
Transporting children safely153
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Attaching a child seat using the “ISOFIX” system
There are two fixing eyes between the backrest and the seat itself on both
of the outer rear seats for fixing the “ISOFIX” system child seat in place.
– Insert the mounting funnels onto the locking eyes between the
backrest and seat cushion ⇒fig. 161 .
– Push the notched arms of the child seat over the mounting funnels into the locking eyes, until it is heard to lock ⇒fig. 162 .
– Pull on both sides of the child seat!
One can mount a child safety seat using the “ISOFIX” system quickly, easily and reli-
ably. Please pay close attention to instru ctions from the manufacturer of the child
safety seat when installing and removing the seat.
Child seats fitted with the “ISOFIX” clampi ng system can only be mounted and fixed
in a vehicle fitted with an “ISOFIX system” when these child seats have been
released for your type of vehicle according to the ECE-R 44 standard.
You can obtain child seats with the “ISOFIX” attachment system from Škoda Service
Partners who will also installed it as well.
Complete installation instructions are enclosed with the child safety seat.
WARNING
•The locking eyes have just been de veloped for child safety seats which
use the “ISOFIX” system. You should therefore never attach other child
safety seats, seat belts or obje cts to the locking eyes - hazard!
•Ask a Škoda Service Partner whether a child seat which you bought for
another vehicle is recommended for use in a Škoda before using an “ISOFIX”
system.
•Certain child seats which use the “ISO FIX” system can be attached with
standard three-point seat belts. Please pay close attention to instructions
from the manufacturer of the child safety seat when installing and removing
the seat.
Note
Child seats which use the “ISOFIX” system are currently available for children
weighing from 9 up to 18 kg. This corres ponds to an age range of from approx. 9
months to 4 years.
B1Z-0042HB1Z-0042HFig. 161 Locking eyes
(ISOFIX system)
Fig. 162 The ISOFIX child
seat is pushed into the
mounting funnels
AAAB
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Intelligent Technology
158
Brakes
What has a negative effect on braking efficiency?
Wear-and-tear
Wear-and-tear to the brake pads is greatly dependent on the operating conditions
of the vehicle and your style of driving. Particularly if you drive a great deal in towns
and over short distances or if you adopt a sporty style of driving, it may be neces-
sary to have the thickness of the brake pads inspected at a specialist garage
between the service inspections.
Wet roads or road salt
There may be a certain delay before the brakes take full effect under certain condi-
tions such as when driving through water, during heavy rain showers or after the
vehicle has been washed in an automatic vehicle wash, since the brake discs and
brake pads may be moist or even have a coating of ice on them in winter. You
should dry the brakes as soon as possib le (by applying and releasing the brakes
several times, if the road conditions and the traffic situation allows it).
There also may be a certain delay before the full braking efficiency is available when
driving on roads which have been treated wi th road salt if you have not used the
brakes for some considerable time beforeha nd. The layer of salt on the brake discs
and brake pads must first be rubb ed off when you apply the brakes.
Corrosion
Corrosion on the brake discs and dirt on th e bake pads occur if the vehicle has been
parked for a long period and if you do not make much use of the braking system.
We recommend cleaning the brake discs by firmly applying the brakes at a fairly
high speed if you do not make much use of the braking system or if surface corro-
sion is present ⇒.
Faults in the brake surface
If you notice that the braking distance has suddenly become longer and that the
brake pedal can be depressed further, it is possible that a brake circuit of the dual-
circuit brake system has failed. Drive, in such cases, to the nearest specialist garage
without delay in order to have the problem rectified. Drive at a reduced speed while
on your way to the dealer and adapt your style of driving to the higher brake pedal
pressure required. Low brake fluid level
An insufficient level of brake fluid may result in problems in the brake system. The
level of the brake fluid is monitored electronically
⇒page 29, “Brake system ”.
