From sick to heart up
The 16-valve engine is definitely the best petrol engine for the Fabia fourteen, which will simply outlive you provided you change the timing belt and oil regularly. For this to happen, the timing belts must be replaced after 10 years and 150,000 km at the latest, and the oil also after one year or 15,000 km. However, if you are buying a car for which replacement is not documented, it is best to proceed with a preventive replacement of the distributions. About ten thousand invested will guarantee you a peaceful sleep.
Harder sixteen
with the use of a timing chain and higher power it may seem like a significantly better choice, but in practice this is not the case. It doesn’t fare much better than a 14-litre, it is louder, noisier and above all more voracious. For some owners, the timing chain was mostly pulled in combination with a five-speed manual gearbox. A better choice is a connection with a six-speed automatic converter from Aisin (the oil is changed after 60,000 km).
Three-cylinder elongated 1.2HTP suitable for the city or for driving between villages. In both cases, they work as expected. Outside the city and above all on the motorways, you quickly lose your breath and consumption rises at a dizzying rate. You have to completely forget about the performance reserve at higher speeds. The highway pilots of the Fabias company often had a smile on their face when refueling. In fact, their Fabia showed double-digit fuel consumption, due to overheating of the catalyst offset by the enrichment of the mixture. Since 2010, the three-cylinder received new catalysts that comply with the Euro 5 emission standard and sales representatives no longer had to explain the high fuel consumption. We can recommend the twelve-valve version with a power of 51 kW, which received a quieter chain. Take the weaker six-valve version (44 kW) from production year 2011 only. With three cylinders, beware of the rattling timing chain. A set of parts to replace it costs less than five thousand crowns, so it won’t cut you financially. Rough idling on the 1.2 HTP engine therefore indicates burnt exhaust valves, caused by carbon in the oil or catalyst failure.
From the four-cylinder turbo 1.2 TSI many expected miracles. It was a well-managed unit with all the prerequisites to become an ideal engine. Unfortunately, the initial enthusiasm disappeared as quickly as steam on a pot. The mileage gobblers were soon stopped by problems with the timing chain, which the automaker fixed and has been problem-free since about mid-2011. With the original designs, a wider and overall tighter chain can also be used. resistant. Of the transmissions, definitely get the manual gearbox, the seven-speed dual-clutch DSG is sure to haunt you years later.
If the Fabii has not been immobilized by a blown timing chain, it is guaranteed to be seduced by martens, who love exposed Skoda ignition cables, when they come to warm up under the bonnet (many owners have solved this problem by replacing the cables with other , covering them or wearing swan necks).
