Heating and air conditioning system93
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Using the air conditioning system economically
The compressor on the air conditioning system uses power from the engine when
in cooling mode which will effect the fuel consumption.
It recommended to open the windows or th e doors of a vehicle for which the inte-
rior has been strongly heated through the ef fect of direct sunlight in order to allow
the heated air to escape.
The cooling system should not be switched on while travelling when the window is
open.
The desired interior temperature can also be achieved without switching in the
cooling system just by switching to fresh air mode.
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 of the air conditioning system is defective ⇒page 220. Check the fuse,
replace it if necessary.
•The cooling system has switched off automatically for a short time because the
coolant temperature of the engine is too hot.
If you are not able to rectify the operat ional problem yourself, or if the cooling
capacity decreases, switch the cooling sy stem off. Contact a specialist garage.
Climatronic* (automatic air conditioning)
Description
The Climatronic system is a combination of an automatic heating, fresh air and
cooling system which provides optimal comfort for the occupants of the car.
The Climatronic maintains a constant temper ature 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. It is not necessary to
manually alter the settings. The automatic mode ⇒ page 95 ensures maximum
wellbeing of the occupants at all times of the year.
Description of Climatronic system
The Climatronic can only operate if the following conditions are met:
•engine running,
•outside temperature above +5 °C,
•the button is not pressed.
If the Climatronic 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 temperatur es and a high air humidity. The system
prevents the windows misting up during the cold season of the year.
It is possible to briefly activate recirc ulated air mode in order to enhance the
cooling effect ⇒.
The heating effect is dependent upon th e coolant temperature, thus full heat
output only occurs when the engine has reached its operating temperature.
Puddle of water below car
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!
Switching over between degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit
First of all press and hold the button ⇒page 94, fig. 109 and then press the
button . The temperature measur ing unit appears in the display.ECON
ECONAUTO
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Starting-off and Driving101
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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 may 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 normal 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 215.
It is only possible to tow-start vehicl es fitted with a manual gearbox. The tow-
starting distance must not be more than 50 metres ⇒page 217.
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 oper ated 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 it s normal operating temperature - risk of damaging the
engine!
•Vehicles which are fitted wi th an exhaust gas catalytic converter 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 before 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 electric al fuel pump is defect if the engine still
does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary ⇒page 220.
•If the engine does not start, contact th e 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 ignition has been switched on.
A3
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Starting-off and Driving
102
You should not switch on any major elec trical 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 the 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 220.
•If the engine does not start, contact th e nearest specialist garage to obtain
professional assistance.
Starting the engine after 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 the engine off
– Turn the ignition key into position ⇒page 100, fig. 114 .
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 minut es. This prevents any accumulation of heat
when the engine is switched off.
Note
•The radiator fan may continue running for 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 185, “Working in the engine compartment”.
A1
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Driving and the Environment165
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Avoiding full throttle
Driving more slowly means saving fuel.
Sensitive use of the accelerator will not only significantly reduce fuel consumption
but also positively influence environmental pollution and wear of your vehicle.
You should avoid fully exploiting the top speed of your vehicle wherever possible.
Fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and vehicle noises increase disproportion-
ally at high speeds.
The ⇒fig. 167 shows the ratio of fuel consumptio n 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 re
volutions 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 serviced 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. 167 Fuel consump-
tion in litres/100 km. and
speed in km/h.
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Driving and the Environment
166
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 fu el consumption and pollutant emis-
sions.
The cold engine vehicle consumes approx. 20 - 30 litres/100 km of fuel immediately
after starting. Fuel consumption drops to 15 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
⇒ fig. 168 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 consumption 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 ballast 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 i s par ti cula rl y in town traff ic, when one i s accel era ti ng qui te often, tha t the v ehicle
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
Gen era ti n g e l ect r icity 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.
Fig. 168 Fuel consump-
tion in litres/100 km at
different temperatures
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Towing a trailer
170
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 the aid of the headlight beam adjuster
⇒ page 48.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles wh ich 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 171.
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/h for safety reasons. This also applies for countries
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 engi ne speed when the outside temperature is
very high ⇒page 12.
