New Leon Owner Questions

[lee_woollett]

I've just bought a 2001 (X Reg) 1.8 Leon 20v Cupra Turbo (bright yellow) and i love it to bits already, the car pulls really strongly, doesn't have any knocking from the suspension and is suprisingly economical for its performance, but as i've never owned something as new or high performance i've got a few questions to ask.

1. The car has 82k on the clock and was owned by a leasing company for all of its life (leased to one company), how often does the cambelt need to be changed. I'm asking because the dealer i bought it from hasn't got the service history yet from the lease company.

2. The radio when switched on just says " 2 SAFE ". I have the code to unlock the radio but i'm unsure how to do this. The radio has said this since i've had it (about a week), will this need unlocking by a dealer or can i do it myself?

3. What mods will unlease a little more power without costing the earth? I'm unsure whether to smooth and drill the standard air box or replace it with a filter (i.e. K&N). Also what exhaust would you recommend. I've had a turbo charged car before and it had an issue with a normal dump valve so i had to switch to a bailey twin piston valve as the old one made the car idle really badly.

I'm handy with the spanners and my dad is a mechanic (has been for 35 years) so most of the work can be done myself or by the old man.

 

[skunnie26]

radio safe 2 fix

in response to question number 2, you will need to leave your stereo on for 40 mins (i think), good idea is to park up your motor, turn on the stereo, lock the car and go back to it a while later. the radio should after 40 mins display "0 0 0 0". Once this is shown, you can enter your code as follows:

enter the code using the 1,2,3,4,5,6 buttons on the head unit (eg if your code is 1234, hit the 1 button once, the 2 buton twice, the 3 button three times and the four buttons four times) so it displays "1 2 3 4". Then simply hit the fm/am button and it will work.

sounds a bit complicated and sorry for not being able to simplify an easy fix. hope this helps.

 

[smokescreen]

The cambelt ideally to be changed at 60k, though its been advised that the mechanic can inspect it in 10k and change at 90k if its good enough. Personally I wouldn't leave it that late.

 

[lee_woollett]

thanks for the swift response, i drive at least 30 minutes in the mornings to work so i'll leave the radio on all the way and try it tomorrow lunch time.

I think i'll have to chase up the dealer i bought it from for the history or maybe get hold of the company who leased it, i think their name is on the log book so i should be able to trace it that way.

Thanks

 

[gazzarino_cupra]

Hi, im in the same boat as you Lee, bought the exact same car yesterday, X reg too, all i can say so far is im more than impressed with it. im wanting to know the same stuff as you mate in your question 3 so if anyone has more info i'd be grateful too.
cheers, Gaz

 

[traumapat]

i have a x lc too

best mods for power are sports cat and downpipe with a stage 2 remap. should see 235-240bhp

other good extras include an upgraded panel filter or induction kit, and a better dv.

good handling mods include ARBs particularly the rear, better tyres and dog bone mounts.

matching springs and dampers can help too.

all my humble opinion of course

 

[lee_woollett]

whats the best type of DV to get, i'm not bothered if its not loud but i just want to protect the turbo as much as poss as i'm guessing they cost a fortune to replace.

I've read a few posts about forge DV's but there are so many model numbers quoted.

i think one of the first jobs will be to smooth and drill the filter box and give it a proper cold air feed, as this wont cost much at all and give a nice induction roar.

Also, does the cupra only have 1 intercooler where as the cupra R has 2? If so, is it possible to add a 2nd one to my cupra?

 

[RickC]

change cambelt sooner rather than later,

most people go for the forge 007p dump valve or some the forge split r

airbox, suggest panel filter and better feed, 3-4'' one. cone filter for sound.

intercoolers off lcr ? no, only you change inlet mani.

dealers have code for radio.

 

[traumapat]

007p is the most obvious choice for dv on here. most important bit is that its recirculating as opposed to atmospheric blow off. im currently using the apr r1 with good results.

you only have one side mount cooler but it does the job. many lcr owners swop the 2 sides for 1 front as its more efficient, so youd be better off fitting a front mount.

turbo should last a while but make sure the engines fully warmed up before giving the beans and spend the last 3-4 mins driving gently to allow things to cool.

re the radio... remove your keys and then turn on the radio. after so many mins the display changes. but you need to remove keys first then switch on.

 

[JamJay]

007p is the most obvious choice for dv on here. most important bit is that its recirculating as opposed to atmospheric blow off. im currently using the apr r1 with good results.

Is the APR R1 a fully recirc valve like the 007p? Would you say it was much louder than then 007?

