21 hours ago, willttqs said:

I might look at golf r estate Tuesday see if there is enough room in the back for two car seats

 

Picking our R estate up tomorrow at 9am and will still have the vRS octavia (our scout is going back), so can keep you posted on that!

2 hours ago, Jaco2k said:

There is a nice ignore button for that - but again, i would appreciate if you backed up with facts.

 

I never insulted anyone - neither do, and I guess reading this exchange, people can make up their mind about whose posts are provocative

 

Maybe you annoyed cause I don't come down to your level of speech?

The ignore button is a splendid idea. 

 

Ive said my peace and won’t be taking any more bait fella. 

 

Oh and I never was annoyed.

 

Call it a return serve on some of the tripe you posted. 

 

Finally before you comment on a persons ‘level of speech’, may I suggest you check your own post for spelling. 

 

And now I really am bored. 

Having had both marques, I feel qualified to comment - hopefully without swearing too! 

 

I'd initially looked at getting a SEAT as a replacement to a Mk2 Octavia vRS but the extra toys (USB, folding mirrors etc), didn't quite make up for a drop down in quality. As the Mk2 Octavia FL had literally just been launched I went down that route instead.

 

Both these cars had no problems AFAIR but my next car was a VW and there was (is) a distinct hierarchy in quality level between the brands.

 

In saying that, I can't remember looking at my Cupra thinking it was a serious step below the VW prior to purchasing. In fact, as mentioned earlier, the car had some serious (free) options compared to the Golf R. The initial drive convinced me to get one in a nano second.

 

As to the quality - no creaks or rattles but the bucket seats have started to split. 

When I say 'started', I actually mean they've been like it for quite a while. The sub standard customer care may be indicative of some SEAT dealers as I was told by 2 of them that this was 'my fault' and not a quality issue. However, after numerous reports of the same problem, another dealer has acknowledged the fault doesn't rest with me and a replacement cover has been sanctioned. This isn't the way I like to be treated as a customer but we are now into the 8th month of the debacle!

 

It's a good job I'm a patient person and there's nothing else wrong with the car....

 

Will I go for another? Well I don't think (seat apart) that I'd dismiss having another so any minor perceived differences certainly aren't enough to sway me away. Will other cars pull me harder in their direction though.......

Just weighing in on this too - having had a a Fabia vRS mk1, Octy vRS mk2 then swayed by the extra kit and savings in running costs by a SEAT Leon FR, over the 3 years of ownership of the Leon, I have to say that build and material quality of the SEAT are somewhat below Skoda's. Even compared with a (at the time) 10 year old car. Squeaks and rattles aplenty, and the latch "mechanism" on the cubby above the right knee were of particular note. The fabric seats were comfy, but clearly of lower-grade materials. Having said that, the layout and ergonomics were good.

 

Having now moved back to Skoda, my vRS is streets ahead in terms of build and materials. I liked the SEAT whilst I had it but never fell in love with it.

 

Interestingly, my missus has a 17 reg Ibiza, and build seems relatively better in that.

 

I think a lot has to do with expectations - I paid about the same for the mk2 Octy as I did for the Leon 10 years before. I've now spent a boat load more on the new Octy and expect a step up in quality, even though both the Leon and Octy are "in the same class"...

I think the Leon FL has better quality, at least interior, than the pre-FL.

...at least for the Cupra - don't know about other trims.

My 3yo VRS from 2015 had loads of rattles when I traded it in.

I guess there are always going to be variations from car-to-car. Tolerances aren't that tight when interior construction is still done by hand. Never had a problem with my Skodas (except the Fabia had a known dashboard mount issue, fixed under warranty), the Missus had an Arosa Sport years ago which was solid, like the Ibiza (although that'll be with the dealer for a week due to a failed turbo, but that's another story...). The Cupra 300 I sat in before I bought the 245 didn't seem any different to the FR I had, in terms of material and quality, unfortunately. For some reason, the interior of the Leon just feels incomplete....

Edited 31 March, 20188 yr by mumphie

Is it the different shape of the dashboard? That also feels weird for me.

Another factor might be (this would need to be verified, since my only source is a comment in another forum) that cars with the upgraded sound system also get extra insulation.

But I think your point makes the most sense - I think at this market point, there are huge variations in quality between models.

I think you might get one that is built on a "good day" or the opposite, regardless of the brand.

I think my VRS was one of those "not a good day" cars.

I drove @Petunet car and it felt much better put together than mine, and that was still a pre-FL car.

