2007 SKODA ROOMSTER Time

Intelligent Technology149
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WARNING
•Never switch off the engine before the vehicle is stationary.
•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.
Antilock brake system (ABS)*
ABS prevents the wheels locking when braking.
General
The ABS contributes significan tly to enhancing the active safety of your vehicle. Compared to a car not fitted with the ABS brake system, you are able to retain optimal steering ability even during a fu ll brake application on a slippery road surface because the wheels do not lock up.
You must not expect, however, that the br aking distance will be shorter under all circumstances as a result of the ABS. Th e braking distance for example on gravel and fresh snow, when you should anyway be driving slowly and cautiously, will be longer.
Operating principle
As soon as the vehicle speed has increase d to about 20 km/hour an automatic test procedure is conducted during which you wi ll be able to hear a pumping noise for about 1 second.
The brake pressure will be reduced on a wheel which is rotating at a speed which is too low for the speed of the vehicle and tend ing to lock. This control cycle is notice- able from a pulsating movement of the brake pedal which is accompanied by noises. This is consciously intended to pr ovide the driver with the information that the wheels are tending to lock (ABS control range). You must always keep the brake pedal depressed to enable the ABS to optima lly control the brake application in this braking range. Never interrupt the application of the brakes!
WARNING
•The ABS can also not overcome the physic al limits of your vehicle. Please do not forget this, particularly when driv ing on icy or wet road surfaces. If the ABS is operating within the control ra nge, adapt your speed immediately to the conditions of the road surface and the traffic situation. The increased safety offered by the ABS must not tempt you to take greater risks than otherwise - risk of an accident!
•The normal braking system is still fully functional if there is an ABS fault. Visit a specialist garage as quickly as po ssible and adjust your style of driving to take account of the ABS fault in the meantime since you will not know how great the damage is.
Note
•A warning light comes on if a fault occurs in the ABS system ⇒page 27.
•Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or other assign- ment of tyres and wheels) can in fluence the function of the ABS ⇒page 193, “Accessories, changes and replacement of parts”.
Brake Assist*
During a severe brake application (e.g. if a hazard exists), the Brake Assist increases the braking force and thus makes it possible to rapidly produce the pressure required in the brake system.
The majority of drivers do apply the brakes in good time in dangerous situations, but do not depress the brake pedal with suff icient pressure. Consequently, it is not possible for the car to achieve its maxi mum deceleration and the car covers a greater distance than necessary.
The Brake Assist is activated by the very quick operation of the brake pedal. In such cases, a much greater braking pressure ex ists than during a normal brake applica- tion. This makes it possible, even with a relatively low resistance of the brake pedal, to produce an adequate pressure in the brake system in the shortest possible time, which is required for maximum deceleration of the car. You must apply the brake
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Intelligent Technology151
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistancePraktikTechnical Data
•the wheels of an axle are loaded heavily (e.g. when towing a trailer or when driving uphill or downhill),
•the vehicle is operated in unfavourable winter conditions or on an unfirm ground,
•snow chains or emergency wheel are mounted,
•the driver has a sporty style of driving (with sharp acceleration and high speed when cornering).
Basic setting of tyre inflation pressure-control system
After changing the tyre inflation pressures or after changing one or several wheels, a basic setting of the system must be carried out as follows.
•Inflate all tyres to the specified inflation pressure ⇒page 187.
•Switch on the ignition.
•Press button   ⇒page 150, fig. 147 for more than 2 seconds. While pressing the button, the warning light  lights up. At the same time the basic values are stored, which is confirmed with an acoustic sound and then the warning light  goes out.
•If the warning light  does not go out after the basic setting, there is a fault in the system. Have the vehicle inspected by your nearest specialist garage.
Function description
After the basic setting of the system the “a daptation” of the tyre inflation pressures and then the tyre pressure control in the individual tyres are performed.
Warning light  lights up
If the tyre inflation pressure of at least on e wheel is insufficiently inflated in compar- ison to the stored basic value, the warning light  ⇒ lights up. Inflate all tyres to the specified inflation pressure ⇒page 187, “Tyre life” and then perform a basic setting of the system.
WARNING
•When the warning light  lights up, immediately reduce the speed and avoid sudden steering and brake mano euvres. Please stop the vehicle
without delay at the nearest possible stop and inspect the tyres and their inflation pressures.
•The driver is responsible for the correc t tyre inflation pressures. For this reason, the tyre inflation pressures must be checked regularly.
•Under certain circumstances (e.g. sporty style of driving, wintry or unpaved roads) the warning light  can be delayed or does not light up at all.
•The tyre inflation pressure-control system does not take away the responsability from the driver for the correct tyre inflation pressure.
