2004 SKODA FABIA Owner's Manual

Lights and Visibility
64
Juddering or smearing of the wiper blades could be due to wax residues
left on the windscreen by vehicle washing in automatic vehicle wash
systems. It is therefore important to degrease the lips of the winscreen
wiper blades after every pass through an automatic vehicle wash
system .
WARNING
•If the windscreen wipers are handled carelessly, there is a risk
of damage to the windscreen.
•You should clean the wiper blades regularly with a windscreen
cleaner in order to avoid any smears. Clean a wiper blade with a
sponge or cloth if it is very dirty, for example from insect residues.
•Replace the windscreen wiper blades once or twice a year for
safety reasons. Windscreen wiper blades are available from Škoda
dealers.
Replacing the wiper blade on the rear window wiper
Taking off the wiper blade
– Fold the window wiper arm away ⇒fig. 44 .
– Hold the window wiper arm at the top end with one hand.
– Take hold of the wiper blade with the other hand and pull the wiper blade in the direction of arrow .
Attaching a wiper blade
– Interlock the wiper blade into the window wiper arm - see arrow .
The same remarks apply here as for ⇒page 63, “Replacing wiper blades
for the windscreen wipers”.
Fig. 44 Wiper blade for
the rear window
AA
AB

Lights and Visibility65
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Rear-view mirror
You can adjust the exterior mirrors electrically*.
Adjust the reverse view mirror before commencing to drive so
that there is a clear view to the rear.
Dimming the interior mirror
– Pull the lever on the bottom edge of the mirror toward rear (the
lever on the interior mirror must point forwards in it home posi-
tion).
Heating of the external mirror*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
 ⇒ fig. 45 . Adjusting left and right exterior mirrors*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
. The movement of the mirror
surface is identical to the movement of the rotary knob. The
right hand exterior mirror is adjusted at the same time on vehi-
cles with electrically operated power windows.
Adjusting the right-h and exterior mirror*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
. The movement of the mirror
surface is identical to the movement of the rotary knob.
The exterior mirror heater only operates when the engine is running.
WARNING
•Convex (curved outward) or aspherical exterior mirrors
increase the vision field. They do, however, make objects appear
smaller in the mirror. These mirrors are only of limited use, there-
fore, for estimating distances to the following vehicles.
•Use whenever possible the interior rear mirror, for estimating
the distances to the following vehicles.
Note
•Do not touch the surface of the exterior mirrors if the exterior mirror
heater is switched on.
•You can set the exterior mirrors by hand, if the power setting function
fails at any time, by pressing on the edge of the mirror surface.
•Contact your Škoda dealer if a fault exists with the power setting of the
exterior mirrors.
Fig. 45 Inner part of
door: Rotary knob

Seats and Stowage
66
Seats and Stowage
Front seats
Basic information
The front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be
matched to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger.
Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for
•safely and quickly reaching the controls,
•a relaxed, fatigue-free body position,
•achieving the maximum protection offered by the seat belts and
the airbag system.
The chapters which follow describe the procedure which you should adopt
for adjusting the seats.
WARNING
•Never transport more occupants than the maximum seating in
the vehicle.
•Each occupant must correctly fasten the seat belt belonging to
the seat. Children must be fastened ⇒page 140, “Transporting
children safely” with a suitable restraint system.
•The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted
to match the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts
must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal
protection for you and your occupants.
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being
driven - never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the
window or on the surfaces of the seats. This is particularly impor- tant for the front seat passenger. You will be exposed to increased
risk of injury if it becomes nece
ssary to apply the brake or in the
event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal
injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!
•It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a
distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel.
Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag
system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard! The front
seats and the head restraints must always also be correctly
adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
•Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects
may get behind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre.
You would then no longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or
accelerate.
WARNING (continued)

Seats and Stowage67
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Adjusting the front seats
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever ⇒fig. 46 up and push the seat into the
desired position.
– Release the lever and push the seat further until the lock is heard to engage.
Adjusting height of seat*
– Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever downwards. Adjusting angl
e of backrest
– Relieve any pressure on the backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the handwheel to adjust the angle of the backrest.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be
pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that
the upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly
bent arms.
WARNING
•Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk
of injury!
•Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without
care can lead to bruises or injuries.
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving
otherwise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of
the airbag system - risk of injury!
Fig. 46 Controls at
seat
A1
A1
A2
A2
A3

