2003 SKODA FABIA maintenance

Wheels and Tyres193
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Take note of the various national legal provisions which concern the
maximum driving speed with snow chains on.
Note
We recommend that you use snow chains from the Škoda range of
genuine accessories.

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Breakdown assistance
Breakdown assistance
First-aid box* and warning triangle*
The first-aid box is attached by a strap to the left-hand side of the luggage
compartment or can be housed in a special bag which is an original Skoda
acessory.
The warning triangle is stored in a textile bag. There is a velcro fastener
on the underside of the textile bag. The textile bag is fixed lengthwise (in
the direction of travel) on the floor behind the rear seats with the help of
the velcro fastener in such a way that it lies against the right-hand side of
the luggage compartment.
Individual parts of the equipment (the first-aid box, etc.) are stored on
vehicles which do not have a spare wheel by placing them in a plastic sleeve and fixing them to the floor of the luggage compartment using
velcro fasteners.
Room for the warning triangle and first-aid box on vehicles of the type
estate car
is found in the well under the carpet of the luggage compart-
ment behind the spare wheel.
The warning triangle on vehicles of the type sedan is located in the lower
part of the boot lid ⇒fig. 138.
Other types have the warning triangle located in the well under the carpet
of the luggage compartment.
Note
Pay attention to the use-by-date of the contents of the first-aid box.
Fire extinguisher*
The fire extinguisher is attached with a strap and a holder to the boot lid.
Please read carefully the instructions which are attached to the fire
extinguisher.
The fire extinguisher must be checked by an authorised person or
company annually (please observe the various differing legal require-
ments).
Fig. 138 Placing of the
warning triangle in the
boot lid (on a sedan)

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the vehicle immediately.
Please read the attached instructions care-
fully before the repair.
The spray for repairing a tyre is located with the warning triangle in a bag.
There is a velcro fastener on the underside of the bag. The bag is fixed to
the floor of the luggage compartment with the aid of the velcro fastener in
such a way that the side of the bag lies against the right-hand side of the
luggage compartment and the rear seat.
The spray bottle in vehicles of the type estate car and sedan is placed
in the spare wheel well under the luggage compartment floor behind the
spare wheel.
Note
Vehicles which do not have a spare wheel have the spray bottle stored in
a box under the luggage compartment floor.
Tyre repair kit*
The tyre repair kit is intended for the repair of minor tyre defects. The tyre
repair kit contains a compressor, inflation bottle, operating instructions
and accessories.
The repair with the tyre repair kit is not at all intended to replace a
permanent repair on the tyre, this repair only serves to reach the next
workshop. The repair can be undertaken on the vehicle immediately.
Please read the attached instructions carefully before the repair.
The tyre repair kit is located in a textile bag. There is a velcro fastener on
the underside of the bag. The bag is fixed to the floor of the luggage
compartment with the aid of the velcro fastener in such a way that the side
of the bag lies against the right-hand side of the luggage compartment and
the rear seat. The spray bottle in
vehicles of the type estate car and sedan is placed
in the spare wheel well under the luggage compartment floor behind the
spare wheel.
Spare wheel*
The spare wheel lies in a well under the luggage compartment floor and
is fixed in place along with the vehicle tool kit box using special screws
⇒ fig. 141 .
One should check the air pressure in the spare wheel (at best when
generally checking the tyre air pressures - see sign on the fuel filler
flap ⇒page 169) to ensure that the spare wheel is always ready to use.
Unidirectional tyres*
If you have such tyres on your vehicle, please refer to the notes below:
Fig. 141 Luggage
compartment: Spare
wheel

