Leon Cupra R dashboard lights flashing..and it’s not even Xmas!

[Mk1wils]

Hi all, you were good enough to help me last time so here’s hoping..

Owner of a Mk1 2003 from new and I’ve gone to it today, to be greeted with dashboard light welcome committee! Don’t know how long had been going from previous night. Key fob didn’t do much apart from unlock and lock again, so initially I disconnected the negative battery terminal to see if a re-boot might work. After an hour, same old, so I have now parked the problem overnight and disconnected both terminals. Guessing water might be the route cause as it’s not undercover. Your input would be appreciated..did attempt to attach video clip, but forum wasn’t having it?… See pics instead, flashing alternatively!
Thanks A

 

[iammooks]

I'm pretty sure the seal for the wiring loom has probably degraded and it's letting water in and it's shorting the fuses/relays.

It's happened to a lot of us - I was lucky not to get the Christmas tree dash, but it was soaking my carpet. It's insane that SEAT designed the car to have some of the most important electrics in a place that collects leaves that rot and turn into a disgusting mush.

You'll need to take off the windscreen wipers, scuttle and maybe the wiper motor as well to get good access, as well as disconnecting the washer hose to be able to take the scuttle out. Looking from the front of the car, you'll be able to see where the loom goes through the firewall on the left hand side, to the left of the brake master cylinder. Once the scuttle etc. are all out, there are some plastic bolts around the cover that you'll need to take out, but you'll probably need to clean out loads of leaf mulch as well.

The foam adhesive seal will normally be completely rotten.

If it's still pretty wet around there, you might want to disconnect the battery. Get some IPA or a good adhesive residue cleaner to clean the area around the panel, let it dry and then get some butyl tape and line around the lip before putting the cover back on.

It's a horrible, messy job, but I did it about a year ago and I've had no water getting in since. I did double layer the butyl too just to make sure.


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[Mk1wils]

Thanks for your input…the joys of having an 18yr old motor and no garage!

 

[iammooks]

Thanks for your input…the joys of having an 18yr old motor and no garage!

My pleasure! You could spend hours - even days - looking for the cause of the problem and I dread to think what a garage would charge if they weren't familiar with these cars.

It's a good opportunity to give the whole area a really good clean - once you've cleared out eighteen years of leaf mulch, you're not going to want to do it again, and you'll probably end up like me and spend a few minutes picking out leaves every month or so now that you know what happens to them...

I have a feeling I'm going to have to take mine apart again fairly soon, as I want to install a boost gauge and the best way of routing it is through here, so we'll see how well my repair has lasted.

 

[mty12345]

Hi all, you were good enough to help me last time so here’s hoping..

Owner of a Mk1 2003 from new and I’ve gone to it today, to be greeted with dashboard light welcome committee! Don’t know how long had been going from previous night. Key fob didn’t do much apart from unlock and lock again, so initially I disconnected the negative battery terminal to see if a re-boot might work. After an hour, same old, so I have now parked the problem overnight and disconnected both terminals. Guessing water might be the route cause as it’s not undercover. Your input would be appreciated..did attempt to attach video clip, but forum wasn’t having it?… See pics instead, flashing alternatively!
Thanks A

I think a video would be helpful on this mate. Maybe upload to youtube and link it here?

Does the car start and run ok?
How fast is it flashing, is it flickering or a definite on/off?
Do all the lights come on and then some go out, as if you have just turned the ignition on, or do all those ones in the pic come on and stay on?

 

[Nam-uk]

Took my scuttle off a few years back and it was not all that bad on leaves ect but had to stick the sound proofing back with anti vibration tape, also i found a mouse nest I'm like wtf lol, there is drain holes that might be blocked as well, pour water in there to make sure they drain off..

 

[smutts]

The Infamous "Disco Dashboard".
Good luck with that.

Weird one that can happen, though rare...............
VW (hence SEAT) used really good sealed connecters on the wiring loom for MK4 Golfs Seats Skodas.
Which usually work well at keeping water out of the connections.
BUT if there is a failing electrical component on the cooling system,
and pressurised coolant leaks through to the connector,
the pressured coolant can't leak out of the connector.
Instead it can push via the tiny voids between the copper strands of the wire to the other end of the wire.
Classic case is the coolant tank level sender to the dash,
but I once had a duff chinesium temperature sender doing the same.
If when you get into the instruments & there is lots of mysterious crusty pink crap in there,
you won'tbe wondering how in hell it got there.

 

[smutts]

Took my scuttle off a few years back and it was not all that bad on leaves ect but had to stick the sound proofing back with anti vibration tape, also i found a mouse nest I'm like wtf lol, there is drain holes that might be blocked as well, pour water in there to make sure they drain off..

When sorting the copious scuttle leaks I remember throwing a big useless waterlogged foam rubber baugette thingy into the bin.
Can't say I noticed any difference to the NVH. But then, being brought up on crappy 1970's cars & Series Landrovers, everything seems quiet.
APE-D piling hammer didn't help either.

 

[Nam-uk]

When sorting the copious scuttle leaks I remember throwing a big useless waterlogged foam rubber baugette thingy into the bin.
Can't say I noticed any difference to the NVH. But then, being brought up on crappy 1970's cars & Series Landrovers, everything seems quiet.
APE-D piling hammer didn't help either.

your spine must be made of titanium with them old landys, been in one of them not a fan but allot are for some odd reason

 

[smutts]

You need to oil the rusted solid leaf springs.
Four gear knobs, no sychromesh on 1st or 2nd gear, (double clutch changing down, count to three in neutral when changing up),
dip switch on the floor by the clutch,
fantastic antilock braking system, (fantastic antilock, i.e. eff all braking!),
Fighteningly irrelevant 1950's steering with six or ten sloppy balljoints,
leaks worse than a diabetic mare, (get a tilt (canvas) roof if you want to be dry),
18 ish mpg,
utterly hopeless shin burner heater.
No seat belts & more sharp edges on the dashboard than in an abattoir, (see brakes).
I Love it.

 

[iammooks]

You need to oil the rusted solid leaf springs.
Four gear knobs, no sychromesh on 1st or 2nd gear, (double clutch changing down, count to three in neutral when changing up),
dip switch on the floor by the clutch,
fantastic antilock braking system, (fantastic antilock, i.e. eff all braking!),
Fighteningly irrelevant 1950's steering with six or ten sloppy balljoints,
leaks worse than a diabetic mare, (get a tilt (canvas) roof if you want to be dry),
18 ish mpg,
utterly hopeless shin burner heater.
No seat belts & more sharp edges on the dashboard than in an abattoir, (see brakes).
I Love it.

My face melted when I read that list. That's mad - after reading that, it's like a little tapping sound from the rear feels like the most inconsequential thing in the world.


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[smutts]

My stepfather drove it down to Millau, southern France, in February,