2007 Seat Altea light

Checking and refilling levels
218Washer fluid and windscreen wiper bladesTopping up washer fluid

The water for cleaning the windscreen should always be
mixed with washer fluid.The windscreen washer and the headlight washing system are supplied with
fluid from the windscreen washer fluid container in the engine compartment.
The reservoir is located on the right-hand side of the engine compartment.
Plain water is not enough to clean th e windscreen and headlights. We recom-
mend that you always add a product to the windscreen washer fluid.
Approved windscreen cleaning products exist on the market with high deter-
gent and anti-freeze properties, thes e may be added all-year-round. Please
follow the dilution instructions on the packaging.
WARNING
Any work carried out in the engine compartment or on the engine must be
carried out cautiously.•
When working in the engine compartment, always observe the safety
warnings ⇒page 208.Caution
•
Never put radiator anti-freeze or other additives into the windscreen
washer fluid.
•
Always use approved windscreen cleansing products diluted as per
instructions. If you use other washer fluids or soap solutions, the tiny holes
in the fan-shaped nozzles could become blocked.
Fig. 164 In the engine
compartment: Cap of
windscreen washer fluid
reservoir.
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Checking and refilling levels221
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
If this is not sufficient, refer to a qualified workshop.
WARNING
Do not drive unless you have good visibility through all windows!•
Clean the windscreen wiper blades and all windows regularly.
•
The wiper blades should be changed once or twice a year.Caution
•
A damaged or dirty window wiper could scratch the rear window.
•
Never use fuel, nail varnish remover, paint thinner or similar products to
clean the window.
•
Never move the windscreen wiper by hand. This could cause damage.
Brake fluidChecking the brake fluid level
The brake fluid is checked at the intervals given in the service
schedule.– Read the fluid level at the transparent brake fluid reservoir. It should always be between the “MIN” and “MAX” marks.The position of the brake fluid reservoir is shown in the corresponding engine
compartment diagram ⇒page 272. The brake fluid reservoir has a black and
yellow cap.
The brake fluid level drops slightly when the vehicle is being used as the
brake pads are automatically adjusted as they wear.
Fig. 168 In the engine
compartment: Brake fluid
reservoir cover
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Checking and refilling levels223
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
BatteryWarnings on handling the battery
WARNING
Always be aware of the danger of injury and chemical burns as well as the
risk of accident or fire when working on the battery and the electrical
system:•
Wear eye protection. Protect your eyes , skin and clothing from acid and
particles containing lead.
•
Battery acid is very corrosive and caustic. Wear protective gloves and
eye protection. Do not tilt the batteries. This could spill acid through the
vents. Rinse battery acid from eyes immediately for several minutes with
clear water. Then seek medical care immediately. Neutralize any acid
splashes on the skin or clothing with a soapy solution, and rinse off with
plenty of water. If acid is swallowed by mistake, consult a doctor immedi-
ately.
•
Fires, sparks, naked lights and smoking are prohibited. When handling
cables and electrical equipment, avoid causing sparks and electrostatic charge. Never short the battery terminals. High-energy sparks can cause
injury.
•
A highly explosive mixture of gases is released when the battery is
under charge. The batteries should be charged in a well-ventilated room
only.
•
Keep children away from acid and batteries.
•
Before working on the electrical system, you must switch off the
engine, the ignition and all consumers. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. When a light bulb is changed, you need only switch
off the light.
•
Deactivate the anti-theft alarm by unlocking the vehicle before you
disconnect the battery! The alar m will otherwise be triggered.
•
When disconnecting the battery from the vehicle electrical system,
disconnect first the negative ca ble and then the positive cable.
•
Switch off all electrical consumers before reconnecting the battery.
Reconnect first the positive cable and then the negative cable. Never
reverse the polarity of the connections. This could cause an electrical fire.
•
Never charge a frozen battery, or one which has thawed. This could
result in explosions and chemical burns. Always replace a battery that has
frozen. A flat battery can freeze at temperatures around 0°C.
•
Ensure that the vent hose is always connected to the battery.
•
Never use a defective battery. This may be fatally explosive. Replace a
damaged battery immediately.Caution
•
Never disconnect the battery if the ignition is switched on or if the engine
is running. This could damage the electrical system or electronic compo-
nents.
•
Do not expose the battery to direct sunlight over a long period of time, as
the intense ultraviolet radiation can damage the battery housing.

Wear eye protection

Battery acid is very corrosive and caustic. Wear protec-
tive gloves and eye protection!

Fires, sparks, naked lights and smoking are prohibited!

A highly explosive mixture of gases is released when the
battery is under charge.

