The anti-roll bar bushes have just been replaced at 66,500 miles.
A vacuum hose to the master brake cyclinder perished at 65,000 miles causing the brakes to lose assistance periodically.
The air conditioning system required a refill at 50,000 miles, no defect.
Watch the back brake pads, they wear out before the front brakes due to the size of the car.
The recent defects are just wear out of parts. The car has been the most reliable that I have owned.
The 90BHP TDi engine is too slow, ensure that you get at least a 115BHP engine or the new 130BHP TDi.
The car has always delivered 10mile/ltr
fuel economy, even fully loaded when cruising at 120km/hr.
The car has been across the continent, and has never broken down at any time.
The handling is just like a saloon car.
Watch out for the tyres, they are reinforced for the weight of the car and can be expensive to replace.
I have a 1997 1.9 TDi. I agree with the review, I had the anti-roll bar drop links changed twice in 110000 miles, common fault? Agree with rear brakes, I probably spent more on discs and brakes than anything else, mostly due to corrosion and uneven wear. One repair too many and the mileage (nearly 110k) has driven me to swap the car for a newer one; this was when one of the gear shift cables came away from the gear box. The AA man fixed it, but a garage fitted replacement cost over £200. On the plus side, it still has the same battery, engine, gearbox, exhaust, turbo, A/C, computer, etc since new and the paintwork is still in very good nick for a 7 year old car. Just got through the latest MOT without a hitch. Very good overall engineering. Hence, my replacement is another Alhambra 1.9 TDi S.
PS: The alarm/door control computer got drowned when heavy rain got into the car so I took the circuit board out, washed and dried it, and replaced it. After a few odd cycles while the computer sorted itself out, it was back to normal saving £250. The heavy rain got in because the 'plenum' chamber where rain goes off the windscreen got plugged with dirt and overflowed into the car. Check the windscreen drains away cleanly when washing the car.
I have a 1997 Seat Alhambra which has been the most reliable car I have had. I have just replaced the original battery & it is still running on the original exhaust. It has only let me down once when the coil (or HT amp) packed in. It has just gone through the MOT with no problems after 70k miles. I am however just having a problem with the alarm/central locking which sounds like the one experienced in the review (locks going on & off, alarm sounding, windows operating on their own, cannot disable the alarm with the key) Diagnostic check by Seat dealer did not indicate fault. Have been unable to source a service manual to help find where control box etc. are located. Am running with alarm/central locking fuse removed.
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