NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
Hi All,

I've probably gone a bit over the top adding the Service & MOT detail but i thought it is about time i do a build thread for my car so I can look back at progress and appreciate the car in years to come, but also to share with all of you.
Hopefully you can all appreciate the car as I do.

I purchased the Leon after selling my MK6 Golf TDI, I wanted something a bit more fun and have always liked a "Hot Hatch"
I wasn’t looking directly for a Leon, especially not a LCR but when I saw the Ad on AutoTrader I was immediately interested.
It has taken a couple of years to get to where the car is today and I am a bit of a perfectionist with a slight OCD.

Vehicle Info...

Delivery Inspection:
21/10/2005
First Registration: 22/11/2005
Paint Code: L57U (Platinum Grey)

MOT History:
- 01/11/2008 @ 21,471 Miles - Pass
- 14/11/2009 @ 26,650 Miles - Pass
- 16/11/2010 @ 32,375 Miles - Pass
- 23/11/2011 @ 36,214 Miles - Pass
- 30/11/2012 @ 37,790 Miles - Pass
- 02/12/2013 @ 40,382 Miles - Pass
- 22/12/2014 @ 42,100 Miles - Pass
- 29/12/2015 @ 42,976 Miles - Pass
- 23/12/2016 @ 46,826 Miles - Pass (First Advisory)
- 27/12/2017 @ 56,856 Miles - Pass
- 20/12/2018 @ 65,074 Miles - Pass
- 18/12/2021 @ 66,978 Miles - Pass
- 07/07/2023 @ 67,119 Miles - Pass

Service Intervals & Mileage:
- 17/11/2006 @ 3,499 Miles (Seat Mosley)
- 10/11/2007 @ 12,516 Miles (Seat Wimbledon)
- 01/11/2008 @ 21,471 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 28/11/2009 @ 27,210 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 19/11/2010 @ 32,498 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 05/12/2011 @ 36,320 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 08/01/2013 @ 37,931 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 22/12/2014 @ 42,100 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 29/12/2015 @ 42,976 Miles (TVS Kent)
- 20/05/2017 @ 50,078 Miles (DubUnit Lichfield)
- 25/01/2018 @ 57,658 Miles (Strouda)
- 28/01/2019 @ 65,340 Miles (Strouda)
- 20/01/2020 @ 66,892 Miles (Strouda)
- 27/09/2020 @ 66.970 Miles (Strouda)
- 18/12/2021 @ 66,978 Miles (Strouda)
- 07/07/2023 @ 67,119 Miles


Spec's...

Engine/Performance:

- AEM Z20LET Air Filter
- 3" Intake Pipe
- Cold Air Feed from Behind Grill
- BBT Front Mount
- 3" Cobra Turbo Back N/Res With Sports Cat (6"x4" Oval Baffled Tailpipe)
- JBS (CustomCode) Stage 2 Remap - 275.6 hp @ 305.3 ft.lbs (Overrun Activated)

Suspension/Handling:
- V-Maxx Coilover Suspension Kit
- Whiteline 24mm Rear Anti Roll Bar
- Powerflex Front Arms
- Powerflex Dog Bone Mount
- S3 Upper Strut Brace

Brakes/Wheels&Tyres:
- Standard 4 Pot Brembo's
- EBC Turbo Grooved Brake Discs
- Ferodo DS Performance Pads
- Braided Brake Hose
- Standard 18" Ronal Alloys
- 225/40/R15 92Y XL Uniroyal RS3 All Round
- FK 10mm Hubcentric Spacers (Front)
- FK 15mm Hubcentric Spacers (Rear)

Interior/Audio:
- Factory Double Din Console
- Factory Cloth Recaro Seats
- Factory Cloth Arm Rest
- Pioneer SPH-DA130DAB Head Unit
- Carbon Sport Knob
- Seat Toledo Carpet Mat
- VIBE Slick 6 V2 Components (Front Doors)
- VIBE Slick 6 Coaxial (Rear Doors)
- VIBE Pulse 2 AMP
- Fli 1000w Subwoofer
- Xenon White Bulbs

Bodywork/Paint/Misc:
- Full Alloy Refurb in Silver
- Front Bumper Respray
- Rear Bumper Respray
- Brakes Painted (New Recaro Stickers Applied)
- Charge Pipe & Heat Shield Powder Coated
- Full Paint Correction Detail & Ceramic Coating

