41k miles on 9 year old seat Leon fr.
41k miles on 9 year old seat Leon fr.
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Discussion

Skeoch25

Original Poster:

5 posts

86 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Hi guys I'm currently looking at a 12 plate seat Leon fr 170 TDI, I'm a bit concerned at the mileage tho as it has only done just over 40k miles mostly doing 4-5k miles per year bar one year when it done 10k miles. The car does have full service history but you would see the mileage as a warning sign as far as possible dpf problems?

Edited by Skeoch25 on Monday 7th June 08:06

MDMA .

10,636 posts

129 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Skeoch25 said:
Hi guys I'm currently looking at a 12 plate seat Leon fr 170 TDI, I'm a bit concerned at the mileage tho as it has only done just over 40k miles mostly doing 4-5k miles per year bar one year when it done 10k miles. The car does have full service history but would see the mileage as a warning sign?
What would you prefer the mileage to be?

Skeoch25

Original Poster:

5 posts

86 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
MDMA . said:
What would you prefer the mileage to be?
I thought that could possibly cause dpf issues if it has done low miles over a long period of time?

vaud

58,993 posts

183 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
I'd rather take a low mileage car (if the price is right) and just take the risk on the DPF.

The spinner of plates

18,084 posts

228 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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For a daily beater I’m the other way.
Low mileage cars attract a premium I’ll not pay.

I seek out high mileage cars that have been used everyday and with good service history. And buy them cheaper.
Then accept that each year there’s always a few jobs tacked into the service sheet, normally associated with suspension / bushes.

ie looking at cars now - 5 years old, 150k miles, less than 20% of cost when new.

IME age deteriorates a car harder than miles do.

Scrump

23,918 posts

186 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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It may have done lots of short journeys, or it may have done occasional long journeys.

Chris32345

2,141 posts

90 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Skeoch25 said:
I thought that could possibly cause dpf issues if it has done low miles over a long period of time?
Low millage over long periods does not cause dpf issues


Lots of short journeys is what causes spf issue's




It's possible that the car has done a few longer journeys then not been used a lot in between

The Mad Monk

11,357 posts

145 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Skeoch25 said:
Hi guys I'm currently looking at a 12 plate seat Leon fr 170 TDI, I'm a bit concerned at the mileage tho as it has only done just over 40k miles mostly doing 4-5k miles per year bar one year when it done 10k miles. The car does have full service history but you would see the mileage as a warning sign as far as possible dpf problems?

Edited by Skeoch25 on Monday 7th June 08:06
Do 12 year old Seat Leons have a DPF?

Riley Blue

23,205 posts

254 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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Our shopping trolley is a 2005 diesel Fiesta, owned from new and now on 48000 miles. It had its first visit to a welder for its last MOT - buy on condition, not low miles.

ahenners

621 posts

154 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
Do 12 year old Seat Leons have a DPF?
It's not 2024 yet? And yes they do.

biggles330d

2,544 posts

178 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Scrump said:
It may have done lots of short journeys, or it may have done occasional long journeys.
Could be this. My Discovery 4 has done about 2000 miles in the last 18 months (I have an EV for 99% of my everyday journeys), but none of that mileage has been for trips less than 180 miles. It's basically only been out a handful of times but every one has been long journeys of up to 400 miles in a go. I never use it for short runs unless I have to like it's been loaded up with stuff for the tip. Full day motorway journeys that are hours and hours long though, its a great choice. Total waste of time and money owning the Disco to be honest, but I like it and don't want to get rid while I can afford to have it stood there!

halo34

2,890 posts

227 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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I personally haven't had a DPF issue in many diesels, even during lockdown where weekly mileage was 12 to get shopping.

Seem to be plenty companies offering cleaning services these days worst case?

LeeM135i

711 posts

82 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
As above it depends how it's been driven.

I only rack up 8k miles a year, the majority are on the 250 miles each way drive to the office I do every month, perfect for a diesel.

My wife drives 12k a year and its mostly short in town journeys, not perfect for a diesel.

Has it been serviced every year or is it on a long life plan which VW's can suffer from.


DailyHack

4,379 posts

139 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
The spinner of plates said:
For a daily beater I’m the other way.
Low mileage cars attract a premium I’ll not pay.

