How useful is the convenience pack?

Jan 23, 2020
6
0
I'm keen on getting a black facelift 2017 FR with 18" performance alloy wheels and the one I saw is registered in March 2017 so it is £30 tax instead of £145 however it doesn't have the convenience pack (auto lights, wipers and auto dimming rear view mirror) so I'm wondering how useful is the pack and is it worth around £400-500 more for it which I saw in another colour and the trade-off of higher tax?
 

dmpx

Active Member
Mar 23, 2019
101
49
My previous motor was a 2015 A3 and it came without the auto lights/wipers etc and honestly I really missed them... To the point that I heavily researched a retrofit of the auto lights.

Thankfully my Cupra now has them, but in future they’ll definitely be on my mandatory features list.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GeoffGeoff

Invertigo

Active Member
Nov 19, 2019
169
77
I find it mad that some cars don't come with these things as standard yet, but judging by the amount of people I see at night driving around with blindingly bright DRLs on, it's perfectly believeable!

For what it's worth, I'd never have a car without them these days. Hell, even the car from 2004 I'm driving round in has all the auto features.
 

Dr.Dash

Active Member
Aug 30, 2015
342
73
Midlands
I'm not bothered about any of those functions. Autodimming rearview mirrors can be costly to replace when they go wrong too.

Certainly for the cost the OP mentions I wouldn't bother. £700 over 2-3 years ownership makes it an easy choice for me, others obviously differ.
 

CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
If you've never had these features then I guess you could continue to live without them but the other replies show that MOST people who are used to having them are reluctant to give them up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DaFoot

Lozzy15

Mods mods mods
Staff member
Moderator
Mar 24, 2015
570
376
Ilkeston, Derbyshire
As said, if you've not had the features before then you're not likely to notice. I have the pack and while I do enjoy the convenience it brings, auto lights and wipers are both just buttons it saves you having to push yourself.

Only annoyance I can see if not having a dimmable mirror for when morons blind you from behind. But if the car comes with a manual adjustable one fitted instead (I don't know if they do, I'd assume they do?) then it's really down to whether you're willing to spend extra dosh on another car with the pack installed.

One thing's for certain though, don't make it the defining reason to buy one car over another. Even if you get one without and in the future decide you want the features, it can and has been retrofitted by people themselves.
 

niallain

Active Member
Apr 9, 2017
273
53
Cardiff
Convenience pack was the only option my car didn't have so I decided to retrofit myself.

Didn't bother with the auto dimming rear mirror as it seemed to much of a hassle to change, but cost me around £100 for a new sensor behind the rear view mirror and a genuine light switch with the auto setting.

A little bit of coding with my own OBDeleven and I got auto lights and wipers working.

If you can get lucky and get the parts for cheap, it's cheaper to retrofit as it obviously doesn't cost as much as the increase in road tax would.
 

jf_cole

Active Member
Jan 28, 2020
27
8
Had them in a previous car and really wouldn't want to go without them now. From a safety and laziness point of view.
 

Adrian300

Active Member
Jun 10, 2019
259
113
Think with anything, if its something you liked and had previously u will miss. I uad a mk3 superb sportline and the convenience pack includes the side mirrors dimming too... I do miss not having those!

Sent from my GM1913 using Tapatalk
 

Rockbox

Active Member
Apr 6, 2018
162
52
If you don't have auto lights as part on the convenience pack you don't get welcome and goodbye lights unless you get it re-programmed I think.
I do find the auto wipers a bit of a pain but you can turn them off in the info system.
 

GeoffGeoff

Active Member
Feb 1, 2020
191
40
Couldn’t live without auto wipers and lights after the last 13 years with them (well I could but you know)...always top priority on my shopping list along with XENON (or LED these days) headlights with washer system, heated leather and nav (or carplay now).

Also electrically adjusted memory seats are amazing and I am missing them now for when the short ar5e wife or the insanely tall mechanics (inevitably when it goes for a service) move the seat around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: daniel_ley

itscalledmax

Active Member
Feb 19, 2017
17
3
NE Essex
I believe Rockbox is correct when says auto lights also gets you welcome and goodbye (coming & leaving home) lights. Of those options listed by the OP the lights are the ones I've found most useful. I find auto wipers a bit meh, they won't always automatically come on when I think they ought to! I didn't like the auto dipping mirror at first but have got used to it and honestly don't think I'd miss it.

I've always lusted after electrically adjusted memory seats especially since (a) I'm short-ish (b) I always manage to end up having one of Robert Wadlow's relatives as the bod servicing my cars (c) the wife's got long legs, short body. If SEAT added memory seats to the convenience pack it'd be a winner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GeoffGeoff

Big Col

Active Member
Nov 5, 2013
626
89
North Ayrshire
the auto wipers I could easily live without. Easily the weakest of the 3 functions.
the auto lights are so so, the coming / leaving home feature is handy if you park up somewhere in the dark
the auto dim rear view mirror is the most valuable IMO, i'd really miss it now. Especially with the majority of cars on the roads now are SUV's or 4x4's with superbright million lumen led headlights.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KJC19 and PaulyM

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I like these features, also it means the wife never has to think about turning lights on, ultra bright drls mean that often folk think they have lights on when they don’t, also I think the wipers and lights are linked together so in some conditions both come on together?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: GeoffGeoff
Oct 14, 2019
33
1
I'm in a similar situation as the OP, been looking for the past few months for a Monsoon Grey facelift FR DSG with the convenience pack but all of them on the market at the moment are ex-motability cars without the convenience pack (I think they just spec the standard option so less monthly cost) so I'm thinking whether to pull the trigger and buy it or wait for one with the pack.

This is my first car so I never had the features before but auto dimming rear view mirror and coming/leaving home lights looks very useful.
 

GeoffGeoff

Active Member
Feb 1, 2020
191
40
I'm in a similar situation as the OP, been looking for the past few months for a Monsoon Grey facelift FR DSG with the convenience pack but all of them on the market at the moment are ex-motability cars without the convenience pack (I think they just spec the standard option so less monthly cost) so I'm thinking whether to pull the trigger and buy it or wait for one with the pack.

This is my first car so I never had the features before but auto dimming rear view mirror and coming/leaving home lights looks very useful.
Personally I think you’d regret not having them (that’s just my personal opinion of course...some people really aren’t bothered but I am). It seems it’s possible to retrofit if you’re struggling to get the right spec at the right time/price though so if the right car comes up without the convenience pack then you could see if you can live without it and if not then go down the retrofit route (note I have no idea what’s involved in retrofitting but others seem to have done so without too much hassle if you’ve got the time/money/inclination to bother at that stage).
 
Jan 23, 2020
6
0
How do I know if the car has the convenience pack just by looking at the pictures, does it have Auto on the headlight switch?
 

GeoffGeoff

Active Member
Feb 1, 2020
191
40
How do I know if the car has the convenience pack just by looking at the pictures, does it have Auto on the headlight switch?
Yeah basically...not much else that is majorly visible from a photo unless you can see the rear view mirror for the sensor.
 
Jan 23, 2020
6
0
Yeah basically...not much else that is majorly visible from a photo unless you can see the rear view mirror for the sensor.
Is it this sensor behind the rear view mirror?

As there are 2 Black facelift 2017 FR at a SEAT dealership that they just got in, one says it has Automatic Headlight Control and the other car says it has auto headlights and auto dimming rear view mirror but both doesn't have Auto on the headlight switch.
 

Attachments

  • mirror.jpg
    mirror.jpg
    18.4 KB · Views: 102
Nimbus hosting - Based solely in the UK.