Platinum Grey Leon Cupra R mk1

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
Finally back in a Leon Cupra R 225 again after 4 years in a mk1 cupra TDI which was great, it never let me down, achieved great economy but was lacking the R magic that I fondly remember from my last car.

I'd been on the look out a while and saw one LCR in red before the one I bought. It had all recently fitted quality handling mods, low mileage but still had horrific paint which I could have dealt with if the owner wasnt asking strong money, c£5k! Months later and a chance visit on facebook market place recommended a platinum grey, low mileage, good history, 2 owner car at what seemed a very reasonable price. I usually ponder these things over for a while but had to call the owner instantly to not miss out and even though the weather was horrific and I couldnt check the exterior to my liking the interior was near immaculate. Test drive showed the engine had mega punch, gears shifted solidly, the suspension firm and steering weighty and connected so I threw caution to the wind and snapped it up.

So here's the car 62k miles in what I thought was completely stock condition. Since going through the history it confirmed the following were fitted
  • S3 front upper strut bar
  • Piper cross filter
  • Forge 007p diverter valve
  • AMD remap whilst stock figures were great post remap seems low considering my old car made 265bhp/305lbft at stage 1 but could be down to lack of TIP, fuel or conditions on the day.

To make the day even better I off loaded my old cupra to the seller for what I paid for it 4 years earlier and only had to pay an extra £70 to insure it for the remaining 10 months of my policy which I was happy with.

My to do list is as follows the get the car up to scratch before the next stage;
  • With the very bad weather I'd completely overlooked some minor bubbling paint by the rain gutters. Whilst it wouldnt have deterred me from the purchase I was a bit gutted when I saw it.
  • The rear door lock is temperamental but having had several Golf's, Leon's and a TT this wont be my first time replacing one
  • The back box hangs too close to the bumper which needs investigating
  • Could do with a cambelt and water pump even more on age than mileage
  • Fuel cap strap has snapped
  • Radio doesnt sit flush with the dash
  • Rattles in glovebox (6cd changer removed) and boot when driving over broken tarmac
  • A pillars have some odd looking brown felt where they meet the dash
  • Missing rear floor mats
  • It needs a good clean, clay bar, polish and wax
  • Inside trim needs sanitizing as indicator stalks and other places are covered in a thick "human slime" as the MCM guys would say.
  • Boot protector to look after the carpet
https://flic.kr/p/2hGdmhR
https://flic.kr/p/2hGfYmD
2hGfWsJ

https://flic.kr/p/2hGfYxW
https://flic.kr/p/2hGfYnW
https://flic.kr/p/2hGfYmD
2hGfYmD
 
Last edited:

rob280

Active Member
Oct 27, 2019
116
44
Looks good mate. Original front mats too

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
Thanks unfortunately only front mats and no rears plus they are looking a little tired so I'm on the look out for a full set. Any recommendations

Also the photos from flickr dont seem to display on the page does anyone know how to make them work?
2hGfYmD
 
Last edited:

Thai-wronghorse

Self proclaimed Cupra R addict & butcher!
Dec 3, 2015
2,195
1,036
Kent
I like it, nice mileage as well.

Get that cambelt and water pump changed immediately, having just suffered catastrophic engine failure on my own LCR (also grey) I can assure you it's not something you want to put yourself through.

In regards of the brown felt on the A-pillar trims, that's actually stock but likely sun faded from its original black.
It's designed to stop rattles and creaks between the dashboard.
I took mine off and put a new piece of black feather tape in its place albeit slightly lower so it's barely visible.

If the backbox is sitting too high then I'd suspect a broken hanger bracket or rubber and now wearing a large jubilee clip hoisting it upwards, I've seen plenty done this way.

Fuel cap straps are often broken, personally I always fully remove them anyway as I find that the cap can scratch the paintwork below it when it hangs and I don't faff with it sitting on top of the fuel flap.

Radio not sitting flush is probably just down to the wiring loom not been tucked right back into the left hand void fully.




Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigT's lcr

Thai-wronghorse

Self proclaimed Cupra R addict & butcher!
Dec 3, 2015
2,195
1,036
Kent
Thanks unfortunately only front mats and no rears plus they are looking a little tired so I'm on the look out for a full set. Any recommendations

Also the photos from flickr dont seem to display on the page does anyone know how to make them work?
2hGfYmD
I've always just uploaded the images directly from my phone onto the site using the Tapatalk app.
So much quicker and easier.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

rob280

Active Member
Oct 27, 2019
116
44
I do miss my mk1 Cupra R. Great car.
You will want to do a good interior clean with stuff like that lurking about. Thats manky.
Nothing a bit of apc wont sort.
Enjoy mate.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
The boss gave me a measly hour and a half to mess around with the leon today whilst our daughter napped.

First up I fitted the new fuel cap and cleaned the surrounding area

Next up was the front splitter as it fitted badly and felt like it was catching on humps it shouldnt. Turns out the middle pins werent located and it was barely pushed in round the front. I then had to trim some lower scuffed sections off with a Stanley blade and used some black trim gel, it doesnt look new but definitely neater.

I'm getting a lot of headlight misting on the drivers said headlight. I've tapped a small bag of rice behind the cap to try and draw it out. I also noticed the spring that holds the headlight cap on is missing which might had led to the problem, does anyone have one spare they could sell?

The ebay boot tray is fitted which nicely turns up at the edges which is great for all the family rubbish like muddy wellies.

Whilst in the engine bay I noticed the strut brace probably needs some washers on the bolts, can anyone confirm this is the case? also a clean up as theres rusty swarf around the area or maybe the wholes werent protected after they were drilled.

Finally I gave it a quick clean. The doors, hatch, rear bumper and wheels are caked in tar spots that will have to wait for another day. Overall it cleaned up quite nicely
669d02d08c943f514c3aa61e255e3b4c.jpg
215b4ed8a0faf9ecb83d9b50783d7bbd.jpg
2a05afa61edfbc2649f92e80449a5c41.jpg
4115ff6d7ec64b4e692d1885fbb86722.jpg
9fa969a3c41c138a7e52756ecd53b70a.jpg
0e1b69a2d1d819515d0fa52771abf656.jpg
257649f0487e0581540e8e07770ac850.jpg
c6bc6c5097f75ea9e168d6c1314b58e1.jpg
6461cf7cdbe259fa39b7a132e3224f64.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

Thai-wronghorse

Self proclaimed Cupra R addict & butcher!
Dec 3, 2015
2,195
1,036
Kent
The S3 strut brace obviously isn't OE fitment on the Leon so the previous owner has clearly just used whatever bolts they felt suitable and washer are down to your own discretion.

I installed my one with nutserts in the suspension turrets to allow easier fitment and removal, I chose to use washers with dome headed bolts to spread the load better.
3ef5132446592b5b67fd083fd03e83bd.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
I agree. I'll probably reuse the socket cap bolts but add washers as I could see areas where the holes in the s3 strut bar were visible. Hopefully like yours they are nutserts and not nuts on the end that will fall off when I try to take it off.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
Really been enjoying the new cars power over the old diesel the boost is hard and goes on for so many revs, even in 6th it pulls really well where the diesel just runs put of puff after a short burst. I dont use the LCRs full power as much but it's awesome when you want it. It definitely has some draw backs though with letting it take time to warm up before using the power then cooling down on the way home as well as half the economy. I know it's not what I bought the car for but my wallets starting to notice the regular fill ups.

It's been a weekend of 4 very minor updates. Firstly i ordered some new floor mats unfortunately even after i specified it had oval locators guess which ones it came with!!!

Secondly I ordered some amazon wheel nut caps. The regular nut covers were tight but looked good however the locking wheel nut caps were so loose they didnt even stay on. I guess buy cheap buy twice as the saying goes.

Thirdly I tackled the a pillar trim that bugs me every time I am behind the wheel, even a family member pointed it out on one trip. The old padding had gone brown so I popped the A pillar trim off levering it carefully from the top and it came off easily. Removed the crispy old padding, cleaned it up and fitted new neoprene stick on padding and it looks factory fresh.