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Changing a wheel
Always change a wheel on a leve l surface as far as possible.
– Remove the full wheel trim* ⇒page 200.
– In the case of light alloy wheels remove the wheel trim cap ⇒page 200.
– Slacken the wheel bolts ⇒page 201.
– Jack up the vehicle until the wheel to be changed is clear of the ground ⇒page 201.
– Unscrew the wheel bolts and place them on a clean surface (cloth, paper etc.).
– Take off the wheel.
– Fit on the spare wheel and tighten the wheel bolts slightly.
– Lower the car.
– Tighten the wheel bolts firmly, alternately and diagonally using the wheel wrench ⇒page 201.
– Fit the full wheel trim/wheel trim cap.
Note
•All bolts must be clean and must turn easily.
•You must never grease or oil the wheel bolts!
Subsequent steps
After changing the wheel, you must perform the following steps.
– Stow and attach the replaced wheel in the spare wheel well.
– Stow the vehicle tool kit in the space provided.
–Check the tyre pressure on the spare wheel just mounted as
soon as possible.
– Have the tightening torque of the wheel bolts checked with
a torque wrench as soon as possible. Steel and light alloy
wheels must be tightened to a tightening torque of 120 Nm.
– Have the defective tyre repaired as soon as possible.
Note
•If you find, when changing the wheel, that the wheel bolts are corroded
and difficult to turn, the bolts must be replaced before checking the tight-
ening torque.
•Drive cautiously and only at a moderate speed to a workshop where
the tightening torque can be checked.
WARNING
It is necessary to observe the guidelines given on ⇒page 189,
“New tyres and wheels” if the vehicle is subsequently fitted with
tyres which are different to those it was fitted with at the works.

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Slackening and tightening wheel bolts
Slacken the wheel bolts before jacking up the vehicle.
Slackening wheel bolts
– Push the wheel wrench fully onto the wheel bolt
4).
– Grasp the end of the wrench and turn the bolt about one turn
to the left ⇒fig. 144 .
Tightening wheel bolts
– Push the wheel wrench fully onto the wheel bolt
4).
– Grasp the end of the wrench and turn the bolt to the right until it is tight. Note
Apply pressure carefully with your
foot to the end of the wheel wrench if
it proves difficult to slacken the wheel bolts. Hold tight on the vehicle when
doing this and ensure that you have a steady position.
Car jack
You have to raise the vehicle with a lifting jack in order to
be able to take off the wheel.
4)Use the appropriate adapter for slackening and tightening the safety wheel bolts
⇒ page 202.
Fig. 144 Changing a
wheel: Slackening
wheel bolts
WARNING
Slacken the wheel bolts only a little (about one turn) as long as the
vehicle has not yet been jacked up - risk of an accident!.
Fig. 145 Changing a
wheel: Points for posi-
tioning car jack

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– Have the tightening torque checked with a torque wrench as
soon as possible. Steel and light alloy wheels must be tight-
ened to a tightening torque of 120 Nm.
The safety wheel bolts on vehicles fitted with them (one safety wheel bolt
per wheel) can only be loosened or tighten up by using the adapter
provided.
It is meaningful to note the code number hammered into the rear side of
the adapter or the rear side of the safety wheel bolts. You can obtain a
replacement adapter from a Škoda Dealer, if necessary, by quoting this
number.
We recommend that you always carry the adapter for the wheel bolts with
you in the vehicle. It should be stowed in the vehicle tool kit.
Caution
Damage can occur to the adapter and safety wheel bolt if the safety wheel
bolt is tightened up too much.
Note
The set of safety wheel bolts can be obtained from your Skoda dealer as
an original accessory.
Jump-starting
Initial steps
You can use the battery of another vehicle for jump-starting yours if the
engine does not start because the battery on your vehicle is flat. You will
require jump-start cables for this purpose. Both batteries must have a rated voltage of 12 V. The
capacity (Ah) of the
battery supplying the power must not be significantly less than the
capacity of the discharged battery in your vehicle.
Jump-start cables
Only use jump-start cables which have an adequately large cross-section
and insulated terminal clamps. Please pay attention to the manufacturer's
instructions.
Positive cable - colour coding in the majority of cases red.
Negative cable - colour coding in the majority of cases black.
Note
•There must not be any contact between the two vehicles otherwise
current may flow as soon as the negative terminals are connected.
•The discharged battery must be properly connected to the system of
the vehicle.
•Switch off any installed telephone and also pay attention to the instruc-
tions for use of the telephone in such a situation.
•We recommend purchasing jump-start cables from a Skoda dealer as
an original accessory or from retailers who sell branded batteries.
WARNING
•A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just
below 0°C. It is essential to thaw out a frozen battery before you
connect the jump-start cables - risk of an explosion!
•Please pay attention to the warning instructions relating to
working in the engine compartment ⇒page 172.

