Leon Problems

[DANFR180]

I think at least some of it will be linked to high wear and tear, high millage, type of driving etc wont it ? think I've only adjusted my electric mirrors twice in 6 months. Don't the big instructor companies keep their motors about a year or 18 months and get rid?

 

[gaffer1986]

I think at least some of it will be linked to high wear and tear, high millage, type of driving etc wont it ? think I've only adjusted my electric mirrors twice in 6 months. Don't the big instructor companies keep their motors about a year or 18 months and get rid?

Agreed that more mileage is more wear and tear, but up to temperature mileage and young age mileage is far better than cold and old mileage.

I still think a steering rack at less than a year old, valve stem seals at 60K 2.5 years old is way premature, the sort of mileage I'm doing with modern day precision air density fuel injection should be capable of 150-200K miles no problem.

Bearing in mind it was burning oil from the day I bought it so probably stuffed from the beginning but didn't get anywhere with them until it broke down.

I've owned SEATs now for 8 years and it is the last, I can't understand why there is always someone who stands up for VAG when they are cheating lying criminals who rely on an old reputation which no longer true.

 

[gaffer1986]

Also I forgot to add that it was not the mirror glass adjustment servo that failed it was the mirror fold servo, I'm sure I don't fold my mirrors in more than the average driver and I've heard this has happened to a few other owners on here.

 

[jt20vt]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. In the past i had an Alhambra for 5 years, bought with 8k on the clock and got rid of 5 years later with 253k on the clock. Nothing went wrong until it hit 210k, was serviced every 10k and need only tyres bulbs wiper blades pads and disc's. So sometimes they get it right.

 

[Bhoopoo]

After 70,000 miles get a new car?

 

[gaffer1986]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. In the past i had an Alhambra for 5 years, bought with 8k on the clock and got rid of 5 years later with 253k on the clock. Nothing went wrong until it hit 210k, was serviced every 10k and need only tyres bulbs wiper blades pads and disc's. So sometimes they get it right.

That is how a car should be, especially with the R&D budget.

 

[DANFR180]

nice car to learn to drive in though

 

[gaffer1986]

It is, I sit it in 10 hours a day so need the comfy seats and don't want a base spec corsa for £100 a week which is the going rate for an instructor lease. Despite the mileage the interior is still like new, I've looked after it very well and gets hovered 2-3 times a week with my mini portable hoover.

I feel some people think that an instructor car means people have been hard on the engine, smash into curbs, thump parts of the interior and treat it like a hire car.

It gets driven carefully although stalled regularly, it's petrol so stalls very gently so not to knock the confidence of my less confident customers.

I never push the engine until the oil is warm and my customers respect it and generally enjoy it.

I expect a car to be mostly trouble free for 100k especially if you cover that distant in 3 years.

75k and buy a new car is a flippant remark given how long a car usually lasts before needing major engine or steering work.

 

[gaffer1986]

Current Mileage 139,000 - 103KW CHPA 1.4 - Registered 31/012014 Actually Fuel Economy 36mpg

30K New steering rack after knocking noise and steering notchy
40K New steering wheel controls as volume stopped working
41K Battery
60k New LCD screen due to cold weather issues
60K New heater fan after squeaking sound
60K New third brake light
60K One ignition coil
60K Steering software update after steering weight kept changing
63K New cylinder head after oil usage and misfire which it had since new - turned out to be a leaky head
75K Two more ignition coils
75K Wing mirror motor for folding

Warranty ended at 90K

91K 3 out of 4 Daytime running light LEDs burnt out and melted the turbes
95K Left climate control flap motor
98K Fuel flap lock (this was fun not being able to fill up with petrol)
100K Clutch Slave Cylinder
107K N S R Shock
108K N S F Wheel bearing and suspenion alignment (my fault)
118K Right climate control flap motor
123K Alternator
126K Oil and water leak from water pump
130K Battery

Wear and tear:
35K Front brake pads genuine VW
42K New clutch & flywheel
60K Cambelt
70K Front brake pads and discs Padig
70K Rear brake pads Padig
82K Aircon regas
82K New clutch
100K New Seats as the fake leather side bolsters had thinned and split
116K New clutch
116K Gear box clutch release bearing sleeve
116K Gearbox oil
124K Air con service
126K Cambelt - water pump and aux belt
139K Front brake pads and discs Padig (Padig pads last almost double VW genuine)
139K Rear brake pads and discs Padig
New clutch next week
New clutch master cylinder next week

10 Tyres from wear
1 Tyre from pot hole
1 Tyre from screw

 

[gaffer1986]

The car seems to have got more dependable with age, I need to replace the steering wheel and gear knob as they are a little worn but the rest of the interior is absolutely perfect.

