2004 Seat Altea Reference 1.9TDi from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Sporty and Practical!
Faults:
1. Flywheel went at 39000 miles.
2. Rear screen doesn't demist at 39000 miles
3. Interior light in-operational.
General Comments:
Car was purchased as a mid-way point between something sporty, with a "family-car" orientation. Ticks all the boxes for this as both sporty and practical. Engine from the Audi/Volkswagen departments so should be of good quality. I didn't go for the 2.0Tdi as insurance and costs to run were bit much.
I've had the car for 2 months now. I was disappointed initially as the quality wasn't as good as expected. Fortunately, I had a month on warranty left when I bought the car.
The reason for my disappointment? I was getting vibration through the clutch pedal and so I monitored it over a week or so and eventually it was so bad, I got SEAT to check. The diagnosis was a DMF or dual-mass flywheel replacement. After searching the web I found that this is quite common in VAG group! Fortunately, covered on warranty and therefore saved £500-700!
Performance of the car is good and I really like the "airyness" as the roof is a bit higher than a normal 5-door hatch. Lots of cubby boxes too which is very good, but not sure what to put in them all!
At the moment the economy is not as good as I expected problem getting between 40-45mpg. This is around town though!
The quality of the interior is good... nice dashboard with smart red background and Alfa Romeo looking dials - pretty smart!
Looks good in RED!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th November, 2007
5th Oct 2009, 15:45
At about 58000 miles the rear suspension snapped! I drove off my drive and half of it was just lying on the floor! Not a majorly expensive job, but still!!! I feel the vehicle is showing it isn't the best built. Surprising, since the vehicle is seen to be part of the VAG group. I still like the car to drive, but wonder what will break next.
2nd Feb 2014, 14:27
Update at 102,000 miles. Since the initial problems, the car has performed really well. It still drives well and returns about 45 around town and 50 MPG on a run. The 1.9 TDI still pulls well.
Only issue over the last 50000 miles is a faulty coolant temp sensor, which cost £30 I believe.
If you are looking for a family sporty and nice looking car that drives - I would look no further. Just don't go for the fancy DSG gearboxes - stick with the manual... less to go wrong!
5th May 2009, 15:26
As an update to the above, I am now on 55000 miles and have had a relatively small, but annoying issue. The tailgate boot would not lock down. I tried slamming it and everything, but no good. I realised that the problem lay with the locking mechanism rather than the Seat Badge/switch. This theory was based on the fact that the switch was less likely to break as it had no moving parts. The lock was £45 and I fitted myself in 5 minutes (Although you do have to pull the tailate trim off which is a bit tricky). Working fine now. Otherwise the car is still going strong and proving very practical, but the economy is not brilliant! Would still buy another one in the future.