Coolant leaks seem to be common on these perhaps get it checked before you buy
No issues with mine in the past 3 yrs so well recommended.
This...
No problems with the EA288 150ps version fitted to my FR, but had loads of coolant issues on 184ps fitted to my Octavia VRS...
The water pump is prone to failure (had x 2 fail on the Octavia in 72000 miles - one was a seal, the other a catastrophic failure of the internals), and leaks via the EGR cooler / blocked heater matrix are starting to become more prevalent on cars 4-5 years old - see the number of threads on the Briskoda forums. Edit: it’s a difficult one to check; despite losing coolant (top to bottom of reservoir every 1500 miles), the standard pressure test will more than likely come back with ‘no fault found’, which is the common complaint in the forum threads.
Look for condensation in rear light clusters - units crack and let in water - brake/indicator unit just cost me £135 from TPS, but you can buy OEM Valeo ones from Euro Car Parts for c.£100.
The rear pads have a tendency to sieze up, especially if the car has been stood still for long periods - excessive corrosion/putting on disc face indicates that they are not moving freely. If this is the case, relatively inexpensive fix, but negotiate that the dealer fixes this. This has been a common issue with every VAG car that I’ve owned since Mk5 Golf, especially now that dealer serving rarely removes the wheels and brake wear is measured using a tool with the wheels still fitted.
The interior is prone to rattles. This can easily be fixed using felt automotive tape around the bottom of A Pillars and transmission tunnel.
Other than that, I have a 100k mike FR and the interior looks brand new (less a few minor scratches to soft passenger side dash due to kids with school bags) - whilst interior quality is supposedly not as ‘high quality’ as other VAG marques, this is easily the best car interior durability from 13 VAG cars I’ve owned over the past decade.
In summary, I’m no Seat fan boy, but I chose a
Cupra ST over a Golf R estate when I recently replaced my Octavia, so the Leon can’t be that bad.