2005 SKODA FABIA Owner's Manual

Lights and Visibility
64
Switching windscreen wipers off
– Move the lever back into its home position .
The windscreen wipers and the windscreen washer system only operate
if the ignition is switched on.
The rear window will be wiped again if the front window wipers are on
when reverse gear is selected.
The windscreen washer nozzles are heated* when the ignition is switched
on.
Top up with wash liquid ⇒page 206.
WARNING
•Properly maintained windscreen wiper blades are essential for
clear visibility and safe driving ⇒page 64, “Replacing wiper blades
for the windscreen wipers”.
•Do not use the windscreen washer system at low temperatures,
without heating the windscreen beforehand. Otherwise the window
cleaner could freeze on the windscreen and restrict the view to the
front.
Caution
In frosty weather, please first of all check whether the windscreen wiper
blades are not frozen to the windscreen before switching them on.
Switching on windscreen wipers when the blades are frozen to the wind-
screen may result in damage both to the blades and the motor of the wind-
screen wipers!
Headlight cleaning system*
The headlights are being cleaned after the windscreen wiper has wiped
for the fifth time, the low beam or main beam are switched on and the
windscreen wiper lever was held in the position ⇒page 63, fig. 42 for
about 1 second.
You should remove stubborn dirt (such as insect residues) from the head-
light lenses at regular intervals, for example when refuelling. Please refer
to the following guidelines ⇒page 181, “The headlight lenses”.
You should remove any snow from the fixtures of the washer nozzles and
clear ice in winter with a de-icing spray in order to ensure proper operation
of the cleaning system.
Replacing wiper blades fo r the windscreen wipers
A0
A5
Fig. 43 Wiper blades
for the windscreen
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Lights and Visibility65
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Taking off the wiper blade
– Fold windscreen wiper arm away from the windscreen and
position the wiper blade at right angles to the wiper arm
⇒page 64, fig. 43 .
– Press the securing spring in the direction of arrow and press the wiper blade to the windscreen at the same time in
the direction of arrow ⇒.
Attaching a wiper blade
– Push the wiper blade onto the wiper arm. The securing spring must click into place audibly.
Windscreen wiper blades in proper condition are essential to obtain good
visibility. Wiper blades should not be allowed to become dirtied by dust,
insect remains and preserving wax.
Juddering or smearing of the wiper blades could then be due to wax resi-
dues 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. We recommend having the windscreen wiper
blades purchased at a Škoda dealer.
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 64, “Replacing wiper blades
for the windscreen wipers”.
AA
AB
Fig. 44 Wiper blade for
the rear window
AA
AB
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Lights and Visibility
66
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 the left-hand exterior mirror*
– Turn the rotary knob to position
. The movement of the mirror
surface is identical to the movement of the rotary knob. Adjusting the right-hand 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-view mirror, for esti-
mating 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 specialist garage if a fault exists with the power setting of
the exterior mirrors.
Fig. 45 Inner part of
door: Rotary knob
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Seats and Stowage67
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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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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 125, fig. 103 .
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 forward 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 70.
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 ⇒page 125.
Fig. 47 Adjusting head
restraint
Fig. 48 Removing a
head restraint
AA
AB
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Seats and Stowage
70
You must always press the securing button ⇒page 69, fig. 48 when
pushing the tilting head restraints* out of the upper setting into the lower
setting.
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 re ar 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.
Fig. 49 Rear seats: the
position of the middle
head restraints
Fig. 50 Dash panel:
Control dial for heating
the front seats
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Seats and Stowage71
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anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
Front seats
– Heating on the driver's ⇒page 70, fig. 50 and front
pasenger's seat can be switched on and regulated by turning
the control dial as required.
– 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 183.
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
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