Extras:
- Liquid Gauge
- Nomad A Pillar
- Stack Boost Gauge
- S3 Illuminated Vents
- R8 Oil & Coolant Cap
- Black Washer Cap
- Gearbox Shim Kit
- 3D Gel Plates
- Kill All Wipers De-wiper Kit
- Various Forge Hoses

Future Plans:
- Maintain overall clean look
- Paint Inlet Manifold
- Forged Rods
- Paint Block
- Collect More Rare Items
- Clutch/Water Pump & Belt
- Full Calliper Refurb
- Retrim Steering Wheel
- New Subwoofer (Current was given to me)
- New Silicone Hoses
- Coat Subframe
- Powder Coat Rear Strut Brace
- New Splitter

Looking For:
Clean/New Undertray (TPS Wanted Nearly £200)
Clean/New Headlight Protectors (1M5 072 100)
Clean/New Coolant & Screen Wash Covers

Here She is on collection day:

Viewing Day (3).JPG


A lot more info to come, currently trawling through 100+ GB of Images.
If anyone would like to see more on the LCR please check out my Instagram - @N20THP
Thanks for looking, any Comments, Advice, Constructive Criticism Welcome...
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
Track Days!
I'm still in contact with the original owner of the car, he certainly enjoyed the car over the 8 years of ownership and the amount of documentation i have shows just how much care was taken and how no expense was spared.
Though i have not maxed her out on the Autobahn or enjoyed a track day she still has a history...

(The below are images sent to me by the previous owner)

Brands Hatch (2007):
Brands Hatch (1).JPG

Brands Hatch (4).JPG


Santa Pod (2007):
Santa Pod.JPG


Cadwell Park (2008):
Cadwell Park.JPG



Silverstone (2014):
Silverstone (1).PNG

Silverstone (2).PNG


Nürburgring Nordschleife (2014):
Nürburgring Nordschleife (1).PNG

Nürburgring Nordschleife (3).JPG
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
June 2017:

LED's!

One of the first modifications that i did was changing all interior bulbs & Reverse Light bulbs to Bright White LED's

LED Reverse Lights (5).JPG

LED Reverse Lights (6).JPG

LED Reverse Lights (2).JPG


Unfortunately i have no images of the interior but the before and after is very much night and day, they look a lot smarter and clean.
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
July 2017:

Upgrades!

Then came the time for a couple of fixes, some cleaning up & a couple of new shiny bits...

First was the wishbones, i decided to remove them to give them a cleanup and a fresh coat of Hammerite Hammered Black.

Before:
Wishbone1.jpg

Wishbone2.jpg


During:
Wishbone3.jpg

Wishbone4.jpg


After:
Wishbone5.jpg


New Ball Joints where purchased too. (Disclaimer: Ball Joints not on the correct arms at this point)
This work was all in anticipation of new Coilovers, not everyone's preferred brand and not the best out there but for the budget at the time they was ideal for me.

Amaxx Coilovers:
Coilovers1.jpg

Coilovers2.jpg

Coilovers3.jpg


EBC Disc's & Ferodo DS Perfomance Pads:
FrontBrakes1.jpg

FrontBrakes2.jpg


I got all these fitted over the weekend along with putting the private plate on, i could wind the coilovers down more but didn't want to be scraping over everything, plus getting on the drive would of been a struggle if i had of gone any further.
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
September 2017:

New Parts!

It was time to do a tidy up a couple of other areas, The Wheel Bolt Caps had faded, the Centre Caps where shot & the rear "R" badge was corroded.

Bolt Caps:
WheelBoltCaps1.jpg


Centre Caps:
WheelCentreCaps1.jpg


New "R" Badges:
R-Badges1.jpg

R-Badges2.jpg


Before & After "R" Badges:
R-Badges3.jpg

R-Badges4.jpg

R-Badges5.jpg
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
October 2017:

Exhaust!

This is probably the most expensive purchase I've made for the Leon to date, I purchased a full Cobra 3" Turbo Back Exhaust system.
Though I was happy it did come with challenges over the next couple of months, the gasket supplied was leaking from the downpipe which was just throwing fumes into the cab. I then contacted cobra who very helpfully sent me a replacement. again this did not work. After contacting them again with the same exhaust leak they asked for me to drive to their store in Sheffield. They tried a couple of things and resulted in us ordering a standard gasket from Seat. Unfortunately this wasn't in stock and we had to wait on parts.
A week later I made the 200 mile round trip back to Cobra to get the new gasket fitted, during this time i also purchased some original factory turbo bolts from TPS.
Thankfully this was all resolved and the exhaust was sounding perfect! No leaks and the tip was finally sitting correctly in the recess!

