In 1999 I bought a new Alhambra TDi S 110bhp people carrier from the Seat Letchworth dealership. I haggled a very good purchase deal with a very professional and helpful Sales Exec. The sale was processed quickly and efficiently and 3 days later I collected my new toy!
However, I would ... Read review
Advantages: Maybe could oil a lawnmower Disadvantages: See op
...110bhp people carrier from the Seat Letchworth dealership. I haggled a very good purchase deal with a very professional and helpful Sales Exec. The sale was processed quickly and efficiently and 3 days later I collected my new toy!
However, I would like to share my problems with Seat Letchworth's Service Dept since taking delivery.
The following is a list of faults which have developed with the car and Seat Letchworth's ... ...drove the car with a Seat fitter (I refuse to call him a mechanic) and the turbo and engine were tested on a computer diagnostic gismo thingey. A "lazy solenoid" was replaced.
Result - Absolutely no change in performance, still only 63 mph uphill. Another waste of time, effort and lost earnings.
52000 miles - I myself disconnected an electrical air-intake part called a MAF. I did this from info found on - ... more
In 1999 I bought a new Alhambra TDi S 110bhp people carrier from the Seat Letchworth dealership. I haggled a very good purchase deal with a very professional and helpful Sales Exec. The sale was processed quickly and efficiently and 3 days later I collected my new toy!
However, I would like to share my problems with Seat Letchworth's Service Dept since taking delivery.
The following is a list of faults which have developed with the car and Seat Letchworth's response or results in fixing them:-
From new to 55000 miles - Nearside bearing noise.
Response - They can't hear the noise. Result - Bearing still noisy.
5000 miles - Alternator drive belt shredded.
Response - "UNUSUAL" they say. I looked at a recall list on their office wall and noticed that my car was listed on it for an alternator pulley recall. They were unaware that my car was on this list.
Result - They replaced belt and pulley (SUPPOSEDLY) and duly stamped my service book for replacing the recalled part.
20000 mile service - FREE OIL! The only problem is that it's been spilt all over the plastic engine cover box and not even wiped clean. £40/hr for a moron to work on your car so as to keep up the warranty.
40000 mile service - The Service manager says to me - "By the way, we changed the alternator pulley under recall" When I say it was changed a year ago under the same recall, he replies "Well, the old pulley was still on the car" Work that has not been carried out has been entered as done in the Service Book! THE POWER STEERING IS DRIVEN BY THE BELT WHICH GOES ROUND THIS PULLEY. IT IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS TO SUDDENLY LOSE POWER STEERING.
8000 to 42000 miles - Broke down 12+ times with air in fuel line problem. The AA were called out repeatedly and the car was returned 3 times.
Response - On the final return a pipe union on the fuel filter was replaced after EIGHT DAYS of "testing" and me being off the road.
Result - Fault corrected.
43000 - loss of Turbo power, 63mph max uphill.
Response - I test drove the car with a Seat fitter (I refuse to call him a mechanic) and the turbo and engine were tested on a computer diagnostic gismo thingey. A "lazy solenoid" was replaced.
Result - Absolutely no change in performance, still only 63 mph uphill. Another waste of time, effort and lost earnings.
52000 miles - I myself disconnected an electrical air-intake part called a MAF. I did this from info found on - www.tdiclub.com - (a Seat Drivers Club member recommended the site).
Result - Problem cured. Uphill speed, overall power and MPG have increased greatly . The previous computer diagnosis would have shown this fault. This naff MAF part costs £200/£300. Maybe this explains why it was'nt changed.
The next round of the battle is to get the MAF changed under warranty. (not at Seat Letchworth!)
CONCLUSION -
The incompetance of Seat Letchworth's Service Dept in diagnosing and rectifying faults defies belief. It seems to me that their attitude is one of that the longer your car is off the road, the less likely you are to return it under warranty unless it has completly broken down.
WHAT RILES ME MOST IS THAT SAFETY RELATED RECALL WORK WAS NOT CARRIED OUT AND I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT IT HAD BEEN DONE. Luckily, no accident arose from this.
The result of Seat Letchworth's service dept's failings is that only now, nearly 2 years later, is my £20,000 car running properly albeit not perfectly.
I plan to buy another new Seat Allybammy and a new Seat Leon next year, although definitely not from Letchworth. See this finger Seat Letchworth, you can take a £30000+ spin on it!
PS - Seat's are great cars to drive but they are let down by some poor dealers and Seat UK.
Advantages: appalling, non existant customer service Disadvantages: great car
I ordered a SEAT Leon 20VT at the end of April, not long after they became available in the UK. Great car, shame about the customer service. It's now August and I STILL don't have the car - however I have had a courtsey car (Leon 1.8 SE) for a week now and will be keeping it until my car arrives. At no point has either SEAT UK or my dealer (Focus) made any attempt to contact me with the progress of my car. I have never received anything in writing ... ...non-existent. If Seat want to move into a more upmarket area they really are going to have to improve their attitude to customers and their general professionalism. No one individual is at fault - the whole organisation is in chaos! I find it hard to believe that they could not give me date when I ordered my car as factories have fixed output and they know how many cars were ordered before mine. It's all very well moaning about car & petrol prices ...
