
Transporting children safely 171
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
•Please comply with any differin g national legal regulations
regarding the use of child safety seats.
Child safety seats in Group 3
For children of about 7 years of age weighing between 22 and 36 kg and
of a height of less than 150 cm, the optimal solution is a child safety seat
(seat bolster) in combination with the three-point seat belt ⇒fig. 147 .
Children of more than 150 cm in height may use the seat belts fitted to the
vehicle without a seat bolster.
WARNING
•When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please
comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use
of child safety seats. If required, the airbag has to be deactivated,
−by allowing a Škoda dealer to do this
− or by using the switch for the front passenger airbag*
⇒ page 162.
•The shoulder part of the seat belt must run approximately
across the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the chest.
It must on no account run across the neck. The lap part of the seat
belt must run across the pelvis and fits snugly; it must not run over
the belly. Tighten the belt webbing over your hip if necessary.
•Please comply with any differ ing national legal regulations
regarding the use of child safety seats.
Attaching child safety seat
Child seat protection
You can block the three-point seat belt in order to attach a
child safety seat.
You can permanently block the three-point seat belt in order to
attach a child safety seat. Blocking the belt in this way ensures
that the child seat is held firmly in position in the car.
Activating child seat protection
– Attach the child safety seat with the three-point seat belt as stated in the instructions of the manufacturer of the child seat.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 147 Child seat in
Group 3 installed on
the rear seat facing the
direction of travel

Towing a trailer
190
Towing a trailer
Towing a trailer
Technical requirements
The towing device must satisfy certain technical require-
ments.
Your vehicle is designed primarily for transporting persons and luggage.
It can, however, also be used for towing a trailer - provided certain tech-
nical equipment is fitted.
If your vehicle has already been supplied with a factory-fitted towing
device then everything that is necessary for towing a trailer in technical
terms, and in terms of the law, has already been taken into account.
Your vehicle is fitted with a 13-pin power socket for the electrical connec-
tion between the vehicle and trailer. If the trailer which you wish to tow has
a 7-pin connector , you can use a suitable adapter cable. You can obtain
such an adapter from a Škoda dealer.
This work must be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's
specifications if a towing device is retrofitted.
Škoda dealers are familiar with details relating to retrofitting a towing
device and for any necessary modifications to the cooling system.
WARNING
We recommend that you have the towing device installed by a
Škoda dealer. He is familiar with all the relevant details relating to
retrofitting such equipment. There is a risk of an accident if the
towing device is not properly fitted!
General Maintenance
There are a number of points to pay attention to when
towing a trailer.
Trailer load
The permissible trailer load must on no account be exceeded.
You can negotiate appropriately steeper inclines and descents if you do
not make full use of the permissible trailer load.
The trailer loads specified only apply for altitudes up to 1 000 metres
above mean sea level. The fact that the engine power output drops with
increasing height due to a lowering of air pressure and thus the ability to
climb, means that the towed weight must be reduced by 10% for every
further increase of 1 000 metres in height above sea level. The towed
weight is the weight of the (laden) vehicle and the (laden) trailer together.
One should take this into account before driving up to higher altitudes.
The trailer and drawbar load information on the type plate of the
towing device are merely test data for the towing device The data
relating to your vehicle, which is often less than this test data, can
be found in your vehicle registration documents or in the brochure -
Technical Data .
Distribution of the load
Distribute the load in the trailer in such a way that any heavy items are
located as close as possible to the axle. Secure the items to prevent them
slipping.

Inspecting and Replenishing209
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
– Allow the bonnet to drop from a height of about 30 cm into the
lock - bonnet do not press down on it!
The bonnet is held in the opened position by a pressurized gas spring.
WARNING
•Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is
flowing out of the engine compartmen t - 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.
•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!
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 en gine 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.
•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.
•Allow the engine to cool down.
•Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
•Do not touch any hot engine parts - risk of burns!
•Never spill oil and other fluids over the hot engine. Such fluids
(e.g. the antifreeze contained in the coolant) may ignite!
•Avoid short circuits in the electrical system - particularly on the
battery.
•Never place your hand into the radiator fan as long as the
engine is still warm. The fan might suddenly start running!
•Never open the cap of the coolant expansion bottle as long as
the engine is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!
•Cover over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir with a
large cloth when opening it as protection for your face, hands and
arms from hot steam or hot coolant.
•Do not let objects, such as e.g cleaning cloth or tools lie in the
engine compartment.

Wheels and Tyres
228
Changing wheels around
If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend
changing the front wheels around with the rear wheels as shown in the
diagram ⇒fig. 172 . You will then obtain approximately the same life for
all the tyres.
It may be advantageous to swap the tyres over “crosswise” when certain
types of wear characteristic arise on the running surface of the tyres (but
not in the case of unidirectional tyres). Škoda dealers can provide you with
details.
We recommend that you change the wheels around every 10 000 km in
order to achieve even wear on all wheels and to obtain optimal tyre life.
New tyres and wheels
Tyres and wheel rims are important design elements. One should there-
fore use the tyres and wheel rims which have been released for use by
Škoda Auto. They are exactly matched to the vehicle type and therefore
contribute significantly to good road holding and safe driving characteris-
tics ⇒ .
Only fit radial tyres of the same type on all 4 wheels, size (rolling circum-
ference) and, if possible, the same tread pattern on one axle.
Škoda dealers have access to the most current information about which
tyres we have released for use.
We recommend that you have any work relating to tyres or wheels carried
out by your Škoda dealer . Your dealer has all of the necessary special
tools and replacement parts available plus the required specialist knowl-
edge and is also in a position to properly dispose of the old tyres. A large
number of Škoda dealers also have an attractive range of tyres and
wheels available.
The tyre/wheel combinations which are approved for your vehicle are indi-
cated in your vehicle documents. Approval and licensing may differ
according to the legislation prevailing in individual countries.
Proper knowledge of the tyre data makes it easier for you to select the
correct type of tyre. Tyres do, for example, have the following inscription
on their walls:
205 / 60 R 15 91 V
What this means is:
Fig. 172 Changing
wheels around
205Ty r e w i dt h i n m m
60Height/width ratio in %
RCode letter for the type of tyre - Radial
WARNING
planning" (uncontrolled movements of the vehicle - "swimming"
on a wet road surface).

Index265
Operation in winter
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
De-icing windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
The battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Overview of the engine compartment . . . . . 210
P
Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Paint damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Parking light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Passive Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Petrol engines Starting engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Power socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95, 96
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Power windows Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Operational problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Switch on the driver's door . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Switches in front passenger door and in rear doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
R
Raise vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Rear fog light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Rear window heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Rear-view mirror
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Interior rear-view mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Recirculated air mode Heating and ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Refrigerator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Emergency release of fuel filler flap . . . . 207
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Replacing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Replacing windscreen wiper blades . . . . . . . 66
Roof aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Running in the car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
S
Safe distance to steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . 116
Safe securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Safety instructions Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Safety wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Saving electrical energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Seat belt
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Seat belt height adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Seat belt warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Fasten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
taking off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Seat heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Selector lever position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Service Interval Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Service intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Service key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Setting temperature The air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . 105
Setting the clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Shifting of gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Ski bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237