Note
The tyre inflation pressure-control system:
•does not replace the regular tyre inflatio n pressure control, because the system cannot detect an even pressure loss,
•cannot warn in case of very rapid tyre inflation pressure loss, e.g. in case of sudden tyre damage. In this case carefully bring the vehicle to a standstill without sudden steering movements and without sharp braking.
WARNING (continued)
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Driving and the Environment154
Catalytic converter
Proper operation of the emission control system (catalytic converter)
is of major significance for drivin g your vehicle in an environmen-
tally conscious way.
Please refer to the following guidelines:
– For vehicles with petrol engine only refuel with unleaded petrol
⇒ page 170, “Grades of petrol”.
– Never run the fuel tank completely empty.
– Do not switch off the ignition while you are driving the vehicle.
– Do not pour too much oil into the engine ⇒page 178, “Replenishing
engine oil”.
– Do not tow-start the vehicle over a distance of more than 50 metres
⇒ page 205, “Tow-starting a vehicle”.
If you drive your vehicle in a country in which unleaded petrol is not available, you must have the catalytic converter replaced later when driving the vehicle into a country in which use of a cata lytic converter is mandatory.
WARNING
•In view of the high temperatures which may be produced in the catalytic converter, one should always park a vehicle in such a way that the catalytic converter cannot come into contact with easily flammable materials below the vehicle - a risk of fire!
•Never use additional underbody protection or corrosion-protection agents for the exhaust pipes, catalyti c converters or heat shields. Such substances might ignite when driving - risk of fire!
Caution
•Vehicles fitted with catalytic converter should never be allowed to let the fuel tank to run completely empty. An irregular fuel supply can result in poor ignition or
misfiring. Unburnt fuel may get into the exhaust system and damage the catalytic converter.
•Filling the tank even only once with le aded petrol will result in the catalytic converter being destroyed.
•If you detect misfiring, a drop in perf ormance or irregular engine running when driving, reduce your speed immediately and have the vehicle inspected by the nearest specialist garage. The symptoms described may be caused by a fault in the ignition system. Unburnt fuel may get in to the exhaust system and damage the catalytic converter.
For the sake of the environment
Even if the exhaust system is operating properly, a sulphur-like exhaust odour may be produced under certain operating condit ions of the engine. This depends on the sulphur content of the fuel. It is often su fficient to refuel with unleaded premium- grade petrol of a different brand or at a different filling station.
Driving in an economical and environmentally
conscious manner
General
Your personal style of driving is a major factor.
Your fuel consumption, any pollution of the environmental and the wear-and-tear to the engine, brakes and tyres, depend essentially on three factors:
•your personal style of driving,
•the conditions under which your vehicle is operated,
•technical aspects.
You can easily improve your fuel economy by 10 - 15 percent by driving in an economical way with foresight. This section is intended to provide you with a number of tips on how to protect the en vironment and at the same time save money.
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Driving and the Environment156
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 155, fig. 150 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. 151 Fuel consump- tion in litres/100 km at different temperatures
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Driving and the Environment157
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistancePraktikTechnical Data
The cold engine vehicle consumes approx. 15 - 20 litres/100 km of fuel immediately after starting. Fuel co nsumption drops to 10 litres/100 km after just 1 kilometre. The engine reaches its operating temperat ure (outside temperature and engine dependent) only after about 4 to 10 kilometres and the fuel consumption then stabilizes. You should therefore avoid driving short distances whenever possible.
An important factor in this connection is also the ambient temperature. The ⇒ page 156, fig. 151 shows the different fuel consumptions for the same distance, on the one hand at +20°C and on the other hand at -10°C. Your vehicle has a higher fuel consumption in winter than in summer.
Checking tyre inflation pressures
Tyres which are correctly inflated save fuel.
Always ensure that your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure at all times. The rolling resistance will be increased if the tyre filling pressure is too low. This will not only increase fuel consumpt ion but also tyre wear and the driving behaviour will worsen.
Always check the inflation pressure of the tyres when cold.
Do not drive with winter tyres all year round for this costs about 10 % more fuel. Winter tyres are also louder.
No unnecessary ballast
Transporting balla st costs fuel.
The fact that every kilogram of extra weight increases your fuel consumption means that it is worth taking a look in the luggage compartment to avoid trans- porting any unnecessary ballast.
It is par ticularly i n town tra ffi c, whe n one is accelerating quite often, that the vehicle weight will have a significant effect upon the fuel consumption. A rule of thumb here is that an increase in weight of 100 kilograms will cause an increase in fuel consumption of about 1 litre/100 kilometres.
You may frequently also leave a roof rack fitted on just out of convenience, although you no longer need it. The incr eased aerodynamic drag of your vehicle
causes it to use about 1 l more fuel than normal at a speed of 100 - 120 km/h, even when you are not carrying a load on the roof.
Saving electricity
Generating electricity costs fuel.
