The Leon has arrived :)

[Fred99]

Definitely a good colour choice - that's what I ordered.

In Spain it is "Plata Estrella" - translates. "Star Silver"

Just two weeks to go!

 

[Bubbs]

Looks great in silver, thanks for the pics

Scott

Definitely a good colour choice - that's what I ordered.

In Spain it is "Plata Estrella" - translates. "Star Silver"

Just two weeks to go!

I decided on Silver when I first started looking, but later, I had a few doubts after ordering... kept seeing the pictures of the reds, whites and monsoon greys, and I thought about changing. But, glad I stuck with the original choice.

Fred99 - Silver is the best colour


Oh - Dephead2004 - ref the mute thing - did you notice that if you've got ipod playing, then when you mute the stereo the song pauses. Nice touch.

 

[Fred99]

My present Léon is white but I thought the basic white looked very white - sort of "white van" colour. Especially as they charge for it! I looked at the metallic white but it didn't look metallic enough.

The silver is very light - in the showroom it almost looked white. It's a very silver colour not the off grey that so many metallic silvers are.

It suits me and I'm far to old for a red car - unless it is a Ferrari of course!

 

[G.P]

The Not-So-Good / Annoying:

Seatbelt height doesn't adjust (never thought of this on the test drive


The wing mirror adjuster joystick thing is fiddly. Plus, would be better if the mirror heating turned on when you turn the heated rear screen on. One less thing to faff with.

I presume the 1.8 TFSi also doesnt have seat belt height adjuster?

I've still yet to work out how my MK2 heated wing mirrors switch on/off, they seem to have a mind of there own..

It suits me and I'm far to old for a red car

And what age are we to old for a red car???

 

[dephead2004]

Isn't it interesting that $tealers can behave like that as if we were buying a candy bar.

In fact I had the same response from CDG. I wanted to drive a 1.2 TSI. They had one in the showroom but could I drive it ? No it had to be kept with showroom mileage on. Byee off to Lifestyle where they had got in a 1.2 TSi +DSG which is just what I wanted to buy but no way would I have placed an order without driving one. What planet do they think we live on?

Lifestyle have been very good actually.

Also tried ringing Caffyns. Still waiting for a call back.

Could also have gone to drive a car in London where the bosses son would kindly let me try his 1.2 TSi+DSG. A ma zing.

Mmmm eyepod? Bluetooth for me must try your tip, Bubbs.

 

[Fred99]

I've still yet to work out how my MK2 heated wing mirrors switch on/off, they seem to have a mind of there own..

And what age are we to old for a red car???

I can't comment on the heated mirrors, where I live frost does not exist!

As for red cars, I guess you are never too old but I once had a red car - a Mini Cooper in 1965 - maybe I'm now too old for another one! I had a silver Lotus Élan SE though!

 

[Bubbs]

G.P - I don't think any of them have seatbelt height adjusters. On the plus side, one less thing that can be moved = one less thing that might rattle.

Fred99 - in the dark, under orange sodium street lamps, the silver actually looks white, so you get easy cleaning + white look at night

I've had 4 red cars (1983 Polo - more orange than red - 1999 Micra - 2005 Ibiza FR and a 2007 Civic). If I'd had fewer I might have switched to red for the Leon, but this is only my 2nd proper silver car (not counting the Platinum Silver 2002 Ibiza which I owned, cos that was probably a little more of a grey-gold colour).

Had two black cars (both Ibizas), but found they were a real pain to maintain, as black shows EVERYTHING. Dirt, scratches, swirl marks, chips, dust, etc etc.

dephead2004 - If CDG had not had the 1.4 FR to drive I'd have gone elsewhere too, the problem with Caffyns was that they DID have one, but were not prepared to allow me to perform the 'will it fit in the garage' test. When I mentioned the concern about the garage parking to CDG, they gave me their demo keys and said "take it home and try it". Didn't even have to ask.

Having sold cars before, one of the problems is that as a dealer, you have demos and you have display cars, and display cars are basically there to eventually be sold as if they had come straight from the factory. So, they have to sit as delivery mileage. I once bought a showroom car, it had 5 miles on the clock. Interesting to see you had the same Caffyns experience though. Good to know it wasn't just me who was not being taken seriously!

 

[too hot]

Lovely car and good spec,I'm off looking tomorrow so will see what kind of deal I'm offered !!

 

[Bubbs]

Could you check your front inside parking sensors for me. I have a 1mm bulge from inside to outside just above and through the sensor. Only noticed it the other day. Not a knock as from in to out. Maybe misplaced sensor as it can be pushed in 1mm. Pleased to know if it's a "feature , sir"

Whilst I was out washing the car this morning (yes, in the rain ), I had a quick look at mine. They all seem to be flush with the bumper. If you poke on them they move a little bit, but only in the sense that a towing eye cover will move if you poke it.

 

[dephead2004]

Thanks for that Bubbs.

I took it to the dealer yesterday and they agreed that they were not correct.

The inside offside is worse than the inside nearside . The other two are fine. I have attached three pics . The best shows the reflected light distorted. That's where the bulge is. You can also see that the top of the sensor is deeper in the bumper at the top than the bottom.

It looks to me as if the bumper bulges from the inside. As though when the sensors were clipped in place and then the whole bumper screwed to the bodywork, something was caught behind the plastic bumper at that point and has caused the bulge and the sensor not to fully engage.

