Cupra Mark 1 - help me please...

[cobraman2007]

Hi all.

I have decided after long contemplation to buy a Seat Leon Cupra as a replacement for my two-seater MX5 as I have a sprog on the way in 7 months time. I needed a four seater/five door car but I also wanted something quick that I could take out for the weekend when the baby isn't been carried around from place to place and the Leon Cupra fits the bill perfect.

I am looking at the Mk1 Cupra 1.8T (petrol) but was after the facelift model with the white dials as I think this later model eradicated the problem of leaking door seals which were found in the earlier models. So onto the questions...

1. What year did the later Mk1 models come out with the white dials?

2. I understand the Revo is the way to add extra power. How much does this cost and what kind of power can I get out of this?

3. Do I have to declare to the insurance company that the car has a Revo upgrade (I assume I do)?

4. What kind of fuel does the car take? Can it be run on normal unleaded with no trouble to the engine?

5. Is servicing very expensive and are the parts easily accessible (with Seat being based in Spain)?

6. Is there anything I should look out for when taking the car for a testdrive (problematic areas I should keep an eye out for)?

7. I have a budget of £6,000. What kind of car would I likely get for this (mileage/year)?

I'll probably add to this list but I would appreciate any comments.

Cheers - Cobraman2007

 

[RobM]

I can answer some of these, but will leave others to Cupra owners to help you


2. I understand the Revo is the way to add extra power. How much does this cost and what kind of power can I get out of this?
Roughly £500+VAT and you'll end up with roughly 200-210bhp and similar torque levels.

3. Do I have to declare to the insurance company that the car has a Revo upgrade (I assume I do)?
Yes! Without any shadow of a doubt. It's a performance mod and it changes the spec of the car.

4. What kind of fuel does the car take? Can it be run on normal unleaded with no trouble to the engine?
Super Unleaded is recommended as it gives better performance and better fuel economy (more miles to the tank) but if you have no other option, normal unleaded wont do any damage.

5. Is servicing very expensive and are the parts easily accessible (with Seat being based in Spain)?
Servicing varies from £100 (sometimes less) for an interim service and up to £200+ for a major service. Price varies a lot from one dealer to the next and also varies depending on what work needs to be done. A good independent VAG specialist will help bring the cost down, so try and find one in your area.
Parts are easy to find. Many parts are shared with other VAG cars so plenty of places sell and stock everything you could wish for.

As I said, I've left some questions out as others will be able to give a more accurate answer. But I hope this helps

 

[daniel_owen_uk]

Budget is gonna mean you are looking at high mileage if you go for a facelift model. Facelift came in 2002 (although there are 2002 that aren't facelift).

I bought my mk1 cupra in august, cost £6400 with just under 24000 miles on it, mine is a 51 reg that isn't facelift.

 

[ElasticTangent]

Hi Cobraman, welcome to SCN!!

The Leon is perfect for the family bus that can also be fun at the weekend. I have a Cupra R that does exactly that.

All the answers can be found by searching as most of them have been covered off before but here are some one liners for you.

1. I think about 03 plate. I had an 02 Cupra and that was pre-facelift.

2. There are loads of tuning companies that can get you extra power by remapping the ECU. You get about 30bhp more for around £400-£500. Well worth doing.

3. Totally up to you but I would. Some companies are OK about it and some aren't.

4. Big debate on here about this not so long ago. You're supposed to use Super but loads of people use normal and have had no problems. Personal choice really.

5. Not sure what the Mazda costs you but not expensive even from a dealer. Shop around and it can be very reasonable. My last service at a dealer was £120 but that was the smaller type of service.

6. You've mentioned leaking doors seals. A lot of Cupras pull to the left so don't worry unless you feel it's dangerous. Water pump and cam belt should be done at 60k and is a fairly expensive job.

7. I don't think you'll get a facelift model for £6000 unless it's done some serious mileage. I sold my 02 Cupra for £7500 in December last year with 46k on the clock.

Have a search around on the forum for more info.

 

[ChrisUK]

I went from a MX5 to a Leon FR TDI

Everything you could ever want (power, space, economy) - I think this may be a good option for you (esp with a young family & costs) !

You can get it remapped to near 200bhp with a £300 remap

 

[cobraman2007]

Thanks so much for the comments guys - this is really helpful stuff.

I think I will possibly go for the Mk1 early model (2001) as I should get a lower mileage one for around £6,000-£6,500. I could always add the white dials myself at a later stage. Also, what is this red illumination I keep hearing about. This is one of the highlights people talk about regarding the dialkits in the Leon's.

Now for the Revo upgrade. Who can do this (where are these garages based) and how reliable are they? Has anything gone wrong? Do I need extra stuff like a bigger intercooler/radiator etc?

I have seen a few 2001 Leon Cupra's with around 50,000 miles advertised for around £5,000. Is this a good price or is it too much/too little for the car? Should I stay clear or is this the going price?

Thanks again - Cobraman2007

 

[Wheely]

as I think this later model eradicated the problem of leaking door seals which were found in the earlier models.

If only !!!!!!

My '04 Leon offside rear door seal just gone. Due to be fixed under warranty on 6/3/07. Just wish it would stop raining ffs !!!!!

Although it aint a bad job re-sealing these yourself if you're out of warranty. Plenty of posts on it, and I did it on an old '01 Leon TDi.

 

[RobM]

Thanks so much for the comments guys - this is really helpful stuff.

I think I will possibly go for the Mk1 early model (2001) as I should get a lower mileage one for around £6,000-£6,500. I could always add the white dials myself at a later stage. Also, what is this red illumination I keep hearing about. This is one of the highlights people talk about regarding the dialkits in the Leon's.