Seats and Stowage
68
Head restraintsAdjusting the height of a head restraint
– Grasp the side of the head restraint with both hands and push
it up or down in direction of arrow ⇒fig. 47 . Best protection
is achieved if the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head ⇒page 119, fig. 99 .
Adjusting the angle of a head restraint*
– The head restraint can be matched to the head of the occu- pant by adjusting the angle in the direction of the arrow
⇒fig. 47. Adjusting the angle of the head restraint provides
enhanced comfort for the user.
Removing and installing a head restraint
– Pull the head restraint up out of the backrest of the seat as far as the stop (on the rear head restraints fold down the seat
backrest).
– Press the locking button in the direction of arrow ⇒fig. 48 and
pull the head restraint out.
– To re-insert the head restraint, push it down into the backrest of the seat far enough until you hear the locking button
engage.
The head restraints on the front seats can be adjusted for tipping angle*
and height. The outer head restraints are not adjustable for height. The
middle rear head restraint* is adjustable in two positions ⇒page 69.
The head restraints must be adjusted to match the size of the seat occu-
pant. Correctly adjusted head restraints together with the seat belts offer
effective protection for the occupants.
Fig. 47 Adjusting head
restraint
Fig. 48 Removing a
head restraint
AA
AB

Seats and Stowage69
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
WARNING
•The head restraints must be correctly adjusted in order to offer
effective protection for the occupants in the event of an accident.
•Do not drive under any circumstance with removed head
restraints - risk of injury!
Middle rear head restraint*
The middle head restraints can be adjusted to two settings, the upper one
and the lower one. The upper setting is interlocked into place.
You must always press the securing button ⇒fig. 49 when removing the
head restraint and when pushing it out of the upper setting into the lower
setting.
WARNING
The head restraint on the middle rear seat must always be in the
upper locked position when someone is sitting there.
Heating the front seats*
The seating and leaning surfaces of the front seats can be heated
when the ignition is switched on.
Front seats
– Heating on the driver's ⇒fig. 50 and front pasenger's seat
can be switched on and regulated by turning the control dial
as required.
Fig. 49 Rear seats: the
position of the middle
head restraints
Fig. 50 Dash panel:
Control dial for heating
the front seats

Seats and Stowage
70
– The system is switched off by turning the control dial to the home position “0”.
Caution
•You should not kneel on the seats or otherwise apply pressure at
specific points in order to avoid damaging the heating elements of the seat
heaters.
•Do not clean the seats moist ⇒page 175.
Note
The seat heating should only be switched on when the engine is running.
This has a significant effect of saving on the battery capacity.
Rear seats
Folding the rear seats forwards
Fig. 51 Folding the
rear seats forwards
Fig. 52 Unlock the seat
backrests

Seats and Stowage71
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
The rear seats and the seat ba ckrest can be folded forwards to
increase the volume of the luggage compartment ⇒page 72.
Both parts of the bank can be folded forward individually on vehi-
cles with a divided rear seat*.
Folding the rear seat forwards
– In order to avoid causing any damage when folding the rear seat forward it is important to adjust the front seats so that no
damage can occur when this is done.
– Pull up the rear seats in the direction of arrow ⇒page 70,
fig. 51 and fold forwards in direction of arrow .
– Pull up the unlocking knob on the seat backrest and fold the seat backrest forwards ⇒page 70, fig. 52.
– Pull the head restraints out of the seat backrest.
– The head restraints can be inserted into the relevant holes of the folded forwards rear seats ⇒fig. 53 .
– Fold the seat backrest forwards completely.
Folding the rear seat back into position
– Install the head restraints in the partially lifted rear seat back- rest.
– Then push the seat backrest back into the upright position until it clicks into place - check by pulling on it.
– Fold the rear seats back into its original position. WARNING
•The belt lock and pelvic belt must be in their original position
after folding back the rear seats and seat backrest - they must be
ready to use.
•The seat backrests must be securely interlocked in position so
that no objects in the luggage compartment can slide forward if
there is sudden braking - risk of injury.
•Ensure that the seat backrest on the rear seats is securely inter-
locked in position when the vehicle is fitted with three-point safety
belts for the middle rear seat. It is only then that the three-point seat
belt can reliably fulfil its function.
Inserting a head restraint in the rear seats
– The rear head restraints can be inserted into the relevant holes of the folded forwards rear seats.
A1
A2
Fig. 53 Rear seats:
Head restraint in rear
seats