
Towing a trailer159
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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 47.
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 instructions 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 legal maximum speeds. This applies in
particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
– Keep a check on the coolant temper ature gauge if the outside temper-
ature 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 coun- tries 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, weather or wind conditions, particularly near accident black spots.
You must always reduce your speed immedi ately 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 down- hill 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 temperature is very high ⇒page 10.
If the needle of the coolant temperature gauge moves into the right-hand area or even the red area of the scale, reduce yo ur speed immediately. Stop and switch off the engine if the warning light in the instrument cluste r begins flashing. Wait a few minutes and check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle ⇒ page 178, “Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒page 24, “Coolant temperature/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 independent
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Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The grade of engine oi l should be selected in accordance with
precise specifications.
The engine of your vehicle has been fact ory-filled with a high-grade oil which you can use throughout the year - except in extreme climatic regions.
You can mix various oils together with each other when refilling with oil. This does not, however, apply for models with flexible service intervals (QG1).
Engine oils are, of course, undergoing co ntinuous further development. Thus the information stated in this Owner's Manual is only correct at the time of publication.
Škoda Service Partners are informed by Škoda Auto a.s. about current changes. We recommend having this oil change un dertaken by a Škoda Service Partner.
Engine oil specifications for vehicles with fixed service intervals (QG0, QG2)
Engine oil specific ations for models with flexible service intervals (QG1)
Caution
Only the above-mentioned oils may be used on vehicles with flexible service inter- vals (QG1). We recommend always refilling with oil of the same specification since this will maintain the properties of the oil. In exceptional cases, you must top up only once engine oil complying with Specification VW 502 00 (only for petrol engines) or Specification VW 505 01 (only fo r diesel engines) to maximum 0.5 litres. You must not use other engine oi ls - risk of engine damage!
Note
•Before a long drive we recommend that you purchase and carry with you engine oil which complies with the specif ication for your vehicle. Consequently, you will always have the correct engine oil for refilling.
•We recommend using a preservative from the Škoda original accessories offered by your Škoda dealer.
•For further information - see Service shedule.
Engine oil specifications
Petrol engines
VW 501 01 VW 502 00 VW 504 00
ACEA A2 a) or A3 a)
a)Only to be used in exceptional cases if the oils specified above are not available.
Diesel enginesVW 505 01b)
VW 507 00 c)
b)Only for engines without diesel particle filter ⇒page 29.c)Only for engines with diesel particle filter ⇒page 29.
Engine oil specifications
Petrol enginesVW 504 00 alternative VW 503 00
Diesel enginesVW 507 00
alternative VW 506 01 a)
a)Only for engines without diesel particle filter ⇒page 29.
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Replenishing engine oil
– Inspect the oil level ⇒page 176.
– Unscrew the cap of the engine oil filler opening.
– Pour in a suitable grade of oil in portions of 0.5 litres ⇒page 175,
“Engine oil specifications”.
– Inspect the oil level ⇒page 176.
– Carefully screw on the cap of the filler opening and push the dipstick
in fully.
WARNING
•Avoid dripping oil onto hot parts of the engine when topping up will oil - a risk of fire!
•Read and observe the warning notes ⇒page 173, “Working in the engine compartment” before working in the engine compartment.
For the sake of the environment
The oil level must on no ac count be above the range ⇒page 176. Oil will other- wise be drawn in through the crankcase ventilation and may pass through the exhaust system to atmosphere. The oil ma y combust in the catalytic converter and damage it.
Changing engine oil
The engine oil must be changed at the intervals stated in the Service schedule or according to the service interval indicator ⇒page 11.
WARNING
•Only carry out the engine oil change, if you have the required profes- sional knowledge!
•Read and observe the warning notes ⇒page 173, “Working in the engine compartment” before working in the engine compartment.
•Let the engine cool down - risk of burning from hot oil.
•Wear an eye protection - risk of caustic burns due to oil splashes.
•Oil is toxic! Store old oil in a safe place out of the reach of children and unauthorized persons until you dispose of it properly.
Caution
You must not pour any additives into th e engine oil - risk of engine damage! Damage, which results from such produc t, are excluded from the warranty.
For the sake of the environment
•You must on no account pour oil into the ground or into the sewage system.
•In view of the problems involved in properly disposing of old oil, the material, equipment and the knowledge required fo r such work, we recommend that you have the oil and oil filter change carried out by your Škoda Service Partner.
Note
After your skin has come in contact with the oil, you must thoroughly wash your skin.
Cooling system
Coolant
The job of the coolant is to cool the engine.
The cooling system does not require any maintenance under normal operating conditions. The coolant consist s of water with a concentration of coolant additive of 40 %. This mixture not only provides antifreeze protection down to -25°C but
Aa
WARNING (continued)
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Index237
Recirculated air mode
Air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Replacing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Replacing fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Replacing the wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Roof aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Running in the car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
S
Safe securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Safety information
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Saving electrical energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Seat belt height adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Seat belt warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
fastening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
taking off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Service Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Service Interval Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Setting temperature
Air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Setting the clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Side airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Side lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Stability programme (ESP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Diesel engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Petrol engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Steering force assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Storage compartment
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Storage facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Switch in the driver door
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Switching lights on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
T
Tailgate
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Taking care of your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Temperature
outside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
the first 1 500 kilometres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
The roof luggage rack system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Thickness of brake pads
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Towing eye
front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Towing protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
towing vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Tow-starting and towing vehicle
Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Traction control system (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
General Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Transporting children safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Turn signal light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Turn signal lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Turn signal system for vehicles towing a trailer
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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