Desperate Help Needed with Leon internal and external leak

rbomb

Active Member
Oct 13, 2015
19
0
Hi everyone I am new to the forums and have owned a 2003 seat Leon 1.8 turbo car for around 8 months now. It has done 125,000 and had been a reliable car until I gave it to my brother as a first car as he passed his test.
It began leaking internally and we only realised in the morning, when the drivers side front and back areas were wet on the floor near the clutch. The car also needed its MOT and we noticed a red light was appearing on the dash and the car was eating coolant like no tomorrow.
I called out a mobile mechanic..
He took the car away and diagnosed the leak as coming from the sunroof and also said the cat needed a new roll bar and had a gearbox leak along with other things. He charged £175 to fix these things and also get it through the MOT.
After a week of him returning the car, the leaks come back on the driver side/front back area in the same area and I'm pretty sure that there is patches near the front of the car engine area and my brother says its still eating coolant.
I contacted the mechanic.... he told me now he's adamant the leak was coming from the roof and he will only repair the car if I come along and watch the repair so I know the works been carried out and watch him check for a leak and he's adamant the prior issue was the sunroof and also the coolant was leaking from a hose, so he claims now the only reason the car could be eating coolant is if the head gasket is on the way out.Since he returned the car the red light did disappear so am puzzled by why it still eats coolant..but could there be another issue separate to head gasket?
I've googled about the leak and apparently this is a common issue with the seat leon model and people said to check the pollen filter, which the mechanic is claiming if it was a leak would leak in a different area..and also people said its common to be the seals in the door..I just wondered if it could be the radiator causing it or any other things could be causing the problem?
 
Last edited:

pjpenfold

Active Member
Nov 28, 2008
12
0
crewe
Hi, The door seals are a real problem on the mark one and its not unusual to have mini swimmimg pools in the front or rear footwells. resealing the doors usually cures this. If the pollen filter has been changed and the cover not seated back on absolutley correctly then this can also allow water to get into the cabin.
If you do a quick search on this forum you will see just how common an issue it is.
 

rbomb

Active Member
Oct 13, 2015
19
0
Thanks..yeah I'm going to mention to the mechanic about the door seals, the mechanic seems to be adamant its not the pollen filter as he said it'd be the other side..how does it leak through if it is pollen filter..going to be a very awkward situation going with him as i'm no mechanic..Ive also read you need to use a high quality door seal for it to not happen again, do you know which brand ones are the best
 
Last edited:

sockpuppet

Active Member
Apr 30, 2007
837
4
You can buy a butyl strip from ebay to seal the doors. Its an easy DIY. You only really need to get the door cards off (2 crossheads and 2 Torx) then losen the 14 bolts and jam the butyl in.

How much coolant are you losing and is it consistent? Does it have the correct coolant (G12 or G13) should be red.
I used to loose the header tank of coolant, but it was very inconsistent, I could do 1000 miles and it would remain at the correct level and then the next day the whole header tank was empty and then I would drive it with the header empty till the car was fully warmer up and the header would be at the correct level. After replacing the thermostat it has been fine. I think the thermostat was causing air blocks even though it appeared to be working correctly.
 

sockpuppet

Active Member
Apr 30, 2007
837
4
if it's not a consistent loss then I would guess at the thermostat causing it. It's a cheap part to replace if you DIY it, if not then ask on the forum for recommendations for a trusted local garage as your mobile mechanic clearly doesn't know about these cars.
Badly fitted pollen filter will leak into your passenger footwell. If the water is on the drivers side then it's most likely to be leaky doors, although I have seen twice on the forum where the leak was from the top of the engine bay/scuttle panel. The posts had pictures of where the leak was from and how to fix it.
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,727
451
bristol
It could be the heater matrix, I've had one go on a previous car and due to the usual position of them they can leak coolant into the interior from behind the dashboard area.
 
