Leon 2.0 TDI. Sort it and keep it, or trade it?

[dapearson]

We've had our Leon Stylance 2.0 TDI for a couple of years now. Bought it at 3.5 yrs old and 45k miles. It's now 5.5 yrs old and is on just over 80k.

It's due a service, including the cambelt (overdue actually).

I've used it to do the odd bit of towing for my caterham this year. It's become a bit of a workhorse as the family "bus".

The driver's side suspension has started to make a bit of a knock. I think it's the strut.

The air-con doesn't work. Tried to have it gassed, but it's something else. The compressor doesn't cut in when i switch on the air-con.

The CD player is useless. 80% of the time it refuses to play CDs and eats discs, refusing to give them back for a day or three. The iPod dock under the seat has never worked. We're now used to listening to the radio only!

It's awful on fuel. Driving like a nun sees 52mpg. Cruising at 70mph sees 43mpg. Our longterm average over 10k+ miles is 46mpg.

Basically, the service is gonna be £500 including the belts. This summer was a bit of a pain with a toddler and no air-con, so i'd like to get that sorted before next summer, could be expensive though. The CD player is a pain to replace with an aftermarket one, and i don't want to lose the bluetooth and steering wheel controls.

So. It's worth about £4k to £5k as a trade-in.

I'm mindful that the 2.0TDI VAG engines have a reputation for catastrophic failure of a number of items. If we spend the £500-£1k on it that it needs, we'd have to keep it and run it to 120k+ miles to make it worth it. I'd hate to do that and for it to go POP!

I had a 2002 320d that blew its turbo at 150k miles. I'm a bit nervous of high mileage diesels.

Alternative is to trade it.

What would you do?

(having read this back again i think i've answered my own question!)

[Fubar1977]

Yep, think you`ve had your monies worth, get rid before the big bills come!

[Grenoble]

dapearson said:

It's awful on fuel. Driving like a nun sees 52mpg. Cruising at 70mph sees 43mpg. Our longterm average over 10k+ miles is 46mpg.

I think your definition of "awful on fuel" and mine are very different....

[TameRacingDriver]

Grenoble said:

dapearson said:

It's awful on fuel. Driving like a nun sees 52mpg. Cruising at 70mph sees 43mpg. Our longterm average over 10k+ miles is 46mpg.

I think your definition of "awful on fuel" and mine are very different....

That's just what I was thinking. I would love it if my car got that!

[dapearson]

TameRacingDriver said:

That's just what I was thinking. I would love it if my car got that!

Yeah but compared to my old Golf TDI PD 115, it is!!

Used to be able to get an easy 55mpg+ out of it, even with a bit of hooning!

The Leon pretty much does 45mpg...that's it. Doing a steady 40mph will get it up into the 50s, but the highest i've ever got, driving literally like a nun, was 53.

And i know how to get high mpg out of a car. Once saw 33mpg out of my WRX!

[TameRacingDriver]

dapearson said:

TameRacingDriver said:

That's just what I was thinking. I would love it if my car got that!

Yeah but compared to my old Golf TDI PD 115, it is!!

Used to be able to get an easy 55mpg+ out of it, even with a bit of hooning!

The Leon pretty much does 45mpg...that's it. Doing a steady 40mph will get it up into the 50s, but the highest i've ever got, driving literally like a nun, was 53.

And i know how to get high mpg out of a car. Once saw 33mpg out of my WRX!

Should have kept the Golf then.

The Leon will probably worse as its a more powerful engine, probably has a DPF (another potential money pit), heavier and will be geared differently. The early PD engines (before the DPFs) were the best - most reliable and fuel efficient.

You could flog it and get one of the older engined cars, you wouldn't be out of pocket then, and I'm sure you could find a mollycoddled one for the price... but that said, buying any car is a risk.

[Rich n Em]

I am in the almost exact situation, 5 y/o car 70k on clock, 45 mpg, worth 5k needing cambelt, service, brakes, tyres and a new gearbox. The potential for wallet raping bills going forward is high too, DFP, EGR, DMF etc etc

I asked here:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=1...