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 190, “Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒page 26, “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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Inspecting and Replenishing185
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
WARNING
•Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of
the engine compartment - risk of scaldi ng! Wait long enough until the steam
or coolant has stopped escaping.
•For safety reasons, the bonnet must always be properly closed when
driving. One should therefore check that the lock has in fact engaged prop-
erly after closing the bonnet.
•Stop your vehicle immediately while driv ing if you notice that the lock is
not properly engaged and close the bonne t properly - risk of an accident!
Caution
•Before opening the bonnet, ensure that the arms of the windscreen wipers are
correctly in place against the windscreen. Otherwise, there is a risk of damage to the
paintwork.
Working in the engine compartment
Particular care is required when carrying out any work in the engine
compartment!
There is a risk of injuries, scalding, accidents and fire when working in the
engine compartment, e.g. inspecting and replenishing oil and other fluids. For
this reason, it is essential to comply with the warning instructions stated
below and with the general applicable rules of safety. The engine compart-
ment of your car is a hazardous area ⇒ .
WARNING
•Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of
the engine compartment - risk of scaldi ng! Wait long enough until the steam
or coolant has stopped escaping.
•Switch off the engine and pull out the ignition key.
•Apply the handbrake firmly.
•If your vehicle is fitted with a ma nual gearbox, move the gearshift lever
into Neutral, or if it is fitted with automatic gearbox, move the selector lever
into position P.
•Allow the engine to cool down.
•Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
•Do not touch any hot engine parts - risk of burns!
•Never spill oil and other fluids over the hot engine. Such fluids (e.g. the
antifreeze contained in the coolant) may ignite!
•Avoid short circuits in the electrical system - particularly on the battery.
•Never place your hand into the radiator fan as long as the engine is still
warm. The fan might suddenly start running!
•Never open the cap of the coolant expa nsion bottle as long as the engine
is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!
•Cover over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir with a large cloth
when opening it as protection for your face, hands and arms from hot steam
or hot coolant.
•Do not let objects, such as e.g cleaning cloth or tools lie in the engine
compartment.
•If you wish to work under the vehicle, you must secure the vehicle from
rolling away and support it with suitable supporting blocks: the car jack is
not sufficient for this - risk of injury!
•In cases where it be necessary to carry out inspection work when the
engine is running there is an additional risk from rotating parts (e.g. the V-
ribbed belt, alternator, radiator fan) and from the high-voltage ignition
system. Please observe in addition the following:
−Never touch the electrical cabl es of the ignition system.
− Absolutely avoid any jewellery, loose items of clothing or long hair
from getting into the rotating parts of the engine - Hazard! Therefore
remove any jewellery beforehand, tie up your hair and wear tight fitting
clothing.
WARNING (continued)
NKO B5 20.book Page 185 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Inspecting and Replenishing187
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Engine oil specifications for vehicles with fixed service intervals (QG2)
Engine oil specifications 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 Sp ecification VW 502 00 (only for petrol
engines) or Specification VW 505 01 (only for 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 th at 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.
Check engine oil level
The dipstick indicates the le vel of oil in the engine.
Checking the oil level
– Park the vehicle on a horizontal surface.
– Switch the engine off.
– Open the bonnet ⇒ in “Working in the engine compartment” on
page 185.
– Wait a few minutes and pull out the oil dipstick.
– Wipe off the dipstick with a clean cloth and insert it again fully.
Specification
Petrol enginesVW 501 01
VW 502 00
VW 504 00
Diesel engines
VW 505 00a)
VW 505 01b)
VW 507 00c)
a)Not valid for PD engine (a unit injector engine) and engine with DPF (diesel particle
filter).
b)Not valid for engine with DPF (diesel pa rticle filter). Further information ⇒page 160,
“Diesel particle filter* (diesel engine)”.
c)This does not apply for PDi engi nes (a unit injection engine).
Specification
Petrol enginesVW 503 00
VW 504 00
Diesel enginesVW 506 01a)
VW 507 00
a)Not valid for engine with DPF (diesel pa rticle filter). Further information ⇒page 160,
“Diesel particle filter* (diesel engine)”.
Fig. 175 Dipstick
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