Checking and refilling levels227
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
Wear indicators
The original tyres on your vehicle have 1.6 mm high “tread wear indicators”
⇒
page 226, fig. 169 running across the tread. Depending on the make,
there will be six to eight of them evenly spaced around the tyre. Markings on
the tyre sidewall (for instance the letters “TWI” or other symbols) indicate the
positions of the tread wear indicators. The minimum tread depth required by
law is 1.6 mm (measured in the tread grooves next to the tread wear indica-
tors). Worn tyres must be replaced. Different figures may apply in export
countries ⇒.
Tyre pressure
Incorrect tyre pressure causes premature wear and could cause tyre blow-out.
For this reason, the tyre pressure should be checked at least once per month
⇒ page 226.
Driving style
Fast cornering, heavy acceleration and hard braking all increase tyre wear.
Changing wheels around
If the front tyres are worn considerably more than the rear ones it is advisable
to change them around as shown ⇒page 226, fig. 170 . All the tyres will then
last for about the same time.
Wheel balance
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various factors encoun-
tered in normal driving can cause them to become unbalanced, which results
in steering vibration.
Unbalanced wheels should be rebalanced, as they otherwise cause excessive
wear on steering, suspension and tyres. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tyre is fitted.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment causes excessive tyre wear, impairing the safety of
the vehicle. If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the wheel align-
ment checked by an Authorised Service Centre.
WARNING
There is a serious danger of accidents if a tyre bursts during driving!•
The tyres must be replaced at the latest when the tread is worn down to
the tread wear indicators. Failure to do so could result in an accident. Worn
tyres do not grip well at high speeds on wet roads. There is also a greater
risk of “aquaplaning”.
•
At continuously high speeds, a tyre with insufficient pressure flexes
more. This causes it to overheat. This can cause tread separation and tyre
blow-out. Risk of accident. Always observe the recommended tyre pres-
sures.
•
If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the running gear checked
by an Authorised Service Centre.
•
Keep chemicals such as oil, fuel and brake fluid away from tyres.
•
Damaged wheels and tyres must be replaced immediately!For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption.Puncture-proof tyres
Puncture-proof tyres will usually allow the vehicle to continue
even when one of the tyres has a puncture.Vehicles that are factory-fitted with puncture-proof tyres
19)
indicate
on the instrument panel when there is a loss of tyre pressure.
19)Depending upon version and country.
altea_ingles_0706.book Seite 227 Mittwoch, 30. August 2006 3:48 15
Checking and refilling levels
230Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be tightened to the correct torque.The design of wheel bolts is matched to the rims. If different wheel rims are
fitted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt
heads must be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted securely and that the
brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you may not use wheel bolts from a different car -
even if it is the same model ⇒page 201.
WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not tightened correctly, the wheel could become
loose while driving. Risk of accident.•
The wheel bolts must be clean and turn easily. Never apply grease or oil
to them.
•
Use only wheel bolts which belong to the wheel.
•
If the prescribed torque of the wheel bolts is too low, they could loosen
whilst the vehicle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads could be damaged.Caution
The prescribed torque for wheel bolts for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm.
Winter tyres
Winter tyres will improve the vehicles handling on snow and
ice.In winter conditions winter tyres will considerably improve the vehicles
handling. The design of summer tyres (width, rubber compound, tread
pattern) gives less grip on ice and snow.
Winter tyres must be inflated to a pressure 0.2 bar higher than the pressures
specified for summer tyres (see sticker on tank flap).
Winter tyres must be fitted on all four wheels.
Information on permitted winter tyre sizes can be found in the vehicle's regis-
tration documents. Use only radial winter tyres. All tyre sizes listed in the
vehicle documentation also apply to winter tyres.
Winter tyres lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to a depth
of 4 mm.
The speed rating code ⇒page 228, “New tyres and wheels” determines the
following speed limits ⇒ :
Q max. 160 km/h
S max. 180 km/h
T max. 190 km/h
H max. 210 km/h
In some countries, vehicles which can exceed the speed rating of the fitted
tyre must have an appropriate sticker in the driver's field of view. These
stickers are available from your Authorised Service Centre. The legal require-
ments of each country must be followed.
Do not have winter tyres fitted for unnecessarily long periods. Vehicles with
summer tyres handle better when the roads are free of snow and ice.
If you have a flat tyre, please refer to the notes on the spare wheel
⇒ page 228, “New tyres and wheels”.
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Technical Data
272Te c h n i c a l D a t aChecking fluid levelsFrom time to time, the levels of the different fluids in the
vehicle must be checked. Never fi ll with incorrect fluids, to do
so may cause serious damage to the engine.
Radiator expansion tank
Windscreen washer fluid reservoir
Engine oil filler cap
Engine oil dipstick
Brake fluid reservoir
Vehicle battery (underneath the cover)
The checking and replenishment of the service fluids are carried out on the
components mentioned above. These operations are described in the
⇒ page 208. Overview
Further explanations, instructions and restrictions on the technical data are
contained as of
⇒page 267.
Fig. 208 Diagram for the
location of the various
elements
A1A2A3A4A5A6
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Index
292CCar care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Car care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Car phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
CD changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Automatic speed dependent locking and un-locking system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Emergency unlocking system . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Locking system for invo luntary unlocking . . 95
Selective unlocking system* . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Unlocking system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Central locking button Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Centre arm rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Cetane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Changing gear See Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Changing the lamps Main headlight lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
rear lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Changing the main headlight lamps
dipped beam lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
main beam lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Side lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
turn signal lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Changing the rear lights
indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
luggage compartment lights . . . . . . . . . . . 256
rear fog light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
reverse light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
side lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Changing windscreen wiper blades . . . . . . . . . 219
Chassis number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Checking battery electrolyte level . . . . . . . . . . 224
Checking engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Categorisation in groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Group 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Group 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Group 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Groups 0 and 0+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Child seats ISOFIX and Toptether system . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
on the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Cigarette lighter* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Cleaning alloy wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Cleaning and caring for your vehicle . . . . . . . . 192
Cleaning chrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Cleaning cloth seat covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Cleaning dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Cleaning engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Cleaning fabric trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 Cleaning leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Cleaning plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Cleaning seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Cleaning steel wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Cleaning windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Cleaning wooden trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Climatronic
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Clothes hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Control Light switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Control lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Controls Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Convenience closing Sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Convenience opening Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215, 216 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Coolant Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Coolant level warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Coolant Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
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Index
294Engine management
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Checking level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Engine oil pressure Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 78
Environmental tip Avoiding pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81, 181
Example of menu use Open the configuration menu . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Program a speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . 67
To activate and deactivate the speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Examples of menu use Open the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Open the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
To close the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
External aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202FFastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 First-aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Folding table* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Folding the seat backrests down . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Foot brake
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Front passenger airbag deactivation . . . . . . . . . 44
Front reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Front seat adjustment Lumbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Fuel Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Fuel level Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Fuel Tank Opening the fuel tank flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Fuel tank See Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
GG 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Gear shift pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
General overview of the engine compartment 272
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Glow plug system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
HHandbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 171
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
head restraints Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128, 129
adjustment of the head restraint angle . . . 129
Removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
head restraints, correct adjustment . . . . . . . . . 13 In-use and non-use positions . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Headlight flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Heated front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Heated window 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Heating and ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
High pressure cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
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