1999 Seat Alhambra S 1.9 TDi
Summary:
Faulty from day one
Faults:
Water pump, drive-belt failure, wheel bearings, suspension noises, leaks, you name it, it happened to this car.
General Comments:
Back in the early 2000's we had a pretty poor experience with this family MPV. Dull and not fun to own, we had to have it for the extra space.
Bought used but with low mileage and a good dealer history, this car was problematic from the get go. Dealer did some work under warranty, but as the miles and years went by, it was clearly a lemon that had to go.
Clearly based on the VW Sharan/Ford Galaxy from the same time, I knew people with those cars also and they had problems as well. None of these things are reliable. No wonder not many are left.
Good bits? It was not bad to drive and very comfortable and spacious, but that was all.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 6th February, 2023
12th May 2008, 19:10
Hi. Read your comments with interest, especially the part regarding "cruise control".
I found it odd that a main dealer stated that yours didn't have it, as ALL Seat Alhambras had it fitted as standard.
You are right about the tyres too. Mine eats both inner and outer edges on both wheels once a year, even though the laser tracker says all is OK.
Mine didn't like going out in the rain when I first had it. It would pout for 4 days after, then it would start back into life. Anyway, with that sorted, now it likes all the big puddles!
There is an annoying "low noise click" that regularly comes from the steering air-bag area (ON MINE). Don't know why, but I'm not going to say any more about it, as I don't wish to tempt fate!
Overall it's a fantastic car that just swallows all those silly lumps of concrete the government call road humps. It's nice and wide enough to go over the outer edges without too much damage to my back vertebrae, which is good news now, but stops me suing for damage later.
As for economy, I use SAAB phrase "You can't compromise between safety or economy", it's one or the other, so I believe it's worth the cost.
If you're a DIYer, and you are doing the front pads, after removal of the caliper, it is very important to make sure the caliper does not twist when removed; otherwise the brake flexi WILL be in an incorrect position, which WILL lead to the tyre rubbing into it, which WILL cause brake failure eventually. TAKE NOTE OF THE WAY THE FLEXI SITS!
As for wiper blades; £24 a set, BUT if you're a DIYer, pop along to Tesco, where you will find 24" blades for about £4, remove the inserts and fix them into the original wiper blades on the car.
Overall, considering it carries a SEAT badge, you are getting a car where everything comes as standard (unlike the other two), but also one of them supplies the engine (and the body).
I think it is a great road-to-driver communicator, and the seating position height allows you to plan way ahead rather than relying on a wall of steel on wheels in front of you. And there's bags of room underneath, if you ever wish to get an LPG tank fitted.