2006 SKODA FABIA trailer

Driving and the Environment173
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Driving and the Environment
The first 1 500 kilometres and then
afterwards
A new engine
The engine has to be run in du ring the first 1 500 kilometres.
Up to 1 000 kilometres
– Do not drive faster than 3/4 of the mamimum speed of the gear in
use, that is 3/4 of the maximum permissible engine speed.
– Do not use full throttle.
– Avoid high engine revolutions.
– Do not tow a trailer.
From 1 000 up to 1 500 kilometres
– Increase the power output of the engine gradually up to the full
speed of the gear engaged, that is up to the maximum permissible
engine revolutions.
During the first operating hours the engine has higher internal friction than later until all of the moving parts have ha rmonized. The driving style which you adopt during the first approx.1 500 kilo metres plays a decisive part in the success of running in your car.
You should not driv e at unnecessarily high engine revolutions even after the running-in period is complete. The maximum permissible engine speed is marked by the beginning of the red zone on the scale of the revolutions counter.
Shift up into the next higher gear on a vehicle fitted with manual gearbox before the red zone is reached. Extremely high engine revolutions are automatically governed, by the way.
For a vehicle fitted with a manual gearbo x the converse situation also applies: Do not drive at engine revolutions which are too low. Shift down as soon as the engine is no longer running smoothly.
Caution
All the speed and engine revolution figure s apply only when the engine is at its normal operating temperature. Never rev up an engine which is cold, neither when the vehicle is stationary nor when driving in individual gears.
For the sake of the environment
Not driving at unnecessarily high engine revolutions and shifting to a higher gear as early as possible are ways to minimise fuel consumption and operating noise levels and protects the environment.
New tyres
New tyres have to be “run in” since they do not offer optimal grip at first. You should take account of this fact for the first 500 kilometres and drive particularly carefully.
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Driving and the Environment175
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Driving in an economical and
environmentally conscious manner
General
Your personal style of driving is a major factor.
Your fuel consumption, any pollution of the environmental and the wear-and- tear to the engine, brakes and tyres, depend essentially on three factors:
•your personal style of driving,
•the conditions under which your vehicle is operated,
•technical aspects.
You can easily improve your fuel economy by 10 - 15 percent by driving in an economical way with foresight. This sect ion is intended to provide you with a number of tips on how to protect the en vironment and at the same time save money.
The fuel consumption can naturally also be influenced by factors which are beyond the driver's control. It is, for example, normal for the fuel consumption to increase in winter and under worsened conditions such as poor road condi- tions, towing a trailer, etc.
The technical requirements for low fuel usage and economic efficiency of the vehicle have already been built into the vehicle at the works. Special attention has been given to minimising negative effects on the environment. It is neces- sary to take note of the guidelines given in this chapter in order to make best use of these characteristics and to maintain their effectiveness.
Looking ahead when driving
A vehicle's highest fuel consumption occurs it accelerates.
Avoid accelerating and braking unnecessarily. If you drive with forsight you will not need to brake so often and will also then not have to accelerate so much. Let your vehicle coast to a stop, for exam ple, if this is possible, when you see that the next set of traffic lights is at red.
Shifting gears and saving energy
Shifting up early saves on fuel.
Manual gearbox
– Drive no more than about one length of your vehicle in first gear.
Always shift up into the next high er gear at approx. 2 000 to 2 500
revs.
Fig. 136 Fuel consump- tion in litres/100 km. and speed in km/h.
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Towing a trailer181
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Towing a trailer
Towing a trailer
Technical requirements
The towing device must satisfy certain technical requirements.
Your vehicle is designed primarily for transporting persons and luggage. It can, however, also be used fo r towing a trailer - provided certain technical equip- ment is fitted.
If your vehicle has alread y been supplied with a factory-fitted towing device then everything that is necessary for towi ng 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 powe r socket for the electrical connection between the vehicle and trailer. If the trailer which you wish to tow has a 7-pin connector , you can use a suitable adapter 4) from Škoda original accessories.
This work must be carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's specifica- tions if a towing device is retrofitted.
Škoda Service Partners are familiar with de tails relating to retrofitting a towing device and for any necessary modifications to the cooling system.
WARNING
We recommend that you have the towing device from Škoda original accessories installed by a Škoda Servic e Partner. He is familiar with all the relevant details relating to retrofit ting 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.
Tr a i l e r l o a d
The permissible trailer load must on no account be exceeded.
You can negotiate appropriat ely steeper inclines and descents if you do not make full use of the pe rmissible trailer load.
The trailer loads specified only apply for altitudes up to 1 000 metres above mean sea level. The fact that the engi ne power output drops with increasing he ig ht due to a low ering of a ir pres sure 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 informatio n on the type plate of the towing device are merely test data for the towi ng 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. Secu re the items to prevent them slipping.
Tyre pressure
Correct the tyre inflation pressure on yo ur vehicle for that of “fully laden”, ⇒ page 214. The inflation pressure of the tyres fitted to the trailer adjust in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation.
4)In some countries the adapter is supplied with the towing device.
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Towing a trailer182
Exterior mirrors
You have to have addi tional exterior mirrors fitted if you are not able to see the traffic behind the trailer with the standard rear-view mirrors. Both exterior mirrors should be attached to folding arms. Adjust the mirrors so that they provide you with an adequate field of view to the rear.