Exhaust Delivery Day:
CobraExhaust1.jpg

CobraExhaust2.jpg

CobraExhaust3.jpg

CobraExhaust4.jpg

CobraExhaust5.jpg


Finally Sorted:
CobraExhaust7.jpg

CobraExhaust6.jpg


I have to say despite the issues I had along the way all this was sorted under warranty and only cost me the fuel to get to Cobra, the customer support was quick and helpful and the build quality is bang on, the exhaust sound is exactly what I was looking for a nice deep rumble and most importantly a better flowing system with mandrel bends rather than some systems I have seen.
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
December 2017:

Water Leak!

So during the cold of December the inevitable happened. The dreaded water leak, this was the last thing i wanted to happen 3 days before Christmas but so be it.

First was to remove all interior and carpets, I spent over new year driving round in what felt like a tin can while the carpets were drying at work in the office. although it was cold & damp it wasn't all bad, the exhaust note was a lot louder without the sound deadening & I managed to gain a couple of quid.

WaterLeak1.jpg

WaterLeak2.jpg


While the car was stripped and the water feature in the back was removed it was time to find the source of the issue, first point of call was door sills, after testing them all they looked fine, it seemed someone had already been at them as they were silicone'd all round. While it's not ideal I do plan to remove this, clean them up and reseal with Butle Tape.
Next was to look at the Pollen Filter and to my surprise the drain holes in both wings were completely blocked up with leaves and dirt! So when we had snow and it melted after sitting on the windscreen it flooded under the scuttle panel and the water had ruined the seal around the pollen filter.

The scuttle panel was removed, drain holes unblocked and cleaned, pollen filter re-sealed and new filter fitted. I continued to drive without the carpets until mid January when I had the time to put them back in and to ensure I was no longer having leaking issues.
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
January 2018:

Remap!

Once i had the exhaust issues resolved it was time to book in for a remap, the car had previously been remapped back in 2008, apparently running 279.9bhp from a Stage 1 with Dyno Printout.
I thought now was the time to get her tuned with the latest additions, unfortunately on the day it **** a coil pack and we only had a second hand one to get her through the runs but i was still happy.
Managed 275.6bhp and gained slightly more torque from the map in 2008
Overrun was also activated during the map.
Let me know what you guys think.
RemapDay1.jpg


Acceptance!
As the car was fairly clean all round and I've never seen many of these at shows, i took a chance at applying for ultimate dubs 2018 and to my surprise i was accepted. Thinking i had secured a spot outdoors i was very surprised when i read the email explaining i was to be indoors.
This was a dream for me to get a car into an indoor show, whilst the car isn't the most modified it shows a clean OE future classic which is the look im going for.

UltimateDubs1.jpg


Having received the confirmation it was time to fast track a couple of jobs i had lined up for the car anyhow...
 
Last edited:

NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
February 2018:

Paint Shop!

First call was to the bodyshop to ensure all area's on the car where perfect, the bumpers, calipers & wheels required some attention.
After agreeing a time scale and the reason for needing the work done the paint shop got straight on it and the finish is near perfection.

UltimateDubs4.jpg

UltimateDubs5.jpg

UltimateDubs2.jpg

UltimateDubs3.jpg

UltimateDubs6.jpg

UltimateDubs7.jpg


Whilst i was happy with the overall finish and how the paintwork came out it was a must for me to have a full paint correction and ceramic coat application at my local detailing shop...
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
February 2018:

Detailing!

Once the paint had cured for a couple of weeks it was time to do a full detail, this included...
- 2 Step washing with snow foam & TFR
- Removal of Wheels to deep clean & Ceramic Coat Barrels/Arches & Calipers
- Colour/Wet Sanding any areas needed
- 2 Stage Machine Polishing Cut & Refine
- Ceramic Coat with Gtechniq Crystal Serum & Exo V2 on top covering the entire car
- Glass Sealant
- Exhaust Polishing
- Tyre Shine
- Deep Interior Clean with Wet Vac, Seats & Carpets also protected

Here is a handful of the pictures taken throughout the detailing process...
UltimateDubs8.jpg

UltimateDubs9.jpg

UltimateDubs10.jpg

UltimateDubs11.jpg

UltimateDubs12.jpg


To finish the exterior look i purchased 2 new side repeaters from TPS as the others looked slightly worn.
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
March 2018:

Show Time!

