Good move or bad?

[wackywacerwill]

We've been offered (for free ) the brother in laws '02 Seat Leon, pretty sure it's the 1.8 non turbo pez version with 5 valves per pot. It would replace the mk3 golf 1.9 dizzle family runabout which to be honest is needing more time and money than it's worth to keep on the road. So far so good you might say, however my concerns are thus;

 

1.It's OMG modern and as such I fear I'll no longer be able to fix the family car with my rudimentary tools and skills. This will no doubt lead to a bumming at the parts desk when I find after being told by a spotty teen with a laptop that I need a new flux capacitor or whatever.

 

2. It's Spanish.

 

3. Fear of the unknown.

 

4. Well I guess it's just number 1 really.

 

All I know about the Leon's issues is that it has some kind of sensor problem whereby it's using a tad more fuel than it should. Lalalalalalabamba sensor?

 

Any info or advice greatly appreciated folks.

 

Oh it's a bit like this

Though sadly not the Cupra Turbo version

[Craig the Princess]

It's free, what's the worst that can happen that doesn't get you a hundred plus at the bridge?

[r.welfare]

Lambda sensor or coolant temperature sensor most probably.

 

Invest in a £25 code reader and give the car a once-over with it. For free you can't really argue.

[Pillock]

Or invest in a £12 VAG-COM cable and "obtain" the software - plugs in under the ashtray.

 

I'd love to tell you that Leons are proper shit - after all the aggro I've had with mine. However they're not, I reckon they're the best of that platform. They drive OK, fairly comfy and a 20V NA will be nippy enough. They're not that complex really, yeah they've got more sensors and wires than a 1978 Dolomite but much much better in that respect than anything really new.

 

If you decide to break it - aircon control unit, inner boot trim, passenger wing mirror kthxbai

[eddyramrod]

It's free, grab it! You never know, despite being a VAG product it might actually be slightly reliable; it was built outside Germany which has to work in its favour. Come on down, the price is right...

[Guest Len H]

I'd rather have the Golf diesel.

[stuboy]

its free go for it

[wackywacerwill]

Cheers for all the info folks, I'll be grabbing the Leon sometime next week though I'll to some testing and have a looksee before the Golf goes.

 

I'd rather have the Golf diesel.

You've got one right? GR14.5 cars, awesome for the past 5 years and it's cheap/reliable running is what earned it such big love to get it's last ticket when in truth all I really wanted to be doing was sorting the Cortina or the van. As it stands it's now wanting a fair bit of money and plenty of time throwing at it's rusty pink ass so it seems a good time not to kick a gift horse in the teeth.

 

Spoke to the bro in-law earlier who has run the Seat for the last umpteen years and found out a few facts. Firstly it's a 1.6 16valver, seems I got a tad over excited in thinking it was a 1.8. He's been told a sensor is causing it to use a little more fuel with may ruin the cat, that was 2 years back... 1 x alloy is corroded inside so the tyre goes flat, has full size spare in place. The drivers window came crashing down the other day and is held up by tape. Sounds freakin mint to me. Air con, central locking big pimpin yo.

 

Best get me a vag cable then. Pics to follow if anyone gives a shite.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Missus used to have a Leon Tdi. Brilliant car, with Audi A3 dash and controls, with tighter suspension than a standard mk4 Golf (I owned one at the time).

Do it.

[RoadworkUK]

DIY Maint shouldn't be too much of an arseache.

 

My A4 has the AEB lump in it, e.g the turbo'd version of the one in that Leon, and so far it has been spectacularly, tediously reliable. Admittedly, being transverse on the Leon might make access a bit of a sod, but there's nothing cold-sweat inducing inherrent in that lump. Except coilpacks, perhaps. Keep a couple spare.

 

Nice looking car, too.

 

And if you divide it up, I might have a home for the a\c compressor...

[Rod/b]

Leons are great. We had the 1.4 S boggo spec with trims, and a Toledo V5, and loved them both. The 1.4s and 1.6s do seem to munch cambelt idlers at around 35-40k miles but they don't cost the earth to do. Water pumps can let go with impellers falling off the spindles but most will have been done by now. If not i'd say bosh a cambelt kit and pump on to be on the safe side.

 

I think the Leon saved our lives too. I'm pretty sure that if we'd hit the big roundabout on the Leighton Buzzard bypass at 70 in my old Audi Coupe rather than the Leon, i wouldn't be here typing this now...

[wackywacerwill]

Well, it's here Golf started misbehaving (my fault not it's) and the Mrs had to limp it home with chicken nugget blocking the fuel filter. Whilst we both had/have a lot of love for the Golf the Leon is cracking little car. My old folks have a Focus of the same engine size, year and mileage and the Leon is a more pleasant thing in every way.

 

Thrown a bucket over it today which looks like it's first wash in a long time, might even brake out the wax later if I get time. Building up a to do list which thankfully is a lot shorter than the Golf one. Had a belt and pump not long back so that's all good Thanks for the reassurance on the engine chaps, where is it though? seems to be just a big lump of plastic under the bonnet

 

Jobs that need jobbing;

1. oil and filter

2. fix passenger window (falls out if operated)

3. get non sealing tyre of alloy and bodge it up to hold air

4. Ignore other faults and enjoy free time fixing the van and cortina

4.1 fix golf so if anyone does buy it it gets a fair distance from my door before it breaks down