EmmaJ 03.08.2000 (20.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Seat
Advantages: Kept me informed every step of the way Disadvantages: None so far
...get the car serviced at Seat next year, it would cost around £250 - ok, it may be a full service but Boyf and I both felt that it was a little excessive so we'll be sticking to smaller recommened-by-friends garages in future. We inspected the car before just driving off and the rust had totally gone - the door had been taken off, sanded, masked off , paint specially mixed and re-sprayed... you wouldn't have known there was any rust there at all. ... ...bought my little Rover from Seat as the service I received from start to finish was fabulous and I really doubt that a local dealer would have been that attentive. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them and when we can eventually afford a new car, we'll be going back to Seat New Southgate ! ...
Amazingwoo 01.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Seat
...called Autoworld who deal with Seat amongst other cars. I can strongly recommend the company to anyone wishing to purchase a new or used car. They were very helpful and polite when we purchased the car and they did us a very good deal on the car we were trading in. Their after sales service is also exceptional. We broke down and they came to tow the car (free of charge as part of their warranty) to their repair centre. The car actually ended up needing ... ...car and did loads of work on the car with no arguments.
They valeted the car before we picked it back up and even offered to deliver it back to us if required. After having problems with after sales in the past I was very impressed. ...
ClaireC 09.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Seat
Advantages: best price, good sales staff, no hidden extras, they do what they promise on sales Disadvantages: Poor follow up service department, nasty courtesy cars (Suzuki Wagon R).
My new Ibiza 1.4S was supplied by Autoworld, simply because they were the best on price. I had checked out internet sites and dealers around the country, getting the best deal. Then, I went to Autoworld with my specific "deal" and asked if they could better it. They were not phased by this request and called me back when promised, beating the deal. They followed this up with a fax order form at my request, again on time. The whole process of purchasing ... ...or other aspect to detract from the purchase. This was my first new car purchase, I had always been wary of car dealers in the past. On arrival on 1st March, the car was ready and waiting for me and the transaction went without fault.
The car had one or two minor missing trim parts, though these were ordered. Unfortunately, due to some confusion with the service department, there was a delay of several weeks in sorting these out. The car has also ...
DarrenMoore 08.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Seat
Advantages: Outstanding Torque, Performance, Economy, Sporty (FR model) Disadvantages: Not as solid as Audi
Background
I recently bought an audi A3 (new shape) but with a 2.0 FSI engine. It was the worst decision I have ever made. I was in the garage 10 times in 6 months, rattles, knocks, suspension but what really annoyed me (having come from a 2.1TDi Peugeot 406) was the lack of grunt or torque especially on the motorway.
Having wasted £2k (after trade in), I decided to test drive EVERY single TDi. golf, bora, passat, handa accord, saab 93, vauxhall, toyota avensis, bmw 320d, audi a3 2.0 tdi, mercedes, etc I researched tirelessly everyting from speed, economy looks etc. I'm 23yrs old, I drive quite fast, I like power but I'm no chav. Lets get that straight from the off. I work as a software engineer.
Overview
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The Seat Leon FR looks quite sporty, fr badges, lowered suspension (very very hard btw) sprts bumpers ...
Jpmayock 13.11.2005 (16.11.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of SEAT Leon 1.9 TDi
Advantages: Superb value for money, stylish, great performance, Comfortable Disadvantages: Features, interior finish
Car - SEAT Leon
Year of Registration - 2005
Model - 1.9 TDi S (90bhp)
Colour - Silver
This car encompasses the looks and appearance of a high end luxury hatchback, and the performance of a smaller hot hatch.
It looks well built and has the comforting appearance of being a strong car.
I have driven the 'S' model of this car for over 3 months now, and I cannot fault it in any shape or form. The fact that it is a diesel engine should not put anybody off. It out classes any petrol equivalent car when it comes to miles per gallon. I currently spend £42.00 to fill up the tank and this will produce around 550 miles plus. How many petrol cars can produce 45 - 50+ MPG!!
The performance is superb. You'll not win many races off the lights (if your that way inclined) but be assured at mid range (40 - 60 mph) this car will safely ...
Advantages: Car like performance and handling, value for money. Disadvantages: Seat Dealer Servicing Quality and Warranty Back-up.
I bought my Seat Alhambra 110bhp 1.9 TDI S in Nov '99. The deal I got on this car was very good. A great Seat Finance deal of 4.7% APR meant only £1060 interest on £16000 borrowed over 3 years. Coupled with an extra £1100 trade-in allowance for my Mondeo if I bought the actual car in the showroom. It was the exact spec and colour I wanted, although in this situation you must always say that the colour is the one you hate so as to put the salesman under further pressure. However, protracted haggling and playing one dealer off against another further enhanced the deal with discount on alloy wheels and a few extras. The final deal was actually cheaper than buying an 18 month old Alhambra.
My experience of Seat Dealer's after-sales and warranty back-up has been a nightmare though. Seat Grange Hill were chaotic and useless, despite being ...
