Seat Leon Cupra 1.8T

[minimatt1967]

Evenin' all,
I'm looking to replace my Honda this year and the Leon Cupra (non R) has come to my attention, it appears to be some what of a sleeper with the 1.8T engine wrapped up in a bog standard Leon shell.

What I would like to know:

• is there anything specific that I should look for when buying, any known problem areas and what sort of mileage are they good for?

• would like to have it re-mapped what sort of power is relatively safe and any other mods which benefit the engine?

• Handling wise any recommended improvements?

Thanks in advance
Matt

[FLK]

Problem wise aside from rattles and squeeks are leaking water seals, check the front footwells for dampness and also faulty engine fans which themselves are quite expensive to replace at a dealer £300+ for the part alone. Failed coil packs are another a common fault on the 1.8T engine but the dealer should replace all four with revised packs even if just one of them fails.

At 60k+ check that the cambelt has been changed and the water pump. You may want to do the water pump at a specialist if you buy a pre 60k Leon as they will fit a pump with a metal impeller (I think AMD has been mentioned to do this) which is much more robust than the standard pump which has a plastic impeller. I don't really know much about large mileage on the 1.8T as I've had low mileage on both Leons owned so far but I've heard they're fine up to 150-200k+ if not more when well cared for.

Remap wise you'll see an increase to around 205 bhp, without any mods. The standard K03s turbo on later models (face-lift) are good for 230 bhp max with a full exhaust system and downpipe, air filter or forced induction, FMIC, silicon Turbo Intake Pipe (TIP) and an uprated diverter valve. To be honest though most people change the diverter valve to a Forge 007P and add a silicon TIP as the standard parts are inferior and prone to failure especially after a remap. Older Leon Cupras' (1.8T Sport) have the K03 turbo not the K03s, which is a little less capable.

Handling wise upgrading the dog-bone mount with polyurethane bushes will improve front traction significantly for quite a small cost by getting rid of wheel hop. Fitting lower and upper strut braces and anti-roll bars are also well worth doing.

I've probably missed the odd one or two things but have a good look around the Leon section on seatcupra.net and you'll find a lot more info there. This FAQ is a good place to start http://www.seatcupra.net/index.php?option=com_cont...

[nicktowe]

My wife has had one of these for 3 years. Great car, as the previous poster said water leaks are the main problem via door seals and pollen filter. You can normally identify coil pack problems by some hesitation especially when cold.

In 3 years apart from the water leaks (now fixed) the only problems we have had has been a holed vacuum pipe that my garage fixed for free and a hesitant cd changer. I think the pre facelift cars have better internal spec, ours has full climate control, leather, electric seats, elec folding mirrors etc.

We have been thinking about replacing it but for the money there is very little to match it in terms of performance and kit

[Waugh-terfall]

nicktowe said:

My wife has had one of these for 3 years. Great car, as the previous poster said water leaks are the main problem via door seals and pollen filter. You can normally identify coil pack problems by some hesitation especially when cold.

In 3 years apart from the water leaks (now fixed) the only problems we have had has been a holed vacuum pipe that my garage fixed for free and a hesitant cd changer. I think the pre facelift cars have better internal spec, ours has full climate control, leather, electric seats, elec folding mirrors etc.

We have been thinking about replacing it but for the money there is very little to match it in terms of performance and kit

By hesitation when cold, what exactly do you mean? My Mazda reacts differently and slightly oddly first thing in the morning...

These Leons are proper Q-cars, I saw one recently with the standard bumpers, 1.6 badge on the back and smaller alloy wheels from a 'lesser' model (not sure how he got them around the brakes), only give away was the R badge on teh steering wheel and red Brembo calipers peeked out from behind the spokes... Would definately have fooled the non-clued-up and I'm sure would be great fun for showing up chavs in their nondescript snotboxes...

[nicktowe]

The hesitation is like a missfire, when its very cold, particularly noticeable if you don't give it enough revs. Colipacks sorted the problem

[minimatt1967]

Thank you very much Gents this gives me much food for thought! If I wished to go in-excess of 230bhp, would I have to use the Cupra R/TT 225 turbo and ECU, or is there more to it than that?

Waugh-terfall said:

These Leons are proper Q-cars, I saw one recently with the standard bumpers, 1.6 badge on the back and smaller alloy wheels from a 'lesser' model (not sure how he got them around the brakes), only give away was the R badge on teh steering wheel and red Brembo calipers peeked out from behind the spokes... Would definately have fooled the non-clued-up and I'm sure would be great fun for showing up chavs in their nondescript snotboxes...

That is Exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to achieve!

[Waugh-terfall]

nicktowe said:

The hesitation is like a missfire, when its very cold, particularly noticeable if you don't give it enough revs. Colipacks sorted the problem

Oh, mine just seems very jumpy and you can floor it in 1st or 2nd and it'll jump, but the revs will stop at 2,200rpm and then it'll pick up after a 3sec delay. Really odd.

To MiniMatt, they're very tuneable, my uncle has a mk1 Audi TT Roadster, it was a 1.8T Quattro 225 but he says it's now pushing 350bhp and 350NM, that sounds enough for some serious fun!

Edited by Waugh-terfall on Monday 9th March 20:19

[FLK]

You should be able to keep the standard ECU and get more power through hybrid/big turbos with larger injectors. I don't really know much about this though but have a look at some of the VAG tuners such as Awesome GTI or AMD Technik for ideas.

Here's a couple of Cupra build threads as well:

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5...
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1...

[minimatt1967]

Cheers not my style but some useful pointers of which direction to go for with performance mods