2007 SKODA OCTAVIA check engine light

Instruments and Indicator/Warning Lights33
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
If there is a fault in the ABS which also in
fluences the function of the normal brake
system (e.g. distribution of brake pressure), the ABS warning light
 comes on
together with the brake system warning light . Be aware that not only the ABS but
also another part of th brake system is defective ⇒.
3 peeps sound as an additional warning signal.
One should get used to high pedal forces, long braking distances and long free play
of the brake pedal when driving to the next specialist garage.
For further information on the brake system ⇒page 184, “Brakes”.
Handbrake applied
The warning light
 also comes on if the handbrake is applied. An audible warning
is also given if you drive the vehicle for at least 3 seconds at a speed of more than 6
km/h.
The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
Handbrake on!
WARNING
•Pay attention to the following instructions ⇒page 210, “Working in the
engine compartment” before checking the brake fluid level and opening the
bonnet.
•If the brake system warning light  does not go out a few seconds after
switching on the ignition or comes on when driving, stop immediately and
check the brake fluid in the reservoir ⇒page 217, “Brake fluid”. If the fluid
level has dropped below the MIN marking, do not drive any further - risk of
accident! Contact a Škoda dealer to obtain professional assistance.
Seat belt warning light* 
The warning light  comes on after the ignition is switched on as a reminder to
fasten the seat belt. The warning light only goes out if the driver has fastened his
seat belt.
If the seat belt has not been fastened, a permanent warning signal sounds at vehicle
speeds greater than 20 km/h and simultaneously the warning light
 flashes. If the seat belt is not fastened during
the next 90 seconds, the warning signal is
deactivated and the warning light
 lights up permanently.
The following text will be displayed in the information display*: Please fasten seatbelt!
For further information on the seat belts ⇒page 158, “Seat belts”.
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Unlocking and locking
42
The transmitter with the battery is housed in the handle of the master key. The
receiver is located in the interior of th e car. The operating range of the remote
control is 10 metres but this range can be reduced if the batteries are weak.
The master key has a fold-open key bit whic h can be used for unlocking and locking
the car manually and also for starting the engine.
If a lost key is replaced or if the rece iver unit has been repaired or a new unit
installed, it is then necessary for a Škoda Dealer to initialise the system. Only after
this is it possible to again use the remote control.
Note
•The remote control is automatically deac tivated when the ignition is switched
on.
•The operation of the remote control may temporarily be affected by interfer-
ence from transmitters close to the car and which operate in the same frequency
range (e.g. mobile phone, TV transmitter).
•The battery must be replaced, ideally by a Škoda Service Partner, if the central
locking or anti-theft alarm system does re act to the remote control at less than 3
metres away.
Unlocking and locking car
Unlocking the vehicle 
– Press button for about 1 second.
Locking the vehicle

– Press button for about 1 second.
Deactivating safe securing system
– Press button twice in 3 seconds. Further information ⇒page 38.
Boot lid remote release

– Press button for about 2 second ⇒fig. 32 . Further information
⇒ page 40.
Folding out of the key
– Press button .
Folding up of the key
– Press button and collapse the key bit in the housing.
The turn signal lights flash twice as confirmation that the vehicle has been
unlocked. The vehicle will lock again auto matically if you unlock the vehicle using
button but do not open a door or the b oot lid within the next 30 seconds. This
function is intended to prevent th e car being unlocked unintentionally.
In addition, when the car is unlocked, the power seats and exterior mirrors* move
into the position assigned to this key. The stored setting of driver seat and exterior
mirrors is retrieved.
The turn signal lights flash once to co nfirm that the vehicle has been correctly
locked. If the turn signal lights do not fl ash, check the doors, bonnet and boot lid
again to ensure that they are closed. If th e doors, the bonnet or the boot lid remain
open when the anti-theft alarm system is activated, the turn signal lights do not
flash until after they have been closed.
When the vehicle is unlocked or locked, the interior lights in the door contact are
automatically switched on or off.
Fig. 32 Radio-operated
key
A1
A3
A2
A2
A4
A4
A1
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Heating and air conditioning system
108
For the sake of the environment
When you economize on fuel, you also reduce pollutant emissions.
Operational problems
If the cooling system does not operate at outside temperatures higher than +5 °C,
there is a problem in the system. The reasons for this may be:
•The fuse on the air conditioning system has blown. Check the fuse, replace it if
necessary ⇒page 243.
•The cooling system has switched off auto matically for a short time because the
coolant temperature of the engine is too hot ⇒ page 11.
If you are not able to rectify the operat ional problem yourself, or if the cooling
capacity decreases, switch the cooling system off. Contact a specialist garage.
Climatronic* (automatic air conditioning)
Description
The Climatronic system is a combin ation of an automatic heating,
fresh air and cooling system which provides optimal comfort for the
occupants of the car.