I met a lot of nice people that appreciated the car and took many photo's of it, obviously didn't win nothing but that was to be expected compared to some of the other vehicles in there that are dedicated show cars but i was just happy to have my at the time daily runner inside at an event!

Here are some of my favourite photos from the weekend...

UltimateDubs13.jpg

UltimateDubs14.jpg

UltimateDubs15.jpg

UltimateDubs16.jpg

UltimateDubs17.jpg

UltimateDubs18.jpg
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
April 2018:

More Goodies:
I heard good things about a dry cone air filter and my current one had seen better days so it was time to replace, at the same time i also purchased a new front splitter from TPS and a Shim Kit to prevent gearbox wear.

AEM Air Filter (Before/Difference/After):
PodFilter1.jpg

PodFilter2.jpg

PodFilter3.jpg


Front Splitter:
Splitter1.jpg


Shim Kit Fitting:
ShimKit1.jpg


After fitting the Shim Kit i did notice there was no play at all when you give it a wiggle, however difference in gear changes and whining wasn't really noticeable, but not a problem in the first place. i suppose its just one of those things just for peace of mind.
 

NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
April 2014:

Audio Upgrade/Build!
The time came at the end of April to do a few audio upgrades, I've always enjoyed sound systems since I started driving but have always wanted to make them as clean looking as possible, I've never been one to throw just a big woofer box in the boot with an amp at the side of it with flashing blue lights. I was searching for a clean look so decided to create a false floor style build in the boot.
I started out tracing around the boot carpet onto a sheet of 12mm MDF, then to build the box I attempted Kerfing Wood for the first time to fit in the wheel well, I was happy with how it came out and learned a lot for future projects.
The wood does have a cut down the one side to allow ease of access to the amp screwed underneath and also to make getting it in and out a lot easier.
I ordered some carpet online that was as close to OE finish as I could find.
Speakers were also installed in both Front & Rear doors along with sound deadening throughout although I have no pictures of this.
The Subwoofer was given to me by a friend who had no use for it, although this has served me well so far I'm still looking to upgrade to a VIBE one in the future to match with the VIBE Speakers and AMP installed in the car.

Here is how the build went:
BootBuild1.jpg

BootBuild2.jpg

BootBuild3.jpg

BootBuild4.jpg


I was really happy with how this turned out and the sound deadening makes for good bass throughout the car with no rattles at all! some will say doing this the boot becomes impractical however I never store anything in the boot or use it for that matter. the car is always left clutter free as I cannot stand rattles.
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
May 2018:

New Shoes!
I wasn't to keen on having odd tyres and the tread was wearing low so I decided to get some new tyres, working for Continental I managed to get tyres relatively cheap so I opted for a set of Uniroyal Rain Sport 3's I believe they are made from the same rubber as the Conti equivalent and at the time the RS3's where rated higher than the like for like ContactSports.
I've ran the RS2's on other cars and had no issues, they're great in the wet and in England its what we see the most

Tyres:
NewTyres1.jpg
 
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NathyPhillips

Active Member
Jun 4, 2017
68
24
United Kingdom
June 2018:

Audi S3 Vents!

I managed to get my hands on a very clean set of Audi S3 Illuminated Vents with wiring loom attached, As soon as they arrived i broke out the wiring kit, soldering iron and got to work dismantling the lower dash and removing the old vents.
One thing I wanted to do with these vents was retain the red plastic insert to keep that OE feel and to tie in with the rest of the interior.
It was simply just a case of removing the tab from the old vent and replacing the ones on the new vents.
I wired the lights into the light switch so they come on when sidelights are on.

Arrival:
S3Vents1.jpg


During:
S3Vents2.jpg

S3Vents3.jpg


After:
S3Vents4.jpg

S3Vents5.jpg


I was very pleased with how these turned out not chavy at all, a nice subtle touch to the interior.
Apologies for the night time image, its the best i can find that i have currently.
 
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