2006 SKODA OCTAVIA tow

WARNING
The storage compartment must always be closed when driving for safety rea-
sons. ÐStorage compartment on the dash panel
Fig. 71
Dash panel: Stowage compart-
ment
› Press in the middle of the storage compartment
» Fig. 71 - the lid folds open.
Certain models do not have a storage compartment lid. WARNING
■ The storage compartment is not a substitute for the ashtray and must also
not be used for such purposes - risk of fire!
■ The storage compartment must always be closed when driving for safety
reasons.
■ Do not put any highly inflammable objects or objects which are sensitive to
heat (e.g. lighters, sprays, spectacles, carbonated drinks) in the storage com-
partment. Ð Stowage compartment in front centre console
Fig. 72
Front centre console: Stowage
compartment
› Press on the bottom part of the storage compartment in the area A
» Fig. 72
,
and the lid folds open. WARNING
The storage compartment is not a substitute for the ashtray and must also
not be used for such purposes - risk of fire! Ð Storage net in the front centre console
Fig. 73
Front centre console: Storage
net WARNING
Only store soft objects with a total weight of 0.5 kg in the storage net. Heavy
objects are not secured sufficiently - risk of injury! £
72 Using the system

CAUTION
No objects with sharp edges should be stored in the storage net, as they can
damage the storage net. ÐMap pockets in the front seats
Fig. 74
Front seat rests: Map pockets
Map pockets are located on the rear of the seat backrests » Fig. 74.
The map pockets are intended for storage of maps, magazines, etc. WARNING
Never put heavy items in the map pockets - risk of injury! CAUTION
Do not put any large items such as bottles or sharp objects into the map pockets,
as the pockets and the seat covers could be damaged. Ð Glasses storage box
Fig. 75
Detail of the headliner: Glasses
storage box
› Press on the cover of the glasses storage box, the compartment folds
down » Fig. 75. WARNING
The compartment must only be opened when removing or inserting the spec-
tacles and otherwise must be kept closed. CAUTION
Do not put any heat-sensitive objects in the glasses storage box - they may be
damaged. Ð Storage compartments in the doors
Fig. 76
Storage compartment: in the front door/in the rear door £
73
Seats and Stowage

A bottle holder is located in the area B
» Fig. 76 of the storage compartment for
the front doors. WARNING
Use the area A
» Fig. 76 of the storage compartment only for storing objects
which do not project so that the effectiveness of the side airbag is not im-
paired. ÐStowage compartment below front passenger seat
Fig. 77
Front passenger seat: Stowage
compartment
› To open the lid, pull the handle
» Fig. 77.
› When closing the lid, hold the handle until the compartment is closed. WARNING
The storage compartment must always be closed when driving for safety rea-
sons. CAUTION
The storage compartment is designed for storing small objects of up to 1.5 kg. in
weight. Ð Front armrest with storage compartment
Fig. 78
Armrest: Storage compartment/cooling of storage compartment
The armrest is adjustable for height and length.
Opening the storage compartment
› Open the lid of the armrest in the direction of the arrow 1
» Fig. 78.
Closing storage compartment
› Open the lid to the stop, only then can it be folded downwards.
Setting height
› First of all fold the cover downwards and then lift it in the direction of the ar-
row 1
into one of the 4 fixed positions.
Adjusting in the forward/back direction
› Push the cover into the desired position.
Opening air inlet
› Pull the cover A
upwards.
Closing air inlet
› Carefully push the cover A
downwards as far as the stop.
On vehicles fitted with air conditioning, the storage compartment is equipped
with a lockable inlet for thermally treated (warmed-up) air.
When the air vent is opened, the air flows into the stowage compartment with a
temperature corresponding to the control dial settings on the A/C unit, depending
on the outer climate conditions. £
74 Using the system

The air inlet in the storage compartment is connected to position
 through ad-
justment of the control dial for air distribution. This setting causes the maximum
amount of air to flow into the storage compartment (depending on the rotary reg-
ulator position for the fan).
The storage compartment can, for example, be used to temper drinks cans, etc.
If you do not use the air inlet in the storage compartment, the inlet should al-
ways be kept closed. Note
Push the armrest cover all the way back to the stop before applying the hand-
brake. ÐRear armrest with storage compartment
Fig. 79
The armrest at the rear
The armrest can be folded down to increase comfort.
The armrest includes a storage compartment. The compartment is opened by
pressing the button on the front » Fig. 79 and raising the cover. Ð Stowage compartment in rear centre console
Fig. 80
Centre console at rear: Stowage
compartment
The storage compartment is equipped with a removable insert. › Open the storage compartment by pulling on the upper edge A
in the direction
of arrow » Fig. 80 . WARNING
The storage compartment is not a substitute for the ashtray and must also
not be used for such purposes - risk of fire! Ð Seat backrest with through-loading channel
Fig. 81
Rear seats: Cover handle/boot: Unlock button
After folding the rear armrest and cover up, an opening in the seat backrest be-
comes visible through which the removable through-loading bag with skis can be
pushed. The armrest and cover can be folded forward from the passenger com-
partment or the boot. £
75
Seats and Stowage