...I was only briefly inside a non-VRS FL at dealer, which doesn't allow me to pass judgement on it.

The notorious Octavia "cabin boom" is not noticeable on the Leon - on my case it might be because it has a spare tire and subwoofer filling the trunk, which might help.

I had the SEAT Sound upgrade in my FR and the squeaks and rattles were still present, unfortunately. Don't know anything about additional insulation! I generally liked the layout of the interior - angled towards the driver. I also preferred the FR's chrome highlights to the Cupra's piano black, but there was just SOMETHING not quite right about the Leon interior. The only thing I can put my finger on is Skoda's "Simply Clever" stuff, which gives you the feeling that they've thought things through a little more. Eg. Lack of parking sticker clip, no air con in the glove box, the right cubby latch, unlined door bins, etc.

 

The plastics on the door cards were hard so marked easily, too, although the soft-touch on the upper dashboard was ok. Lower down, again hard scratchy plastic.

 

The Octy has some cheaper plastics too, but they've done a better job of hiding them, in my opinion.

 

One thing I do miss from the Leon ST though, is the full pano roof (although it did creak interestingly during the icy season - I put this down to the ice itself flexing rather than the roof). Since moving back to a hatch, I've got to make do with a normal sunroof!

39 minutes ago, mumphie said:

One thing I do miss from the Leon ST though, is the full pano roof (although it did creak interestingly during the icy season - I put this down to the ice itself flexing rather than the roof). Since moving back to a hatch, I've got to make do with a normal sunroof!

I’m really glad I opted for the pan roof as I’ve never had one before. 

 

The Cupra was crying out for a pan roof especially as the cabin was so dark in the first place. 

 

This is the first car I’ve had with a proper overlapping pan roof. It’s mint! 

I was fancying also the panoramic roof and had my eye on a mystery blue Cupra with it, but then I started to read reports about them leaking (sooner or later) even from new.

The seller that sold me my car was a nice fellow at a Seat dealership and when I asked him if it was true what I had read he said "Yeah - they all leak. Never get the pano roof here in Finland."

Might be that on warmer weather it all plays nicely but with the long Finnish winters, and as much as my heart was set on having it, I had to walk away...

 

The car I let go had the exact color I was after (Mystery Blue) and the pano roof.

I wanted a change from white, that I had on the Skoda and is a PIA to keep clean but the only other alternatives were this weird and ugly shade of red (that is even the most expensive color) and I did not like it at all.

 

If you guys have pano roof please report in the long run your experiences for future reference.

It seems the problems are across all VAG cars - I read reports about Golf, Octavia and Leon all leaking (even from new) - plus a few other VW cars.

Never had a problem with mine in 3 years of ownership. As mentioned, the roof creaked in the cold, but it might've been the ice itself. No leaks at all.

 

It's worth remembering that the sponge seals around the sunroof aren't meant to be waterproof - they let rain in (slowly) which falls into the gutter inside the roof and runs out through the bodywork... The only potential problem is the seal separating the opening panel and the fixed panel.

22 minutes ago, Jaco2k said:

I was fancying also the panoramic roof and had my eye on a mystery blue Cupra with it, but then I started to read reports about them leaking (sooner or later) even from new.

The seller that sold me my car was a nice fellow at a Seat dealership and when I asked him if it was true what I had read he said "Yeah - they all leak. Never get the pano roof here in Finland."

Might be that on warmer weather it all plays nicely but with the long Finnish winters, and as much as my heart was set on having it, I had to walk away...

 

The car I let go had the exact color I was after (Mystery Blue) and the pano roof.

I wanted a change from white, that I had on the Skoda and is a PIA to keep clean but the only other alternatives were this weird and ugly shade of red (that is even the most expensive color) and I did not like it at all.

 

If you guys have pano roof please report in the long run your experiences for future reference.

It seems the problems are across all VAG cars - I read reports about Golf, Octavia and Leon all leaking (even from new) - plus a few other VW cars.

Hopefully mine won’t leak but it’s under warranty for a few years so I’ll let Skoda fix it should the worst happen. 

 

There’s a lot of seals and moving parts in the pan roof but there’s lots of other mechanical things that could go wrong too. 

 

It is a machine at the end of the day. 

3 minutes ago, EddGee said:

Hopefully mine won’t leak but it’s under warranty for a few years so I’ll let Skoda fix it should the worst happen. 

 

There’s a lot of seals and moving parts in the pan roof but there’s lots of other mechanical things that could go wrong too. 