And pretty much got a unanamous verdict to keep it.

I looked long and hard and could find nothing that was as nice as my car for the money available.

So, it's booked in for gearbox, cambelt and service are due in the new year and brakes/tyres are going to be done in a few weeks.

If you like it, keep it, if you can find something better, change it.

[dapearson]

Rich n Em said:

I am in the almost exact situation, 5 y/o car 70k on clock, 45 mpg, worth 5k needing cambelt, service, brakes, tyres and a new gearbox. The potential for wallet raping bills going forward is high too, DFP, EGR, DMF etc etc

I asked here:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=1...

And pretty much got a unanamous verdict to keep it.

I looked long and hard and could find nothing that was as nice as my car for the money available.

So, it's booked in for gearbox, cambelt and service are due in the new year and brakes/tyres are going to be done in a few weeks.

If you like it, keep it, if you can find something better, change it.

Ta. Yes, it's the potential for future wallet raping that's bugging me.

If i thought it would be reliable once it was all done i'd just do it, but it doesn't feel like it will be.

Sadly the only thing we've seen that we (and by "we" i mean "my wife") like is a MINI Countryman. Sadly they're at least 3x the value of the Leon and are in the steeper part of their depreciation curve.

I may suggest that we get the belts done and live with the other niggles until the summer, then change it for what she wants.

[y2blade]

To add:
Is that the same engine that the B7 Audi A4 2.0TDIs use?

Edit: Maybe have a read here if so.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php...

Edited by y2blade on Monday 29th October 12:46

[Silverbullet767]

I'm in the same situation too.

2005 Audi A6 3.0TDi - 135k miles.

It needs...

£600 of engine work done
£200 of suspension work
£100 for new brake pads
A couple of hundred to sort out the bodywork.
The heating needs looked at as it like's to blast out tropical air for no reason.

This is after I have already spent.

£1500 on new injectors.
£400 on brakes (it eats pads)
Countless sets of tyres.
£200 replacement window wiper linkage.
£100 MAF meter

I could go on.

But at most it's worth £5k. And there's nothing out there that will come close to it for that money.

[dapearson]

y2blade said:

That is ste for a 2.0TDI though....OP is it fked?

I took it back to the dealer after a month and complained that the 55mpg avg that it should be doing was waaaay off. They test drove it, got 50mpg (no doubt by sitting at 40) and handed it back suggesting it was fine.

It's the gearing that kills it. Golf PD was 40mph/1000rpm, so cruising below 70mph was out of the turbo range. The Leon is more like 30mph/1000rpm, so even sticking at 60mph is right in the range where the turbo is spooling.

I asked them to replace the CD player, to which the reply was "well your warranty covers you for £50 towards repairing/replacing in car entertainment". In other words: fuk off.

I'd also like to say that it's the only car we've had (check my profile because i've had a few) that's EVER left us stranded. Hose blew off the intercooler on the way back from a wedding and had to get the AA to cable tie it back on so we could limp it back to dealer.

[dapearson]

Silverbullet767 said:

I'm in the same situation too.

2005 Audi A6 3.0TDi - 135k miles.

It needs...

£600 of engine work done
£200 of suspension work
£100 for new brake pads
A couple of hundred to sort out the bodywork.
The heating needs looked at as it like's to blast out tropical air for no reason.

This is after I have already spent.

£1500 on new injectors.
£400 on brakes (it eats pads)
Countless sets of tyres.
£200 replacement window wiper linkage.
£100 MAF meter

I could go on.

But at most it's worth £5k. And there's nothing out there that will come close to it for that money.

With that much wallet raping i'd need counselling.

[dapearson]

Silverbullet767 said:

I'm in the same situation too.

2005 Audi A6 3.0TDi - 135k miles.

It needs...

