Leon Cupra 180bhp

[Mike_444]

evening guys,

I'm looking in to getting myself a Leon Cupra 180bhp in the near future.

Just wanted your general feed back/ ownership experience of this model.

Are they reliable? Any common faults that I should look out for? (apart from leaky doors )

Is the 1.8 20v Turbo motor in these the same spec as you'd find in the equivalent VW's & Audi's?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Miss Chief]

Check out the buyers guide
make sure cambelt has been done
Door seals perish (Prays as mine have been OK!)
Coil packs were subject to a recall I believe
1.8 is identical although in 180HP trim it wasn't as commonly used as the 150HP model.

 

[Azza_]

evening guys,

I'm looking in to getting myself a Leon Cupra 180bhp in the near future.

Just wanted your general feed back/ ownership experience of this model.

Are they reliable? Any common faults that I should look out for? (apart from leaky doors )

Is the 1.8 20v Turbo motor in these the same spec as you'd find in the equivalent VW's & Audi's?

Thanks,

Mike

ive just bought one myself, engines as far as im aware are pretty bullet proof provided its had a serviced life

as said above cambelt and tensioners / water pump

check the roof gutter for rust as ive read thats where some starts

also lift the engine cover and on the right hand side facing the engine look for the code AUQ

altho seat didnt do a 150bhp model the prefacelift engine has the k03 turbo which is less bhp when mapped(no offence to owners) k03s in the AUQ is good for 240bhp with supporting mods

also check all the doors lock and unlock i didnt and one doesnt unlock with the key its a common fault in the door modules

make sure the car gets up to temp and stays there ( could be a coolant switch or thermostat) switch and thermostat are cheap but thermo is in a pig place

 

[Mike_444]

thanks chaps!

some very useful tips for me to look out for

 

[csd_19]

Make sure you let it warm up before giving it the beans and let it cool down after spirited driving before turning it off

Give it regular oil changes, more so if you do a lot of town driving - I don't do masses of town driving but still drop the oil every 6k or so, the car is now nudging 120k on the clock.

There's a fair few of us on here with 1.8Ts well over 100k, regular servicing and treating it "right" goes a long way.

 

[Mike_444]

sound advice, thanks mate

 

[Mike_444]

Just out of interest, what sort of mpg do you guys get on a steady 50-60mph run? B roads etc.

 

[traumapat]

ive just bought one myself, engines as far as im aware are pretty bullet proof provided its had a serviced life

as said above cambelt and tensioners / water pump

check the roof gutter for rust as ive read thats where some starts

also lift the engine cover and on the right hand side facing the engine look for the code AUQ

altho seat didnt do a 150bhp model the prefacelift engine has the k03 turbo which is less bhp when mapped(no offence to owners) k03s in the AUQ is good for 240bhp with supporting mods

also check all the doors lock and unlock i didnt and one doesnt unlock with the key its a common fault in the door modules

make sure the car gets up to temp and stays there ( could be a coolant switch or thermostat) switch and thermostat are cheap but thermo is in a pig place

Your better off saying up to 2001 had the non vvt and ko3 turbo. 01 on had the better turbo /vvt AUQ engines but the bumpers didnt change until 02. Prefacelift could have either set up its down to the year.

 

[Wolf_gsxr]

I've just bought a 51 plate cupra. The engines seem to be strong it's just the stupid, complicated, power strangling valves that tend to be a problem and vacuum pipes sometimes split but its not an expensive fix. The 6 speed box feels nice although is shorter than I expected. Over all I'm very pleased with my new buy.

 

[Dlp1984]

I get about 28mpg on a motorway run but mine does need a service

 

[AlexCupra180]

Bought my 03 plate Cupra last week, drove it a full 200 miles yesterday from Southampton to Oxfordshire up the A34 and managed to get 39mpg due to driving like a granny! Great cars though, but they will drain your fuel tank and your wallet if you drive them fast all the time. For me they are the best value out of all the VAG 1.8T cars, mine has 74k on the clock, FSSH and was a fiver under 3k. They are the perfect mix of speed and comfort, and can be two completely different cars when you need them to be.

 

[Dlp1984]

Bloody hell, I only paid £1400 for my 52 reg cupra with FSSH, mine is on 135k tho and I'm a little worried my HG is on the way out lol

 

[Miss Chief]

Your better off saying up to 2001 had the non vvt and ko3 turbo. 01 on had the better turbo /vvt AUQ engines but the bumpers didnt change until 02. Prefacelift could have either set up its down to the year.

So if mine is a 54 reg facelift, it will have the ko3s turbo? Is there any way to tell by looking?

 

[traumapat]

Yep. K03s in yours. Youll have an AUQ stamp on the engine block to confirm.

 

[Jack 180 Leon]

Hi. I've just bought a Leon 180bhp and was wondering if is normal to hear my turbo spin up? As its so loud.. I had a a3 1.8t also but couldn't hear as much.. Was thinking maybe the prev owner had put a de cat pipe on already or is it normal for loud turbo? The forge splitter I've put on is the same as a3 and again massive diff :/ any help would be great..

 

[Miss Chief]

With mine I can't hear it at all with the windows up. If the windows are down I can usually hear it if I'm giving it some beans but windows up all I hear is engine, not turbo. Shame as the turbo noise is rather nice!

 

[Jack 180 Leon]

I can hear with windows up too.. Loud whistle.. Have you got a forge splitter or any other mods on yours?

 

[Miss Chief]

None that I'm aware of. As far as I know it's completely stock.

 

[Jack 180 Leon]

So I'm guessing its already had a de cat put on.. Need to find out really as i want to get exhaust etc etc done before I remap.. Have you had any issues with yours? Mines a 2004 with 102k fsh..

 

[Miss Chief]

Issues? Considering it was supposed to be a cheaper alternative to my Pug GTI-6 it's cost me quite a bit recently. Within 2 months of getting it it needed rear pads and it broke a front spring. Three months ago I got it serviced and I've paid for two new front tyres at £220. Now it needs the MAF replacing and probably the Coolant temperature sensor and Thermostat too!