 

It is a machine at the end of the day. 

 

The source of the problem, from what I read, seems to be the drain holes getting clogged - eventually you notice it when you start to see stains on the headliner so... Keep an eye out.

It seems they replace headliners under warranty, but when the warranty expires...

Edited 31 March, 20188 yr by Jaco2k

Also, miss the electric shade...! I've got to push mine back manually now!

1 minute ago, Jaco2k said:

 

The source of the problem, from what I read, seems to be the drain holes getting clogged - eventually you notice it when you start to see stains on the headliner so... Keep an eye out.

It seems they replace headliners under warranty, but when the warranty expires...

Something to keep an eye out for. I didn’t even think about these. Thanks. 

1 minute ago, EddGee said:

Something to keep an eye out for. I didn’t even think about these. Thanks. 

 

One of the jobs of the "seals" is to filter dirt out before it can get into the drain holes... Obviously, you can't help a build up over time, so it's worth inspecting the gutters periodically

23 hours ago, mumphie said:

Never had a problem with mine in 3 years of ownership. As mentioned, the roof creaked in the cold, but it might've been the ice itself. No leaks at all.

 

It's worth remembering that the sponge seals around the sunroof aren't meant to be waterproof - they let rain in (slowly) which falls into the gutter inside the roof and runs out through the bodywork... The only potential problem is the seal separating the opening panel and the fixed panel.

 

I'm sure this is not a problem in the UK weather but i would guess that when the sun is slowly melting the snow on top of the car and the drains are still frozen because it is -15°C it can cause problems.

Especially when this happens every day for a 3 weeks at this time of the year.

 

I have a sunroof on one of my older cars and it is leaking. I wouldn't buy a car with sunroof here.

On ‎30‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 12:19, Jaco2k said:

I agree with @Black_Sheep - I have no idea what you guys are going on about.

 

The quality on this Cupra is same or superior to the Octavia - the materials are the same.

Is it the difference between plastics being covered in fake carbon or glossy black the gets you?

Stopped buying SEAT's in 2005 because interior quality nose dived to Toyota levels, after running Ibiza GTi 16V with 174BHP and Leon Cupra 1.8T with 230BHP.

1 hour ago, shyVRS245 said:

Stopped buying SEAT's in 2005 because interior quality nose dived to Toyota levels, after running Ibiza GTi 16V with 174BHP and Leon Cupra 1.8T with 230BHP.

 

Sure - but have you seen the FL Cupra trims? 

I sat on my car today at the lights and was looking at every single interior detail - it is mostly the same as the Octavia:

- Instrument cluster looks different but the MDF (is this the right name?) is the exact same

- Entertainment system is the exact same. Arguable if you prefer the glossy look on the new Skoda screens, but those are more reflective and attract even more fingerprints

- the air-conditioning control cluster and all the buttons are the exact same

- the steering wheel is the exact same

- the gear selector is the exact same

- the dash is differently shaped but the material is the same as in Octavia

- the Cupra sport seats are, IMHO, better than the Skoda equivalents, since they are more comfortable and offer more support. Also, the Alcantara finishing makes them softer and more comfortable.

- the door panels have the really nice led light (you can choose many different colours for it) and they have matching Alcantara to the seats where the Octavia has plastic. Other difference is that they have some fabric "carbon" imitation that is also on the seats, as opposed to the Octavia that has a plastic "carbon" imitation.

Taste is subjective, but I find the fabric on the doors is less "ratly" and helps with the sound system - sound quality is miles ahead of what I had in the Skoda, but I had a MIB1, I am aware that MIB2, specially with Canton, sounds quite good too.

 

I accept many have had bad Seat experiences and might be that for the Leon 300 they made some changes.

 

Jumping out of my old VRS into the Leon and then back (which I did a couple of times, cause I test drove 2 Cupras) I could tell the difference in comfort with the interior - mostly due to that extra Alcantara sucking more road noise.

Otherwise - I would be hard pressed to find so great differences between these two interiors.

...pity we are not nearer or I would gladly invite you guys to come check in person

They are cousins and we are splitting hairs if we say one is clearly better than the other.

In the road I only remember I am driving a different car when I put my foot down on the gas.

 

If you have a Seat dealership with a 300 Cupra on it, preferably a ST, just go take a look and you be the judge - but please look at it without preconceptions

3 minutes ago, Jaco2k said:

 

Sure - but have you seen the FL Cupra trims? 