£600 of engine work done
£200 of suspension work
£100 for new brake pads
A couple of hundred to sort out the bodywork.
The heating needs looked at as it like's to blast out tropical air for no reason.

This is after I have already spent.

£1500 on new injectors.
£400 on brakes (it eats pads)
Countless sets of tyres.
£200 replacement window wiper linkage.
£100 MAF meter

I could go on.

But at most it's worth £5k. And there's nothing out there that will come close to it for that money.

Tell you what. After reading that i'm on the verge of financing the MINI Countryman that the missus wants. No way i'd want to sink that much into a car in maintenance.

I can appreciate that for what it's worth though, it does make some sense to just keep it. A6s are nice.

[TameRacingDriver]

I can't really see the sense in buying a newer car for thousands of pounds more than your current one is worth, all because you may (or may not) get a few maintenance bills in the future.

I could understand if it looked like it was going to be a constant source of frustration, but believe me, what you have experienced so far is small beer. All it needs is a cambelt (which most cars tend to need at certain parts of their life), the air con regassing, probably some bushes or a damper and not a whole lot else. Big deal?! If you're just doing it because you want a change, then just be honest with yourself!

[dapearson]

TameRacingDriver said:

I can't really see the sense in buying a newer car for thousands of pounds more than your current one is worth, all because you may (or may not) get a few maintenance bills in the future.

I could understand if it looked like it was going to be a constant source of frustration, but believe me, what you have experienced so far is small beer. All it needs is a cambelt (which most cars tend to need at certain parts of their life), the air con regassing, probably some bushes or a damper and not a whole lot else. Big deal?! If you're just doing it because you want a change, then just be honest with yourself!

Well it's cambelt. Then the air-con isn't just gassing, it's something more mechanical. Small beer indeed, but it's more about this being a decision point, rather than not wanting to spend the money. It's either spend and keep, or trade and spend the cash (+ more) changing.

An yes, i agree that spending the sort of cash that would be required to get what she/we want does make it seem that it's more about wanting to change.

Going to take tomorrow afternoon off to go shopping.

Thanks for the advice.

[icepop]

dapearson said:

We've had our Leon Stylance 2.0 TDI for a couple of years now. Bought it at 3.5 yrs old and 45k miles. It's now 5.5 yrs old and is on just over 80k.

It's due a service, including the cambelt (overdue actually).

I've used it to do the odd bit of towing for my caterham this year. It's become a bit of a workhorse as the family "bus".

The driver's side suspension has started to make a bit of a knock. I think it's the strut.

The air-con doesn't work. Tried to have it gassed, but it's something else. The compressor doesn't cut in when i switch on the air-con.

The CD player is useless. 80% of the time it refuses to play CDs and eats discs, refusing to give them back for a day or three. The iPod dock under the seat has never worked. We're now used to listening to the radio only!

It's awful on fuel. Driving like a nun sees 52mpg. Cruising at 70mph sees 43mpg. Our longterm average over 10k+ miles is 46mpg.

Basically, the service is gonna be £500 including the belts. This summer was a bit of a pain with a toddler and no air-con, so i'd like to get that sorted before next summer, could be expensive though. The CD player is a pain to replace with an aftermarket one, and i don't want to lose the bluetooth and steering wheel controls.

So. It's worth about £4k to £5k as a trade-in.

I'm mindful that the 2.0TDI VAG engines have a reputation for catastrophic failure of a number of items. If we spend the £500-£1k on it that it needs, we'd have to keep it and run it to 120k+ miles to make it worth it. I'd hate to do that and for it to go POP!

I had a 2002 320d that blew its turbo at 150k miles. I'm a bit nervous of high mileage diesels.

Alternative is to trade it.

What would you do?

(having read this back again i think i've answered my own question!)

Mines the 2lt Reference, and about the same milage, and same year.

Does the same mpg, 48 at the mo, bit of a let down from the Bora 150, 53mpg, but 16v alot nicer to drive, not as tractor like, but alot more laggy, so see what ya mean.

