OliverJ's Leon Cupra R : OZ AP Racing upgrades...

[Willie]

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=175823&highlight=bedding+brakes

Should take no more that 1 hour to bed in your new pads
If you want to do some reading on discs, pads, how they work and how to repair them
Try
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/tech_white_papers.shtml

Come on Seat!!
Prove your not a shite as we fear you might be!!

 

[oliverj]

Cheers for the link JS - i'll read through that tonight.

Beasty is in Derby today for MOT and exhauust etc. She handles like a dream now and the brakes are better than ever. I have just booked Donington for the 25th! Good to go!!!!

On a more nagative note, I have just spoken to SEAT customer services and they can't access the pictures I sent them so i have re-sent those but they have said provisionally it doesn't look good. Fingers crossed..... This is very frustrating! Thank god it is nothing major that I am claiming for!!!

 

[Willie]

Which exhaust your getting fitted??

Don't give up on Seat, keep on there case.
As far a their concerned its easier to give you the bum ruh that it is to sot out your problem, keep on there case

 

[oliverj]

Hi JS, it is the SEAT standard for the LCR - just collected the car and she feels great!

I spoke to their customer services again and he is going to call me back once he has gone through all the pictures. Don't you worry - I will be not be an easy one to fob off!!!!

Hopefully they call me back tomorrow but we shall see!!!

 

[Willie]

I've hit a massive brick wall with my claim!!

 

[oliverj]

I read the posting! It is an unbelievable set of circumstances with your dealer going under too! Very bad timing... The bloke I spoke to seems really good and has the power to authorise but he initially stated (without seeing pics) he thought it was environmental. He has now got 15 or so hi-res shots showing it spreading from the bolts and caliper pins over two separate timelines so fingers crossed!!

The worst part is waiting for them to call you back....

 

[Willie]

If you've got any questions about maintenance ask away.
I've done a few bits and pieces now and as said Craig is great with the 20VT engine aswell
You might want to think about a brake bleeding kit and VAG com aswell.

 

[oliverj]

Great tips - cheers as always!!!

We have a Machine Mart across the road from work so I am about to pop in and see what they have to start me off. I spoke to my track-man this morning and he said the tools he used just to fit my bells and swap my pads would cost around £800 to buy (snap-on plus others) but he has been accunulating them for 30 years. He was giving me an idea of how much stuff you need and the importance of the right tools so not to damage the car.

He also recommended I have a plastic tool box for the boot that I can take to track days with bits like wire, tapes, wrenches etc... he said that I need to be wary now that I have a dealer fit rather than manufacturer fit exhaust on track days as it may not be as well attached. You just don't know so he advises it is always useful to have spares in case you need to do track-side repairs on the day!

Where would I get VAG com from?

I am quite excited about all this! Think I might do my first oil change after Donington!!!

 

[Willie]

The VAG com supplier is Ross tech

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/hex-usb+can.html

Give us a shout before you order stuff for service

 

[oliverj]

The VAG com supplier is Ross tech

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/hex-usb+can.html

Give us a shout before you order stuff for service

Cheers for that - I will have a look. Has it been useful haviong the VAG com? What can you diagnose?

I have received the following reply from Seat:

Dear Mr Jackson,

Thank you for the photos and all the information you have provided us. I thought I would take this opportunity to e mail my decision over to you.

After reviewing and discussing your case, we feel this is a cosmetic issue and does not affect the performance of your vehicle; this is not a manufacturing defect therefore our decision will be that we are not going to make a contribution towards the repairs to be carried out on your vehicle.

Whilst I understand this is not the response you were hoping for, I trust you can appreciate how we came by our decision.

Regards,

I think that is a no!!!

So it begins, typically the gentleman in question has now gone on holiday!!! Unbelievable!!!

 

[oliverj]

If that wasn't a bad enough end to the day, my neighbour and I have just noticed 11 scratches on the car. Four of them run the entire length of the roof!!! They are only surface so i will speak to my friend to ask him to polish them out with his detailing kit after I have done Donington but it has still annoyed me. Worse still I think it is my fault - I must have had a piece of grit in my squeegy (is that how you spell it)???

Aggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

And even worse than that my car bra turned up and is the wrong one again!!!!!!

 

[Willie]

Jesus dude

Its not going your way this past while, how the brakes bedding in?
They must be up to speed now
If your washing your car you really need to get yourself a cup for tea and read through this web site.
www.polishedbliss.co.uk
VAG com is very good and there are loads of uses for it.
Resetting your service indicator when you service it yourself, checking for fault codes prior and during track days.
You can get your 0-60, 0-100 and find out what your intake temps are doing during track days to see if you need a FMIC or not.

 

[oliverj]

Hi JS, hope all is ok your end - how are you gettig on with the book?

The brakes are lovely - I actually look forward to stopping at lights and leaving it as late as I dare. I think it causes a sphincter clenching moment for the driver of the car in front but hey ho!! He he I'll upload some photos in a bit that I took at the weekend, I took some shots of next doors Clio too. Fab little car.

