- Quite a lot of stone chips on front bumper...
That'll be because it's done lots of motorway miles, which is good news re the above-average mileage - ie minimal wear 'n' tear cos it's been cruising along in 6th with the engine/turbo & gearbox at optimal temps (let's hope he always let the turbo cool-down before cutting the ignition when he pulled into motorway service stations...).
- Only one previous owner.
Excellent
- Front tyres have about 2mm tread left on them, backs are fine.
Make sure your replacements are the same make/type - mixed tyres really upset an LCR's handling balance. As the owner is in the motor trade, can he get you some tyres at trade-price?
What make/type are the rear tyres? Get a quote, cos LCR tyres can range from to £65(ish) to £140(ish) each. Might be a bargaining tool if they're pricey 'uns, such as Michelin Pilots?
- Custom made exhaust is quite loud, but sounds the tits when booting it. But maybe slightly too loud.
Is this exhaust made of stainless steel or ordinary steel? If the former you'll be OK cos it should last 'forever'; if the latter, it'll eventually rot & it could be
very expensive to have a replacement section(s) custom-made or you might have to buy a complete replacement exhaust (not exactly cheap) if you can't get custom-made.
Has the he still got the OEM exhaust?
Also consider that an exhaust that sounds well-fruity when blatting around on B-roads can be a droning headache-inducer on the motorway. And forget about being able to hear the stereo or talk with passengers!
Just a thought, as the fella works for SEAT, ask if he'll
help you out with parts at trade-price in the future. If he says 'No', then it
might be because he has a reason for not wanting to see you again...
FWIW, one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned was bought from a mechanic.
Below is a general checklist for LCs/LCRs (sorry, should of thought of posting it before - d'oh!
).
Here's a checklist compiled from various posts on this site:
LCR/LC/Leon specific:
Uneven tick-over? Flat spots at 2,500-3,000rpm?
Is the MAF clean?
Engine code on a 225 should be BAM..., for 210s its AMK... Engine code can be found on front offside edge of the engine.
Can you check under the car? Is the under-tray still in place (these often get damaged/torn-off - £100-ish to replace)? Is the splitter present (if not, it's £25-ish at SEAT stealers & 'clip-on' fixing)? Check exhaust brackets are fully intact.
Check bodywork for paint-fade on yellow & blue (non-metallic) LCs/LCRs.
Boot lock work OK? (Simple/cheap fix.)
Evidence of water ingress in boot, under driver's/passenger's floor mats? (Simple/cheap fix.)
Check the rear wiper washer works fine and is not leaking into the boot. (Simple/cheap fix.)
Switch on the aircon and select 'low' for temperature. The radiator fans should come on but at a slow speed when using aircon. If the fans come on fast and loud then on/off then the fan motor resistors have gone.
Do the mirrors fold-in via the adjustment knob (turn to 6 o'clock position). Do they open OK when back to 12 o'clock?
Does the horn work correctly? If its tone is merely a feeble 'peep', then it's a front-bumper-off job to clean, reconnect & reposition (facing rearward) horn.
Does the car have a pukka FULL SERVICE HISTORY (aka FSH)? If not,
walk way!
If the car has a retro-fit Audi S3 front, top strut-brace - Leon/LC/LCR & A3/S3 share same chassis - consider that if there isn't also a retro-fit rear strut-brace (a bar across the back seat, fixed to rear strut turrets), then the car will be prone to excessive on-the-limit understeer (because the front-end will be much stiffer than the rear).
If, during cold weather, upon engine start-up there's a loud 'beep' & a flashing warning-light illuminates on the dash - switch off & restart. If light has now gone out & there was no 'beep', then it's a simple/£0 fix (a sensor on the engine coolant bottle needs cleaning). However, if when restarting there's another beep & the light comes on again, then you need a diagnostic (VAG-COM) check, because ...?
Ask the owner to take you for a drive
when the engine is cold; if he/she then thrashes it from cold -
walk away! Similarly, if during the drive the engine/turbo is given a good workout, & the owner then switches off without letting the turbo cool-down (ie allowed to idle for approx 60 secs) -
walk away!
LCs/LCRs are generally robust & well-built, but can be pricey in the long-run if they've not been maintained or driven correctly.
General used-car checks:
If car is over 5 years old or accumulated 60k miles, it should have had/needs a cambelt change (also change water-pump to
brass impeller on VAG 1.8Ts).
Brake pads - much left on them? Discs ok?
When warmed up, put in 6th at 30mph and put your foot down to check for clutch wear. (A vital check for re-mapped cars.)
Gears engage correctly when driving in a spirited fashion - 1st and 2nd especially? (A vital check for re-mapped cars.)
Check for play in steering. Car brakes in straight line/drives in straight line? NOTE: some LCs/LCRs can
very slightly pull to the left, this is because the alignment setup is for LHD cars, which therefore compensates for driving on the right-side of the road (camber).
Is tyre-wear even? Tyre condition? Are
all 4 tyres of the same manufacturer/type? If not, the car's handling will feel unbalanced (especially LCRs).
Body alignment, dents, scratches etc. Crouch at rear & front of car & look along sides.
If the bodywork needs a wash, consider that the owner might be trying to conceal paint blemishes or fading (see ref to yellow & blue LCs/LCRs, above).
Any rattles (interior & exterior)?
Check
all electrics, windows, fog lights (front & rear) etc, etc.
Fully open and close all the windows and check for any nasty cracking/twanging noises - the cables can snap and unravel inside resulting in the glass falling inside the door. Check that central locking works on all doors. Neither are massively expensive to fix but require stripping down the door and are a bit of a PITA.
Front light adjustment etc.
Scroll through trip computer, you may be able to see how its been driven... (mpg etc)
Check the CD changer & radio works. Check all the speakers work.
Check engine temp doesn't go over 90C.
Ask owner to show you where the oil dipstick is located; if they don't know, then
walk away 'cos it means they've never checked, or care about, the oil level...
Engine bay: fluid levels; 'mayo' on inside of oil cap; check dip-stick - is oil level low; is the engine oil old (ie black & treacle-like)?
