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In the big scheme of things a cam belt change is a tiny cost over the lifetime of a car. If it needs changing every 5 years and the car lasts 14 years 364 days that is only 2 changes. At todays cost for a 1.0 TSi that is about £1200.
Over those same 14 years, 164 days doing about 8,000 miles a year it will want insuring 14 times @ about £300 a year, total £4200, it will want VED 14 times @ £155, total £2170, it will want 14 services and 11 MOT’s, total must be in the region of £3,500 at an Indy. Over those 120,000 miles its going to need 3 new stes of tyres (if you can get 30,000 out of a set) @ £300 a set, total £900. And then there is petrol, at 50mpg and £6.50 a gallon you are going to spend £15,600. That little lot comes to almost £26,500.
And you lot resent paying another £1,200 to ensure you don’t wreck the engine.
But to keep it in perspective, if I keep our Fabia to its 10th birthday (unlikely) it will actually only need one cam belt change.
What I cannot understand is why do people not research before buying. I had the e-mail from Skoda before I signed thus I knew what it was going to cost, if I had been unhappy I would have gone elsewhere. No surprises for me. Before we bought the Fabia we were considering a Rio, that was until we saw the eye watering service costs. It might have had a cam chain but the cost over 5 years (our intended ownership period) was way higher even if you bought the supposedly good value service plan.
The only associated problem I am aware of, affects mainly early 1.0tsi and 1.2tsi EA211 engines up to around 2015
I thought the 1.0 TSi was introduced when the Polo/Fabia/Ibiza were updated in about 2016. Before that those cars used the 1.2 TSi. The Golf, Leon etc got the 1.0 TSi in place of the 1.2 TSi slightly later I think.
Since the mid 80's I have only had to replace the cam belt on 2 cars and they were carried out at the specified time. The first was on a Golf TDi after 6 years/75,000 miles and a Focus after 100,000 miles (just over 9 years). Both belts looked fine but the dam tensioner pulley on the Focus had loads of play in the bearing and knowing my luck would have failed soon after 100,000 miles and written off the engine, money well spent.
I have only known 3 cams belts break and 2 of those were on cars owned by the same chap. First was on a late 70's Audi 80 and the second on a Cortina 1.6, no damage done to either engine. The third was on a 1.4 Mk 3 Escort that belonged to friends of my parents, it let go at 30,000 miles and wrecked the top end of the engine.
Do your research.
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