The examples on that polishedbliss site are great! I think I might be ordering some products!!! Time is my enemy, going to get Monday at Donington out of the way then give the bodywork some TLC. i bet it is hardwork keeping yours clean, my Platinum grey example is not so bad...

That VAG com stuff sounds cool, might be a good investment for next years run of track days.

Anything happening your end? Any progress on the GB?

 

[Ruddmeister]

Quick question, do you still have that droning noise that you associated with the wheel bearing?

If so does the noise happen at a set speed like 80ish on the motorway etc?

I have a theory that may fit your sympoms something that happened on my old LCR....

 

[Ruddmeister]

I have spoken to a few people about the ARBs and SB and they have advised I hold off for now. My track instructor ran two LCRs without them for three years and another chap said that it is not quite so forgiving if you stiffen the car up without the skill to handle it as your reactions need to be much faster with a sharper handling car...

So many opinions!!!!!

All I will say is that having the ARB's done on my old LCR (with SB etc) made the car easier to control not harder. I was warned it would understeer like a pig particulalrly in the wet and I disagree 100% that it did. Lift off oversteer could be provoked and caught with ease (I'd class myself as an average driver).

Having spent a few £££££ on LCR's I'd say forget the remap, exhaust, Intakes, CAI's, Pipes, Big Intercoolers, and put all you money into

ARB's, Coilovers, SB a new dogbone engine mount first

As you say lots of opinions......but at least mine are based on direct experience......I had the credit card bills to prove it

Good luck

 

[oliverj]

Quick question, do you still have that droning noise that you associated with the wheel bearing?

If so does the noise happen at a set speed like 80ish on the motorway etc?

I have a theory that may fit your sympoms something that happened on my old LCR....

Hi Ruddmeister,

The droning noise turned out to be a sticking inside rear offside pad!! It was well and truly badgered!!! Had me worried for a few days!

It was a random, intermittent noise that never happened when I got it to Seat. It was just be chance my brake man found it during one of his thorough pre-track day inspections!

What is your theory? Intrigued

 

[oliverj]

All I will say is that having the ARB's done on my old LCR (with SB etc) made the car easier to control not harder. I was warned it would understeer like a pig particulalrly in the wet and I disagree 100% that it did. Lift off oversteer could be provoked and caught with ease (I'd class myself as an average driver).

Having spent a few £££££ on LCR's I'd say forget the remap, exhaust, Intakes, CAI's, Pipes, Big Intercoolers, and put all you money into

ARB's, Coilovers, SB a new dogbone engine mount first

As you say lots of opinions......but at least mine are based on direct experience......I had the credit card bills to prove it

Good luck

He he - good advice! My track-man told me to ignore all those things too. He said to go for brakes, stiffer suspension (mine is a bit squishy) and practice practice practice!!!! Which ARBs and SBs did you go for? I was chatting with a chap earlier this evening and he said he put a set of stiffer springs on his stock LCR and it made a real difference.

I have sorted the brakes and wheels, would like to do suspension next and then get a set of track tyres for my spare wheels. Car's just eat up money, praise the lord for credit cards!!!

Have you ever taken yours on the track?

 

[Ruddmeister]

What is your theory? Intrigued

Well you also mentioned soft suspension and I wondered if it may be a faulty damper, mine would drone at around 70mph on the motorway (simialr sound to a wheel bearing) leaking damper would oscillate and pounded my tyres out of shape eventually (One looked like a 50p piece).

 

[Ruddmeister]

He he - good advice! My track-man told me to ignore all those things too. He said to go for brakes, stiffer suspension (mine is a bit squishy) and practice practice practice!!!! Which ARBs and SBs did you go for? I was chatting with a chap earlier this evening and he said he put a set of stiffer springs on his stock LCR and it made a real difference.

I have sorted the brakes and wheels, would like to do suspension next and then get a set of track tyres for my spare wheels. Car's just eat up money, praise the lord for credit cards!!!

Have you ever taken yours on the track?

Yes, Donnington (SCnet track day) on the standard setup and the car rolled like a pig and the brakes faded......warped disks etc

It was then I set about upgrading brakes and suspension on my car.

For suspension in detail follow the link in my sig for Leon FAQ's where there is an LCR suspension 'sticky'.

I think your plan is spot on leaving the engine as std.

Oh btw (the toolbox in your boot for trackdays, chuck in 70mm and 80mm jubilee clips) boost hoses blowing off are common.........I had to be towed off track twice at Donny

 

[oliverj]

Well you also mentioned soft suspension and I wondered if it may be a faulty damper, mine would drone at around 70mph on the motorway (simialr sound to a wheel bearing) leaking damper would oscillate and pounded my tyres out of shape eventually (One looked like a 50p piece).

Hi Rudd, yep I think you may have something there. Might be a worthwhile exercise to sort the suspension sooner rather than later. I get significant wear on the insides of the front wheels (Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s) and quite bad road noise. The suspension knocks and doesn't cope too well with bumps.

I have only heard good things about suspension mods i am just not sure which direction to go in. Options are to replace just the springs, replace the whole lot, coil-overs, adjustables....


What are your thoughts?