Cupra R: Common Faults

[scarface]

Im looking to buy a new car in the summer and was having difficulties deciding on what car to get between the leon cupra r, mazda rx8 and honda civic type r.

After much research the rx8 is out the running due to rotary problems, high oil/petrol consumption and crazy maintenance costs (£845 for full set of tyres!).

So the other option was a honda civic type r, however these cars are to boy racerish, and want something sporty, but practical and thats a real looker!

Hence back on the cupra r! Now what i want to know is what are the common faults on these cars, what should i look out for, fuel consumptions, service charges, tyres, insurance, handling, etc

Everything i need to know before spending x amount of money on one.

Ive been advised that you lot are very friendly and helpful!

Thanks in advance (ive been around on this site for a while, but mainly post off topic!)

 

[storeyd]

These are the common faults I know of with a * next to ones thats happened to mine. Note... Most of these are also common on other Leons

1. *Water Pump (plastic impellers do not last, make sure its got the replacement fitted)
2. *Coil Packs (J type now replaced by K type which are ok, so have these checked)
3. *Front Wheel Bearings
4. *Secondary Water Pump (easily repaired)
5. Door seals (let water in!)
6. *Brake light switch
7. *Steering pulls slightly to left (can't fix mine so just live with it)
8. Coolant temperature sensor (easy to check as the replacement is a different colour - do a search)

 

[edmong]

Depends on what age your going for.

 

[D.K]

Painfull cheek muscels from too much grining

 

[osiancupra]

fuel consumption once you go under quater mark
tyre's wear quick on front and pads depending on the driver of course
the want to drive day after day after day after day......
personal problems allways wear jeans it hides the soldier easier
the want to clean it after every drive to keep it as beautiful as ever

i could moider on but i dont wand to scare you from this amazing experience

 

[DOLBY]

Im looking to buy a new car in the summer and was having difficulties deciding on what car to get between the leon cupra r, mazda rx8 and honda civic type r.

After much research the rx8 is out the running due to rotary problems, high oil/petrol consumption and crazy maintenance costs (£845 for full set of tyres!).

So the other option was a honda civic type r, however these cars are to boy racerish, and want something sporty, but practical and thats a real looker!

Hence back on the cupra r! Now what i want to know is what are the common faults on these cars, what should i look out for, fuel consumptions, service charges, tyres, insurance, handling, etc

hiya...

1.) mine has an awful lot of annoying rattles from behind glovebox type area..
2.) coilpacks tend to fail.
3.) MAF sensors generally need changing after a remap..imo
4.) suspension can seem quite harsh at first, but its a hot hatch...

my mpg tends to hover around 24...but then again, i dont hang around...12 mile daily round trip through town....beware with this fuel tank!!...you will get around 70 miles before it comes off the full mark, say 40 miles till half way...then the needle plummets after that..i kid you not..

insurance is group 17...im 28, 2yrs no claims, 1 claim in 2005, no points....£690..
handling is not bad..you need some ARBS..25mm at front, 28 at back...S3 strut brace, some coilovers- drop say 20mm at first, till your happy...

4x goodyear gsd3s will be around £600 + vat...well worth it tho
servicing is every 12000 miles..very reasonable..

hope that helps..

 

[Gubien]

Ehm...what about the really big problem many of us have? The "hesitation" at about 3000-3500 rpm at medium boost in the first 3 gears? That's a real issue for me!

 

[Romeoisgraham]

Ive had mine for a year and not experianced any problems at all.

Thought I had a puncture once but didnt.

Thats it.


With every car, let alone a sports hatch you will allways get problems so its all about minimising those said problems.

Coilpacks...... Replace with K type
Waterpump...... replace with Metal impellor
Wheel bearings...... Id be suprised if the Cupra R didnt have wheel bearing issues but keep greased and replace whenever needed (not costly)
Fuel consumption....... Its a sports hatch dont expect mirracles but will better than the RX 8 and the Type R
Door seals...... Just keep an eye on them.

With a sports car its all about maintanance and thats not incredibly costly with a seat!

 

[traumapat]

Ehm...what about the really big problem many of us have? The "hesitation" at about 3000-3500 rpm at medium boost in the first 3 gears? That's a real issue for me!

thats just part of its charm

 

[steelyglint]

mines a 2000 model - in my four years of ownership:
clutch slave (tres expensive) did clutch at same time £600 ouch
coil packs (2 off)
coolant sensor
ignition switch failure
dump valve - changed to forge007
miscellaneous supension bush replacement at last MOT £300
odd soggy brake feeling ...ongoing
ongoing intermitent abs fault (lateral acceleration sensor)
now air con magnetic coupling is f****d see next post!
secondary air pump sounds like demonic harmonica on inital start up , often causes very lumpy running , switch of ,restart and its fine
parts often hard for dealers to supply the right one.not their fault ....its seat's.. see ongoing poly v belt post
servive and repair it myself cos im on a tight budget but like the way the car drives /handles

p.s. need second set of pads and discs soon.

