N20THP - Clean MK1 LCR (Platinum Grey)

[NathyPhillips]

August 2018:

Seat Sport 6 Speed Gear Knob!​

It was at this point i started becoming more active on Facebook Leon Groups and took a keen interest in clean or new sought after parts.
I had been in contact for a while with a well known LCR owner within this particular group, he also helped me source things such as the S3 Vents above and put me in touch with people who had parts i wanted which are later to come.
This was my first "Rare" part purchase. I opted for the Carbon with Leather Shaft.

Knob:

The item is brand new and in its original packaging, I'm currently very reluctant to fit this into the car due to hearing about the Carbon yellowing in the sun, also i like the idea of keeping it as "Brand New"
So as it stands this part is still not fitted to the car but is stored safely - April 2020

 

[vwbassett]

Lovely looking leon, makes me want to get my platinum grey R upto to scratch.

Surely you have to fit the knob, it's a great looking part but it's also there to be used. If it does get worn I'm sure lacquer etc can be repainted or maybe get a hat for it when it's in the sun

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[NathyPhillips]

January 2019:

Engine Bay!
​

It was time to start making the engine bay look as presentable as the exterior of the car so i decided to start with the easiest or parts, Charge Pipe, Heat Shield, Washer Bottle & Coolant Bottle. I also purchased various hose finishers & Audi R8 Oil & Coolant Caps. The caps were second hand but in clean condition and i was more than happy with the price paid.

First was to remove & clean the washer bottle...

Before:

During:

After:

I sent the Charge Pipe & the Heat Shield off to be powder coated by the same company that painted the car before Ultimate Dubs.

Heat Shield & Charge Pipe:

I purchased a new Coolant Bottle from TPS rather than attempting to clean due to the markings on the original being fades/missing

Coolant Bottle:

I also purchased a black washer bottle cap however the fit isn't too good so i reverted back to standard blue for now.

 

[NathyPhillips]

Lovely looking leon, makes me want to get my platinum grey R upto to scratch.

Surely you have to fit the knob, it's a great looking part but it's also there to be used. If it does get worn I'm sure lacquer etc can be repainted or maybe get a hat for it when it's in the sun

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the comment, yes I should use it and enjoy it really but im also enjoying the appreciating value of these items, if another clean condition one comes up at the right price I will be purchasing and fitting.
I personally don't think I would be happy with any finish other than the OE, I have seen some owners at shows do use a Knob Hat.

 

[NathyPhillips]

February 2019:

Recaro's & Liquid Gauge!
​

Feb became another expensive month with the purchases of two very sought after, I was on the hunt for a while looking for the well known Factory Recaro seats as I wanted a near perfect set, all I kept seeing on the market was a few with bolster wear and while you are still able to get the foams from the stealers I didn't want to be left with that task when spending good money on these.

Recaro's:

The seats proved for a very hugging fit, the difference is very apparent how much the bolsters hold you in especially in corners.
One thing I noted with these is that the runners sit slightly higher than standard, so if you like to lye in the back seat whilst your driving be mindful if your looking to purchase these.

The second item I purchased was something that I had a bit of a heartbreaking moment with, the item in question is a Race Diagnostics Liquid Gauge. The reason for the heartbreak is I was looking to purchase this in December 2018 from Race Diagnostic but I never took the plunge, then in January 2019 I decided I was going to purchase one and then to my surprise the company had folded and the item was discontinued. This instantly sent the second hand prices rocketing. I did pay a premium for this being in a clean condition and not resprayed like many of them out there.

Liquid Gauge:

I was very happy with this item, there are a lot of functions available on them and i especially like being able to do diagnostics on the move and clear codes if needed (Once the issue is resolved!)
To add to the clean look of the interior at this point the Liquid Gauge also had an illuminated vent wheel with loom attached.

 

[Thai-wronghorse]

Some great additions so far, nice to see you swapped over the S3 vent dial as well as so many people that have liquid gauge units fitted along with illuminated vents don't rectify this little issue which bugs the hell of me.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[NathyPhillips]

Some great additions so far, nice to see you swapped over the S3 vent dial as well as so many people that have liquid gauge units fitted along with illuminated vents don't rectify this little issue which bugs the hell of me.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Yes it was a must for me, thanks for looking, glad your enjoying the progress.

 

[Thai-wronghorse]

Absolutely and so good to have a new and extensive mk1 readers ride post on here as they seem to be a dying breed these days.
Which reminds me I need to crack on with my own and get that updated at some point soon.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[NathyPhillips]

Absolutely and so good to have a new and extensive mk1 readers ride post on here as they seem to be a dying breed these days.
Which reminds me I need to crack on with my own and get that updated at some point soon.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Thanks! yes they are certainly dying, I've been seeing so many being broken or scrapped, reassuring to know with each one destroyed ours become rarer.
Definitely get it updated, I'm going to start taking a look at a few more as soon as ive completed this up to the current date.

