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Skoda Roomster 1.2 Ambition common faults.

2010–2015, MPV, petrol, 69 HP.

The fault list covers: CGPA, BZG engine, MQ200 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

5 fault write-ups. 2 important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

2 important faults

critical1

1.2 HTP (3 cylinder): the timing chain stretches

critical

The valvetrain of the three cylinder 1.2 runs on a chain instead of a belt. Both the chain and the tensioner are undersized for this engine. The chain starts stretching as early as 60,000 to 80,000 km, and the tensioner loses its pressure. The sign is a rattling noise audible for a few seconds on a cold start. The earliest BME has the weakest tensioner, and the BZG is structurally the same. If the chain jumps, the engine is badly damaged inside, and the repair is typically an engine rebuild. A low oil level speeds the wear up enormously: the tensioner is driven by oil pressure. That is why the oil level has to be checked every 1,000 km on this engine.

What to check

  • Start it cold: the rattling noise is audible in the first seconds and no longer when warm
  • Pull the dipstick: a low level is a risk on its own on this engine
  • Ask whether the chain and the tensioner were replaced, and ask for the invoice
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive1

MQ200 / MQ250 manual gearbox: differential bearing and synchros

expensive

The light, magnesium cased MQ200 and the MQ250, sized for higher torque, are the most widespread manual gearboxes in the transverse engine VAG models. Both have the same two weak points, and both depend on use.

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The first is the differential bearing: as it wears you first get a droning, then a whine from the thrust bearings of the output shaft. Left alone, the planetary shaft can fail and in extreme cases punch through the gearbox casing: from then on it is not a repair but a replacement.

The second is the synchros: they can start crunching at around 50,000 km with aggressive driving. This type does not like dumping the clutch or slipping it, and on a used car that is exactly what you have to listen for.

above 50,000 km

What to check

  • On the test drive with the window down, listen to the gearbox both off and on the throttle: droning or whining is suspect
  • Shift up and down quickly, especially into 2nd and 3rd: crunching means synchro wear
  • Try engaging 1st and reverse when cold: resistance here means wear
2 more steps in the write-up

comfort2

Air conditioning: cooling weakening early

comfort

The air conditioning system can weaken as early as around 30,000 km, and it mostly affects cars with the 1.4 16V and 1.6 16V engines. The symptom is air that cools slowly and finally only goes lukewarm.

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It can still cool in the first minute, and the cooling drops off within ten minutes.

What to check

  • Set the air conditioning to maximum and let it run for at least ten minutes
  • Measure the air temperature at the centre vent if you can
  • Ask about the last air conditioning charge and a compressor replacement

Tailgate: sticking lock and actuator

comfort

The tailgate starts binding between 40,000 and 60,000 km: the actuator or the lock mechanism wears out, and it is more common in the cold. The tailgate does not open from the button, or does not close properly.

What to check

  • Open and close the tailgate five times, from the key and the button
  • Try it from cold if you can: the fault appears more often in the cold
  • Check whether the tailgate fits properly and whether there are traces of water ingress

cheap repair1

Blower motor: burnt out resistor

cheap repair

The heating and ventilation blower fails after 50,000 to 70,000 km, typically because of the series resistor: the blower only works on the highest speed, or not at all.

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Fitting it reaches under the dashboard, so the labour makes up the bigger part of the bill.

What to check

  • Try every blower speed, one by one
  • If only the highest speed works, that is the series resistor
  • Listen to the blower noise too: a rattling bearing is the bearing, not the resistor

Checklist

Skoda Roomster 1.2 Ambition

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Engine and transmission

2 engines · 1 transmissions

CGPA · 1.2

51–63 kW (69–86 HP) · petrol

MQ200 · 5- or 6-speed manual

manual · 5–6 speed

Torque limit200 Nm
MakerVolkswagen

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one engine code is possible. The fault list shows the faults of each.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Ambition
Body
MPV
Fuel
petrol
Transmission
manual
Engine size
1198 cc
Power
51 kW (69 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2010–2015

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Engine oil and oil filter

    • LongLife30,000 km or 2 years(valid only with LongLife-approved oil)
    • 15,000 km or 1 year

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Coolant (antifreeze) change

    • first: 193,000 km or 10 years, then 97,000 km or 5 years(G13 / G12++: first change at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 60,000 miles or 5 years)

  • Spark plugs, petrol

    • 60,000 km or 6 years
All 5J.5 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms