Carmats.co.uk

Leon FR+150 162k miles - opinions??

elbutio

Guest
Hi guys,
Just to introduce myself I currently own a saab 9-3T LPG converted which i'm looking to sell soon and buy myself a nice Leon FR150.

I've been browsing this forum for a while before i buy and have just seen a 2005 Leon FR+ in vv good overall condition with FSSH - it's the exact spec (FR+) that i'm looking for but the problem is it has 162k on the clock :-o which seems insanely high for car registered in Dec 2005 but has been all motorway mileage.

What are people views on this? is it a bad idea, what would you realistically pay for this if anything?

The turbo and clutch were changed at about 100k and i've been reading about dodgy 'chocolate' cams on these PD150 engines. I am a competent DIY mechanic and have changed engines/turbos/cambelts etc etc and will be looking to service myself and look after it.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated :)
 
welcome and man that is alot of miles in what 3 1/2 yrs.
so avg46 a yr, he must have been some salesman!!

i think if all been serviced correctly should be ok.
when started, assuming you have test driven, does it go ok, is there blue smoke out of exhaust, excess balck when accelerate along with checking the usual

you'll know more than me as i'm no mechanic
 
I think this is a hard one. Like we many cars if it has been looked after all its life then it 'should' be fine.

If i was to buy a car on that sort of mileage I would ensure that the following.

1) Full AA or RAC inspection
2) Ensure it has a full service history and that cambelt has been changed at least twice in its life.
3) Check for boost leaks on the pipework.
4) Get the car rolling roaded to make sure it is producing what it says on the tin i.e. 150bhp. This will help isolate any other faults that may not be visible when driving the car as its new to you.
 
Thanks for all the replies. If i'm serious about it i will definitely get it properly RAC inspected. I've not driven it as the chap selling it is quite a way from where i live. The thing that really annoys me is the resaleability of it, i'm sure if it's reliable i will keep hold of it for some time but still i don't like thinking i'm paying more than i have to!! The person selling is a dealer.
Any thoughts as to what a car with this mileage is worth??

Many thanks for the offer Chris - that's an absolutely stunning looking car you have but i'm really after something for half the price!

many thanks
 
elbutio said:
Thanks for all the replies. If i'm serious about it i will definitely get it properly RAC inspected. I've not driven it as the chap selling it is quite a way from where i live. The thing that really annoys me is the resaleability of it, i'm sure if it's reliable i will keep hold of it for some time but still i don't like thinking i'm paying more than i have to!! The person selling is a dealer.
Any thoughts as to what a car with this mileage is worth??

Many thanks for the offer Chris - that's an absolutely stunning looking car you have but i'm really after something for half the price!

many thanks
Click to expand...

Id say no more than £6000 but im not to sure.
personally id got for something with lower miles on. good luck tho and nice choice of motor..;)
 
With those sort of numbers on it I reckon sub £5000. I would spend plenty of time researching the price of these on the net I reckon. Tough one to value.

As you're a mechanic then I think just the usual checks would apply.

If the cars not had a too hard a life then it might only be half way through what would be expected. There are plenty of Octavia taxi's kicking round you 300k, 400k on the clock - same engine mechanicals and everything.
 
Im also in the same boat buddy looking for a nice FR 150, alot if not most of them have quite high milage, im in the process of trying to find out whats due at what point in its life (service history), so it can influence my buying decision, dont want to buy one at 57k and find out theres a massive service due at 60k (which ive been told there is? )
 
Well my 04 cupra tdi turned 145k this morning. As you can see its remapped to about 210hp. It uses about 200ml of oil in 10k and is getting better all the time!
6k to purchase no way thats far too much. More like 4.5k tops.
I looked at trading mine in just before xmas when it had covered 141k and the trade bid 2.5k at it even though its had all the work done hybrid sachs clutch FR interior etc. No way i would let it go for that as i have spent 8k on it on 2 years. Just had it motd today and straight through no problems. 162k with service history should be fine and I would say if the cam was dodgy they normally eat themselves and the tappets at around 80k
Glynn
 
Last edited:
jonjay said:
I think this is a hard one. Like we many cars if it has been looked after all its life then it 'should' be fine.

If i was to buy a car on that sort of mileage I would ensure that the following.

1) Full AA or RAC inspection
2) Ensure it has a full service history and that cambelt has been changed at least twice in its life.
3) Check for boost leaks on the pipework.
4) Get the car rolling roaded to make sure it is producing what it says on the tin i.e. 150bhp. This will help isolate any other faults that may not be visible when driving the car as its new to you.
Click to expand...


