0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs VR6: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC carries less risk than the VR6: 18/100 (low risk) versus 50/100 (high risk). The 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC has no documented serious faults; the VR6 has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «VR6 timing chain and tensioners».
The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated
Is the 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC reliable?
The GM Daewoo S-TEC engines (0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 naturally aspirated, low power) power the Matiz, Spark, Aveo 1.2, Beat and Sail. The sources consulted document only minor and cheap faults, such as oil leaks and ignition faults on the Matiz, and we have found no structural engine fault.[1][2][3]
See the 2 of the 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC faultsIs the VR6 reliable?
Its best-documented faults are the timing chain, with tensioners on the 12-valve versions and stretching on the 3.2 (R32, A3 8P, TT, Cayenne), and, to a lesser extent, the cooling system of the 12-valve versions. The 3.6 FSI comes out of the sources better than the 3.2.[4][5][6]
See the 2 of the VR6 faultsSide-by-side comparison
| Item | 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC | VR6 |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | — | — |
| Timing | Timing belt (dry) | Chain |
| Power | 52–84 hp | 140–300 hp |
| Production | 2002–2022[7][8][9][10][11] | 1991–2024[12][13][14] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 18Low risk | 50High risk |
| Documented faults | 2 | 2 |
| Of high or critical severity | 0 | 1 |
| Worst severity | Medium severity | Critical severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | No reliable data | No reliable data |
| Which versions to buy | ||
| BuyRecommended versions | None | |
| With cautionVersions to be cautious about |
| |
| AvoidVersions to avoid | None | None |
Severity of each fault: green, low; amber, medium; red, high; dark red, critical. How we rate them
Cars that each one is fitted to
Other comparisons
With the 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 PureTech
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 PureTech
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 TCe
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.3 TCe
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW B38 / B37
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW B48 / B38
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW B58
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M50 and M52
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW M54
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW N13
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW N20
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW N43/N46
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW N52 / N53
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW N54/N55
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs BMW N62 / N63
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs MZR gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Skyactiv-G
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M111
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M112 / M113
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M264/M254
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M260
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M271
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M272/M273
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M270/M274
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs M276
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs MIVEC gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 Turbo
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Porsche M96/M97
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 THP
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 0.9 TCe
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 TCe
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 16v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 8v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Rover K-Series
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 Turbo
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs Drive-E gasolina
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0 MPI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.2 12V
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.8 T 20v
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.0 FSI
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.2 S-TEC vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
With the VR6
- VR6 vs 1.2 PureTech
- VR6 vs 1.0 PureTech
- VR6 vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- VR6 vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- VR6 vs 1.2 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 1.3 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- VR6 vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- VR6 vs 2.4, 2.8 and 3.0 V6 30v
- VR6 vs BMW B38 / B37
- VR6 vs BMW B48 / B38
- VR6 vs BMW B58
- VR6 vs M43 1.6, 1.8 and 1.9
- VR6 vs M50 and M52
- VR6 vs BMW M54
- VR6 vs BMW N13
- VR6 vs BMW N20
- VR6 vs N42 and N45 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0
- VR6 vs BMW N43/N46
- VR6 vs BMW N52 / N53
- VR6 vs BMW N54/N55
- VR6 vs BMW N62 / N63
- VR6 vs 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 Fire
- VR6 vs 1.4 T-Jet
- VR6 vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- VR6 vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- VR6 vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- VR6 vs 2.0 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 2.3 EcoBoost
- VR6 vs 1.0-1.6 8v Endura-E, Duratec 8v and RoCam
- VR6 vs 1.8 and 2.0 Zetec-E
- VR6 vs 1.0 and 1.2 de 3 cilindros (Onix and Tracker)
- VR6 vs 1.4 / 1.6 16v E-TEC II
- VR6 vs 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 8V (Family 1)
- VR6 vs Family II 2.0 and 2.4 gasolina
- VR6 vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- VR6 vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- VR6 vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- VR6 vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- VR6 vs Honda IMA híbrido
- VR6 vs 1.0 T-GDI