The Climatronic maintains a constant temperature fully automatically, once it has
been set. This is achieved by automa tically varying the temperature of the
outflowing air, the blower stages and the air distribution. The system also takes into
account bright sunlight which eliminates the need to alter the settings manually.
The automatic mode ⇒ page 110 ensures maximum wellbeing of the occupants
at all times of the year.
Description of Climatronic system
The cooling operates only if the following conditions are met:
•engine running,
•outside temperature above +2 °C,
•the button is not pressed.
If the cooling system is switched on, the temperature and air humidity drops in the
vehicle. The wellbeing of the occupants of the car is enhanced as a result of this
particularly at high outside temperatures and a high air humidity. The system
prevents the windows misting up during the cold season of the year.
The heating effect is dependent upon th e coolant temperature, thus full heat
output only occurs when the engine has reached its operating temperature.
It is possible to briefly activate recirculated air mode in order to enhance the
cooling effect ⇒.
The air inlet in front of the windscreen must be free of ice, snow or leaves in order
to ensure that the heating and cooling systems operate properly.
The AC compressor is switched off at a high coolant temperature in order to provide
cooling at a high load of the engine.
After switching on the cooling Condensation from the evaporator of the air condi-
tioning may drip down and form a puddle below the vehicle. This is quite normal
and not an indication of a leak!
Recommended setting for al l periods of the year:
•Set the temperature to 22 °C (72 °F).
•Press the button ⇒page 109, fig. 125 .
•Move the air outlet vents 3 and 4 so that the air flow is directed slightly upwards
⇒ page 112, fig. 126 .
Switching over between degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit
Press and hold the buttons and ⇒page 109, fig. 125 . The informa-
tion in the desired temperature measuring unit appears in the display.
WARNING
•For your own safety and that of other road users, ensure that all the
windows are free of ice, snow and mist ing. Please familiarize yourself about
how to correctly operate the heating an d ventilation systems, how to demist
and defrost the windows, as well as with the cooling mode.
ECON
AUTO
ECONAUTO
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Starting-off and Driving
118
Starting the engine
General
You can only start the engine only using an original ignition key.
•Place the gearshift lever into neutral (or place the selector lever to the position
P or N in the case of an automatic gearbox) and put on the handbrake firmly before
starting the engine.
•The clutch pedal should be fully depressed when starting the engine which
means that the starter only has to crank the engine.
•Let go of the key as soon as the engine starts otherwise there may be damage
to the starter.
The engine running noises ma y louder at first be louder for a short time after
starting the cold engine until oil pressure can be built up in the hydraulic valve
clearance compensation. This is quite no rmal and is not an operating problem.
If the engine does not start ...
You can use the battery of anothe r vehicle as a jump-start aid ⇒page 238.
It is only possible to tow-start vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox. The tow-
starting distance must not be more than 50 metres ⇒page 242.
WARNING
•Never run the engine in non ventilat ed or enclosed areas. The exhaust
gases of the engine contain besides the odorless and colourless carbon
monoxide a poisonous gas - hazard! Carbon monoxide can cause uncon-
sciousness and death.
•Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running.
Caution
•The starter may only be operated (ignition key position ), if the engine is not
running. If the starter is immediately operated after switching off the engine, the
starter or the engine can be damaged.
•Avoid high engine revolutions, full throttle and high engine loads as long as the
engine has not yet reached its normal oper ating temperature - risk of damaging the
engine!
•Vehicles which are fitted with an exhaust gas catalytic conver ter should not be
tow-started over a distance of more than 50 metres.
For the sake of the environment
Never warm up the engine when the vehicle is standing. Drive off right away.
Through this the engine reaches its operating temperature more rapidly and the
pollutant emissions are lower.
Petrol engines
These engines are fitted with a starter system which selects the correct fuel/air
mixture for every external air temperature.
•Do not operate accelerator befo re and when starting engine.
•Interrupt the attempt at starting after 10 seconds if the engine does not start
right awayand wait for about 30 seconds before repeating the attempt.
•It is possible that the fuse on the electrical fuel pump is defect if the engine still
does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary ⇒page 243.
•Contact the nearest specialist garage to obtain professional assistance.
It may be necessary, if the engine is very hot, to slightly depress the accelerator
after the engine has started.
Diesel engines
Glow plug system
Diesel engines are equipped with a glow plug system, the preglow period being
controlled automatically in line with the coolant temperature and outside temper-
ature.
The preglow indicator light
 comes on after the igniti on has been switched on.
A3
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Starting-off and Driving119
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
You should not switch on any major electrical components during the heating
period otherwise the vehicle battery will be drained unnecessarily.
•You should start the engine immediately after the glow plug warning light 
has gone out.
