
Seats and Stowage67
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
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 147, “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 necessary 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 properl y 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)
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Seats and Stowage
68
Adjusting the front seats
Adjusting a seat in a fo rward/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 angle 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
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Seats and Stowage75
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
•Never drive with the boot lid slightly ajar or even fully opened
otherwise exhaust gases may get into the interior of the vehicle -
risk of poisoning!
•On no account exceed the permissible axle loads and the
permissible gross weight of the vehicle - risk of accident!
•Never transport occupants in the luggage compartment.
Caution
Please ensure that the heating elements of the rear window heater are not
damaged as a result of objects sliding in this area.
Note
•Tyre pressure must be adjusted to the load ⇒page 209, fig. 150 .
•The air circulation in the interior of the car helps to prevent the
windows from misting up. Stale air is diverted via the outlet nozzles into
the lateral trim panels of the luggage compartment. Check for yourself that
the outlet nozzles are not covered.
Lashing eyes
Eyes are located on the sides of the loading area for lashing the goods to
be loaded ⇒ fig. 55.
You can also attach a securing net* to these eyes for lashing small objects.
The securing net* and the fixing instruction is located in the well under the
floor covering of the lugagge compartment behind the spare wheel.
WARNING
•The load to be transported must be fixed in place in such a way
that it cannot move during the journey and when braking.
•If the items of luggage or objects are attached to the lashing
eyes with unsuitable or damaged lashing straps, injuries can occur
in the event of braking manoeuvres or accidents. In order to
prevent the items of luggage being thrown forward, always use
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 55 Luggage
compartment: Lashing
eyes
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Seats and Stowage
76
suitable lashing straps which are firmly attached to the lashing
eyes. Never attach a child seat to the lashing eyes!
Folding double hooks* (Sedan)
Folding double hooks for attaching small items of luggage, such as bags
etc., are provided on both sides of the luggage compartment ⇒fig. 56 .
An item of luggage weighing up to 5 kg can be attached to each side of
the double hook.
Fixing of the floor covering of the luggage
compartment
A loop (Fabia), a hook (estate car) or a folding handle with a hook (Sedan)
is located on the floor covering of the luggage compartment.
If, for example, it is necessary to have access to the spare wheel, it is
possible to fix the raised floor cover with the loop at the hook (Fabia*), with
the hook at the tailgate cutout ⇒fig. 57 (estate car), or with the folding
handle with a hook at the tailgate cutout (sedan).
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 56 Luggage
compartment: Folding
double hooks
Fig. 57 Luggage
compartment: Fixing of
the floor covering
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Seats and Stowage89
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
Storage compartments on the driver's side
- storage compartment below steering wheel
The lockable storage compartment is opened by folding down the
cover in the direction of arrow ⇒fig. 77 .
Storage compartment is for vehicles fitted with an air conditioning
system with a closable inlet for thermally prepared air.
The air supply in the storage compartment is regulated through the pull
out cap . Pulling out the end cover in the direction of travel causes the
air inlet to open while pushing it in causes the air inlet to close.
At open air supply, air flows into the storage with a temperature which is
as high as the one out of the air outlet nozzles, depending on temperature
setting.
The air inlet in the storage compartment is connected to position
through adjustment of the control dial for air distribution. This position
causes the maximum amount of air to flow into the storage compartment
(depending on the rotary regulator position for the fan). You can use the storage compartment, for example, to temper drinks
cans, etc.
If you do not use the air inlet in the storage compartment, the end
cover should always be kept closed.
There is a holder for a pen on the outside of the storage compartment
.
Storage drawer*
– Press in the middle of the storage compartment ⇒fig. 78 and
the storage compartment will come out.
WARNING
•The storage compartment is not a substitute for the ashtray and
must also not be used for such purposes - risk of fire!
Fig. 77 Dash panel:
Storage compartments
on the driver's side
AA
AB
AB
AC
AB
Fig. 78 Dash panel:
Storage drawer
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Heating and air conditioning system 95
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
•Blower switch in the desired position,
•Turn the air distribution control into the position ,
•Open air outlet vents 3 and 4 ⇒ page 95, fig. 86
The control dial can be set to other positions as required.