- VR6 vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- VR6 vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- VR6 vs 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6 Alpha
- VR6 vs 1.8 / 2.0 Beta II
- VR6 vs 1.0 and 1.1 Epsilon
- VR6 vs 1.4 / 1.6 MPI Gamma
- VR6 vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- VR6 vs 1.8 / 2.0 Nu
- VR6 vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- VR6 vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- VR6 vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- VR6 vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- VR6 vs MZR gasolina
- VR6 vs Skyactiv-G
- VR6 vs M111
- VR6 vs M112 / M113
- VR6 vs M264/M254
- VR6 vs M266 (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.0 Turbo)
- VR6 vs M260
- VR6 vs M271
- VR6 vs M272/M273
- VR6 vs M270/M274
- VR6 vs M276
- VR6 vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- VR6 vs MIVEC gasolina
- VR6 vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- VR6 vs 1.6 DIG-T
- VR6 vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- VR6 vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- VR6 vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- VR6 vs 1.5/1.6/1.8 QG
- VR6 vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- VR6 vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- VR6 vs 1.4 Turbo
- VR6 vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- VR6 vs 2.2 Ecotec gasolina
- VR6 vs Porsche MA1 / 9A1
- VR6 vs Porsche M96/M97
- VR6 vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- VR6 vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- VR6 vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- VR6 vs 1.6 THP
- VR6 vs 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW7/EW10/EW12
- VR6 vs 1.8 and 2.0 XU
- VR6 vs 0.9 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- VR6 vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- VR6 vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- VR6 vs 1.8 TCe
- VR6 vs 1.2 16v
- VR6 vs 1.2 8v
- VR6 vs E-Tech Híbrido
- VR6 vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- VR6 vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- VR6 vs Rover K-Series
- VR6 vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- VR6 vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- VR6 vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- VR6 vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- VR6 vs 1.0 VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.2 Turbo
- VR6 vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.5 Hybrid
- VR6 vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- VR6 vs 1.8 Hybrid
- VR6 vs 2.7 and 4.0 gasolina (2TR-FE and 1GR-FE)
- VR6 vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- VR6 vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- VR6 vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- VR6 vs Drive-E gasolina
- VR6 vs 1.0 MPI
- VR6 vs 1.2 12V
- VR6 vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 FSI
- VR6 vs 1.8 T 20v
- VR6 vs 2.0 FSI
- VR6 vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
- VR6 vs 2.3 VR5 (V5)
- VR6 vs 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 8v EA111
- VR6 vs 1.6 and 2.0 8v EA827
Compare other engines
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- Czy warto kupić: używany Daewoo / FSO Matiz (od 1998 do 2008)AutoCentrum.pl · Motoring press · published 22 August 2013 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- Chevrolet Spark hatchback reviewAuto Express · Motoring press · published October 2013 · consulted 2 November 2026
- Fiabilité Chevrolet Spark (2009-2015): pannes, rappels et témoignagesFiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 2 November 2026 · in French
- VW Golf III VR6 (1991-1998)AutoBild · Motoring press · published 1 September 2003 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Golf IV (1J): Schwachstellen und KaufberatungGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Gebrauchtwagen-Kaufberater: Was kann der Porsche Cayenne 9PA?AutoScout24 · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Daewoo S-TEC engineWikipedia · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Chevrolet SparkWikipedia · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Chevrolet Aveo (T200)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- Chevrolet AveoWikipedia (de) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Chevrolet MatizWikipedia (de) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VR6 engineWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026
- VR6-MotorWikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW EA390Wikipedia (alemán) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Czy warto kupić: używany Chevrolet Aveo (od 2002 do 2011)AutoCentrum.pl · Motoring press · published 5 March 2013 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- Używany Chevrolet Aveo T200/T250 - typowe awarie i problemyWP Autokult · Motoring press · published 28 January 2012 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in another language
- Chevrolet SailWikipedia (español) · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in Spanish
- Chevrolet Sail: conócelo en detalleAutocosmos Chile · Motoring press · published 3 November 2010 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in Spanish
- Lanzamiento Chevrolet SailAutoblog Uruguay · Motoring press · published May 2013 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in Spanish
- Tous les problèmes sur Volkswagen Golf III (1991-1998)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 2 November 2026 · in French
- Seat Leon I: Bekannte Probleme & RückrufeGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · published 9 April 2025 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Bora (1J2): Typische Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · published 14 July 2022 · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Golf 4: ProblemeCarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Audi TT: ProblemeCarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- VW Passat CC: Probleme und SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Probleme mit dem Porsche Cayenne (9PA y 92A)CarWiki.de · Other source · consulted 2 November 2026 · in German
- Tous les problèmes sur Volkswagen Passat (2004-2010)Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 2 November 2026 · in French