Opening from the passenger compartment
›
You can fold down the armrest at the loop
» page 60.
› Pull the handle upwards to the stop
» Fig. 81 -  and fold the cover down.
Opening from the boot
› Push the unlock button 1
» Fig. 81
-  down and fold the cover (including the
armrest) forwards.
Closing
› Fold the cover and armrest upwards to the stop - the lid must click into place.
Ensure that the armrest is always locked into place after closing. This is apparent
as the red field above the unlocking button 1
» Fig. 81
-  is not visible from the
luggage compartment. WARNING
The through-loading channel is only intended for transporting skis that are
placed in a properly secured, removable through-loading bag » page 76.ÐRemovable through-loading bag
Fig. 82
Securing the through-loading
bag
Loading › Open the boot lid.
› Fold the rear armrest and the cover in the seat backrest downwards
» page 75,
Seat backrest with through-loading channel .
› Place the empty, removable through-loading bag in such a way that the end of
the bag with the zip is in the boot.
› Push the skis into the removable through-loading bag from the boot
» .
› Close the through-loading bag. Securing
›
Tighten the strap A
on the free end around the skis in front of the bind-
ings » Fig. 82 .
› Fold the seat backrest a little forward.
› Guide the securing strap B
through the opening in the seat backrest around
the upper part of the seat backrest.
› Then push the seat backrest back into the upright position until the unlocking
button clicks into place - check by pulling on the seat backrest.
› Insert the securing strap B
into the lock C
until it clicks into place.
On vehicles fitted with a luggage net partition, guide the securing strap B
around the housing when the net partition is rolled up. After fixing the net parti-
tion in place, it is not longer possible to unroll the net partition.
WARNING
■ After placing skis into the through-loading bag, you must secure the bag
with the securing strap B
» Fig. 82.
■ The strap A
must hold the skis tight.
■ Make sure that the strap A
holds the skis in front of the binding (also refer
to imprint on the removable through-loading bag).
■ The total weight of the skis which are transported must not exceed 17 kg. Note
■ The through-loading bag is foreseen for four pairs of skis.
■ Place the skis and sticks in the removable through-loading bag with the tips
facing to the rear.
■ If there are several pairs of skis in the removable through-loading bag, ensure
that the bindings are positioned at the same height.
■ The removable through-loading bag must never be folded together or stowed
when moist. Ð
76 Using the system

Side compartment in the luggage compartment
Fig. 83
Boot: Side compartment
› The compartment is opened by turning the locks in the direction of the ar-
row » Fig. 83.
The CD changer is housed in this compartment. ÐStowage compartment behind the rear seats (Estate car)
Fig. 84
Removing the stowage compart-
ment
Removing
› First of all, remove the foldable luggage compartment cover
» page 64.
› Grab the housing with both hands and remove by pulling in the direction of the
arrow » Fig. 84 .
Install
› Move the housing into the locking mechanism as far as it will go.
› Restore the foldable luggage compartment cover. WARNING
Only place small and light objects up to a total weight of 3 kg into the storage
compartment. In the event of a vehicle collision heavy objects could be
thrown out of the compartment - risk of injuries! For this reason, the front
part of the luggage compartment cover must always cover over the storage
compartment. Ð Clothes hooks
The clothes hooks are located on the middle pillar and on the handle of the head-
liner above each of the rear doors. WARNING
■ Ensure that any clothes hanging from the hooks do not impair your vision to
the rear.
■ Only use the hooks for hanging light items of clothing and ensure that there
are no heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
■ Do not use clothes hangers for hanging up items of clothing otherwise this
may reduce the effectiveness of head airbags. CAUTION
The maximum permissible load of the hooks is 2 kg. Ð Parking ticket holder
Fig. 85
Windscreen: Parking ticket hold-
er £
77
Seats and Stowage

Setting temperature
›
Turn the control dial A
» Fig. 88 to the right to increase the temperature.
› Turn the control dial A
to the left to decrease the temperature.
Controlling blower
› Turn the blower switch B