 

[NathyPhillips]

May 2019:

Double Dinn Centre Console!
​

The time came to get one of the final pieces on my list for the interior.
I have seen a few of these on the market but condition was not for me and I've also seen a lot of people with Double Dinn conversions trying to sell them as genuine's.
I finally found a very trusted seller from the Facebook group that had a very clean unit available. I knew this item wasn't going to be cheap but it was a must for me & with the demand running the prices up i was happy to take the plunge sooner rather than later.

Collection:

Installation:

The install was pretty painless as I was in no rush so took my time over the weekend to ensure wiring was run efficiently and I tied up anything that could potentially cause rattles behind the dash. The most tedious part of the install is that the lower console needed trimming slightly to allow for the gear gaiter surround. I took plenty of measurements and created a template from the original I had taken out to try and get this as perfect as possible. It was a scary process with the dremel hacking at something I had just paid £££ for but I took my time and got there in the end.
Also the cutout behind the handbrake is for a armrest as the this was fitted from the factory with one installed. at this time I did not have one to install.
Strangely I do not currently have an image with the headunit in and at this point in the image I was awaiting for it to arrive at a local audio store to me.

 

[lightup]

clean looking leon and nice thread. allready see some nice updates to keep me inspired too

 

[NathyPhillips]

clean looking leon and nice thread. allready see some nice updates to keep me inspired too

Thanks for the compliment! glad to hear i could help!

 

[Nathan penney]

Good to see another Cupra R getting the love they deserve.
My car is stock but I like to read what others do to theirs with upgrades etc.
looks great.

 

[NathyPhillips]

Good to see another Cupra R getting the love they deserve.
My car is stock but I like to read what others do to theirs with upgrades etc.
looks great.

Thanks for the comment, hope you stick around to see more...

 

[NathyPhillips]

June 2019:

Arm Rest!​

As per the previous update regarding the hole in the back of the lower centre console I had to find a clean genuine arm rest that would fill the gap. Fortunately a local seller to me was selling an arm rest as a complete set with the double dinn consoles at a good price along with some other goodies, I managed to sell the consoles at the price i paid making the arm rest free for me.
Sadly the arm rest was finished in leather and I was looking for a fabric one however speaking to another chap on a Facebook group he had a fabric top and was looking for leather.
After a few photo's back and forth we done a swap and both covered postage. this was great for me as I was looking at getting mine re-trimmed which was going to cost a lot more than the price of a stamp.

Images with Leather Top:

I currently don't have any images with the fabric top swapped over but the arm rest has since been given a good clean and is looking very clean. I have not yet installed this into the car as the lower console has to come back out to install the bracket which isn't a 30 second job as i don't want to force anything so it will be seats out etc...
I will update with images once installed.

 

[NathyPhillips]

November 2021:

First House!​

So, its been a while since I last updated this, mostly due to not having any new updates on the car itself however a life update, I've finally brought my first house. After months of searching for something with a garage to house the Leon and also have a bit of room to move around it I'm happy with what we have. Its not perfect and not fully protected from the elements yet but we've got plenty of time to kit this out and seal it fully.

Garage Currently:

So there is plenty of room to walk around on the passenger side although the images don't show it, I've added a couple of the old shelves that was there previously for my detailing products and also got the work bench at the back. overall I can fully walk round the car, easily work at the back and open the doors comfortably.

The Leon is currently plugged into a C-Tek charger to keep here alive as she doesn't get much use these days.

Future plans are to insulate & board up the garage and paint without loosing to much space, I also want to board the ceiling for a flat roof and put some nicer lighting in.
If anyone has any recommendations, links or can show some nice garage ideas please share them.

For now that is all I have in terms of updates.

PS. Still haven't found the time to install the arm rest.

 

[MoToJoJo]

I went to Screwfix and bought a couple of 30W 4ft LED strip lights for my garage, wired it straight into the existing light socket and daisy chained them. Think my garage is about the same size as yours and honestly, it's bright as hell in there.

 

[NathyPhillips]

I went to Screwfix and bought a couple of 30W 4ft LED strip lights for my garage, wired it straight into the existing light socket and daisy chained them. Think my garage is about the same size as yours and honestly, it's bright as hell in there.

I will check them out, lighting and boarding up the garage is certainly something I'm looking to change in the near future.

 

[NathyPhillips]

March 2022:

Donington Park!​

Yet more time has passed since the last update and yet again not much to report, the car is still sitting nicely in the garage on its trickle charger, its made a couple of appearances at the office on nice days and most substantially made the drive to Donington for a nice ride out to watch a mate on his motorbike going round the track. While I couldn't get the paddock shots I wanted due to a security bloke on a power trip, I still managed to get some grass shots by the entrance. Here is a few of the nicer shots from the day to fill the thread until next time.

Donington Shots:

 

[mydavestrong]

car is looking great

Tutuapp 9Apps Showbox​