2005 SKODA FABIA charging

Lights and Visibility
60
Interior lighting
Front interior lighting and storage compartment on
front passenger side
Door contact switching mechanism (on the front and rear*
door)
– Press the switch to the right into position
 ⇒ fig. 37.
– On the version without reading lights press the switch into the middle position
.
Switching the interior light on
– Press the switch to the left into position
.
Switching the interior light off
– Press the switch into the middle position O. – On the version without reading lights press the switch to
the right, the symbol O appears.
Reading lights

– Press on one of the switches ⇒fig. 37 in order to switch
the right or left reading light on or off.
Lighting of storage compartm ent on the front passenger
side
– Open the flap of the storage compartment on the front passenger side.
– The light switches on automatically when the parking light is switched on and goes out when the flap is closed.
The interior light is switched on for about 20 seconds when a vehicle with
a central locking system is unlocked, when a door is opened or when the
ignition key is removed. The requirement for this is that the switch is in the
door contact position. The inner light goes out out immediately after the
ignition is switched on.
A time delay switch* causes the inner lighting on vehicles without a central
locking system stays on for a few seconds after the doors have been
closed. The inner light goes out out immediately after the ignition is
switched on.
The interior lighting is switched off after about 30 minutes when a door has
been left open in order to avoid discharging the battery of the vehicle.Fig. 37 Detail of the
headliner: front interior
lighting
AA
AA
AA
AA
AA
AB
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Inspecting and Replenishing
204
Battery with a charge level indicator, the so-called
magic eye*
There is a so-called magic eye ⇒fig. 148 located on the top of the battery.
The “magic eye” changes its colour in line with the charge state of and
electrolyte level in the battery.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the “magic eye”. For this reason
carefully knock on the “magic eye” before carrying out the check.
•Green colour - the battery is adequately charged.
•Dark colour - the battery has to be charged
•Colourless or yellow colour - we recommend you have the battery
checked by a Škoda dealer.
Batteries, which are more than 5 years old, must be replaced. We recom-
mend you have the electrolyte level inspected and adjusted to the correct
level or the battery replaced if necessary by a Škoda dealer.
Caution
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery
will discharge because certain electrical components consume electricity
(e.g. control units) also in idle state. You can prevent the discharging of
the battery by disconnecting the negative terminal or charging the battery
constantly with a very low charging current. Please also refer to the notes
when working on the battery ⇒page 201, “Working on the battery”.
Inspecting the electrolyte level
The battery is practically maintenance-free under normal operating
conditions. We do, however, recommend that you have the electrolyte
level inspected from time to time by a Škoda dealer when outside temper-
atures are high or when driving on long trips. You should also check the
electrolyte level ⇒page 205 each time the battery is charged.
The battery acid level will also be checked as part of the Inspection
Service.
Operation in winter
The battery has to provide greater amounts of electricity during the winter.
It also has only part of the initial power output at low temperatures that it
has at normal temperatures.
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below
0°C.
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked by a Škoda
dealer before the start of the winter, and recharged if necessary.
Fig. 148 Battery with a
charge level indicator
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Inspecting and Replenishing205
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assist-
anceTechnical DataFabia Praktik
Charging the battery
A properly charged battery is essential for reliably starting
the engine.
– Read the warning notes ⇒ in “Working on the battery” on
page 201 and ⇒.
– Switch the ignition and all electrical components off.
– Only for “quick-charging”: Disconnect both battery cables (first of all “negative”, then “positive”).
– Carefully attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals (red = “positive”, black = “negative”).
– You can now plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and switch on the charger.
– When charging is completed: switch the charger off and unplug the mains cable from the power socket.
– Only then should you disconnect the terminal clamps of the charger.
– Reconnect the cables to the battery (first of all “positive”, then “negative”).
It is not normally necessary to disconnect the cables of the battery if you
recharge the battery using low amperages (as for example from a mini-
charger ). Please also refer to the instructions from the charger manufac-
turer.
A charging current of 0.1 of the total battery capacity (or lower) is that
which should be used until full charging is achieved. It is, however, necessary to disconnect both cables before charging the
battery with high amperages, so-called “
quick-charging”.
“Quick-charging” a battery is dangerous ⇒ in “Working on the battery”
on page 201. It requires a special charger and appropriate knowledge. We
therefore recommend that you have your battery quick-charged only by
your Škoda dealer.
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below 0°C
⇒ . We recommend that you no longer use a battery which has thawed
out because the casing of the battery may be cracked through the forma-
tion of ice and this would allow battery electrolyte to flow out.
The vent plugs of the battery should not be opened for charging.
WARNING
Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and
caustic burns! Replace a frozen battery.
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.
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Index251
Index
A
Abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Adjusting seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68, 125
Adjusting the steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
An overview Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Antilock Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Antilock brake system - ABS Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Auto Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Auto Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Emergency programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Kickdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Automatic vehicle wash systems . . . . . . . . . 178
Avoiding damage to your vehicle . . . . . . . . . 171
B
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Brake Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Brake pads Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Brake system Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Button on the driver's door
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
C
Car jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Changing the engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Changing wheels around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chassis number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Child safety locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Child safety seats ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Classification into groups . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
on the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . 149
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Children and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Chrome parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
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