Having trouble confirming whether my 2001 Fabia Comfort 8v 1.4 has a timing belt (replaceable at 60k) or a chain. Looking through handbook & manual is inconclusive. Where would I find this info?

Car has done 63k so need to know soon(ish).

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers.

I read the following on another Skoda forum:

The 16vs have a belt as all the diesel engines in fabia.

The 8vs have chains (double) with no tensioners.

The 12vs have chains (single) with hydraulic tensioners (2)

Can anyone confirm this?

The MPI engine is chain driven I believe - leftover part/engine from the original Skoda design.

Many thanks for that!

The chain can stretch and become loose over time. This tends to make the engine noisy and a rattly noise from the bottom left hand side of the engine (as you face it from the front).

The chain can stretch and become loose over time. This tends to make the engine noisy and a rattly noise from the bottom left hand side of the engine (as you face it from the front).

Is this as expensive to have tightened as it would be to replace a cambelt?

A while back a dealer quoted me £200 to have the chain replaced on a Favorit which is the engine the Fabia one is based on, so I imagine it's about the same as cambelt replacement (including water pump etc) or slightly less.

Have heard of these snapping (a friends 3cyl 1.0 Corsa C) costing around £2,000 in repairs I think, (Why he didn't get a new engine off a scrap yard I dunno) but it might be worth getting it done as a precaution if funds allow/it seems cause for concern.

(NB, I think his engine had a recall on the chain which was never carried out, but not 100% on that.)