At what point did the Volkswagen Polo switch to chain-driven cams?

I am considering purchasing a Volkswagen Polo, either new or used. However in the past you have mentioned that the cam drive and pulleys on some models are suspect but the later models now have chain drives. Can you please tell me what year the change to a chain drive was made and how to tell that a car has chain drive.

Asked on 24 August 2013 by FK, Monmouth

Answered by Honest John
Until the advent of the belt cam EA211 4-cylinder 1.2TSI, the 1.2s were 3-cylinder chain cam. The best engine in the Polo is the 1.2TSI 105. If you can see the engine block at both ends of the engine or if it is covered by an oil-tight casing it is chain cam. If the cover is clipped-on plastic it is belt cam. That said, some new engines such as the Ford 1.0 EcoBoost have belt-in-oil camshaft drives.
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