High mileage maintenance query

Fazi12321

Active Member
Feb 13, 2019
33
4
Hi guys,

I'm looking to purchase a MK1 Leon Cupra R. Most available are pretty high mileage now, so I'm wondering what I should really be looking out for or what I should be prepared to carry out soon after purchasing it.

Thanks
 

chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
With the age of the MK1's condition & service history is more important than millage.

Apart the usual consumables brakes, tyre, etc. You'd also need to check things like the suspension, clutch and when the cambelt was last changed.

Bodywork and interior stand up well to normal use, so any that look tatty would've had a hard life.

The engine is solid and should last the life of the car if it's given fresh oil once in a while.

If the car has been modified suspension or engine wise you'd have to be more careful and know what you're looking at.
 

Sparkie

Angling Adict.
Sep 25, 2009
2,541
779
Middlesex
Best advice is to buy with as low mileage as you can afford.
Condition speaks volumes.
low mileage doesn’t mean a good car but it helps
. How it’s been treated is more important.
I bought one on 49k and I had to replace turbo and VVT tensioner within six months.
Both big bills.
Along with brake discs and pads all round.
It can all add up.
You will be able to tell who has spent money properly on good modifications and if all done by one person with receipts the car will most likely be quite decent.
As opposed to a car with second hand eBay parts and 9 owners.
Most well modified cars are being sold at a loss to the owner so will be at the upper end of the sales ladder.
As to buying ,
Check oil is clear no sludge,
Split hoses and leaks, look under the car If you can.leaks aren’t always visible from on top.
Check fan comes on in two stages, temp sits at 90
Check carpet for wet floors and boot floor. Common problem with leaking door seals.
Hope that helps
 

Fazi12321

Active Member
Feb 13, 2019
33
4
Cheers for the
With the age of the MK1's condition & service history is more important than millage.

Apart the usual consumables brakes, tyre, etc. You'd also need to check things like the suspension, clutch and when the cambelt was last changed.

Bodywork and interior stand up well to normal use, so any that look tatty would've had a hard life.

The engine is solid and should last the life of the car if it's given fresh oil once in a while.

If the car has been modified suspension or engine wise you'd have to be more careful and know what you're looking at.

Cheers for this!

I'm looking at strictly standard cars. Not interested in purchasing a car with a remap / exhausts etc, purely because some people run these on the cheap and I don't want to be the guy having to shell out too much £££ to put things right.
 

Fazi12321

Active Member
Feb 13, 2019
33
4
Best advice is to buy with as low mileage as you can afford.
Condition speaks volumes.
low mileage doesn’t mean a good car but it helps
. How it’s been treated is more important.
I bought one on 49k and I had to replace turbo and VVT tensioner within six months.
Both big bills.
Along with brake discs and pads all round.
It can all add up.
You will be able to tell who has spent money properly on good modifications and if all done by one person with receipts the car will most likely be quite decent.
As opposed to a car with second hand eBay parts and 9 owners.
Most well modified cars are being sold at a loss to the owner so will be at the upper end of the sales ladder.
As to buying ,
Check oil is clear no sludge,
Split hoses and leaks, look under the car If you can.leaks aren’t always visible from on top.
Check fan comes on in two stages, temp sits at 90
Check carpet for wet floors and boot floor. Common problem with leaking door seals.
Hope that helps

Wow - Thanks indeed!

I'm looking at standard cars under the 100k mark ideally - just because that will give me some peace of mind.

How do i check the fan comes on in 2 stages? (Apologies if this is covered elsewhere)

Thanks
 

Sparkie

Angling Adict.
Sep 25, 2009
2,541
779
Middlesex
Wow - Thanks indeed!

I'm looking at standard cars under the 100k mark ideally - just because that will give me some peace of mind.

How do i check the fan comes on in 2 stages? (Apologies if this is covered elsewhere)

Thanks

If you can run it and have it warm up. Wait till thermostat opens and fans kick in. First slow fan then fast.
It’s nothing major but they tend to pack up. Not expensive to sort it but just one more thing with Leon life.
Under 100k is a good plan. Spend wisely. Don’t just leap in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

Gokiwi64

Geriatric Member
Apr 26, 2014
1,380
722
Hockley, Essex
Nobody mentioning evidence of water pump and cambelt being changed every 4 years ??, All the above good stuff (wish I had done more research before I bought mine). Also check the T.I.P where it goes onto the turbo , many split there.
 

chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
I'm sure I mentioned the cambelt, although good point about the water pump always best to swap both.
4 years? I've replaced mine twice in the 13 years I've owned it, but it is a TDI.

It's getting harder to find a clean Mk1 and if you buy one it'll almost certainly need some type of repair work within a year.
 