WARNING
•Only apply the brakes for the purpos e of drying and cleaning the brake
discs if the traffic conditions permit this. Do not place any other road users
in jeopardy.
•When retrospectively mounting a front spoiler, solid wheel hubs etc. one
must ensure that the air supply to the front wheel brakes is not reduced
otherwise the braking sy stem could run too hot.
•Allow for the fact that new brake pads do not achieve their full braking
efficiency until approximately 200 kilo metres. New brake pads must be first
“run in” before they develop their optimal friction force. You can, however,
compensate for this slightly reduced braking force by increasing the pres-
sure on the brake pedal. This guidelin e also applies to any new brake pads
installed at a future date.
Caution
•Never allow the brakes to ru b by applying slight pressure if you do not wish to
brake the vehicle. This causes the brakes to overheat and can also result in a longer
braking distance and excessive wear.
•Before negotiating a steep downhill sect ion, please reduce your speed, shift
down into the next lower gear (manual ge arbox) or select a lower driving stage
(automatic gearbox). This enables you to make full use of the braking power of the
vehicle and reduces the strain on the brakes . Any additional braking should be done
intermittently, not continuously.
Brake booster
The brake booster boosts the pressure which you generate with the brake pedal.
The necessary pressure is only gene rated when the engine is running.
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Intelligent Technology
160
pedal firmly and hold it in this position in order to achieve the shortest possible
braking distance.
The Brake Assist is able to help you achieve a shorter braking distance in emergency
situations by rapidly producing the pressure required in the brake system. It fully
exploits the attributes of the ABS. After you release the brake pedal, the function of
the Brake Assist is automatically switched off and the brakes operate in the normal
way.
WARNING
•The Brake Assist is also not able to overcome the physical limits of your
car in terms of the braking distance required.
•Adapt your speed to the conditions of the road surface and to the traffic
situation.
•The increased safety offered by the Brake Assist must not tempt you to
take a greater safety risk than otherwise.
Power steering
Power steering assists the driver in steering the vehicle and reduces the physical
force needed for steering.
The steering characteristics can be changed by a specialist garage.
It is still possible to fully steer the vehicle if the power steering fails or if the engine
is not running (vehicle being towed in). The only difference is that greater physical
effort is required.
If the steering is turned to full lock when the car is stationary, you will place great
stresses on the power steering system. Turning the steering to full lock in such a
situation will be accompanied by noises. In addition, the idling speed of the engine
will drop briefly.
Caution
Do not leave the steering at full lock for more than 15 seconds when the engine is
running - risk of damagi ng the power steering!
Note
•Have the steering inspected as soon as po ssible by a specialist garage if there is
a leak or fault in the system.
•The power steering requires a special hydraulic oil. The oil reservoir is located
at the front left of the engine compartment ⇒page 186. The correct hydraulic oil
level is important for proper oper ation of the power steering system.
Diesel particle filter* (diesel engine)
In the diesel particle filter the resulting soot particles are collected
and burnt during the combustion of diesel fuel.
Code 7GG on the vehicle data sticker ⇒fig. 165 indicates that your
vehicle is equipped with a diesel particle filter. The vehicle data sticker is
located on the floor of the luggage com partment and is also stated in the
Service schedule.
The diesel particle filter filters the soot particles completely from the exhaust. The
soot is collected in the diesel particle filter and burnt regularly. To assist this proce-
dure, we recommend not to drive regularly over short distances.
Fig. 165 Vehicle data
sticker
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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 Environment167
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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 you 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
•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
Trade-in and recycling of old cars
Škoda Auto meets the requirements of the brand and its products regarding envi-
ronment and ressource protection. All new Škoda vehicles can be utilized up to
95 % and always
3) be returned. In a lot of countries sufficient trade-in networks
have been created, where you can trade-in your vehicle. After you trade-in your
vehicle, you will receive a confirmation st ating the recycling in accordance with
environmental regulations.
