Minimoke

Here we go again…. Read this thread: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/344005-12tsi-cam-chain-problem/ The full price at a main dealer should be around £700 maximum. £1,300 is just ludicrous. Price could be a lot less if you get a goodwill contribution from Skoda as it is a known issue. I got a contribution even though the car was nearly 5 years old. But you need to have low mileage and a full dealer service history. There is a lot of disinformation floating about over this issue. It is not due to manufacturing defects in either the chain, guides or tensioner unlike the 1.4TSI where chain defects were caused by a worn out by a die stamping machine. (I did a great deal of research on this issue). VAG tried various fixes such as revised chain tensioner and chain, but these did not fix the issue 100%. The latest official repair kit provides re-designed chain and both top and bottom sprockets along with new tensioner and guides. It remains to be seen if this finally fixes the problem. The timing chain guides do not wear prematurely unless the chain itself has stretched. The mechanic needs to check the actual chain stretch – if it is over 74 mm (I think that’s the threshold but a dealer can confirm that) then the chain is shot and it will wear out the guides as it flaps about. If you have a full service history take it to a Skoda dealer who can measure the stretch properly and make a proper diagnosis, and then possibly get you a goodwill contribution. If the chain needs replacing I would suggest you take it to a Skoda dealer and not an independent. As both the camshaft and crankshaft sprockets have to be removed to install the latest kit it’s a more tricky job to ensure that the timing does not slip. The mechanic needs special tools to do this job. Make sure they fit part S03F198158B (or later revision number) and NOT an earlier repair kit (or one manufactured by a third party like Reveille) which is of doubtful value. PS: Waiting for the noise to become more "consistent" is very bad advice in my opinion. If the chain has stretetched it can let go at any time and lunch the engine.

How is a NZ service campaign from 2 years ago for cars even then 4-6 years old relevant to the OP's problem?

Unfortunately both the dealer and I have independently tried lubricating the barrel and it has made zero difference. Looks like I have no other option than an expensive replacement.

And I'm struggling with my HTC One at the moment! It's not behaving itself.

Mine certainly is not. But has the system changed with the latest Amundsen unit update? The capacity of the card has increased significantly on the latest units which suggests they may not be backwards compatible.

The cards certainly have a protection mechanism but since when have they been bound to a specific vehicle?

Glad your problem was fixed so easily. Been having trouble turning the ignition key on the Fabia - it slides into and out of the keyhole easily enough but sometimes will not turn properly. (Its not the steering lock preventing it from tuyrning). Just been looked at again by the main dealer who says a new ignition barrel is required - quoted £330 including VAT!

£22K price/£15K limit

I paid £101 for 3 year Return to Invoice with 123gapinsurance. I forget exactly what sum the dealer quoted for Skoda gap but I nearly fell over laughing. It was close to £300 I think.

Mine is a 1.4TSI DSG. DSG is pretty reliable these days, but you are right about the potential cost downside in the event of a significant problem occuring. That's why I took out the 5 years warranty on mine when I bought new. That option is obviously not open to you. Engine is excellent and avoids all those cam chain issues which seem to dog VAG. But the engine can appear to be very noisy - not when you are in the cabin, but when you lift the bonnet up. I thought I had a cam chain issue when I first collected the car, but "they all do that" (really!). Its fuel injector chatter and there are several threads about this on both this forum and elsewhere. I only mention this because if you are buying second hand you might be put off by the racket when inspecting the engine bay and think the engine is shot. Been very happy with the 1.4TSI engine and DSG - the rest of the car I'm not so much a fan of. PS: Forgot to add that the manual TSI is one VED band higher than the DSG version, so you pay additional VED with the manual. Not significant but is an odd quirk of this engine/gearbox combination.

Same engine in Polo etc. I believe all Mk2 fabias 1.2tsi will be chain but others on the forum will know better than me. Not sure when in 2011 design was changed. Do a search on cam chain problems on this forum. There have been lots of posts on this issue in the past. As you say don't rely on what an indy car seller tells you. I'm sure they won't be qualified to judge and anyway some chains have let go without any warning.

I regularly travel to Suffolk to visit family. The sat nav sometimes throws a wobbly when I'm in the Orford/Woodbridge area, and if I believed it, would get sent in all sorts of wrong directions. Looking at the sat nav the maps seem fairly accurate - I belive it is the routing algorithm thats having a fit. I live in Kent and I sometimes encounter the same issue when I travel around the Penshurst area. Again the map is accurate but the routing sometimes tries to end me down farm tracks for unknown reasons. But this has never happened in other areas of the country. It is very odd.

Pardon the late reply but only just seen this. Be wary about the cam chain - the problem is well known by VAG and not a rare issue. Just had the chain replaced on my wifes 2010 1.2TSI - Skoda UK paid the majority of the cost despite the car being 5 years old. Main dealer said they had replaced several when I took it in for inverstigation. Car has only done 18K miles (hardly gets used). Issue affects cars up to some time in late 2011. The cam chain arrangement has been significantly revised at least twice over the years. The latest repair kit is on revision 2. Unfortunately I was told that some which had their chains replaced with the revision 1 kit have had their chains stretch for a second time. With the latest kit they have to replace chain, guides, tensioner and both top and bottom sprockets. Not a trivial job. Not trying to be a jeremiah but be careful. If there is even a slight noise from the chain I suggest you walk away. BTW the noise is usually more noticeable if the car has been standing for a few hours before starting. On my wifes the chain made little noise once the engine was warm. You can only really be sure by measuring chain slack via the tensioner bolt hole - don't know how much a dealer would charge for doing that (I didn't have to pay for any investigation work as Skoda was coughing up). Apart from that its been a very good car and my wife is very satisfied with it.

