2007 SKODA FABIA maintenance schedule

Driving and the Environment154
Sensitive use of the accelerator will not only significantly reduce fuel consumption but also positively influence environmen tal pollution and wear of your vehicle.
You should avoid fully exploi ting the top speed of your vehicle wherever possible. Fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and vehicle noises increase disproportion- ally at high speeds.
The ⇒page 153, fig. 140 shows the ratio of fuel consumption to the speed of your vehicle. You will cut your fuel consumption by half if you only make use three-quar- ters of the possible top speed of your vehicle.
Reducing idling
Idling also costs fuel.
It is worthwhile switching off the engine in a traffic jam or when waiting at a level crossing or at traffic lights with a length y red phase. Even after just 30 - 40 seconds you will have saved more fuel than that is needed when you start the engine up again.
If an engine is only idling it takes much longer for it to reach its normal operating temperature. Wear-and-tear and pollutant em issions, though, are particularly high in the warming-up phase. This is why you should drive off right after starting the engine. Do avoid high engine revolutions at this time, however.
Regular servicing
A poorly tuned engine consumes an unnecessarily high amount of
fuel.
Having your vehicle serviced regularly at a specialist garge enables you to satisfy one of the requirements for economical motoring even before you set off on your journey. Keeping your vehicle properly servic ed not only has a positive effect on the safety of your vehicle and maintaining its value, but also saves on fuel.
A poorly tuned engine can result in a fu el consumption which is 10% higher than normal.
The foreseen maintenance work should be undertaken exactly according to the Service schedule by a specialist garage.
Also check the oil level after refueling. Oil consumption is dependent to a consid- erable extent on the load and speed of the engine. Oil consumption could be as high as 0.5 litres/1 000 km depending on your style of driving.
It is quite normal that a new engine ha s a higher oil consumption at first, and reaches its lowest level only after a certain running in time. It is therefore not possible to correctly assess the oil cons umption of a new vehicle until after you have driven about 5 000 km.
For the sake of the environment
•You can achieve additional improvements in your fuel economy by using high- lubricity oils.
•Check the ground below your car at regula r intervals to detect any leakages in good time. Please have your vehicle inspected by a specialist garge if you find any stains caused by oil or other fluids on the floor.
Avoid driving short distances
Short distances result in an above-average high fuel consumption.
– Avoid driving a distance of no more than 4 km if the engine is cold.
The engine and catalytic converter mu st first have reached their optimal operating temperature in order to effectively reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emis- sions.
Fig. 141 Fuel consump- tion in litres/100 km at different temperatures
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Fuel169
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Fuel
Petrol
Grades of petrol
There are various grades of petrol. Please read the chapter Technical Data in order to know which grade of petrol your vehi cle requires. You will also find the same information affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap of your vehicle ⇒page 170, fig. 143 .
A distinction is made between unleaded an d leaded petrol. All Škoda vehicles with petrol engines are equipped with a catalyti c converter and must therefore be only driven with unleaded petrol. Unleaded petrol complies with the standard EN 228.
The individual grades of petr ol are distinguished by their octane number (RON). Please adopt the following procedure if th e grade of petrol which you normally use is not be available in exceptional circumstances:
•Engines which need unleaded premium petrol 95 RON can also be run on unleaded regular petrol 91 RON. This does, however, result in a slight loss in performance.
•Engines which need unleaded premium plus petrol 98 RON can also be run on unleaded regular petrol 95 RON. This does, however, result in a slight loss in performance. You can in exceptional circumstances also use unleaded regular petrol of 91 RON in the event that neithe r unleaded premium petrol of 98 RON nor 95 RON is available. Refuel as soon as possible with unleaded premium plus of 98 RON or unleaded premium petrol of 95 RON.
If, in an emergency, the only fuel availa ble is one which has a lower octane number than that required by the engine then only drive at medium engine speeds and lower engine loadings.
You can make unlimited use of fuel which has a higher octane number than that required by the engine. There will, howeve r, be no advantages gained by this in terms of engine performa nce and fuel consumption!
The handling, performance and life of your engine are determined to a significant extent by the quality of the fuel. Do not use any petrol additives. Use a fuel complying with the standard.
You can find further information on refuelling ⇒page 170.
Caution
•Filling the tank even only once with leaded petrol will result in the catalytic converter being destroyed.
•Operating the engine with petrol of a low octane number than that required can result in engine damage at high revolutions or severe engine loading.
Diesel
Diesel fuel
Your vehicle can be operated with diesel fuel, which complies with the standard EN 590 .
Fuel additives
You must not use fuel additives, so-called “flow improvers” (petrol and similar products) in diesel fuel.
If the quality of the diesel fuel is poor, it is then necessary to drain the fuel filter more often than stated in the Service schedule.
You can find information on refuelling ⇒page 170, “Refuelling”.
Caution
•Use a fuel which complies with the standard EN 590. Filling the tank even only once, which does not comply with this standard, can result in damage to the fuel system.
•Water which has collected in the fuel fi lter can result in engine problems.
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Inspecting and Replenishing177
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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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