Hi. The dealership who replaced the Engine reckoned the problem was all down to poor service. Evidently it's not enough to purchase oil and filters from Skoda - the oil and filters must be installed by a suitably qualified Skoda mechanic (one armed with a magic wand and copious amounts of fairy dust). The evidence for their assertions was an inspection of the Engine. Their inspection threw up evidence of overheating. They couldn't show pictures or other evidence of the overheating - the broken Engine had been returned to the supplier (presumably Skoda). Good luck with a court action against the dealership.

I have recently had a similar failure. My car is a Fabia Diesel 1.4 Greenline with a 2010 plate. I have had the car from new. The car has had no problems at all and recently went in (to the dealer and supplier) for a cam belt change. Approximately 150 Miles after the cam belt was changed; oil light came on (whilst travelling on the motorway at 70 MPH). Car was swiftly pulled up on the Motorway hard shoulder; AA was called out and they quickly diagnosed an 'oil pump' problem (probably). Car was recovered to the Skoda dealer where (after stripping the engine down including removing the sump) they diagnosed an oil pressure failure due to a chain breaking. I believe that the chain they refer to is the chain that drives the contra-rotating balance shaft together with the oil pump. The chain (I believe) is driven by the crankshaft via a sprocket behind the cam belt driver cog. I believe that the cam belt driver cog and chain sprocket are separated by an oil seal and plate. Dealer has suggested that the car needs a new Engine and that they will contact Skoda UK to see if a 'good will' payment is appropriate in the circumstances. Their quote for new Engine and installation is approx £4800. The car has done approximately 95,000 miles. All services have been performed with Skoda recommended parts: 1) Oil and oil filters 2) Front discs and pads. 3) Cam belt kit. The car was bought for reliability and longevity - hence the decision to purchase the Diesel version back in 2010. I must say that it's performed very well up to date - trouble free over 90000 miles. Previous experiences with Diesels (Peugeot and Volkswagen) suggest that it's not a fiction to expect over 250k Miles out of a regularly serviced engine and that 90k seems excessively low for an Engine from VAG. I note (from the service schedule) that there does not appear to be an interval where the contra-rotating balance shaft chain is either inspected or considered for replacement. I assume (possibly wrongly) that this component (along with the oil pump) should outlast the engine. Would welcome any comments about this sorry tale.