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Tow-starting and towing vehicle
General
Please pay attention to the following instructions if you are going
to use a tow rope:
Driver of the towing vehicle
– Do not drive off until the tow rope is taught.
– Release the clutch particularly gently when starting off or
depress the accelerator particularly gently if your vehicle is
fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Driver of the towed vehicle
– Switch the ignition on so that the steering wheel is not blocked and you can also operate the turn signal lights, the headlight
flasher, the windscreen wipers and windscreen washer
system.
– Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position N if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
– Note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the engine is running. You will require significantly greater
physical force to depress the brake pedal and to steer the
vehicle if the engine is not running.
– Ensure that the tow rope is always kept taught.
Tow rope or tow bar
A tow bar is safest way of towing a vehicle and also minimizes any
shocks. You can use a tow rope only if a suitable tow bar is not available.
The tow rope must be elastic to protect the vehicle. Thus one should only
use plastic fibre rope or a rope made out of a similarly elastic material.
Only attach the tow rope to the towing eyes provided for this purpose
⇒ page 206, “Front towing eye” and ⇒page 207, “Rear towing eye”.
Driving style
Towing another vehicle requires a certain amount of practice. Both drivers
should be familiar with the particular points about towing a vehicle.
Unskilled drivers should not attempt to tow-start or tow in another vehicle.
One should be constantly vigilant not to allow impermissibly high towing
forces or jerky loadings. There is always a risk of excessive stresses and
damage resulting at the points to which you attach the tow rope or tow bar
when you attempt to tow a vehicle which is not standing on a paved road.
Caution
If the gearbox of your vehicle no longer contains any oil because of a
defect, your vehicle must only be towed in with the driven wheels raised
clear of the ground, or on a special vehicle transporter or trailer.
Note
•Please comply with any legal requirements particularly regarding the
switched on signal systems, when towing in or tow-starting another
vehicle.
•The tow rope must not be twisted as it may in certain circumstances
result in the front towing eye being unscrewed out of your vehicle.

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Rear towing eye
The rear towing eye is located below the rear bumper on the right
⇒fig. 150 .
Tow-starting a vehicle
The following points should be observed by the driver of the
vehicle vehicle being towed before tow-starting begins:
– Engage 2nd or 3rd gear with the vehicle stationary.
– Depress the clutch pedal fully and keep it depressed.
– Switch on the ignition.
– Wait until both vehicles are moving then release the clutch
pedal slowly. – Depress the clutch pedal fully when the engine fires and take
the vehicle out of gear.
First make an attempt to start the engine using the battery of another
vehicle if the engine does not start ⇒page 203. You can try tow-starting
the vehicle if this attempt to start the engine does not prove successful.
Towing your vehicle causes the engine to start through the motion of the
driven wheels.
Models fitted with an automatic gearbox must not be tow-started at all for
technical reasons
Caution
•Vehicles which are fitted with a catalytic converter should not be tow-
started over a distance of more than 50 metres. Unburnt fuel may get into
the catalytic converter and damage it.
•Tow-starting a vehicle is not recommended (even when observing the
guidelines outlined in this chapter) since it may, under certain circum-
stances, lead to major damage to the engine. One should attempt to start
the engine using jump start cables or call on the services of the SERVICE
mobile.
Towing in a vehicle fitted with a manual gearbox
Please refer to the notes ⇒page 205.
Fig. 150 Rear towing
eye
WARNING
There is high risk of having an accident when tow-starting a
vehicle, when for example the towed vehicle runs into the towing
vehicle.