•The glow plug warning light will come on for about one second if the engine is
at a normal operating temperature or if th e outside temperature is above +5°C. This
means that you can start the engine right away.
•Interrupt the attempt at starting after 10 seconds if the engine does not start
right awayand wait for about 30 seconds before repeating the attempt.
•It is possible that the fuse on the diesel preglow system is defect if the engine
still does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary ⇒page 243.
•Contact the nearest specialist garage to obtain professional assistance.
Starting the engine after the fuel tank has run dry
It may take longer than normal to start the engine after refuelling if the fuel tank has
run completely dry - up to one minute. This is because the fuel system must first of
all be filled while the attempting to start the engine.
Switching off the engine
– The engine can be switched off by turning the ignition key from posi- tion ⇒page 117, fig. 132 into position .
WARNING
•Never switch off the engine before the vehicle is stationary - risk of acci-
dent!
•The brake booster only operates when the engine is running. Greater
physical effort for braking is required when engine is switched off. Because
if you do not stop as normal, this can cause an accident and severe injuries.
Caution
you should not switch the engine off right away at the end of your journey after the
engine has been operated for a lengthy peri od at high loads but should be allowed
it to run at idling speed for about 2 minutes. This prevents any accumulation of heat
when the engine is switched off.
Note
•The radiator fan may continue running fo r a further 10 minutes or so after the
engine and the ignition have been switched off. The coolant fan may, however, also
switch on again after some time if the coolant temperature rises because of an
accumulation of heat in the engine or if the engine is warm and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by strong sunlight.
•This is why particular care is required when carrying out any work in the engine
compartment ⇒page 210, “Working in the engine compartment”.
Shifting (manual gearbox)
Shift into reverse only when the car is stationary. Depress the clutch pedal and hold
it fully depressed. Wait a moment before engaging reverse gear in order to avoid
any shift noises.
A1
Fig. 133 The shift
pattern: 5-speed or 6-
speed manual gearbox
NKO A5 20 MR08.book Page 119 Wednesday, April 11, 2007 2:54 PM

Driving and the Environment
192
Avoiding full throttle
Driving more slowly means saving fuel.
Sensitive use of the accelera tor 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 ⇒fig. 189 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-quarters 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 moto ring 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.
Fig. 189 Fuel consump-
tion in litres/100 km. and
speed in km/h.
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Driving and the Environment
194
Keeping a log of your fuel consumption
If you really wish to ke ep a close check on your fuel consumption, it is best to enter
the figures in a logbook. This does not take much time but is a very worthwhile exer-
cise. It enables you to detect any change (positive and negative) at an early stage
and to take any appropriate action.
If you find that your fuel consumption is too high, you sh ould reflect on how, where
and in what conditions you have driven the vehicle since you last refuelled.
Environmental compatibility
Environmental protection has played a majo r role in the design, selection of mate-
rials and manufacture of your new Škoda. Particular emphasis has been paid to a
number of aspects, including:
Design measures
•joints designed to be easily detached,
•simplified disassembly due to the modular structure system,
•improved purity of different classes of materials,
•identification of all plastic parts in accordance with VDA Recommendation 260,
•reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emission CO2,
•minimum fuel leakage during accidents,
•reduced noise,
Choice of materials
•extensive use of recyclable material,
•air conditioning filled wi th CFC-free refrigerant,
•no cadmium,
•no asbestos
•reduction in the “vaporisation” of plastics,
Manufacture
•solvent-free cavity protection,
•solvent-free protection of the vehicle for transportation from the production
plant to the customer,
•The use of solvent-free adhesives,
•No CFCs used in the production process,
•without use of mercury,
•Use of water-soluble paints.
Motoring abroad
General
Other circumstances may exist abroad.
It is also possible, in ce rtain countries, that the Škod a Service Partner network is
limited or has not been established yet. This is the reason why obtaining certain
spare parts may be somewhat complicate d and specialist garage personnel may
only be able to ma ke li mite d re pa irs. Škoda Auto a.s. i n the Czech Republic and rele -
vant importers are happy to provide info rmation about technical aspects of the
vehicle, required maintenance work and possibilities for getting repairs done.
Unleaded petrol
A vehicle fitted with a petrol engine must always be refuelled with unleaded petrol
⇒ page 190. The automobile associations can provide you with information
regarding the locations of filling stations which offer unleaded petrol.
Headlight
The low beam of your headlights is set asym metrically. It illuminates the side of the
road on which you are driving to a greater extent. If you drive abroad on the other
side of the road, you wi ll dazzle oncoming traffic.
It is necessary in order to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic to stick a sticker over a
certain part of the headlights.
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Towing a trailer197
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 55.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device.
It is stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the
luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Further information on the towing device ⇒page 198.
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.
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 temperature 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 11.
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 215, “Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒page 28, “Coolant temperature/ Coolant
quantity ”.
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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