Seat Leon FR 1.8 180hp Urban Silver

[louiskopite]

Hello Cupra world,

my name is Luis and I come from beautiful Greece. I recently sold my white VW Scirocco 1.4 160hp which was one of the best cars I've been able to drive and regardless of what it's been rumoured/said, one of the most reliable engines. Thanks to my new born son, I had to say goodbye to it and start hunting a 5DR car. Being to my early 40s and still being a "restless spirit", I decided that my next car will be at least of the same calibre of the previous one. The hunt led me to SEAT Cupra but having a 2.0lt engine in Greece is like being a tax criminal. So life introduced me to a Seat Leon FR 1.8 180hp, in urban silver. It was a take it or leave it by the dealer. As I figured out later, this model became extinct due to WLTP. I also found out that trims differ from one country to another. But this model had nearly 90% of what I've been searching for. So here's what I've got.


SEAT Leon FR 1.8 180hp
Urban Silver
18'' Performance Alloy Wheels
Full LED Headlights and rearlights
Electrically folding mirrors
Dark tinted rear windows
Media System Plus 8'' colour touchscreen with Full Link
Cruise Control
LED interior illumination pack
Rear parking camera view
Connectivity Box (4 USB + 1 Aux)
Panoramic Roof
Standard Sound System

The very last was something I should live with at least for the time being. I had the Dynaudio on my previous car and must admit that the SSS of Seat is a significant downgrade compared to it.

I'm really impressed by the car so far and by myself as well for convincing the missus. Below you may find some pics of our FR during sunshine today, pardon me the quality, it was the best my mobile phone and me could do.

Last but not least here are 3 things I would like to ask the Cupra community and I'd really appreciate your help.

a) I've managed around 800km so far and must say that the gearbox is kinda rough, compared to all new cars I've driven in my life. Is it a normal thing for Seat models or something I should be worried about? Bear in mind that I'm a bit old school with new cars and driving smooth for the first 1.5km, regardless of what the dealers or companies say.

b) Having the SSS for Seat, what you would you recommend me for an aftermarket sound system? I'm a total noob on such things, but I really like to enjoy some good music in my car and the Dynaudio on my old VW was something I really miss at the moment. Not searching for something very expensive, more like a vfm thing, plus I don't want to lose much space from the trunk.

c) What else would you recommend me adding in the car that could be considered a "must" for you? What can be easily retrofitted? All opinions would be appreciated and taken into consideration. Also this thread will be updated with pics and addons.

P.S. The song displayed is the very first one played in the car from the USB.

 

[Brimfull]

Hello and welcome

 

[louiskopite]

Sorry, just noticed the New Rides Thread, shall I repost it there and delete this one, or an admin is able to move it there?

 

[JACUPRA280]

Sorry, just noticed the New Rides Thread, shall I repost it there and delete this one, or an admin is able to move it there?

It's fine here. Welcome!

 

[Compo1]

Looks great mate.

Enjoy !

 

[Rob66]

Welcome mate.

Looks very nice I haven't seen many in Urban Silver

 

[Jimbobcook]

Welcome to the forum,

Nice car!

Regarding your questions above do you have manual or DSG gearbox and how many miles has it done?

Unfortunately I don't know much about the soundsystems in the MK3 so maybe someone else can help with a link or some info on upgrading.

With regards to mods from what I've seen quite a few people go for the resonator delete which gives the exhaust a nice tone and you'll get DSG farts without it lol also a see alot of front splitters seems to be key for a nice mean front end.

Maybe @theoldboy has seen some coding for some aftermarket sound systems that may help and maybe have an idea about the gearbox if it's a DSG.

 

[louiskopite]

Thanks for the info

It’s a manual gearbox and as of now I ‘ve managed around 800km (that would be about 500 miles).

 

[Deleted member 103408]

Welcome to the forum, cant help with gearbox as I am DSG and has been mapped so not a lot of help

There are some threads on here about Seat Sound (which is what the UK used to have on the top of the range models) and I know it can be retrofitted check out here http://translate.google.com/transla...t/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=105428&hilit=seat+sound

with regards to must have I would look at OBDELEVEN or CARISTA to see what changes they can make to your cars they did a great deal on the older model that I have not sure how much they do on the newer ones.

There are lots of aftermarket kits for front side and rear spoilers (top and bottom), suspension kits to lower the car a bit or a lot, There are kits you can buy to change the indicator lights in the wing mirrors to audi style (and they are coming down in price) plus some very expensive things you can do to make the car go a little or a lot faster.

Afraid it is very much about what you want from the car and how much you want to spend to get it there.

However these are very good cars and great fun to drive, enjoy

 

[louiskopite]

Well, for the time being I’d like to get used to the car, see what can and cannot do in terms of pace, stability, acceleration etc. I really like the 180hp and still being very smooth with driving.