Suspension knock's nothing to worry about, mine was just a replacement bush, common to SEATS.

My aircon has started acting up too, does your outside temp guage work, strange arrangement, seem to remember they wire up the sensor thro the aircon/CD !!!!!, check it all the same first.

iPOD under the seat !!!!! no way, it's on the centre console

If it's post 2006, mines 2008, no probs with the engine, assuming you mean oil pump/abs, all cured by then.

It's a Mk 5 Golf underneath, so save yourself a few bob and stick with it another 12 months, I will be doing, mind you, mine has a full SEAT warranty until March 2014.

By the way, the car doesn't have a DPF fitted, main reason I bought mine, in the first place. Will have a DM flywheel, just treat it well, i.e, dont slip it at low speeds, in first, engage fully, should last forever. Turbos and injectors good for 150k +, then think about chopping in maybe. Far better handling than the equivalent Golf too, SEAT always run harder springs on their equivalent models. Never happened before, but first car I would consider replacing like for like, for three reasons,.... handling, low service costs, and excellent dealer service, at Kendal SEAT.

Edited by icepop on Thursday 1st November 02:45

Edited by icepop on Thursday 1st November 02:51

[BFG TERRANO]

Get shot. The new Leon is about to be launched.

[dapearson]

icepop said:

Mines the 2lt Reference, and about the same milage, and same year.

Does the same mpg, 48 at the mo, bit of a let down from the Bora 150, 53mpg, but 16v alot nicer to drive, not as tractor like, but alot more laggy, so see what ya mean.

Suspension knock's nothing to worry about, mine was just a replacement bush, common to SEATS.

My aircon has started acting up too, does your outside temp guage work, strange arrangement, seem to remember they wire up the sensor thro the aircon/CD !!!!!, check it all the same first.

iPOD under the seat !!!!! no way, it's on the centre console

If it's post 2006, mines 2008, no probs with the engine, assuming you mean oil pump/abs, all cured by then.

It's a Mk 5 Golf underneath, so save yourself a few bob and stick with it another 12 months, I will be doing, mind you, mine has a full SEAT warranty until March 2014.

By the way, the car doesn't have a DPF fitted, main reason I bought mine, in the first place. Will have a DM flywheel, just treat it well, i.e, dont slip it at low speeds, in first, engage fully, should last forever. Turbos and injectors good for 150k +, then think about chopping in maybe. Far better handling than the equivalent Golf too, SEAT always run harder springs on their equivalent models. Never happened before, but first car I would consider replacing like for like, for three reasons,.... handling, low service costs, and excellent dealer service, at Kendal SEAT.

Edited by icepop on Thursday 1st November 02:45

Edited by icepop on Thursday 1st November 02:51

iPod dock under the seat was a cost option in place of the aux input on the centre console. Fiddly to plug anything into, so i put in an extension lead. Doesn't work though.

Well, she's going in tomorrow for MOT, service, belts, air-con fault diagnosis and to sort the susp knock.

Spent Tue afternoon shopping and couldn't find anything as nice to drive for close to the value (£4k ish p/x). Looked like we'd end up with a lower mileage A3/Golf/Leon, so not worth it. Missus has decided she wants a Mini Countryman, so we'll wait a year and re-assess. Too pricey right now.

Ta for all the input chaps.

[xreyuk]

Air con is a common fault on these. Try changing the pressure switch, if that doesn't work then it's the compressor (which cost a fair bit of money new).

The rest doesn't seem too bad.

[dapearson]

Thought it was only fair that i reply.

Leon went in for belts, etc a couple of weeks ago.

The knocking turned out to be the anti-roll bar drop-links. £26 for the pair plus fitting.

The air-con is a failed pressure switch. £40 off GSF to be fitted in the spring.

She's running nicely. Just gotta sort out the stereo. There are a few refurbed ones on fleabay for £90. Don't fancy losing the bluetooth, so keen to keep the OEM one, unless anyone can advise otherwise?