 

[kenboon]

Sevice costs are not to bad at all on them. Tyres, Brake Discs and Pads are quite expensive to replace. They should also be ran on super unleaded ideally. So far i'v been lucky as to have had no problems with my car, bar the odd dash rattle. I pay £511 per year insurance wise fully comp, 27 3 no claims no points.

Ken

 

[dave_ph]

No problems with mine appart from an irritating rattle in the dashboard somewhere - over come by turning the radio up ive only had it a week though!

 

[Gnollins]

Im looking to buy a new car in the summer and was having difficulties deciding on what car to get between the leon cupra r, mazda rx8 and honda civic type r.

After much research the rx8 is out the running due to rotary problems, high oil/petrol consumption and crazy maintenance costs (£845 for full set of tyres!).

So the other option was a honda civic type r, however these cars are to boy racerish, and want something sporty, but practical and thats a real looker!

Hence back on the cupra r! Now what i want to know is what are the common faults on these cars, what should i look out for, fuel consumptions, service charges, tyres, insurance, handling, etc

hiya...

1.) mine has an awful lot of annoying rattles from behind glovebox type area..
2.) coilpacks tend to fail.
3.) MAF sensors generally need changing after a remap..imo
4.) suspension can seem quite harsh at first, but its a hot hatch...

my mpg tends to hover around 24...but then again, i dont hang around...12 mile daily round trip through town....beware with this fuel tank!!...you will get around 70 miles before it comes off the full mark, say 40 miles till half way...then the needle plummets after that..i kid you not..

insurance is group 17...im 28, 2yrs no claims, 1 claim in 2005, no points....£690..
handling is not bad..you need some ARBS..25mm at front, 28 at back...S3 strut brace, some coilovers- drop say 20mm at first, till your happy...

4x goodyear gsd3s will be around £600 + vat...well worth it tho
servicing is every 12000 miles..very reasonable..

hope that helps..

£600+VAT for 4 Goodyears GSD3s? Where do you shop? Mine were £400 fitted!

Servicing is every 10000 miles. They tend to alternate between minor and major services. Don't go to a dealer, find a local VAG specialist.

If you're buying one with around 60K miles on the clock, make sure the cambelt has been changed as this is a relatively major job (£350-400).

One check I would suggest is lift the bonnet, start the car, and then turn the aircon on. Make sure the radiator fans spin continuously and don't pulse on and off. If they don't spin the slow speed circuit has burnt out and the fans need replaced.

Like every car they have niggly faults, but the Cupra R is a superb bit of kit, much better than the Civic Type R, and can be easily modded to go to 260+BHP.

 

[DOLBY]

in my service book it says every 12000 miles...

 

[AdamRoutley]

i can get GSD3s fitted for £84 a corner...at a garage by mine..

not had many problems, only little ones, and these were all sorted out under waranty.

with a car like this, i was advised to buy it through a dealer, as when i was buying mine the dealers told me they turn away a LOT of them because theyve been thraped (not left to warm up/down ect..) so the ones they had on the forecourt were all very good examples, plus buying from the dealer you'l get the year warranty at LEAST..

 

[lofer]

Ehm...what about the really big problem many of us have? The "hesitation" at about 3000-3500 rpm at medium boost in the first 3 gears? That's a real issue for me!

Never ever had that!

 

[traumapat]

Never ever had that!

yours must be a fake

 

[lofer]

yours must be a fake

I’ve never even heard of it before! I couldn’t live with my car hesitating! Have you ever spoken to jabba about it?

 

[traumapat]

I’ve never even heard of it before! I couldn’t live with my car hesitating! Have you ever spoken to jabba about it?

yes mate. its done throughout ownership. over the past 3 years through each mapping stage.

if say your driving with a small amount of throttle and hold it... the car slowly approaches that power level ... then as its reached it feels like its cut back? its hard to explain. give it a little more throttle and it dosnt happen.

its almost a jolt. almost like the fuels been cut. apparently some do it some dont.

the only thing i havnt changed is the n75 valve... this got tested during the ihi conversion and worked fine. but i doubt they went near part throttle!

its not every time either... can go weeks without it.

ive found anything above half throttle avoids it anyway. and that can be fun in town with ihi

 

[scarface]

Thanks for the info, how much they going for these days, im looking for one with no higher than 60k mileage, 3-4 yrs old max, has to be red though!