Seat Leon Mk1 1.8 20vT 132kW review ?

[c0dx]

Hello,

I am planning on buying a Seat Leon Mk1 1.8 20vT 132kW and I would like to know more about the car. I currently own a Seat Leon MK1 1.9 TDIi 81kW and I am very satisfied with the car but I am looking for a faster ride.

I managed to find something on the internet regarding engine issues with the early 1.8 20vT engines:

"1.8 20v engines can snap their timing belts at 70,000 - 80,000 miles and the extensive damage this causes is not repairable. The car will need a replacement engine. 1.8 20v timing belt drives waterpump and belts are difficult to replace on transverse engines. All engines need new timing belts, tensioners, pulleys and 20VTs also need waterpumps every 4 years or 60,000 miles whichever comes first. "

Is the statement correct? If so, what year should the Leon be or what mileage should I look for?

My major concern is whether or not the engine or other expensive parts tend to fail on this car. What major (costly) problems did you have with this type of car (and engine)?

Thank you very much for the help, it's going to be a pleasure to be a part of the community.

Best regards,
Alex

 

[Gezz]

I don't think you need to worry too much, I only recently sold my 20vT after 4.5 years and owning it from 54,000 miles to 110,000 when I sold it. Until nearly 100k nothing went wrong with the engine at all, although it had full service history and I kept to the service schedule of every 10,000 miles.

I had my cambelt done at 70k. The only things which did go wrong were relatively cheap to fix and either very common faults on this car or those that you would expect to go through normal wear and tear.

They were a new MAF, thermostat and a couple of hoses split within 6 months of each other, all causing the engine management light to come on. The only other thing was 3 of the coil packs went within 2 months of each other, but they take 30 seconds to replace and cost less then £30 each from the dealer. (don't try cheap ones, the RAC replaced my first one at the roadside with an unofficial one and they had to come out and replace 3 more times as it continued to run rough and the warning light came back on - it was only cured when they put an official one).

All in all one of the best cars I've owned and very reliable mechanically.

 

[c0dx]

Thank you very much for taking your time in answering my question. I will definitely buy this car, it's light, fast and quite cheap compared to other cars which have the same performance. I plan on tuning the car as well if budget permits

 

[mikesndbs]

You might want to check some of my threads out, but I think mine has been exceptionally bad :-(

 

[LEE69]

You might want to check some of my threads out, but I think mine has been exceptionally bad :-(

Last Activity: 26-03-2010 14:55


He's not been on for a long time lol

 

[mikesndbs]

Last Activity: 26-03-2010 14:55


He's not been on for a long time lol

God yeah, silly me thinking it was still 2010, I'll get me coat