 

[traumapat]

Is the APR R1 a fully recirc valve like the 007p? Would you say it was much louder than then 007?

its fully recirc but diaphram based like the oem one except its more beefed up. ive only used it since running bt so couldnt say my specs too different to compare. seems smoother on my set up than the 007p

id guess its quieter than the 007p on a stage 1/2 car . need to try it

 

[xd-data-ii]

I suggest you drive the car for a number of months and then think of upgrading bits and pieces.
So you get used to it as standard and it doesnt feel as fast any more and then you will notice differences when you upgrade. doing it all now, you wont really feel the benefit as the change in car was the major difference.

You said cost effective. So change the DV. Dont bother with induction kits, get a better air filter. Smooth the airbox only if you are bored. It wont make any different really. Only difference will be sound if you drill the holes.
Dont bother with the exhaust as that will cost a lot unless the one on it is knackered. First place to put money into is the DV plus a remap. Dont bother with intercoolers either. Again, too explansive for nothing much.
Best to think logically about the mods than spending loads and taking a lot of time and effort for not much of a performance difference (especially in normal everyday driving). Suppose it all depends on what you really intend to use the car for and how you will drive it.

 

[lee_woollett]

The car will be used as a daily drive to work, although work is only 20 miles away so thats why i've gone for a car which is a little less economical than my previous one as i'm driving a lot less miles now (used to be 45 miles to work).

I've seen the DV's on ebay for about £80 so that will probably be the first thing that i change. I'll take a look for panel filters, any preference on what works best with the engine? K&N or pipercross?

I've tried the instructions suggested earlier in the thread re the radio being locked but it still wont work. The radio shows 2 SAFE when switched on. I left it switched on for the drive to work this morning which took around 45 mins (bloody traffic) but i didn't get the chance to enter the unlock code (which i do have). Any other suggestions as to what i can try?

Also i'm thinking of fitting a boost guage although i dont think i'll fit it to the pillar, i'm thinking to retro fitting it somewhere in the dash (maybe air vent) or buidling a custom pod to sit on the dash above airvents (like the pod on an old escort cosworth). Any preference on boost guage makes, are there any that match the standard dash backlight colour. Also are their any other extra guages worth fitting for safety sake, i.e. oil temp, etc?

Sorry for all the questions

 

[xd-data-ii]

Radio stuff is in the manual i believe. Leave it over night and try tomorrow.
I assume you have the code

DV could be cheaper from Forge tough. Not sure.

Green Cotton filter is one of the best ones to get. Search the forum for loads of info about it.

For the boost gauge, NEV_LCR does exactly what you want and I did exactly the same installation a few weeks ago. See my post on this page
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=154545&page=2

Contact Nev. You need to send you own one to him first.

As you have a pre-facelift Cupra, like me, best to get a black face gauge. The glow shift ones are great which is the one i got and is shown in that post. You can change the backlight to any colour and the red setting matches perfectly. I got the black tinted 7 colour series one from ebay here

Other gauges arent worth bothering i think. Especially if you arent gonna use the A pillar pod.

 

[traumapat]

lee, leaving the radio on whilst driving wont do it. go out now and push the button to switch on, without putting your keys in the ignition. lock car and go back in an hour

 

[Avant4me]

thanks for the swift response, i drive at least 30 minutes in the mornings to work so i'll leave the radio on all the way and try it tomorrow lunch time.

I think i'll have to chase up the dealer i bought it from for the history or maybe get hold of the company who leased it, i think their name is on the log book so i should be able to trace it that way.

Thanks

That won't work. Once the radio goes into the code input mode, if you leave it too long, it goes back to safe mode. I think i left mine for 30 mins, then sat there for a few minutes waiting for it to unlock. I tried your method previously, but left it too long and missed the window.

 

[oldman]

also, when code is entered press the PROG key to make they code stick - at least that is process on 2004 car with aura radio

 

[lee_woollett]

thanks for the advice, i'll got and try the radio again. Bloomin thing.

The boost guage looks sweet in the heater vent, although i was thinking of using one of the centre vents as i dont tend to use them, i know it will probably be harder to get the pipe and electrics to it but it will be a challenge.

 

[xd-data-ii]

Yeah it will.
Too much of one.

Air does still come through the drivers vent pod, not as much but is adequate

 

[GeePee]

Threads a bit old now but here you go anyway...

Just checked out the advice with engineer that did my "Custom Code" phase 1 remap on Friday.

Forge, 007 diverter (DV) recommended for peace of mind protection

Green or (if you have trouble getting one quickly) uprated jetex panel filter are best. Main points: panel, non-oil maintenance type). Don't bother on the 180 20VT with any airbox smoothing etc. as nothing really to gain (as said above). Turbo can't utilise any more than it's getting already.

Also good advise above is run it around for a while before remapping so you can appreciate difference. It is an awesome step up!!!

Cam belt kit + metal (no standard plastic) impeller water pump change - I got mine done at same time (45k) as remap. 40k or +4 yrs old is the general recommendation these days. It's all over this forum too so why take chances I thougth!!

Cool idea for boost gauge in air vent. Just been scratching head with a mate over that one!!