Best advice right here, follow this and you'll be fine
 
I'd start off asking if it's been in any accidents/broken into before, looking for any overspray/orange peal and that all the glass in the car has the seat badge stamped into it.

Look under the car, check the condition of the front arm bushes/rear beam/ shock bushes. I've taken ramps to look at cars before to have a good look underneath them, on which have found hidden damage, and welding along sills. If you can get the wheels in the air its worth checking to make sure there is no play in the wheel bearings/ bushes and ensure the wheels are true.

If it has it on, I take off the undertray to inspect the sump for any oil seeps and boost hoses.
A good general inspection of the interior expecting wear mainly in the driver’s seat bolster.

Take Vag Com to check for any fault codes things like injectors and glow plugs can be expensive.

Apart from that a good inspection of all the components replaced and at what time. Do your research, ring round a few dealers and ask what they would expect would need changing around that millage.

On the log book take down the dealers that serviced it and give them a bell to confirm the service history.


Hope that helps a little. I looked around several cars before settling on mine and found quite alot of shocking examples and cover ups.

Hope this ones fine for you though! :)
 
Just my opinion I would prefer to buy a car with 150k of motor way milage with fsh, than a car that has been used around town with no service history with only 100k. Diesels go on for ever if serviced correctly. May be bargin if the price is right so hard to value with the current market atm.
 
Big service due at 180K - the cambelt should be changed every 60K, so you should have evidence of two previous changes in the service history.

Service history should also show that the proper oil has been used, check out the sticky thread at the top of this forum.
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies folks much appreciated. I've been an active member of a few different car forums over the years and have to say the amount of help/support i've had here in one day has beaten the lot - thanks!

I've got a feeling the car may well be sold before i'm able to go and check it out but shall keep you updated.

What are the tell-tale signs of cam wear/problems. Is it just watching out for the tell-tale tappety sounds and is it normal for these engines to sound slightly tappety after starting or is this going to be a sign of trouble?

Cheers
 
glynnd said:
Well my 04 cupra tdi turned 145k this morning. As you can see its remapped to about 210hp. It uses about 200ml of oil in 10k and is getting better all the time!
6k to purchase no way thats far too much. More like 4.5k tops.
I looked at trading mine in just before xmas when it had covered 141k and the trade bid 2.5k at it even though its had all the work done hybrid sachs clutch FR interior etc. No way i would let it go for that as i have spent 8k on it on 2 years. Just had it motd today and straight through no problems. 162k with service history should be fine and I would say if the cam was dodgy they normally eat themselves and the tappets at around 80k
Glynn
Click to expand...


I am sure you would love a new Leon fr tdi :D
 
I hope your car sales dept is better than your parts dept. I remember the young lady in sales is good to look at!
Glynn
 
Last edited:
elbutio said:
Wow, thanks for all the replies folks much appreciated. I've been an active member of a few different car forums over the years and have to say the amount of help/support i've had here in one day has beaten the lot - thanks!

I've got a feeling the car may well be sold before i'm able to go and check it out but shall keep you updated.

What are the tell-tale signs of cam wear/problems. Is it just watching out for the tell-tale tappety sounds and is it normal for these engines to sound slightly tappety after starting or is this going to be a sign of trouble?

Cheers
Click to expand...

A good indicator of cam problems is poor running and power loss and misfires. The tappets wear through/ cam lobes wear through and you lose the compression in the injectors. Symptoms also are running on 3 and a lot of noise.
 
flappy said:
I'd start off asking if it's been in any accidents/broken into before, looking for any overspray/orange peal and that all the glass in the car has the seat badge stamped into it.

Look under the car, check the condition of the front arm bushes/rear beam/ shock bushes. I've taken ramps to look at cars before to have a good look underneath them, on which have found hidden damage, and welding along sills. If you can get the wheels in the air its worth checking to make sure there is no play in the wheel bearings/ bushes and ensure the wheels are true.

If it has it on, I take off the undertray to inspect the sump for any oil seeps and boost hoses.
A good general inspection of the interior expecting wear mainly in the driver’s seat bolster.

Take Vag Com to check for any fault codes things like injectors and glow plugs can be expensive.

Apart from that a good inspection of all the components replaced and at what time. Do your research, ring round a few dealers and ask what they would expect would need changing around that millage.

On the log book take down the dealers that serviced it and give them a bell to confirm the service history.


Hope that helps a little. I looked around several cars before settling on mine and found quite alot of shocking examples and cover ups.

Hope this ones fine for you though! :)
Click to expand...
Top advise :thumbup:
 
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