2003 SKODA FABIA wiper

Care and cleaning
160
Automatic vehicle wash systems
The paintwork of the vehicle is sufficiently resistant that the vehicle can be
washed normally in automatic vehicle wash plants without any problem.
The actual stress to which the paintwork is subjected, however, depends
greatly on the design of the vehicle wash system, the filtering of the water
and the type of washing and care products used. If the paintwork of your
vehicle appears mat after being washed or even has scratches, point this
out to the operator of the vehicle wash plant. Use a different vehicle wash
plant, if necessary.
There are no particular points to note before washing your vehicle in such
a plant other than the usual precautionary measures (closing windows
and sliding/tilting roof, releasing and moving any factory-fitted aerials for
the radio* and navigation system* and telephone system* so that they are
flat against the bodywork, etc.).
It is best to first consult the operator of the vehicle wash plant if you have
any particular attached parts fitted to your vehicle - such as spoiler, roof
rack system or a two-way radio aerial.
It is important to degrease the lips of the windscreen wiper rubbers after
passing through the automatic vehicle wash system.
Caution
Do not screw the swivelling down roof aerial tight before washing the
vehicle in an automatic vehicle wash system - risk of damage!
Washing vehicle by hand
It is important to first soften the dirt with plenty of water and rinse it off as
thoroughly as possible before washing your vehicle by hand.
One should then clean the vehicle using a soft washing sponge,
washing glove or a washing brush and only slight pressure. Work from
the top to the bottom - beginning with the roof. Only place slight pressure
on the vehicle paintwork during cleaning Only use a shampoo for stub-
born dirt.
Wash out the sponge or washing glove thoroughly at short intervals.
Clean wheels, door sills and similar parts last. Use a second sponge for
such areas.
Rinse off the vehicle well after giving it a wash and dry it off using a
chamois leather.
Caution
•Do not wash your vehicle in bright sunlight - risk of paint damage.
•Ensure that the jet of water is not aimed directly at the locks or at the
door and panel joints if you spray your vehicle in winter down with a hose
- risk of freezing.
•Do not use any insect sponges, rough kitchen sponges or similar
cleaning products - risk of damage to the surface of paintwork.
WARNING
When washing your vehicle in the winter: Water and ice in the
brake system can affect the braking efficiency - risk of accident.
WARNING
•The ignition should always be switched off when you wash your
vehicle - risk of accident!
•Protect your hands and arms from sharp-edged metal parts
when you are cleaning the underfloor, the inside of the wheel hous-
ings or the wheel trims - risk of cuts.

Inspecting and Replenishing
172
Opening the bonnet
– Unlock the bonnet ⇒page 171, fig. 123 .
– Ensure that the arms of the windscreen wipers are correctly in place against the windscreen before opening the bonnet
otherwise damage could occur to the paintwork.
– Pulling on the handle ⇒page 171, fig. 124 will lock the bonnet
fully.
– Grip with the hand under the radiator grille and lift up the bonnet.
– Take the bonnet support out of its holder and set it in the opening designed for it ⇒page 171, fig. 125 .
Closing the bonnet
– Lift the bonnet slightly and unhook the bonnet support. Press the bonnet support into the holder designed to hold it.
– Allow the bonnet to drop from a height of about 30 cm into the lock - bonnet do not press down on it! Caution
•Never open the bonnet using the handle - danger of causing damage.
•Before opening the bonnet, ensure that the arms of the windscreen
wipers are correctly in place against the windscreen. Otherwise, there is
a risk of damage to the paintwork.
Working in the engine compartment
Particular care is required when carrying out any work in
the engine compartment!
There is a risk of injuries, scalding, accidents and fire when working
in the engine compartment, e.g. inspecting and replenishing oil and
other fluids. For this reason, it is essential to comply with the
warning instructions stated below and with the general applicable
rules of safety. The engine compartment of your car is a hazardous
area ⇒ .
WARNING
•Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is
flowing out of the engine compartment - risk of scalding! Wait long
enough until the steam or coolant has stopped escaping.
•For safety reasons, the bonnet must always be properly closed
when driving. One should therefore check that the lock has in fact
engaged properly after closing the bonnet.
WARNING (continued)
•Stop your vehicle immediately while driving if you notice that
the lock is not properly engaged and close the bonnet properly -
risk of an accident!
WARNING
•Switch off the engine and pull out the ignition key.
•Apply the handbrake firmly.
•If your vehicle is fitted with a manual gearbox, move the gear-
shift lever into Neutral, or if it is fitted with automatic gearbox,
move the selector lever into position P.

