Audi's readiness monitors as well as the light. The fault returns on the next drive cycle if the cause is still there, and in the meantime the incomplete monitors can stop the car passing an emissions check. After a genuine repair, the car is driven until the relevant monitor completes before it is handed back.

Bob's Mechanical Repairs is an independent garage in Birnam, Dunkeld, Perthshire, with 32 years of Bob's experience on the tools. If P0301 is showing on your Audi, bring any scan results with you — we will read the live data ourselves, confirm which cause it actually is, and price the repair before any work starts.