Rough gearbox is something that bothers me at the moment as I’ve never experienced anything similar with my previous cars, at least not that early. An upgrade on the sound system is number one priority at the moment.

I have also seen some interesting upgrades by Revo and RaceChip, in terms of remapping or engine upgrades, which I keep hold of them for the time being, but deffo going to do some kind of upgrade in 2019.

Also, OBD11 or Carista for MK3?

 

[Deleted member 103408]

I have revo and many have race chip my only warning is make sure your clutch can take the extra power

 

[Dr.Dash]

-A rubber boot liner is a good addition. They are cheap, stop items sliding around and contain any leaks.
This style, with a raised lip around the edge are widely available, mine came direct from the manufacturer (via Ebay) so you should be able to get one in Greece. Make sure it's for the correct car, 3 door, 5 door and estate differ.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROFESSI...=item2a8a879582:g:ePIAAOSwdGpZjYmq:rk:32:pf:0

-There's a great thread on fitting a dashcam here. Well worth doing.

-Another thread from a new owner with some ideas for simple upgrades and tweaks.

-You can get a significant improvement to the sound quality from the existing equipment by adding some soundproofing to the doors. Thread here.

Congratulations on the new addition to your family and the new car.

 

[Jaco2k]

Can you define what you mean by "rough gearbox"? That can mean a lot of things...

And congrats on the new car!

 

[louiskopite]

Can you define what you mean by "rough gearbox"? That can mean a lot of things...

And congrats on the new car!

Good morning. By rough gearbox I mean that at least half of times, I seem to find “resistance” into changing gear. Also I can sense a small “creaking” from the gearbox (cannot find a more suitable word) when changing gear. And this happens with all gears e.g from 1st to 2nd, from 2nd to 3rd etc. It’s just not smooth as it should be, and it’s something I experience for the first time in any car I have driven. Such thing usually happens when the car needs oil change or/and valvoline. I can assure I press the clutch all the way down, just to make sure it’s not my driving that makes that.

Another thing I have noticed is the oil temperature which appears to barely go below 100C. And weather is still cold. Compared to my previous Scirocco which hardly reached 100C and mostly when pushing it hard.

 

[Jaco2k]

Gearbox is notchy as a feature on this car - it needs to really warm up the gearbox oil before it gets snoother and even then it is not the smoothest.
I assume on a new car it will have some running in period.
As to the oil temperature, 100-110c is the normal operating temperature. Nothing wrong there.

 

[louiskopite]

Gearbox is notchy as a feature on this car - it needs to really warm up the gearbox oil before it gets snoother and even then it is not the smoothest.
I assume on a new car it will have some running in period.
As to the oil temperature, 100-110c is the normal operating temperature. Nothing wrong there.

Thank you very much for the update, I must confess I was really worried there might was something wrong with the car. Is there anything I can do to improve things? May be a better gearbox oil, longest warming time before starting to drive? And is it something that can cause problems on the disk or the pressure plate long term?

 

[Rob66]

I drove a manual Cupra 300 a few weeks ago, and was shocked by the notchy gearbox granted it had on!y done 2k but compared to the MK2 which is silly smooth was surprisingly disappointing to use (although as Jaco says may have been worse as not warmed up enough).

 

[louiskopite]

I drove a manual Cupra 300 a few weeks ago, and was shocked by the notchy gearbox granted it had on!y done 2k but compared to the MK2 which is silly smooth was surprisingly disappointing to use (although as Jaco says may have been worse as not warmed up enough).

Hi there Rob. That’s exactly the feeling I got from the very beginning. The point is, is there anything we can do to improve things? Not a fan of silly smooth but would like the gearbox to be more “normal” (if that makes any sense).

Don’t get me wrong, I like driving my new FR very much, it’s like somehow it “invites” you to drive it, but that gearbox makes me feel as if I’m 15 again in terms of gearing up!!!

 

[Jazzjames]

Thought the gearbox was notchy in my car when I test drove it. Give it time, and some regular use and it will get easier to use. You’ll get used to it, too.

 

[louiskopite]

Update: got over 1k miles yesterday, gearbox still notchy but not as when I first drove it. Feeling it might be a case of the clutch as well, as it appears it needs to be stepped kinda hard at times. Time's getting closer for the 1.5k miles inspection, it's something that will be inspected for sure.

Other than that, the 1.8 FR is really fun to drive (and a challenge if you ask me). The 18'' wheels are must-have for this car, experienced some spinning on really wet surface when gearing up from neutral to 1st gear. Have it on "Normal" mode at the moment, can't wait to hit the ground sfter 1.5k miles.