Hi,

I'm possibly looking for a Fabia estate to fill in on Long distance duty, our other car is a Nissan Leaf.

 

I have spotted a Fabia Scout 1.2tsi 2010 with 65k on the clock for £6k.

 

Firstly would people say this is about right for the age and milage of car?

 

Also having no experience of the 1.2tsi engine how reliable is it and what to look out for? Its the 85ps version.

 

It is a one owner car with Full Skoda history.

 

Many thanks,

 

Jonno

Some 2010 models have suffered with camchain issues. Itll rattle on a cold startup if its suffering.

There is a fix, but i dont think the VW Group are helping to fund most of them. Only a few low mileage ones with full dealer history. I think.

Thanks, the reg is AJ10 PCO not sure if this was someones on here. I might pop for a look this week and ask the question

Thanks, the reg is AJ10 PCO not sure if this was someones on here. I might pop for a look this week and ask the question

 

 

1.2 TSI up to around late 2010 can have issues with a stretched cam chain and this topic has been frequently discussed on this forum. Its a known design weakness. (Search the forum)

 

If the car has always been in the dealer network Skoda should have an electronic record of any warranty work done. Ask if the cam chain has ever been replaced, and if so, the part number of the repair kit. The repair kit should preferably be 3F198158B (or later). The reason for that is that the cam chain (and associated guides, sprockets and tensioner) has been through at least 3 revisions, and I understand that some of the earlier versions of the replacement kits have also had to be changed when the chain stretched a second time.

 

Skoda generally replaced under warranty if the chain stretch was outside a given tolerance. This is an easy job for a main dealer (who will have access to the special measuring tool) but it does require the oil to be dropped. They may also make a contributiuon to a car outside of warranty, but it will have to be low mileage and always serviced by a main dealer in order to qualify. My wife's 85 TSI had the chain replaced when the vehicle was over 5 years old but it was very low mileage - in her case Skoda made a substantial contribution.

 

Its a pity about the cam chain issue - apart from that the engine is a cracker and I haven't heard of any other major reliability problems with it. My wife is certainly very happy with hers. By the way the cost of replacing the chain with the latest version at a main dealer (and without any goodwill contribution) would be circa £700.

 

Frankly I would not rely on anything a dealer says unless he can prove it via the service record. If the chain stretches it can either jump the sprockets or break (normally the former) - either way the engine is toast.

 

I had several main dealers tell me that there was nothing wrong with my wifes car - it was only after I got bolshie and the chain was physically measured did they relent and agree there was indeed a problem. The noise is very difficult to reliably differentiate from other top end noises (eg the high pressure fuel pump on top of the engine can also make a racket but that is fairly normal).

 

Personally, bearing in mind the  65K mileage, I would walk away if there is the slightest hint of sound from the chain and/or the dealer cannot tell you if the chain has been replaced or not.    

 

Hope that helps.