I test drove loads of new car in Jan-Feb 2017 when the car was 3 years old but for £20K (what I paid for this car) I couldn't get a car that was equal let alone better so I have stuck with it.

I have to say, the more the miles pile on the less I want to part with it. This for a daily/work car and my ITB'd VX220 for the weekend are an ideal pair.

 

[thecalstanley]

Sounds like you've got a proper unlucky motor. I've had quite a few issues but nothing to the extent you've got!

Warranty stuff

17K - Wheel bearing failed
25K - Failing AC compressor (Got blamed on the drive belt but they replaced both that and the compressor)

Out of warranty stuff

30K - Ride height sensor went (Managed to short it's self out)

Now at 48K and noticed the oil usage has gone up a bit but not a massive amount. Getting services every 10K and having to top up halfway between services.

 

[thecalstanley]

Previously had a 2008 Purgeot 207, wouldn't touch a French car again with a stick. New gearbox, failed headgasket, failed clutch, failed injector and a few other bits. That was all within 25K (One year of owning it...). Ended up paying more in repairs than the car it's self.

 

[gaffer1986]

My average speed is 10mph with all the stopping, starting and reversing I do (driving instructor). So that's roughly 13,900 hours of use so far of stop start motoring. Most cars are scrapped before they reach 6,500 hours of use so I'm very pleased.

My car has had the equivalent amount of hours an average car would have in 25 years in just 5 years.

The head lights melted because it was a very hot day and I went out to the car, turned it on and left it for 10 mins with the a/c on max ready for me to use it as an office to do my admin work. I was nice and cool but the daytime lights didn't like all that heat going from the a/c condensor.

I was at a customers house, after teaching them in their own car, hence why I didn't just stay indoors to do my admin as I wouldn't want to use their house.

The oil consumption has almost completely stopped since they fitted a new cylinder head. Maybe 1.5 litres over 19,000 miles. It gets serviced every 19,000 miles and the oil is still brown after that long, so fuel is not getting into it which is a good sign.

I don't understand why a car's wear is measured in miles when hours are so much more important. I'd rather buy a 100,000 mile 5 year old car than a 50,000 mile 10 year old car.

 

[Deathjam]

crap that is unlucky, my old 64 plate 1.4 fr hit 60k with nothing but general wear and tear items needed doing

 

[gaffer1986]

I was told that the leaky cylinder head was a design flaw that affected the earlier CHPA engine. My new head was a revised item. I would image other owners who do more modest miles will find they have the problem once it's out of warranty. My spark plugs were covered in oil, so good bet is to check your spark plugs. No oil on my spark plugs since the new head and 75k miles.

 

[salsajoe]

I think that VAG cars have insufficient testing before being let loose on the general public - who are left to sort the issues out themselves in most cases as mileage is insufficient in the first three warranty years to show up. Look at the new 1.5 eco engine, seat belts in the Ibiza and previously the 1.4 twin charger oil and piston issues, 2.0l petrol - 210 bhp with timing gear faults to name just a few that come to mind and these sorts of issues go back about 10 years. My view is wait until a new VAG model has been around for 3 years so most design faults have been sorted before buying.

 

[gaffer1986]

I agree with you. What's wrong with the 1.5 Tsi evo?

 

[salsajoe]

Engine mapping software fault on 1.5 150 evo acknowledged by VAG when engine cold. Being resolved!!

 

[gaffer1986]

I guess they're trying to skimp on research and development for the mapping and leaving it up to the customers to tell them if something is not right. Mapping something for all conditions take a long time and requires you to take the car to all different climates.

My old 1.6 TDI in the Ibiza had a terrible mapping issue when in dpf active regen mode. It used to shake the whole car as the engine resonated with the engine mounts, until a software update cured it. A year later.