Fourth and final update was the strut bar. It currently uses nuts with no washers and you can see the strut bar holes are bigger so I had the bar off to check it out. All round it's not a great job with some less than ideal taped threads, m8 bolts when the strut looks like it would accept m10 or m12, the area wasnt cleaned after the holes were originally drilled so there was a high build up of rusted swarf under the bar that needed scraping off, sanding and treating to prevent rust. What's the optimal way of fitting these taped threads into the metal, rivnuts or something else and what size bolt is recommended m10 or m12?

75129b80d79404934d4490e74dde76de.jpg
c6d3159a79b83d5d965fc732ba83cae8.jpg
9c657ad471359efb26cc76f83736c494.jpg
be42af9615f29bff36f641a2b5296826.jpg
85bee1ca2c0779fa71ab3fabffa267db.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigT's lcr

Thai-wronghorse

Self proclaimed Cupra R addict & butcher!
Dec 3, 2015
2,195
1,036
Kent
I always use rivnuts on strut braces, it's how Audi fitted them plus it makes installation and removal for future maintenance much quicker and easier.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
Awesome thanks, sounds like time to drill it out then, do you know what size there supposed to be m8/m10/m12 and I'm assuming metal rivnuts rather than those rubber well nuts?

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
Today I tackled the rear drivers side locking module as you could open the door when the car was locked and set the alarm off and the hazards wouldnt flash when you locked the car, worrying when it's the side my daughter sits on. Rain water was also visible on the bottom of the door seal, not very high up but something that would need doing soon. Looking through the history all 4 were repaired in 2014 so I was nervous they might be completely covered in silicone sealant and be a nightmare to clean up but luckily the mechanic had used some easy to peel off black rubbery stuff.
The door module went on suprisingly easily and I used strip of butyl sealant tape to hopefully stop any leaking.

You might notice in the bottom left of the photo loads of screws on the floor. I used one screw to get the plastic roll pin that holds the window in place off then knocked over the whole box which was a nightmare to clear up.
aa8f993fd0ca6c686e6bce1a5a220b22.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
I bought my car with only the front original "Cupra R" ones but that's not great when my daughter and usually wife are in the back covering it in crap. Whilst I wanted some OEM ones with the branding I couldnt find any so ended up ordering from car mats uk, middle of the range ones and specified mine had oval locating pins. Guess what arrived .... a set of round hole ones! luckily they sent me some replacement oval adapters in the post. Look nice and add a factory fresh smell to the car.
4795d139cc690cda8b0ead67ef09cdd8.jpg
635fab345bfeaf5085de76fcb1a34c33.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

vwbassett

Joined the Dark Side
Aug 13, 2007
963
53
Surrey
To complement the sporty pedals I've added the matching 'R' style dead pedal the wife got my for xmas. Laughable that a brand new one from ebay is often cheaper than second hand ones.

I had one fitted to my old car and these are definitely a step up in quality as this one has a rubber insert and adhesive backing looking like the oem pedals. Really easy mod but they put the hole right by the backside of the bracket so I could only do 2 out of the 3 bolts up which was odd and had to glue it in place either that or I fitted it wrong.
144659f439fbc3ccf3e6310c16d59d78.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 

Nathan penney

Active member
Jul 8, 2017
686
789
Liverpool
To complement the sporty pedals I've added the matching 'R' style dead pedal the wife got my for xmas. Laughable that a brand new one from ebay is often cheaper than second hand ones.

I had one fitted to my old car and these are definitely a step up in quality as this one has a rubber insert and adhesive backing looking like the oem pedals. Really easy mod but they put the hole right by the backside of the bracket so I could only do 2 out of the 3 bolts up which was odd and had to glue it in place either that or I fitted it wrong.
144659f439fbc3ccf3e6310c16d59d78.jpg


Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
That looks smart that footrest.
Are you keeping the original front mats you took out?
If not and you wanted to sell them I’d have them off you if the drivers one is still in reasonable condition.
I’ve got odd ones Ive been finding over the years but the only drivers one I have a had a hole in it.
Had a mat manufacturer near me put a heel pad over it but it doesn’t look great.
 
Chris Knott Insurance - Competitive quotes for forum members