Now for the Revo upgrade. Who can do this (where are these garages based) and how reliable are they? Has anything gone wrong? Do I need extra stuff like a bigger intercooler/radiator etc?

I have seen a few 2001 Leon Cupra's with around 50,000 miles advertised for around £5,000. Is this a good price or is it too much/too little for the car? Should I stay clear or is this the going price?

Thanks again - Cobraman2007

The red illumination is the colour of the interior dials, controls, gauges etc. All the heater controls, all dash buttons and pretty much everything on the dash is red. Looks really smart

Check out www.revotechnik.com for info on your nearest Revo dealer. There is a dealer locator section on the website, so find the nearest ones to you and then do a search on this forum to see if anybody has any experience of them. A good tuner is well worth finding... not just for things like Revo, but for all servicing and spare parts.

 

[cobraman2007]

Thanks so much guys (and especially RobM for the Revo link).

I logged onto the website to see where my nearest dealer was and it is literally 2 minutes from where I work - amazing. I go past this garage everyday but didn't think of going in. The do a 5 hour Revo example where they build the software on the car and it runs out after 5 hours. I assume the Revo update is just a piece of software. How on earth does this work then? Do they just stick a DVD in somewhere and the car magically gets a 30bhp boost?

Now all I need is to sell my car and pick up an early Leon Cupra and add Revo to it and off we go.

Cheers - Cobraman2007

 

[RobM]

There is a diagnostic connection on the centre console inside the car. They hook up their computer to this and upload their own ECU code. I believe the entire process can be done in a matter of minutes and from there it's a case of making any adjustments you want to suit your needs and giving the car a test to ensure all is well.

Just a bit of advice... if you're going to remap your car, invest in a better, aftermarket DV (diverter valve). The standard unit is very prone to premature failure, especially on remapped cars. Aftermarket units such as the Forge 007P take a lot more boost pressure so will not give you any problems. Have a look in Forges sponsor section on this website for info and prices

 

[Pabs]

1. What year did the later Mk1 models come out with the white dials?
A. You'll find some mid/late 52 plate leons have this - and they'll have the facelift bodykit/wheels etc as well. Mine is a Feb03 car (52 plate) and has all of
the above.

3. Do I have to declare to the insurance company that the car has a Revo upgrade (I assume I do)?
A. Yes, but they don't really have any way of prooving you have it. But you should always declare all of your mods.

4. What kind of fuel does the car take? Can it be run on normal unleaded with no trouble to the engine?
A. I highly recommend Supermarket Super unleaded as an absolute minimum. My car runs VERY BADLY on 95ron (unleaded) fuel, but quite happily on Sainsbury's Super unleaded, and FANTASTICALLY on Shell V-power

5. Is servicing very expensive and are the parts easily accessible (with Seat being based in Spain)?
A. All parts accessible from SEAT - although some can take some time to arrive (like locks etc as they are car specific) but otherwise 24hr wait if not in stock at dealers (most times)

7. I have a budget of £6,000. What kind of car would I likely get for this (mileage/year)?
A. You might be lucky and get a facelift leon cupra - but it'll be a 2002/2003 car, with around 60k+ miles on. I've seen a 2003 LC go for £5995 with about 65k on the clock.

All of the above are IMO, of course

 

[dmmsta]

I've just got a '53 LC (facelift & white dials) with 65k on the clock for £6850.
Had full & complete dealer history (with ALL the stamps), and I'm the 2nd owner.

They are out there, depends where about you are on price...if you don't mind travelling, then you may find a good deal a bit further a-field.

 

[RobM]

Just a thought re: Revo... if you're going to get it remapped you can chose what type of petrol you use and the map can be adjusted accordingly. If you specify super unleaded you'll get more performance and better running out of the car. The car can be mapped for normal unleaded though, but obviously the results will be reduced.

 

[cobraman2007]

Thanks for that RobM.

I will see what the guys at Revo recommend and see what performance figures I get out the various forms of petrol. Unleaded will obviously be easier on the pocket and if it is the case of losing a little horse power here and there, I may opt for that reversion.

Just as an add on to the Revo, I noticed on the site that there is a Revo 1, Revo 2 and Revo 3. I assume this is the way they add power onto the car as in stages (1 being the lowest power up to 3 being the most). If I brought a 180bhp, what kind of levels of power would I get with the 3 Revo upgrades. Is this something that can be broken down such as Revo 1 = 200bhp etc?

I was thinking of the buying a car in September this year as I want to enjoy one more summer of top-down driving in the MX5 before selling up. I like the look of the OVNI yellow as it really does the car justice.

Thanks again - Cobraman2007

 

[RobM]

If you're going to Revo the car, your fuel bills will increase anyway. So it's really not worth using Unleaded. To get the best out of your car, in terms of performance and driveability, super unleaded is your best bet. If you're worried about fuel costs, Revo isn't a great idea! And super unleaded will give you more miles to the tank than normal unleaded, so the extra price per litre is balanced out by the extra miles per tank.

The different stages of Revo, and all other remaps for that matter, require different modifications.
For instance, Stage 1 is a simple map that can be applied to a standard car. It will also cater for cars with simple 'bolt on' mods such as filters, exhausts etc.
Stage 2 requires an induction kit, full turbo-back exhaust system (cat back, centre section, sport cat, down pipe), 4bar FPR and ideally a Front Mounted Intercooler. I think that's all the mods it needs though...
Stage 3 needs all of that but will generally be based around big turbo conversions, so is much more 'custom' in the way it works.

 

[ChrisUK]

Also check out the Bell Auto's section in these forums - he can do a custom remap for £299 !! Customise the power, and cheaper than Revo...

Good Luck mate