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights. Alter the setting as necessary with th e aid of the headlight beam adjuster ⇒ page 59.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles with towing device and suppliable from Škoda original accessories. It is stowed together with separate fitting instruc- tions in the spare wheel well in the luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Note
•We recommend that you also have yo ur vehicle inspected between service intervals if you tow a trailer frequently.
•The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and decoupling the trailer.
•Keep the mechanism of the ball head of the towing device clean and take proper care of it with a suitable preservative.
Driving Tips
Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.
– Do not, as far as possible, drive with your vehicle unladen and the
trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the lega l maximum speeds. This applies in
particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside
temperature is high.
Distribution of weight
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trailer is laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this combination.
Driving speed
Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for countries in which higher speeds are allowed.
The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when there are unfavourable road, weat her or wind conditions, particularly near accident black spots.
You must always reduce your speed imme diately as soon as you detect even just the slightest swaying of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from “swaying ” by accelerating.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a trailer brake, apply the brakes gently at first and then brake firmly. This will avoid brake jolts resulting from the trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good time before negotiating a downhill section to allow the engine to also act as a brake.
Engine overheating
Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engine speed when the outside temper- ature is very high ⇒page 14.
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Towing a trailer183
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
If the needle of the coolant temperatur e gauge moves into the right-hand area or even the red area of the scale, reduce your speed immediately. Stop and switch off the engine if the warning light  in the instrument cluster begins flashing. Wait a few minutes and check th e level of coolant in the coolant expan- sion bottle ⇒page 204, “Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒page 30, “Coolant tempera- ture/coolant level ”.
The coolant temperature can be reduced by switching on the heating.
Any increase in the cooling effect of the coolant fan through shifting down a gear and increasing the engine speed is not possible since the fan speed is inde- pendent of the engine speed. One should also not drop a gear for this reason when towing a trailer as long as the engine can manage the slope without any drop in speed.
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Towing a trailer184
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Breakdown assistance222
Note
•The fire extinguisher must comply with the relevant and valid legal require- ments.
•Pay attention to the expiration date of the fire extinguisher. If the fire extin- guisher is used after the expiration da te, its proper function is no longer assured.
•The fire extinguisher is only supplied in certain countries within the scope of delivery.
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit and the lifting jack ar e stored in a locable plastic box in the spare wheel ⇒fig. 154. There is also space here for the removable ball for the trailer towing device.
The vehicle tool kit contains the foll owing parts (depending on equipment fitted):
•Torx wrench,
•Wheel wrench,
•Hook for pulling off a full wheel trim,
•To w i n g e y e ,
•Adapter for the wheel bolts lock.
After using the lifting jack, screw in the arm of the lifting jack fully before placing it back in its stowage area.
WARNING
•The hexagon socket in the handle of the screwdriver should only be used to fit on the wheel bolts. Neve r use the hexagon socket of the screw- driver for tightening the wheel bolt s because you will not be able to achieve the necessary tightening torque with the hexagon socket - risk of accident!
•The factory-supplied lifting jack is only intended for your model of vehicle. On no account attempt to lift a heavier vehicle or other loads - risk of injury!
•Ensure that the vehicle tool kit is safely attached in the luggage compartment.
Tyre repair kit*
The tyre repair kit is intended for the repair of minor tyre defects. The tyre repair kit contains a compressor, inflation bottle, operating instructions and accesso-ries.
Fig. 154 Luggage compartment: Storage compartment for vehicle too kit
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Breakdown assistance224
–Engage 1st gear or if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic
gearbox, position the selector lever into position P.
– If a trailer is coupled, uncouple it.
– Take the vehicle tool kit and the spare wheel ⇒page 222 out of
the luggage compartment.
WARNING
•If you find yourself in flowing traffic switch on the hazard warning lights system and place the warning tria ngle on the side of the road at the prescribed distance from your vehicl e while observing all national legal provisions. In this way you are protecting not only yourself but also other road users.
•Never start the engine with the vehi cle sitting on the raised jack - danger of suffering injury!
Caution
If you have to change a wheel on a slope first block the opposite wheel with a stone or similar object in order to secure the vehicle from unexpectedly rolling away.
Note
Comply with the national legal regulations.
Changing a wheel
Always change a wheel on a level surface as far as possible.
– Take off the full wheel trim* ⇒page 225 or the caps ⇒page 226.
– In the case of light alloy wheels remove the wheel trim cap
⇒ page 226.
– Slacken the wheel bolts ⇒page 227.
– Jack up the vehicle until the wheel to be changed is clear of the
ground ⇒page 227.
– Unscrew the wheel bolts and place them on a clean surface (cloth,
paper etc.).
– Take off the wheel.
– Fit on the spare wheel and tighten the wheel bolts slightly.
– Lower the car.
– Tighten the wheel bolts firmly, alternately and diagonally using the
wheel wrench ⇒page 227.
– Mount the full wheel trim/wh eel trim cap or the caps.
Note
•All bolts must be clean and must turn easily.
•You must never grease or oil the wheel bolts!
•When fitting on unidirectional tyres, ensure that the tyres rotate in the correct direction ⇒page 213.
Subsequent steps
After changing the wheel, you must perform the following steps.
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