Zardoz

Active Member
Sep 6, 2016
525
214
North West
Yeah they're all getting on now. They're becoming more of a hobby :D

No regrets owning mine though, despite the maintenance / repairs.
 

Gokiwi64

Geriatric Member
Apr 26, 2014
1,380
722
Hockley, Essex
The issues i've had with mine are well documented , however and in spite of this the mofo still puts a smile on my face and i still prefer to drive it over the Kia, Fiesta and the BMW . The only car that came close was my A3 3.2 Quattro.
So yes find as good a one as you can , but also don't be afraid of doing stuff yourself (they are easy to work on), and you'll be rewarded with a great car and a good drive.
 
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chriswales6

Active Member
Mar 2, 2016
294
47
They're great cars and I'll certainly miss mine when it's finally time to say goodbye. Owned it longer than I've known my wife. I think she's getting jealous about the amount of time I spent fiddling with the Leon ...

But it does help if you're got at least some basic DIY skills, to give you an example a couple of weeks ago noticed a number plate light wasn't working.

Went to replace the blub and the cover was missing. Tested the blub and it was working, then tested the holder and no power.
Ordered a new set of light fittings.
Disconnected the old fitting & the plastic clip on the plug fell apart, meaning the new fitting wouldn't secure. So lots of insulation tape later it was secure.
Then the car wouldn't start, the battery was flat after testing the lights. Checked the alternator after jump starting the car and it was charging the battery.
Drove to Euro Car Parts to get a new battery.

So a number plate light ended up costing me just under £100 and a few hours over a couple of weekends. If I'd taken it to a garage to fix the light the bill could've been over £200.
 
Last edited:

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
Yeah they're all getting on now. They're becoming more of a hobby :D

To me though, that's the thing to look out for when you're buying one.

I can talk you around my car and tell you all the things - good and bad - that they either need to look at or they don't need to worry about. Things like the fact I've replaced all the door locks, so they're not likely to fail any time soon, or that I've replaced the door seals so there shouldn't be any issues with puddles in the footwells, or that there's some play in the steering rack, so that would need to be sorted, centre rear seat belt can be sticky, but you need to make sure the seat back is seated properly, rather than taking apart the inertia reel...

That sort of thing. Granted, some won't be as savvy as others, but listening to someone who can confidently talk you around the car - good points and bad - says to me that you're getting something that's not as likely to blow up on you.
 

6th.replicant

Active Member
May 29, 2008
698
9
London
IME after c. 11 years / 90k, and in addition to the above sensible advice re cam belt / water pump, etc, the following factory-fit OE parts will need attention:
  • The passenger-side front electric window motor will die, it’s lower spec compared to driver’s
  • The steering rack will leak
  • The alternator will suddenly die - worth carrying a spare
  • The rear brake calipers will start binding and need replacing or a DIY rebuild
  • The alarm sensor for the bonnet will need cleaning
So, nothing major - assuming your LCR has been correctly maintained / serviced.
 

Sparkie

Angling Adict.
Sep 25, 2009
2,541
779
Middlesex
IME after c. 11 years / 90k,
  • The passenger-side front electric window motor will die, it’s lower spec compared to driver’s
  • The steering rack will leak
  • The alternator will suddenly die - worth carrying a spare
  • The rear brake calipers will start binding and need replacing or a DIY rebuild
  • The alarm sensor for the bonnet will need cleaning
So, nothing major - assuming your LCR has been correctly maintained / serviced.

had half of them.

Plus carry coil packs and tools to change.


Badger5 Custom Map + TIP,
3”Custom exhaust, FMIC, Bosh 550’s, BC Coilovers, ARB’s +loads more.
 

borisvanhalen

FR is not a dirty word...
Feb 7, 2009
120
2
salisbury
mine (LC not LCR) was remapped at 30K miles, only probs I had until 160k miles was an ABS sensor fault, cam position sensor fault, temp sensor fault, coil pack failed.

I had the cam belt/water pump changed every 60k miles and full service history with JKM in portsmouth.

last MOT before I sold it, I had lots of advisories - Cam belt/water pump due (again), front anti-roll bar starting to rust, suspension coils starting to rust, an oil leak from somewhere (minor) but would need investigating
 

SlashProm

Active Member
May 23, 2018
160
22
It's often overlooked but a few basics like

Are the discs rusty? means it has been sat for a while.
Any dirty, scummy brown in the expansions tank as well as the oil filler cap. Not always exact science but would show if it had any head issues or has in the past.
Is the oil black as the ace of spades and look thin? Pretty much speaks for its self as far as owner maintenance goes.

But I'd hope people check these kind of things with any car they plan to buy used :)
 
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