Recirculated air mode
In recirculated air mode air is sucked out of the interior of
the vehicle and then fed back into the interior.
Recirculated air mode prevents polluted air outside the vehicle
from getting into the vehicle, for example when driving through a
tunnel or when standing in a traffic jam.
Switching recirculated air mode on
– Press button , the button symbol
lights up ⇒page 93,
fig. 85.
Switching recirculated air mode off
– Press button again, the button symbol
goes out.
The recirculated air mode is switched off automatically if the air distribu-
tion control is in position ⇒ page 93, fig. 85 .
WARNING
You should not leave recirculated air mode on over a longer period
of time. “Stale air” may result in fatigue in the driver and passen-
gers, reduce attention levels and also cause the windows to mist
up. The risk of having an accident increases. Switch recirculated
air mode off as soon as the windows begin misting up.
Air outlet vents
Fig. 86 Air outlet vents
Open air outlet vents
– Turn the vertical thumbwheel (not when in the end position).
Close air outlet vents
– Turn the vertical thumbwheel into the end position.
Redirecting air flow
– Swivel upward or downward the gr ille of the vents in order to
change the direction of the air flow using the vertically
arranged thumbwheel.
– Turn the horizontal thumbwheel on the vent to the right or left in order to change the air flow to the appropriate side.
AB
AC
AC
AC
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Heating and air conditioning system
100
Air outlet vents
Fig. 88 Air outlet vents
Open air outlet vents
– Turn the vertical thumbwheel (not when in the end position).
Close air outlet vents
– Turn the vertical thumbwheel into the end position.
Redirecting air flow
– Swivel upward or downward the gril le of the vents in order to
change the direction of the air flow using the vertically
arranged thumbwheel.
– Turn the horizontal thumbwheel on the vent to the right or left in order to change the air flow to the appropriate side.
You can set the air supply to the individual vents with the air distribution
control ⇒page 97, fig. 87 . Air outlet vents 3 and 4 can also be opened
or closed individually.
Unwarmed or cooled air will flow out of the air outlet vents according to the
setting of control dial ⇒page 97, fig. 87 and the atmospheric
conditions.
Using the air conditioning system economically
The compressor on the air conditioning system uses power from the
engine when in cooling mode which will effect the fuel consumption.
It recommended to open the windows or the doors of a vehicle for which
the interior has been strongly heated through the effect of direct sunlight
in order to allow the heated air to escape.
The air conditioning system should not be switched on while travelling
when the window is open.
The desired interior temperature can also be achieved without switching
in the air conditioning system just by switching to fresh air mode.
For the sake of the environment
When you economize on fuel, you also reduce pollutant emissions.
Operational problems
If the cooling system does not operate at outside temperatures higher
than +5°C, there is a problem in the system. The reasons for this may be:
•The fuse on the air conditioning system has blown. Check the fuse,
replace it if necessary ⇒page 232.
AC
AA
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Starting-off and Driving
102
Starting-off and Driving
Setting steering wheel position*You can set the height and the forward/back position of the
steering wheel to the desired position.
– Adjust the driver seat ⇒page 67.
– Pull the lever below the steering column ⇒fig. 89 down
⇒ .
– Set the steering wheel to the desired position (concerning height and forward/back position).
– Then push the lever up against the steering column until it locks into place.
WARNING
•You must not adjust the steering wheel when the vehicle is
moving!
•The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the
steering wheel ⇒fig. 90 . Not maintaining this minimum distance
will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect
you - hazard!
•For safety reasons the lever must always be firmly pushed up to
avoid the steering wheel altering its position unintentionally when
driving - risk of accident!
•If you adjust the steering wheel further towards the head, you
will reduce the protection offered by the driver airbag in the event
of an accident. Check that the steering wheel is aligned to the
chest.
•When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on
the outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold
Fig. 89 Adjustable
steering wheel: Lever
below steering column
Fig. 90 Safe distance
to steering wheel
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