The salesperson and the technician were fine about it and could see it immediately and said it would be a warranty claim involving removing the bumper and if necessary a replacement bumper. I'd like to avoid that if possible to avoid paint matching issues but it needs to be fixed. I've learnt over the years to get these things sorted and not hope they will go away because they never do and then, when you can bear it no longer, they think you did it and refuse the claim.

They also checked the other LEON's they had but they were all FR's (Like yours) and they have unique bumpers where the sensor is in a feature around the number plate. Mine is an SE and they must have found my bumper in the spare parts bin out the back of the factory and dragged it onto the production line.

 

[Bubbs]

:O

That's definitely not fitted right, I can see what you mean about the bulge in the bumper too.

With any luck the bumper might pop back into place whenever whatever it is that's making the bulge is moved / fixed.

I think they paint the bumpers seperately to the rest of the car anyway so I wouldn't worry too much about colour matching, so long as the correct Ice Silver mix is used, if it came to that. (Which hopefully it won't).

If they do need to replace the bumper, maybe you could ask them to 'mistakenly' order one of those sports upgrade bumpers

 

[dephead2004]

Yeah I'd thought of that too. It would then be a hybrid FRSECupra. Off today to see what's what. More later

 

[dephead2004]

Here we are then:

First general advice don't let anyone tell you that removing the front bumper is easy.

Car in at 0800. Return for collection at 1030. Car ready but one side misaligned by 2-3mm in relation to the metal wing. Taken back into service. Watched while technician prised (all with SEAT specialist tools sir)and heaved and pushed on the flappy loose top of the plastic bumper.

Alerted service advisor, workout continues all using specialist SEAT tools , sir. They looked like tyre levers to me.

Alerted Service Manager who attends and offers advice.

Bumper off again.

At this point, 1215, I decide to drive away in a loan car to avoid apoplexy.

At 1515 I receive a call that all is complete.

On return .......... it is complete and fine and valeted

Oh and the wobbly sensor? That's now secure. Apparently it was not located in its clip and so was pushing from the inside out as the whole bumper was screwed up tight against the metal bodywork in the factory causing the bulge.

So all is well that ends well.

Message to all: is this a one off or a factory line habit? Check your front sensors if you have specified them on a non FR

 

[Bubbs]

Ah fixed, good

Other lesson to take away is perhaps sometimes it's not a good idea to watch! I spent a few years in a garage and saw (and used myself) various methods of 'encouragement' used to remove/fit certain items.


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[dephead2004]

Agreed. Thta's why I took myself out of the line of sight about 20 miles away

 

[GTunney]

What's the difference between washer jets and fans?

 

[Bubbs]

What's the difference between washer jets and fans?

The Leon's windscreen washers are like a water pistol, 3 streams of water per side. But the Golf (and most other cars these days) have washers which emit a triangular/Japanese fan shaped spray, a bit like the sort of spray you get from a jetwash lance at a petrol station.

Fan washers will cover a large part of the windscreen with a fine mist of liquid whereas the pistol type tends to just dump it all in one place, leaving the rest of the screen dry.


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[dephead2004]

Here we are then:

First general advice don't let anyone tell you that removing the front bumper is easy.

Car in at 0800. Return for collection at 1030. Car ready but one side misaligned by 2-3mm in relation to the metal wing. Taken back into service. Watched while technician prised (all with SEAT specialist tools sir)and heaved and pushed on the flappy loose top of the plastic bumper.

Alerted service advisor, workout continues all using specialist SEAT tools , sir. They looked like tyre levers to me.

Alerted Service Manager who attends and offers advice.

Bumper off again.

At this point, 1215, I decide to drive away in a loan car to avoid apoplexy.

At 1515 I receive a call that all is complete.

On return .......... it is complete and fine and valeted

Oh and the wobbly sensor? That's now secure. Apparently it was not located in its clip and so was pushing from the inside out as the whole bumper was screwed up tight against the metal bodywork in the factory causing the bulge.

So all is well that ends well.

Message to all: is this a one off or a factory line habit? Check your front sensors if you have specified them on a non FR

OK some more details and some snaps for your interest.

Bumper still not right see original snaps (Post 30) but tricky to see.

So off to Bodyshop rather than workshop. Great technician carefully removes bumper. It's easy when you know how unlike the first guy who did not.

So at the factory the foam bar running from left to right across the cross member is only located at the left and right ends. It has no support in the middle. It therefore drops down about half a centimeter so that when the bumper is clipped in place the two sensors do not locate correctly in the foam cutout. Instead they catch and in one case snap the retaining clips which are integral with the bumper. They also push the bumper out of shape from the inside out around the two parking sensors.

To effect a repair when you don't know what you are doing, you try to remove the bumper without undoing all the screws. One is hidden under the wing splash shield. If you then pull you tear the flange.

Next trick is to use a cable tie to "hold" the sensor in place.

As you haven't spotted the indentation on the foam , you then try and reinstall the bumper without having rectified anything except with a cable tie.

Result: a new bumper is needed, a lot of red faces and, at the bodyshop, some excellent customer services and a few freebies for the customer

Note to SEAT: suggest using some double sided 3M tape on the back of the foam to hold it in place whilst the assembly line guys have a siesta and then try to assemble the bumper onto the drooped foam

 

[DeanC]

Shocking mate. Just waiting for my new door car which is knackered because it was only held on with half the screws (all cross threaded) and the other half were in the bottom of the door. First and last SEAT.

 

[marty_34]

Reject it! How long you had it?