Keep children away from acid and batteries!
WARNING (continued)
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Checking and refilling levels
226Checking tyre pressure
The correct tyre pressure can be seen on the sticker on the
inside of the tank flap.1. Read the required tyre inflation pressure from the sticker. The
values refer to Summer tyres. For Winter tyres, you must add 0.2
bar to the values given on the sticker.
2. The tyre pressures should only be checked when the tyres are cold. The slightly raised pressures of warm tyres must not be
reduced.
3. Adjust the tyre pressure to the load you are carrying.Tyre pressure
The correct tyre pressure is especially important at high speeds. The pressure
should therefore be checked at least once a month and before starting a
journey.
WARNING
A tyre can easily burst if the pressure is too low, causing an accident!•
At continuously high speeds, a tyre with insufficient pressure flexes
more. In this way it becomes too hot, and this can cause tread separation
and tyre blow-out. Always observ e the recommended tyre pressures.
•
If the tyre pressure is too low or too high, the tyres will wear prema-
turely and the vehicle will not h andle well. Risk of accident!For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption.
Tyre service life
The service life of tyres is dependent on tyre pressure, driving
style and fitting.
Fig. 169 Tyre tread wear
indicatorsFig. 170 Changing
wheels
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If and when
234
Note•
Seek professional assistance if the repair of a tyre puncture is not
possible with the sealing compound.
Wheel changePreparation work
What you must do before changing a wheel.– If you have a flat tyre or puncture, park the vehicle as far away from the flow of traffic as possible. Choose a location that is as
level as possible.
– All passengers should leave the ve hicle. They should wait in a
safe area (for instance behind the roadside crash barrier).
– Switch off the engine. Switch on the hazard warning lights.
–Apply the handbrake firmly.
– Engage the first gear, or put the selector lever to position P for
those vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
– If you are towing a trailer, unhitch it from your vehicle.
– Take the vehicle tools and the spare wheel out of the luggage
compartment.
WARNING
Put the hazard warning lights on and place the warning triangle in position.
This is for your own safety and also warns other road users.
Caution
If you have to change the tyre on a gradient, block the wheel opposite the
wheel being changed by placing a stone or similar object under it to prevent
the vehicle from rolling away.
Note
Please observe legal requirements when doing so.Changing a wheelChange the wheel as described below
–Pull off the hub cap. Also refer to ⇒page 235, fig. 172 .
– Slacken the wheel bolts .
– Raise the car with the jack in the corresponding zone.
– Ta k e o f f the wheel and then put on the spare wheel.
– Lower the vehicle.
– Tighten the wheel bolts firmly in diagonal sequence with the box
spanner.
–Replace the hub cap.
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If and when239
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
Removing and fitting the wheel
For removing and fitting the wheel, the following tasks must be
completed.Change the wheel as described below after loosening the wheel
bolts and raising the vehicle with the jack.
Removing a wheel
– Unscrew the bolts using the hexagonal tool in the handle of the
screwdriver (vehicle tool) and place them on a clean surface
⇒ fig. 176 .
Fitting a wheel
– Screw in the wheel bolts and tighten them lightly using the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle.
The wheel bolts should be clean and turn easily. Before fitting the spare
wheel, inspect the condition of the wheel and hub mounting surfaces. These
surfaces must be clean before fitting the wheel.
The hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle makes it easier to turn the
wheel bolts when they are loose. The reversible screwdriver blade should be
removed when the tool is used for this purpose.
If tyres with a specific direction of ro tation are fitted, note the direction of
rotation.
Note
Do not use the hexagonal socket in the screwdriver handle to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.Anti-theft wheel bolts*
A special adapter is required to turn the anti-theft wheel
bolts.
Fig. 176 Wheel change:
Hexagon socket in screw-
driver handle to turn the
wheel bolts after they
have been loosened
Fig. 177 Anti-theft wheel
bolt
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If and when241
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
Note
Seek professional assistance if the repair of a tyre puncture is not possible
with the sealing compound.Preparation work
What you must do before changing a wheel.– If you have a flat tyre or puncture, park the vehicle as far away
from the flow of traffic as possible.
–Apply the handbrake firmly.
–Engage the first gear, or put the selector lever to position P for
those vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
– All passengers must leave the vehicle. They should wait in a safe
area (for instance behind the roadside crash barrier).
– Check whether the puncture can be mended using the Tyre Mobility System “General observations and safety advice”.
– Unscrew cap from the valve of the affected wheel.
–Take the tyre repair kit from the luggage compartment.
WARNING
Put the hazard warning lights on and place the warning triangle in position.
This is for your own safety and also warns other road users.
Caution
Take the utmost caution when repairing a flat tyre on a gradient.
Note
Please observe legal requirements when doing so.Repairing the puncture
To repair the puncture, once the preliminary tasks are done,
follow these steps.Apply the sealant
– The instructions for using the sealant correctly are on the pack-
aging.
Inflate the tyres.
– Remove the compressor and hose.
– Tighten the fastening nut onto the tyre valve.
– Connect the compressor power supply to the 12 Volt socket.
– Connect the compressor and chec k the tyre pressure with the
pressure gauge.
Finish the repair
– Remove the compressor hose from the valve.
– Check the cap on the tyre valve.
– Disconnect the compressor from the vehicle mains.
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If and when243
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
– Take the plastic clip from inside the fuse cover (at left-hand end
of the dash panel), fit it onto the blown fuse and pull the fuse out.
– Replace the blown fuse (which will have a melted metal strip) with a new fuse of the same ampere rating.
– Carefully fit the fuse cover back on to ensure no water can enter the fuse box.The individual electrical circuits are pr otected by fuses. The fuses are located
behind a cover at the left-hand end of the dash panel and on the left-hand
side of the engine compartment.
The electric windows are protected by circuit breakers. These reset automat-
ically after a few seconds when the overload (caused for example by frozen
windows) has been corrected.
Colour coding of fuses
WARNING
Never “repair” damaged fuses and never replace them with fuses with a
higher rating. Failure to comply could re sult in fire. This could also cause
damage to other parts of the electrical system.
Note
•
If a newly replaced fuse blows again after a short time, the electrical
system must be checked by a qualified workshop as soon as possible.
•
If you replace a fuse with a stronger fuse, you could cause damage to
another location in the electrical system.
•
Always keep some spare fuses in the vehicle. These are available from
SEAT dealers.
Colour
Amperes
light brown 5
red 10
blue 15
yellow 20
natural (white) 25
green 30
orange 40
red 50
white 80
blue100
grey 150
violet 200
Colour
Amperes
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