2001 Seat Ibiza Chill from UK and Ireland - Comments

Bought this car yesterday (2002 SEAT Ibiza Chill 1.4 manual) at 42k miles. Got a decent price for it I think (£2.5k) and all seems to be in great condition, apart from the clutch, which is extremely stuff.

It had a full SEAT service in late March this year, and so it would seem odd for them to simply ignore this unless it wasn't a problem, and this is why I bought it. Of course it could have developed since then, but I took that risk.

My mechanic friend who hasn't been able to drive it yet said it may be simply a stuff mechanism or it could be a sign that the clutch is on the way out. However he said if it was indeed on the way out it may take a very long time, it's difficult to tell.

My biting point on the clutch is quite low still, but I'm not sure if that's any indicator.

Either way, I'm not going to be putting in a new one until this one breaks, I'm pretty much just going to have to get used to driving with a super-stuff clutch.

I bought my 2001 Ibiza about a month ago, and have not really had any problems. A few days after I bought it, I did about 500 miles in a couple of days and had no problems, although when I go above about 60, I do hear a random whining sound from under the bonnet. Took it to a repair shop and they said it could be the tensioner, although there is the probability it could have been one of many things. I then took it to another garage where my friend is a mechanic and he said that it's nothing to worry about. I've done over a thousand miles with that little noise, but it hasn't gotten any worse, so I'm not worried.

It also had an amazingly stiff clutch when I bought it (I test drove 3 different Ibizas of the same age and stature, and they all had the same problem) but after my friend looked at it he 'made a couple of adjustments to the clutch to make it last longer', and since then it's been a very good car to drive, with no more stiff clutch! I think if you take the car to a local garage with people you know you can trust (as opposed to a SEAT dealer), then they will sort out a lot of your problems nice and cheap!

Hey guys, I was a Seat mechanic for 9 years..

Not going to lie to you guys, but the gear boxes in Seats are crap.. I own a 99 Ibiza; had it since new. I have fitted 5 gear boxes to it and 3 clutches.. and let's not forget about the clutch cable; fitted 49 since new... clutch bracket broken 4 times (clutch pedal falls to floor)... mostly what I noticed was the clutch cables were put on too tight, slacken them of slightly give a small amount of play in clutch pedal.. if they're too tight you put strain on the bracket, which can lead to it breaking...

Not much I can say about the gear box though; stripped hundreds of them, fitted new gears and they still do the same thing 6 months down the line..

If you check the gear oil regularly and check the clutch cable, you should not have any problems. I have had none since I started doing regular checks.. Hope this helps you guys.

If only I'd read this survey last Tuesday!

My faithful old Mazda 626 (cost me £500 and never missed a beat in 30,000 miles) gave up the ghost and I bought a very smart looking '99 Ibiza 1.9 TDi for £1000. I can't complain to the seller because he was honest about it being hard to get into gear when the car was cold, and the rest of the car and engine seemed perfect. But boy is it hard! It really clunks.

It's going to be a major problem booking it in while I need it to commute every day, but it sounds like it's going to have to happen sooner rather than later.

Fiddlesticks!

I think it's the inner protective sleeve that makes the clutch cable stiff. To be honest, they should just make the cable thicker and coat it in something so it slides more freely.

I'm looking to buy a second hand car in Greece and have come across a SEAT 1.4 Ibiza (2001) model. It has 78.000km and a REALLY stiff clutch. I've asked them to fix it before I buy it, but after reading all these comments about the clutch in general I'm a bit worried... should I bother?

Exactly the same issues the clutch. Had it repaired and worked lovely for a few days, nice and loose, then all of a sudden rock solid again. This comes 1000 miles after the clutch pedal box goes and breaks (pedal fell to floor and locked in gear) breakdown job. Don't get me wrong, they are nice cars, but come on, is every Ibiza Seat have ever built going to have a naff clutch?

SORT IT OUT SEAT.

I have owned a Seat Ibiza from new. It is now 8 years old and I think it's a great car, we had a new water pump two years ago, but apart from the usual tyres and brakes, it has been excellent. No issues with the clutch or gearbox, it is very nifty and smooth at high speeds and very economical. I love it and would recommend them.

I have just test drove a 2001 1.4 Ibiza and it does seem the clutches on all of them are naff. Not only was it stiff as hell, but the biting point was way high. I spoke to a mechanic mate and he said that all seats of that age have really stiff clutches, so I have decided to ignore it as a huge problem and just learnt to drive it the way it is.

I've had my 2001 1.4 Seat Ibiza for nearly 3 years now and it's been a nightmare the whole time!

Having clutch/gearbox problems at the moment and considering getting rid!

Wouldn't recommend these cars at all...

Don't buy one of these cars! Got mine around 6 months ago with 40k on the clock. I've had to put in a new pedal box, clutch, clutch cable, spark plugs, coil pack, and well well well, the exhaust just broke, and guess what, it needs a full new exhaust. Due to the year of the car, the exhaust is all one piece rather than 3 parts. Now saying that, after I got the clutch done, it's super soft, no stiffness. But stay clear of Seat Ibizas, get a Ford LOL.