Vehicles with special built-on types
Technical documents regarding changes carrie d out on the vehicle must be kept by
the vehicle user, in order to hand over later to the old car user. This ensures the
recycling in accordance with environmental regulations.
Motoring abroad
General
Other circumstances may exist abroad.
It is also possible, in certain countries , that the Škoda 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 make limited repairs. Škoda Auto a.s. in 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.
3)subject to fulfilment of the national legal regulations
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Driving and the Environment
168
Unleaded petrol
A vehicle fitted with a petrol engine must always be refuelled with unleaded petrol
⇒ page 163. 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 asymmetrically. 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 will dazzle oncoming traffic.
It is necessary in order to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic to stick a sticker over a
certain part of the headlights.
Headlight stickers can be obtained as a spare part from the Skoda Service Partners.
Headlights with Xenon lamps are designed for driving in countries with traffic on
the right or on the left. Have this do ne always at a Škoda Service Partner.
Note
You can obtain further information regardin g masking over or converting the head-
lights from your Škoda Service Partner.
Avoiding damage to your vehicle
When driving on poor roads and lanes or when driving over kerbstones, steep
ramps etc., you must pay particular attent ion to ensuring that any low-slung parts
of the vehicle, such as spoiler and ex haust, do not touch the ground and get
damaged.
This particularly applies to models with a lowered suspension (sport suspension)
and also when your vehicle is fully laden.
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Towing a trailer169
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Towing a trailer
Towing a trailer
Technical requirements
The towing device must satisfy certain technical requirements.
Your vehicle is designed primarily for tran sporting persons and luggage. It can,
however, also be used for towing a trailer - provided certain technical equipment is
fitted.
If your vehicle has alre ady been supplied with a factory-fitted towing device then
everything that is necessary for towing a tr ailer in technical terms, and in terms of
the law, has already been taken into account.
Your vehicle is fitted with a 13-pin powe r socket for the electrical connection
between the vehicle and trailer. If the trailer which you wish to tow has a 7-pin
connector , you can use a suitable adapter
4) from Škoda original accessories.
This work must be carried out in accordan ce with the manufacturer's specifications
if a towing device is retrofitted.
Škoda Service Partners are familiar with details relating to retrofitting a towing
device and for any necessary modi fications to the cooling system.
WARNING
We recommend that you have the towing device from Škoda original acces-
sories installed by a Škoda Service Partner. H e is fa m il ia r wit h al l the re le v a nt
details relating to retrofitting such equipment. There is a risk of an accident
if the towing device is not properly fitted!
General Maintenance
There are a number of points to pay attention to when towing a
trailer.
Trailer load
The permissible trailer load must on no account be exceeded.
You can negotiate appropriately steeper incl ines and descents if you do not make
full use of the permissible trailer load.
The trailer loads specified only apply for altitudes up to 1 000 metres above mean
sea level. The fact that the engine power ou tput drops with increasing height due to
a lowering of air pressure and thus the abil ity to climb, means that the towed weight
must be reduced by 10% for every further increase of 1 000 metres in height above
sea level. The towed weight is the weight of the (laden) vehicle and the (laden)
trailer together. One should take this into account before driving up to higher alti-
tudes.
The trailer and drawbar load information on the type plate of the towing
device are merely test data for the towi ng device The data relating to your
vehicle, which is often less than this test data, can be found in your vehicle
registration documents.
Distribution of the load
Distribute the load in the trailer in such a way that any heavy items are located as
close as possible to the axle. Secure the items to prevent them slipping.
Tyre pressure
Select the tyre inflation pressure on yo ur vehicle for that of “fully laden”,
⇒ page 200. The inflation pressure of the tyres fitted to the trailer adjust in accord-
ance with the manufacturer's recommendation.
Exterior mirrors
You have to have additional exterior mirr ors fitted if you are not able to see the
traffic behind the trailer with the standard rear-view mirrors. Both exterior mirrors
4)In some countries the adapter is supplied with the towing device.
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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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