I seek out high mileage cars that have been used everyday and with good service history. And buy them cheaper.
Then accept that each year there’s always a few jobs tacked into the service sheet, normally associated with suspension / bushes.

ie looking at cars now - 5 years old, 150k miles, less than 20% of cost when new.

IME age deteriorates a car harder than miles do.
^^ this, get some absolute bargains if your careful, I often seek cars when they have done over 100k+ and sort by age (newest) - don't ever get the low mileage premium on a daily cars.

Challo

12,588 posts

183 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
Skeoch25 said:
Hi guys I'm currently looking at a 12 plate seat Leon fr 170 TDI, I'm a bit concerned at the mileage tho as it has only done just over 40k miles mostly doing 4-5k miles per year bar one year when it done 10k miles. The car does have full service history but you would see the mileage as a warning sign as far as possible dpf problems?

Edited by Skeoch25 on Monday 7th June 08:06
Have you spoken to the Owner? They might have done lots of small regular journeys, or very few journeys but they are all long distance.

I once bought a 13 year old diesel that had only done 17k miles and that was fine.

Sheepshanks

40,713 posts

147 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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LeeM135i said:
As above it depends how it's been driven.

I only rack up 8k miles a year, the majority are on the 250 miles each way drive to the office I do every month, perfect for a diesel.

My wife drives 12k a year and its mostly short in town journeys, not perfect for a diesel.

Has it been serviced every year or is it on a long life plan which VW's can suffer from.
Shouldn't make any odds these days - although not sure if applies back to 2012, think it does on VAG cars. They never passive regen in UK conditions - the dpf doesn't get anywhere near hot enough. They active regen as needed. Main thing is not to interupt active regen too often - on wife's Tiguan it's not obvious it's doing it until you get out of the car and hear the fan roaring.

We did a fast 300 mile trip over the M62 one weekend then next morning on the school run it did an active regen. Seems to do something like every 300 miles. On her car (with the later EA288 diesel) the ecu will trigger a regen if it hasn't done one for 465 miles.


Think the car the OP is looking at is EA189 engine - the one subject to emissions recall. Seems lots of reports of the car being messed up if the recall work is done.


Don't follow Leon at all, but 2012 is near the end of that version's run. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.



Wagonwheel555

909 posts

84 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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As others have pointed out, total mileage is not the concern, rather the length of those journeys.

My wife has a 330D and her commute to work three days a week is 3-4 miles each way but 2-3 time a month she does a 50-60 mile each way journey to see family etc. The 330D was 5 years old with only 15k miles on the clock, I have no idea how it was driven previously.

We bought a diesel as finding a 335i/340i in the spec and colour we wanted was like trying to find rocking horse poop. For every 50 diesels we found, there were maybe 2 petrols.

RizzoTheRat

28,705 posts

220 months

Monday 7th June 2021
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I'm assuming that's the same engine as my 2009 Octavia. It wouldn't worry me at all. If there's a DPF issue the light would be on, otherwise it might be in need of a regen cycle but it'll do it as soon as you start doing longer journeys.

The active regen cycle, where the ECU deliberately buggers about with the fueling to get a higher temperature, only takes something like 15 minutes once the engine is warm, and if it decides it needs to do one, it'll keep trying until it manages a full cycle, or eventually the DPF light will come on.

Sheepshanks

40,713 posts

147 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
RizzoTheRat said:
I'm assuming that's the same engine as my 2009 Octavia. It wouldn't worry me at all. If there's a DPF issue the light would be on, otherwise it might be in need of a regen cycle but it'll do it as soon as you start doing longer journeys.

The active regen cycle, where the ECU deliberately buggers about with the fueling to get a higher temperature, only takes something like 15 minutes once the engine is warm, and if it decides it needs to do one, it'll keep trying until it manages a full cycle, or eventually the DPF light will come on.
Yes - if you were doing nothing else but 3 or 4 mile trips that took 10 mins, you'd fairly quickly get in trouble. But otherwise should (famous last words) be fine. Ours never routinely does more than about 8 miles and even that is a pretty quick trip, time wise.

We do only ever run it on Shell V Power though.

RizzoTheRat

28,705 posts

220 months

Monday 7th June 2021
quotequote all
I think VPower and the like burn a bit faster and produce less soot but I've only ever used supermarket diesel in mine, and the only issue I've had in 140k miles was a garage cocking something up rather than anything to do with spending several years doing a 9 mile commute.