Inspecting and Replenishing185
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
Disconnecting and reconnecting the battery
On disconnecting and reconnecting the battery the following functions are
initially deactivated or are no longer able to operate fault-free.
We recommend having the vehicle checked by a Škoda dealer to ensure
full functionality of all electrical systems.
Replacing the battery
You should only replace a battery with a new battery of the same capacity,
voltage (12 V), amperage and of the same size. Škoda dealers have a
range of suitable batteries available.
We recommend that you only have an old battery disposed of by your
Skoda dealer since it does require special disposal.
For the sake of the environment
Batteries contain poisonous substances such as sulphuric acid and lead.
They must be disposed of in accordance with local environmental protec-
tion regulations and on no account as domestic waste.
Windscreen Wiper and Washer System
The windshield washer reservoir contains the cleaning fluid for the wind-
screen or rear window and for the headlamp cleaning system*. The reser-
voir is located at the front left of the engine compartment ⇒fig. 134.
The filling level of the container is 2 litres, 5.5 litres on vehicles which also
have a headlight washing system.
Clear water is not sufficient to intensively clean the windscreen and head-
lights. We therefore recommend using clean washing water together with
a screen cleaner (in winter with antifreeze as well) which is capable of
removing stubborn dirt. Follow the instructions for use on the packaging
when using screen cleaning products.
You should always add antifreeze to the cleaning water in winter even if
your vehicle is fitted with heated windscreen washer nozzles*.
It is also possible in exceptional cases to use methylated spirits when no
screen cleaner with antifreeze is available. The concentration of methyl-
OperationMeasure
Power windows⇒ page 48
Enter radio code numbersee Radio Operating Instruc-
tions
Set hours⇒page 16
The data in the multi-functional indica-
tor* will be deleted.⇒page 17Fig. 134 Engine
compartment: Wind-
shield washer fluid
reservoir

Breakdown assistance205
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
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.

Fuses and light bulbs211
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
No.Power consumerAmperes
1Instrument cluster, ESP5
2Brake lights10
3Power supply for the diagnostics, air-conditioning
system5
4Interior lighting10
5Door warning light5
6Lights and Visibility5
7Engine electronics, power-assisted steering5
8Not assigned
9Lambda probe10
10S-contact a)5
11Electrically adjustable rear mirror b)5
12Ventilation system, air-conditioning system, Xenon
headlight5
13Reversing light10
14Diesel engine control unit10
15Headlight cleaning system, window wiper10
16Instrument cluster5
17Petrol engine - control unit c)5
18Telephone5
19Automatic gearbox10
20Control unit for lamp failure5
21Heated windscreen washer nozzles5
22Not assigned
23Right main beam10
24Engine electronics10
25Control unit for ABS, TCS
control unit for ESP5
10
26Not assigned
27Not assigned
28Cruise control, switch for the brake and clutch pedal5
29Not assigned
30Main beam on the left and indicator light10
31Central locking system - door lock for the boot lid10
32Rear window wiper10
33Parking light on the right5
34Parking light on the left5
35Injector - petrol engine10
36Licence plate light5
37Rear fog light and indicator light5
38Heating of the external mirror5
39Rear window heater20
40Horn20
41Front window wiper20
42Cigarette lighter, power socket15
43Central control unit, selector lever lock for the auto-
matic gearbox20
44Turn signals15
No.Power consumerAmperes

Index
230
Setting temperature
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
The air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . 91
Setting the clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Shifting gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Starting engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 after fuel tank has run empty . . . . . . . . . . 98
Storage compartment Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Storage facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Switch on the driver's door Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Switching the engine off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
T
Taking care of your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
The air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Inspecting the electrolyte level . . . . . . . 183
Operation in winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
The radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
The roof luggage rack system . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Thickness of brake pads Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Towing a vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Tow-starting a vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Traction Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Transporting children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Turn signal system for vehicles towing a trailer Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Turn signals Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Two-way radio systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Type plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
U
Underbody protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
V
Vanity mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Vehicle data sticker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Vehicle immobiliserWarning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
W
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Warning symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Warning triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Washing vehicle by hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Wheel rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Windscreen Wiper and Washer System . . . 185
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Windshield washer fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . 185 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Winter tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Wiper blades Replacing windscreen wiper blades . . . . . 60
X
Xenon headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212