Pedal Box Concerns

[Leigh20VT]

Im due to pick my ibiza cupra up in a few days, I was looking forward to it,
but now im a little bit aprehensive,
Ive read about the few problems that they have, pedal box, fuse box etc,
Ive since spoken to a VAG specialist (Midlands VW) and he said "pedal boxes fail due to the clutches wearing needing you to put more pressure on the clutch pedal thus putting strain on the welds etc"
Can someone put my mind at ease about this do i have anything to worry about?
ive put a £100 deposit on the car, but id rather lose £100 than have to fork out unknown amounts for repairs on it.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[Slimy]

Look at it this way, ALL cars have faults of some kind. At least with SEAT's it's a set of known weak points that fail, and the fixes are well documented. For example, coil packs are renowned for failing on virtually all SEAT's (if not all VAG), but it causes specific symptoms that are easy to diagnose, the replacement part is reasonably cheap, and the job is most definitely in the realms of the average Joe DIY.

I'd rather own a car that I know will go wrong in a specific way, rather than another manufacturer that will still have faults but they could be anything under the sun!

Have a look at www.honestjohn.co.uk, they list all common faults with the car.

 

[ibizacupra]

clutch itself is not the cause of seats poor spot welding of the pedal.. some go, just like they do on other vag models.. not ibiza specific. and not a biggie if it were to happen
mines 2001 and continues to be fine..

all makes of cars have common faults..
you wont find a brand which does'nt

 

[rhysox]

pedal box... yes, sometimes they do go- my clutch pedal went on my red one but was a cheap fix as all it needs is for the pedal to be welded up again. I've now bought another Ibiza and will be ensuring that the clutch pedal is welded up properly before it *might* go.

Fuse box- not all of them do it... you can get the uprated unit from SEAT if needed- it's not too expensive.

You can't really go too wrong with SEAT, they're well made, good quality cars.

 

[Leigh20VT]

Thanks, would it be worth my while taking the car to a garage, paying £40 - £50 and getting the clutch pedal welded up before the inevitable happens ?
i couldnt seem to find anything on honestjohn about common faults,
could any of you owners fill me in with what i can expect to fail on me?

 

[rhysox]

In my experience, I would expect...

1) Clutch pedal to snap, and yes I would recommend getting it done before it breaks for piece of mind
2) Check the fuse box, it might have already burnt, but often works when cleaned out and new fuse put in
3) Coil Packs- these attach onto the top of the spark plugs and are notorious for going, cost approx £40 each but usually last a long time.

That's about it to be honest, but I'm sure others will contribute with their experiences. They're good cars really but you can't expect 8-10 year old cars to be perfect.

If you, for example, map your car, it will often show up the faults that you got away with before, e.g. a failing coilpack will completely fail and you'll need a replacement. So don't be surprised if you need a few coilpacks after doing some performance mods.

 

[Slimy]

Thanks, would it be worth my while taking the car to a garage, paying £40 - £50 and getting the clutch pedal welded up before the inevitable happens ?
i couldnt seem to find anything on honestjohn about common faults,
could any of you owners fill me in with what i can expect to fail on me?

Ah yes, it does look a bit thin on the ground for the Ibizas doesn't it? Sorry about that, it's usually a bit better than that...

 

[chris_200120vt]

would not worry about it, my car is a 2001 and only thing that has happened to me is having 1 coilpack going

 

[Ibiza125]

The pedal box fault sounds worse than it is, I think the name has carried on from the Mk2 where it actually was a big job! It's actually just the clutch pedal...

I wouldn't back down on it at all. As said coilpacks go, but easy and quick replacement costing you £30 a go.

There are also other little things but they are all covered on here.

 

[Leigh20VT]

ok thanks, its put my mind at rest a little anyway, im going to see our mechanic in a little bit to ask if he can weld the pedal up just to make sure it doesnt happen,
other than that and the fuse box issue im not too worried, as im pretty sure its drivable with any other little issues
Thaks again