– Switch off electrical components as soon as you no longer need them.
When the engine is running, the alternator generates and supplies electrical power. The greater the load on the alternator as a result of having a large number of elec-trical components switched on, the more fuel will be consumed for operating the alternator.
Keeping a log of your fuel consumption
If you really wish to keep 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 should reflect on how, where and in what conditions yo u have driven the vehicle since you last refuelled.
Environmental compatibility
Environmental protection has played a major 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
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Towing a trailer161
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistancePraktikTechnical 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 46.
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.
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 179, “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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Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle165
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistancePraktikTechnical Data
WARNING
It is particularly important that you do not clean tyres with circular spray jets. Damage may occur even at a relati vely large spraying distance and if sprayed only for a short time.
Caution
The water containing wax must be no hott er than 60°C, otherwise the vehicle can be damaged.
Wax treatment
Good wax treatment is an effective way of protecting the paintwork from harmful environmental influences an d minor mechanical damage.
The vehicle must be treated with a high-qua lity hard wax polish at the latest, when no more drops form on the clean paintwork.
A new layer of a high-quality hard wax polish can be applied to the clean bodywork after it has dried thoroughly. Even if you use a wax preserver regularly we still recommend that you treat the paintwork of the vehicle at least twice a year with hard wax.
Caution
Never apply wax to the windows.
Polishing
Polishing is only necessary if the paintwor k of your vehicle has become unattractive and if it is no longer possible to achieve a gloss with wax preservers.
You must treat the paintwork with a wax preserver if the polish you use does not contain any preserving elements ⇒page 165, “Wax treatment”.
We recommend using a preservative from Škoda genuine accessories offered by your Škoda dealer.
Caution
•You must not treat mat painted parts or plastic with polishing products or hard wax.
•Do not polish the paintwork of the vehicle in a dusty environment, otherwise the paintwork can be scratched.
Chrome parts
First clean the chrome parts with a damp clotch and then polish them with a soft, dry cloth. If it does not prove to be adequate, use a chrome care product from Škoda original accessories.
Caution
Do not polish the chrome parts in a du sty environment, otherwise they can be scratched.
Paint damage
Slight damage to paintwork such as scratche s, scuffs or traces of chip damage must be treated immediately before any corrosion can result. You can of course have this work carried out by a Škoda Service Partner.
Škoda Service Partners have a range of matching touch-up pens or spray cans available in the colo ur of your vehicle.
The paint number of the original paintwor k of your vehicle is indicated on the vehicle data sticker ⇒page 223.
Any corrosion which has already have formed must be removed thoroughly. Apply a corrosion protection primer and then the paint to the affected point. You can of course have this work carried out by a Škoda Service Partner.
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Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle166
Plastic parts
External plastic parts are cleaned by normal washing. Plastic parts and synthetic leather can also be treated with special solvent-free plastic cleaning agents if a damp cloth is not sufficient. Paint care pr oducts are not suitable for plastic parts.
Caution
Solvent-free cleaners attack the material and can damage it.
Windows
Only use a plastic ice scraper for removing snow and ice from the windows and mirrors. You should not move the ice scraper forward and backward but in one direction on the window which you are clea ning in order to avoid any damage to the surface of the glass.
You can best remove residues of rubber, oil, grease, wax or silicone by using a special window cleaner or a special silicone remover.
You should also clean the windows regularly from the inside.
Do not use window leathers which you have used to polish the vehicle body to dry off the windows. Residues of preservati ves in the window leather can dirty the window and reduce visibility.
Do not affix any stickers over the inside of the rear window to avoid damage to the heating elements of the rear window heater .
We recommend using a preservative from Škoda genuine accessories offered by your Škoda dealer.
Caution
•Never remove snow or ice from the glass parts with warm or hot water - risk of formation of cracks in the glass!
•When removing snow or ice from the windows and mirror lenses make sure not to damage the paintwork of the vehicle.
The headlight lenses
Please do not use any aggres sive cleaning or chemical solvent products - risk of damage to the plastic lenses Please use soap and clean warm water.
Caution
Never wipe the headlights dry and do not use any sharp objects for cleaning the plastic lenses, this may result in damage to the protective paintwork and conse- quently in formation of cracks on the head light lenses, e.g through effect of chem- ical products.
Door and window seals
The rubber seals on the doors, boot lid, bonnet and windows remain supple and last longer if you treat them from time to time with a rubber care product (e.g. with a spray with silicone-free oil). You also avoid premature wear of the seals and prevent leakages in this way. It is also easier to open the doors. Rubber seals which are well cared for also do not stick together in cold winter weather.
Locks
We recommend that you use the spray from Škoda original accessories with regreasing and anticorrosive effect for de-icing locks.
Note
When washing your vehicle, ensure that as little water as possible gets into the locks.
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