Seat Leon 1.6 S Review

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Seat Leon 1.6 S
3.6 stars
Average rating for this product is: 3.6 out of 5

From 1 rating and 35 reviews

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nwpierre's Review of Seat Leon 1.6 S

20th May 2005

Overall Rating

3 stars
  • Value for money
    3.5 stars
  • Length of ownership
    3 Years
  • Practicality
    3.5 stars
  • Year Manufactured
    2000
  • Performance
    3.5 stars
  • Reliability
    2 stars
Good Points

Sensible handling on A roads. Accurate steering


Bad Points

Gearbox failures


General Comments

My wife and I bought 2 Seat Leon 1.4 S models both having the VW DUW 1998-2002. Both failed!!! Something happens in the gearbox damaging the casing causing gearbox oil to contaminate the clutch causing slippage. My wifes was changed under warranty. Mine is a year out of warranty. They will not change mine. Both cars have under 50K miles. Can anyone confirm if/why this gearbox has apparantly been changed since 2002. Legally I would pursue the 'sale of goods act' There are many more people with this problem. Lets hear from you and your advice. I can't afford to change mine right now-all locked away in the garage. I miss driving- Its the good old trams now!

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Members' Comments onnwpierre's Review

  • amm on 9th Jun 2005

    I have just had exactly the same problem with my 2001 Leon SDI, compounded by the fact that a Seat garage diagnosed it as a simple clutch failure and replaced the clutch and a seal on the driveshaft, as they thought this was where the oil leak was from. Of course oil from the gearbox contaminated the new clutch too.The garage was able to tell me that gearbox problems were common but never spotted it. I'm still waiting to hear from Hispano cars.

  • nwpierre Rank: Lance Corporal on 10th Jun 2005

    let me know how you get on and their further comments on how common this is.

  • amm on 10th Jun 2005

    Just got letter back. Said "gearbox would have been covered by a 12 month unlimited mileage warranty from manufacturers.However your gearbox as a serviceable item is subject to many factors which affect its condition. These include normal wear and tear, driving style and general road conditions. As such it is not possible to put a time or mileage lifespan on such an item."
    So they dodge the question of how common it appears to be. I know my car has been regularly serviced by a Seat dealer and I'm not hard on the gears when driving.I don't think the roads I drive on would have affected it either. It certainly seems like a huge coincidence that the same problem should occur, unfortunately it can't really be proved to be a fault in it without a detailed technical report which I don't have. It'll certainly be the last Seat I buy.