I enjoy reading peoples real life reviews on this forum so I thought I?d share our experiences of a 2.0 FSi Altea Sport.
The car was purchased at 6 months old as an ex-demo from a Seat dealer in 2005. Based on the then new MkV Golf platform it was a revelation after our previous 1.6 Seat Leon. The engine was quiet and the six speed gearbox with low gearing made for a fun drive. The seats were fantastic even after a long journey. Wind noise was an issue at motorway speeds although I have read that Seat provided fix for the wing mirror mounts which cost less than £1 if you fit it yourself. The car averaged around 32mpg which was reasonable for a 1400Kg car that was driven fairly hard. The extra height of the Altea was great when loading and unloading offspring into car seats. The double height boot meant you could hide less used stuff and still have easy access to buggies etc.
Reliability proved to be the downfall of this car, we chose to sell in the end as the time between each failure never really exceeded a few months, here are some highlights:
Electronic throttle failure from delivery, caused ECU to disconnect throttle control which was exciting on the motorway ? this required 13 dealer visits over 6 months before they found a fix.
Front wheel bearing failure
Remote locking failed
Water pump leak
Coolant leak from plastic coolant port
Boot lock failed
Coil pack failure
Exhaust gas recirculation valve failure
Catalyst broke up - this was a £700 fix
Further coolant leak, source unknown.
A common response when discussing the issues with the Altea was ?ahhh that?s because it?s a cheap VW? but the only Seat specific part that failed was the boot lock, everything else was generic VAG. Do VAG have a crystal ball which decides which brand their parts are sent to or do all VAG drivers have to deal with this number of failures?
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I think you'll find all VAG cars reliability is average at best, probably as a result of outsourcing components to the lowest bidder.
Skoda probably do quite well because they often adopt the high tech systems a year or two after VW/Audi/SEAT once the bumps are ironed flat.
It never ceases to amaze (amuse) me when you see things like Warranty Direct reports showing some car models with perhaps 3 or 4 claims per 100 policies per year, and others with 50+. Engineers and accountants need to communicate more I guess...
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36k Miles report on a Seat Altea XL
30 months old
Faults. Steering wheel controls/ horn not working - TBF under warranty next service
blown bulb rear lamp cluster.
And thats all
No broken trim, no rattles, nothing. The seats are the most comfortable for long journeys I have ever had in a car
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30k report on my Seat Altea XL 2.0TDI Stylance (27 months)
Routine servicing (30k sevice £104)
Have now had 3 x alloys, most recent last week replaced due to slight corrosion.
Radio CD replaced due to CD sticking
All warranty repairs done hassle free.
The only downside, believe it or not, was that I was so delighted with the service I have had from both the dealer (Arnold Clark) and SEAT that I emailed both their customer services to tell them of my delight and have not had an acknowledgment from either!
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I think you'll find all VAG cars reliability is average at best probably as a result of outsourcing components to the lowest bidder.
It is amazing how reliability of VAG varies so much by brand.
An awful lot of it is about the dealers, and the attitude of the manufacturers customer service teams. Skoda dealers seem much loved and SEAT dealers are useless.
I read good reports about Skoda UK and, having been unluckly enough to have had to deal with SEAT UK, they, like their dealers, are useless.
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No complaints whatsoever with our VW.
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May as well dump this in here so then!
2006 Seat Leon 1.6 Stylance Sport Up - 99k km report
Bought this car a year and a half ago with 30k km to replace a 2004 Focus that was driving me nuts and emptying my wallet regularly with repair costs.
The Good:
It looks well - one of the reasons I bought it was that it looks so much better (imo) and is a rarer sight than the usual Golf/Focus/Astra option, especially in black with the 17 inch alloy upgrade. Then the spec swung it - cruise, climate, mfsw, folding mirrors, usual electrics. The interior of these can be pretty dour but at least the sport pack gives the black plastic as opposed to grey and the red sports seats, which I have to say are excellent. It handles very well and has enough pep for keeping up with traffic. It is what it is - a 1.6 small hatch. Insurance has been very reasonable (helps when you're a young male).
I get it serviced in a main dealer slightly before the interval everytime and I have to say compared to VW dealers the prices are much lower and the work has always been spot on. I cover aboout 800-1000km a week so it gets pretty dirty in no time but it is washed and cleaned every week. The interior may not be covered in squidgy plastics like a Golf but it still looks brand new and impressively squeak free. I have seen Golf's with less mileage look worse. Everything works as it should and there is plenty of room front and rear with a decent enough boot too. The driving position is excellent, very adjustable and I have also added the drivers armrest to help make my commute slightly more comfortable. I know some people don't like them but I wouldn't be without it.
The Bad:
The ride is firm - you soon get used to it but the first few weeks I had a little back pain even from it. The a-pillars can obstruct your view on long, sweeping bends. It's just a matter of moving your head a bit but I could see this catching out a new driver quite easily. Also the engine is a bit low tech - 1.6 8v - but it's not the worst of them.
Relaibility has been quite good. The doors autolock after you pull away and the switch to open them (without taking the key out) packed up - ?16 fitted. When I bought the car the air conditioning didn't work. It required a new compressor which was fitted under warranty. It was put down simply to the original owner never using it, although I have read reports of this being a common VAG issue.
The only other thing has been a slight groan from the gearbox at idle with the clutch let out. It's been to the dealers (and another mechanic for a second opinion just to be sure) and they reckon it's nothing to worry about. Dealers even said they have come across it in many new cars over the years. 22k km since and it's not gotten worse, the gearbox is still oily smooth.
Would I buy another one? Probably yes, but one of the more powerful diesels this time. I've averaged 34mpg with a good mix of driving, air con on mostly. I never anticipated that I would be covering the sort of mileage I do when buying and with a NCB building up the insurance should be no real issue. For now I'm more than happy with it though, it still looks completely immaculate (no dents/scratches), and starts first turn of the key.
Hope this helps someone
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The only other thing has been a slight groan from the gearbox at idle with the clutch let out.
So when you let the clutch out to start moving it makes a groan?
As a Spanish car it probably would rather stay where it is, so moves off under protest ;)
;)
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2006 "56" Toledeo TDi DSG 22k.
Average MPG 38 over 22k. Best ever tank, 44mpg.
Font tyres lasted approx 22k, they need replacement shorty after it was handed back to the leasing Co.
Rind was very firm, I found that there was a large void behind the small of my lower back, this gave me pain. The interior was wearing well. The exterior wall all good too, no corrosion on the alloys and only minimal stone chipping on the bonnet.
The engine used no oil between services and the only time I need to open the bonnet was to fill up the screen wash.
There were a couple of early fault when new, door locks and alarm when mad, would not close. Took the dealer a month to fix, could not lock the car during this time.
Apart from that a very reliable car, if not dare I say it a really boring drive!
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A friend of mine has a Leon Sport TDI and the ride in that car is the worst of any mass produced car I have ever experienced. It seems to have no suspension whatsoever. You feel the stippled bits on manhole covers, and it's causing some creaks to creep in at just 40,000 miles.
Lovely car otherwise though. Not given him any bother and with the 140 bhp 2.0 PD TDI under the bonnet, goes like stink.
Edited by DP on 22/10/2009 at 21:55
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