Last edited:

sockpuppet

Active Member
Apr 30, 2007
837
4
I had the matrix go on mine and I could smell the sweet smell of the coolant inside the car and the windows would mist up when I used the heater.
 

rbomb

Active Member
Oct 13, 2015
19
0
Thanks for all the help everyone..yeah I don't think the mechanic is experienced in leaks, just wish he had told me. As he told me he repaired a 'leak' on my mothers car which he claims was a 'radiator hose' he clipped back in..but it still has patches appearing under the car..he charged £60 for that repair too..so I am annonyed.

I am not looking forward to going tomorrow but will ask him to check:
-scuttle panel
-doors
-pollen filter

I think it has to be one of the above. I just wanted to ask if it is the door seals, how will I tell ..will water come out when doors open or there be any signs?
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,727
451
bristol
I agree with andycupra, do the doors yourself! They are easy enough if you follow the guides on here. That guy sounds like a twat. Do the doors and if you've still got leak then go from there.
 

rbomb

Active Member
Oct 13, 2015
19
0
well think it was pollen filter as it wasn't bolted on even and was wet inside..I took it to the guy as I'm nowhere technical or mechanical and watched him do it..he took door off and was dry inside and he said there'd at least be some water or wetness (as it has been dry) and then he checked pollen filter and said its that..so he told me to order a new pollen filter and clips..as for the coolant leak, he says its not head gasket or radiator..and if a red light appears and 'flashes' which it does on dash..he told me that just means it needs more coolant? Is that right? also where can i buy the screws to hold the pollen filter in?
 
Last edited:

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,727
451
bristol
The flashing red light means one of 2 things, either the engine is too hot (cheak the temp gauge) or your coolant is too low.

That being said the sensor has a tendancy to give false warnings about the coolant level when you first turn the ignition on. To fix this, if you open the coolant bottle (obviously NOT when the engine is hot or you'll get a face full of boiling water) then you'll see 2 metal prongs that extend down into the water, give them a gentle scrape with a flat screwdriver to remove the build up of crap. They will probably look clean, but when you scrape them you will feel the crap on them, a bit like limescale.

The coolant bottle has markings on it for how much coolant should be in there when the engine is COLD. (It's fine for the coolant to be above that level when the engine is hot) Just keep an eye on the level and see if it is dropping over a few days or weeks. These cars should never really use any coolant, so if it needs topping up then you have a coolant leak somewhere.

I seriously doubt that the head gasket has failed, unless the engine has been allowed to overheat at some point they are usually pretty reliable..... For that reason it's VERY important to keep an eye on the coolant and don't let the engine overheat from lack of it! That will definitely destroy the head gasket and you'll probably end up needing a new cylinder head as well £1000+!

Using the guides on here you'd be surprised how many things you could probably do yourself! I wouldn't advise attempting a full engine swap, but anyone with some basic tools can change an air filter or mend the leaky door seals etc etc. From the sounds of the mechanic, i think your car would be way safer in your hands than his anyway lol

You could get the screws from main dealer, but if they are just normal screws you could get them from B+Q etc, i can't remember what they are like of the top of my head, sure someone else will know
 
Last edited:

rbomb

Active Member
Oct 13, 2015
19
0
Yeah the mechancic said its low coolant, so I will have to have a clean of the prongs as seems sensible. The cars definetely not getting hot as we've been keeping an eye on the temperature and heat. And yeah I'll clean the prongs tomorrow and see if it prevails..is there any guides to cleaning it?
Also if anyone could help me with where to buy the pollen filter bolts/screws it would be really appreciated as can't find any on eBay
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,727
451
bristol
No guides mate, just unscrew the blue cap from the coolant bottle and scrape prongs, that's all there is to it really. Once you look inside the bottle you can't miss the prongs, they are a good few inches long, it's the bottom parts of them that are in the actual coolant that need a good scrape.

valve2_zpsphtqgk4q.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Last edited:

Nam-uk

Active Member
May 11, 2011
1,105
289
lancashire.
Cleaned mine with a thin screw driver they look clean anyway but there very sensitive , it worked but changed the bottle and new cap in end just for sake of it as there only £18 complete at time.
 
Chris Knott Insurance - Competitive quotes for forum members