» Fig. 88 into one of the positions, 1 to 4, to switch
the blower on.
› Turn the blower switch B
into position 0 to switch the blower off.
› If you wish to shut off the fresh air supply, use the button 1
» page 82,
in
section Recirculated air mode .
Regulating the air distribution
› The direction of the inlet air flow is controlled with air distribution regulator C
» Fig. 88
» page 80.
Rear window heater
› Press the button 2
» Fig. 88
. Further information » page 47. Auxiliary heating (parking heating)
›
Press the button 3
» Fig. 88
to directly switch on/off the auxiliary heating
(auxiliary heating and ventilation). Further information » page 87.
All controls apart from the blower switch B
» Fig. 88
can be set to any desired
intermediate position.
The blower should always be on to prevent the windows from misting up. Note
If the air distribution is positioned towards the windows, the total amount of air is
used to defrost the windows and thus no air will be fed to the footwell. This can
lead to restriction of the heating comfort. ÐSet heating
Recommended basic settings of the heating controls for the respective operating
modes:
Set-up Setting of the control dial
Button 1
Air outlet vents 3
A B C
Defrosting the windshield and side
windows
To the right up to the
stop 3
Do not switch on Open and align with the side win-
dow
Free windshield and side windows
from mist Desired temperature 2 or 3
   Do not switch on Open and align with the side win-
dow
The fastest heating To the right up to the
stop 3
Briefly switch on
Opening
Comfortable heating Desired temperature 2 or 3
  Do not switch on
Opening
Fresh air mode - ventilation To the left up to the
stop Desired position
Do not switch on
Opening£ 81
Heating and air conditioning system

Starting-off and Driving
Starting and stopping the engine
ä
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Adjusting the steering wheel position 92
Electromechanical power steering 92
Electronic immobiliser 92
Ignition lock 93
Starting engine 93
Switching the engine off 93
WARNING
■ Never adjust the steering wheel when the vehicle is moving only when the
vehicle is stationary!
■ Maintain a distance of 25 cm 1
to the steering wheel
» Fig. 93 on page 92
-  . Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system
will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
■ The lever for adjusting the steering wheel must be locked whilst driving so
that the position of the steering wheel cannot accidently change during the
journey - risk of accident!
■ If the steering wheel is adjusted further towards the head, the protection
provided by the driver airbag in the event of an accident is reduced. 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 the steering wheel in
the 12 o'clock position or in any other way (e.g. in the middle or inner edge of
the steering wheel). In such cases, you could injure the arms, hands and head
when the driver airbag is deployed.
■ When driving, the ignition key must always be in the position 2
» Fig. 94 on
page 93 (ignition switched on) without the engine running. This position is
indicated by the warning lights coming on. If this is not the case, it could result
in unexpected locking of the steering wheel - risk of accident! WARNING (Continued)
■ Only pull the ignition key from the ignition lock when the vehicle has come
to a complete stop (by applying the handbrake). Otherwise the steering wheel
could block - risk of accident!
■ When leaving the vehicle, the ignition must always be removed. This is par-
ticularly important if children are left in the vehicle. Otherwise the children
could, for example, start the engine - risk of accident or injury!
■ Never leave the engine running in unventilated or closed rooms. The ex-
haust gases of the engine contain besides the odorless and colourless carbon
monoxide a poisonous gas - hazard! Carbon monoxide can cause unconscious-
ness and death. ■ Never leave the vehicle unattended with the engine running.
■ Never switch off the engine before the vehicle is stationary - risk of acci-
dent! CAUTION
■ The starter may only be operated (ignition key position 3
» Fig. 94 on
page 93), if the engine is not running. The starter or engine can be damaged if
the starter is activated when the engine is running. ■ Let go of the ignition key as soon as the engine starts otherwise the starter
could be damaged. ■ Avoid high engine revolutions, full throttle and high engine loads as long as the
engine has not yet reached its operating temperature - risk of damaging the en-
gine!
■ Do not tow start the engine - danger of damaging the engine! On vehicles with
a catalytic converter, unburnt fuel may get into the catalytic converter where it
may ignite. This in turn may damage the catalytic converter. The battery from an-
other vehicle can be used as a jump-start aid » page 185, Jump-starting.
■ Do not switch the engine off immediately at the end of your journey after the
engine has been operated over a prolonged period at high loads but leave it to
run at an idling speed for about 1
minute. This prevents any possible accumulation
of heat when the engine is switched off. For the sake of the environment
Do not warm up the engine while the vehicle is stationary. If possible, start your
journey as soon as the engine has started. Through this the engine reaches its
operating temperature more rapidly and the pollutant emissions are lower. £
91
Starting-off and Driving