My wife has a 1.2 Fabia and I recently bought a similar one, both are on approx 30k miles. I noticed the latest one sounds slightly different, we're not talking rough here, just not as subdued as the missus' car engine note.

It has a full dealer service history but I'm wondering whether the cam tension needs checking? Thirty thou seems a bit early for a major service and the engine pulls fine. It was last serviced fifteen months and four thousand miles ago but no ticks on the cam box on the service sheet.

Any advice?

The cam belt is visually checked at each service by main dealers. Replacement will be at 4years or 60k. miles so don't worry about that. Not all cars sounds the same even the same model.

1.2 is chain cam anyway. The difference might even be that one's the 60bhp version, and the other the 64bhp one... :ne_nau:

Manufacturer's service intervals are a full service every year, and an oil change every 10k if you do more than 10k per year. Various bits get added on at multiples of 20k, too...

1.2 engines have a maintenance free cam chain.

Engines can vary in apparent smoothness - diesels are the worst - some are quite sweet while others sound like a bag of old bearings. Check all the trim around the engine and the front bumper (e.g. plastic inserts) It just takes one loose fitting item for things to sound noisy. Also check the undertray is fitted and that all screws are tight.

If the car has had a replacement exhaust then in my experience they never sound as sweet again.

Something else occurred to me yesterday: change the air filters on both cars, and see what they're like in comparison to each other then!

Thanks for the info guys. Both cars are 6 years old and on around 30k, although we bought my wife's eighteen months ago and it had only done 17k! I didn't know the 1.2 had a maintenance free cam chain.

Since running it for a week the engine note is sweeter, I believe it had been standing for a year. I'll change the oil and air filter too.