I sat on my car today at the lights and was looking at every single interior detail - it is mostly the same as the Octavia:

- Instrument cluster looks different but the MDF (is this the right name?) is the exact same

- Entertainment system is the exact same. Arguable if you prefer the glossy look on the new Skoda screens, but those are more reflective and attract even more fingerprints

- the air-conditioning control cluster and all the buttons are the exact same

- the steering wheel is the exact same

- the gear selector is the exact same

- the dash is differently shaped but the material is the same as in Octavia

- the Cupra sport seats are, IMHO, better than the Skoda equivalents, since they are more comfortable and offer more support. Also, the Alcantara finishing makes them softer and more comfortable.

- the door panels have the really nice led light (you can choose many different colours for it) and they have matching Alcantara to the seats where the Octavia has plastic. Other difference is that they have some fabric "carbon" imitation that is also on the seats, as opposed to the Octavia that has a plastic "carbon" imitation.

Taste is subjective, but I find the fabric on the doors is less "ratly" and helps with the sound system - sound quality is miles ahead of what I had in the Skoda, but I had a MIB1, I am aware that MIB2, specially with Canton, sounds quite good too.

 

I accept many have had bad Seat experiences and might be that for the Leon 300 they made some changes.

 

Jumping out of my old VRS into the Leon and then back (which I did a couple of times, cause I test drove 2 Cupras) I could tell the difference in comfort with the interior - mostly due to that extra Alcantara sucking more road noise.

Otherwise - I would be hard pressed to find so great differences between these two interiors.

...pity we are not nearer or I would gladly invite you guys to come check in person

They are cousins and we are splitting hairs if we say one is clearly better than the other.

In the road I only remember I am driving a different car when I put my foot down on the gas.

 

If you have a Seat dealership with a 300 Cupra on it, preferably a ST, just go take a look and you be the judge - but please look at it without preconceptions

First MDF stands for Medium Density Fibreboard which I hope you haven't got in your car. My VRS245 hatch comes with standard 3 memory, electric heated alcantara/leather front seats which are very supportive and comfy even on 4 hour journeys and also look great. Finally wife hates all estate cars, because it suggests driver has 2/3 children, company car, salesperson or even worse dog owner and all the smells that go with these wonderful creatures. Ever had a good smell of wet dog!

3 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

First MDF stands for Medium Density Fibreboard which I hope you haven't got in your car. My VRS245 hatch comes with standard 3 memory, electric heated alcantara/leather front seats which are very supportive and comfy even on 4 hour journeys and also look great. Finally wife hates all estate cars, because it suggests driver has 2/3 children, company car, salesperson or even worse dog owner and all the smells that go with these wonderful creatures. Ever had a good smell of wet dog!

 

Moral of the story: We are all happy with our cars and that's how it should be

--edit--

Yeah, pretty sure it is not MDF the word I was looking for

Edited 2 April, 20188 yr by Jaco2k

1 minute ago, Jaco2k said:

 

Moral of the story: We are all happy with our cars and that's how it should be

Agreed, that's the most important thing of all, wife would rather take my VRS to work than her new Karoq, must be the extra 154 BHP!

21 minutes ago, Jaco2k said:

 

Moral of the story: We are all happy with our cars and that's how it should be

--edit--

Yeah, pretty sure it is not MDF the word I was looking for

 

You were close; MFD = Multi Function Display 

2 hours ago, Jaco2k said:

 

Yeah, pretty sure it is not MDF the word I was looking for

 

I knew you were planning to upgrade your subwoofer, that's why you were thinking about MDF...

When I hear the lease deals for the Leon 300 on the radio I'm tempted for a couple of seconds but sadly the reality for me is that the local dealer is a joke shop and I got severely burned by my mk3 Leon FR. Having had my VRS I now know which marque I think has the better quality inside and out. Ive not had a ny faults with my skoda in 2 years, the mrs skoda has been back once because the pano roof cracked. The Leon was bavk in for warranty work at a rate of roughly once every two months, maybe more frequent but I dont want to exaggerate. 

Sat nav that would think it was in wolfsburg, headlights that wouldnt self level (took 3 times turning the car off and removing the key), undiagnosed rear suspension rattle, failed head unit, door cards off due to excessive rattling (4 times, smelled oddly of silicone sealant after the work), binnacle apart to repair a 'known issue' which didnt fix the known issue and then all the dealer issues afterwards.

 

Just my experience but at the moment  Skoda > Seat