Without wishing to flog a dead horse you are quoting the “guidance notes” in their t&c’s. The actual main body of the t&c’s appears to say something very different (the bolding is mine): Caravan and trailers If your vehicle breaks down any attached caravan or small trailer will be entitled to the same service as the vehicle as long as it is attached to the vehicle by a standard 50 millimetre (2 inch) towing coupling. Trailers can only be covered if they are not more than 3 metres (10 feet) long and used for private purposes This is repeated in the explanatory notes on the main page of their website: Cover for caravans and small trailers If your vehicle breaks down, any attached caravan or small trailer will be entitled to the same service as the vehicle as long as it's attached to the vehicle by a standard 50 millimetre (2 inch) towing coupling. Which do you believe?

Ignore...posted in error

I don't understand where we are going with this. Auto Aid is also an insurance based scheme (Equity Red Star) and cover trailers etc when the vehicle has broken down. This is exactly the same cover as Skoda Assist where the trailer etc will be recovered to a single destination along with the broken down vehicle. As far as I can see Auto Aid do not provide recovery if the trailer is the "cause" of the "breakdown" which is what the OP was complaining about regarding the Skoda Assist service.

Skoda Assist is provided by the AA. The AA scheme is an insurance backed contract. This is not an uncommon approach.The terms and conditions regarding recovery of trailers and caravans is clearly set out in the Skoda Assist terms and conditions. There is no ambiguity.

What year is it?

+1

Previously owned an Octy Mk2 2.0PD with DSG for 4 years. I found it OK and reliable Now own an Octy3 TSI with DSG for 1 year. Also great to drive and no problems. Would never go back to manual now - I've become too lazy! But you need try try it yourself. As you can see there is a variety of opinions, so don't buy without trying. DSG repairs could be expensive. You say you intend keeping the vehicle for a while, so it would make sense to extend the warranty to 5 years when ordering (you can't extend the factory warranty after ordering). Thats what I did for peace of mind.

I fitted 3M tape to the front sills (us poor Elegance owners didn't even get the front sill covers free when I bought mine). Personally I would not stick 3M tape over the whole sill before installing the cover, as I'm note sure how well the cover would stick to it. It might a;lso complicate future removal of the 3M tape. I didn't use a template - just cut it out carefuly. The tape covered the "bare" part of the sill and just over the lip of the sill where the sill cover would sit. The sill then covered the edge of the tape when it was fitted, so that the edge looks neat, and the sill cover then adheres directly to the painted metal. Easy job, and it's not the end of the world if you don't make a 100% professional job as its invsible 99% of the time. Got my 3M tape ex fleabay, but there are lots of suppliers out there.

Had 6 speed on my Mk2 and now have a 7 speed on my Mk3 1.4TSI. No problems with either. But I was conscious it could be expensive if it did break, so took out the optional Skoda 5 year extended warranty when I ordered the TSI.

No the warranty expired almost 2 years ago. Skoda made a generous goodwill contribution though as its a known problem and the car has always been serviced by Skoda dealers.

Hi, Just had the cam chain on my 1.2 TSI Fabia fixed by Skoda main dealer as the stretch was over the permissible maximum limit of 74mm. I’m posting this as general information for all others with an early 1.2 TSI. The latest “repair” kit is part number 03F198158B and this is a revised kit. The kit not only has the revised cam chain, tensioner, and guide rails, but additionally revised camshaft and crankshaft sprockets. The revised cam chain box with the guards which were intended to prevent the chain jumping the crankshaft sprocket no longer appears to be fitted as a replacement for the original chain box. I searched the web using the new part number and came up with several hits. The following link is to an Italian Audi A1 owners forum and is very informative (you will have to crank up Google translate if your Italian is not up the speed!): http://a1.audi.club.forumfree.it/?t=63989251&st=240 If their forum is to be believed (and I think it probably is bearing in mind all the photographs provided), the important points appear to be: - The previous version of the “repair” kit may not fix the problem – the new chain can still stretch - There is a further TPI apart from the one noted earlier in this thread. Amongst other things this specifies the crucial 74mm stretch criteria in order to qualify for a warranty repair. - The cam chain itself is now on its third version. Looking at the pictures the latest version appears substantially different from the original. - VAG originally thought that the cam/crank sprockets could not be changed hence the earlier version of the repair kit relied on using a revised chain which would fit the original sprockets. There must have been some worry about this approach – hence the revised cam chain box (which now does not seem to be required with the latest cam chain/sprocket arrangement). I hope VAG look at their enginering drawings more closely in future! Hope this is useful background information for all you 1.2 TSI owners with cam chain worries.