Seat Leon Cupra R 225 - a good buy?
Discussion
They certainly can be a good buy. Nice looking cars and large enough (just) for a family vehicle.
On longer journeys I am averaging 36MPG, dropping to around 30 about town/shorter journeys so not too bad at all.
Performance is reasonable (mine is standard) but £500 im remap new TIP and dump valve will see you get to 260(ish) BHP, although of course this is all through the front wheels.
In terms of problems you need to watch out/check for:
Rattly dashboard - can often be cured by stuffing felt (often done by dealer) between pillars and dash and foam around front between dash and windscreen.
Leaking seals - the ancillary door panel have sealed against the door and over time they breakdown. It's an easy job to take off the door panel, undo the inner bolts on the anciallary panel and carefully silicone around the seal. You can test for leaks by tipping a bucket of water over the doors/windows and then opening the door to see if there is water on the sills.
Coil packs - known to be a weak point
Alloys - very easy to curb
Radiator/cooling fans - these should be two speed, but often the slow speed burns out leaving you with just fast. When A/C on you get a pulsing of high speed fans which can over time burn them out or just keep blowing fuses. Currently mins suffers from this, but has not caused any issues so far - engine temp stays just fine. My problem is trying to get a dealer to actaully acknowledge the problem (especially as I have warranty that should cover it).
Poor radio signal with aftermarket head units - knwon problem and can be resolved with signal booster.
All in all they are a pretty decent car, well equipped and quite nice to drive, great brakes and pretty strong performance from a 1.8T, although with 18" wheels and low profile tyres can feel a little bit crashy over bumpy roads.
Not had to have a service yet, but expect £200 for normal service from Seat dealers. Also worth checking out the road tax implications - currently £245, but I heard a rumor that in 2010/11 it goes to £310
On longer journeys I am averaging 36MPG, dropping to around 30 about town/shorter journeys so not too bad at all.
Performance is reasonable (mine is standard) but £500 im remap new TIP and dump valve will see you get to 260(ish) BHP, although of course this is all through the front wheels.
In terms of problems you need to watch out/check for:
Rattly dashboard - can often be cured by stuffing felt (often done by dealer) between pillars and dash and foam around front between dash and windscreen.
Leaking seals - the ancillary door panel have sealed against the door and over time they breakdown. It's an easy job to take off the door panel, undo the inner bolts on the anciallary panel and carefully silicone around the seal. You can test for leaks by tipping a bucket of water over the doors/windows and then opening the door to see if there is water on the sills.
Coil packs - known to be a weak point
Alloys - very easy to curb
Radiator/cooling fans - these should be two speed, but often the slow speed burns out leaving you with just fast. When A/C on you get a pulsing of high speed fans which can over time burn them out or just keep blowing fuses. Currently mins suffers from this, but has not caused any issues so far - engine temp stays just fine. My problem is trying to get a dealer to actaully acknowledge the problem (especially as I have warranty that should cover it).
Poor radio signal with aftermarket head units - knwon problem and can be resolved with signal booster.
All in all they are a pretty decent car, well equipped and quite nice to drive, great brakes and pretty strong performance from a 1.8T, although with 18" wheels and low profile tyres can feel a little bit crashy over bumpy roads.
Not had to have a service yet, but expect £200 for normal service from Seat dealers. Also worth checking out the road tax implications - currently £245, but I heard a rumor that in 2010/11 it goes to £310
Edited by jcborden on Tuesday 8th September 13:19
I did 80K in mine in just over 3 years and it was a great car. A good buy if you find the right one. I had one of the first 210bhp ones with the full optional Recaro interior which is pretty rare because after the first year they removed the rear Recaro seat option. Really set the car off.
Only other things to add to look out for are water leaking into passenger footwell due to fulty pollen filter seal and exhaust hanger brackets rusting through.
Only other things to add to look out for are water leaking into passenger footwell due to fulty pollen filter seal and exhaust hanger brackets rusting through.
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