2008 SKODA OCTAVIA fuel

Intelligent Technology
200
•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.
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, 7MB or 7MG on the vehicle data sticker, see ⇒fig. 200, indi-
cates that your vehicle is equipped with a diesel particle filter. The vehicle
data sticker is located on the floor of the luggage compartment 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.
If the diesel particle filter is clogged or there is a fault, it is indicated by the warning
light
.
WARNING
•The diesel particle filter achieves very high temperatures. Therefore do
not park at points where the hot filter comes into direct contact with dry
grass or other combustible materials - risk of fire!
•Never use additional underbody protection or corrosion-protection
agents for the exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, diesel particle filter or
heat shields. When the engine reaches its operating temperature, these
substances might ignite - risk of fire.
Note
•When using diesel fuel with high sulphur content the life of the diesel particle
filter is clearly reduced. A specialist garage will be able to tell you which countries
use only diesel fuel wi th high sulphur content.
Fig. 200 Vehicle data sticker
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Driving and the Environment
202
Catalytic converter
Proper operation of the emission co ntrol 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 219, “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 228, “Replenishing
engine oil”.
– Do not tow-start the vehicle over a distance of more than 50 metres
⇒ page 253, “Tow-starting and towing vehicle”.
If you drive your vehi cle in a country in which unleade d 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 neve r 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 Environment203
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
The fuel consumption can naturally also be
influenced by factors which are beyond
the driver's control. It is, for example, normal for the fu el consumption to increase
in winter and under worsened conditions such as poor road conditions, towing a
trailer, etc.
The technical requirements for low fuel usage and economic efficiency of the
vehicle have already been built into the ve hicle at the works. Special attention has
been given to minimising ne gative effects on the environment. It is necessary to
take note of the guidelines given in this chapter in order to make best use of these
characteristics and to maintain their effectiveness.
The optimal engine speed should be obtain ed when accelerating, in order to avoid
a high fuel consumption an d resonance of the vehicle.
Looking ahead when driving
A vehicle's highest fuel consumption occurs it accelerates.
Avoid accelerating and brakin g unnecessarily. If you drive with forsight you will not
need to brake so often and will also then not have to accelerate so much. Let your
vehicle coast to a stop, for example, if this is possible, when you see that the next
set of traffic lights is at red.
Shifting gears and saving energy
Shifting up early saves on fuel.
Manual gearbox
– Drive no more than about one length of your vehicle in first gear.
– Always shift up into the next higher gear at approx. 2 000 to 2 500 revs.
Automatic gearbox
– Depress the accelerator pedal slowly. Do not depress it beyond the
kickdown position, however.
An effective way of achieving good fuel economy is to shift up early. You will
consume more fuel if you drive at unnecessa rily high revolutions in any given gear.
The ⇒fig. 201 shows the ratio of fuel consumption to the speed of your vehicle in
the relevant gears. Fuel consumption in 1st gear is the highest, while that in 5th or
the 6th gear is the lowest.
Only depress the accelerator pedal slowly if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic
gearbox in order to automatically select an economic driving programme. You will
achieve good fuel economy by shifting up early and shifting down late.
Note
Also use the information supplied by the multi-functional indicator* ⇒page 21.
Fig. 201 Fuel consumption
in litres/100 km. and speed in
km/h.
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Driving and the Environment
204
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. 202 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 fuel 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. 202 Fuel consumption
in litres/100 km. and speed in
km/h.
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Driving and the Environment205
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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. 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
⇒ fig. 203 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 is particularly in town traffic, when 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 10% more fuel th an normal at a speed of 100 - 120 km/h,
even when you are not carr ying 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.
Fig. 203 Fuel consumption
in litres/100 km at different
temperatures
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Driving and the Environment
206
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 differ ent 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 with 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 complicated 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 202. 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.
In order to prevent the dazzling of oncoming traffic, it is necessary that an adjust-
ment of the headlights is carried out by your Škoda Service Partner.
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Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle
216
Engine compartment
Good corrosion protection is very importan t, particularly in winter when one often
drives over its salt-strewn roads. One should therefore clean the whole engine
compartment before and after the salt spre ading period and treat with preservative
in order to prevent the salt from being destructive.
Škoda Service Partners have the cleaning agents and preservatives recommended
by the manufacturer and also the required equipment.
WARNING
•It is necessary to observe the guidelines given in the chapter before
working on the engine compartment ⇒page 225, “Working in the engine
compartment”.
•Let the engine cool down before cleaning the engine compartment.
Caution
•Engine cleaning may be only be und ertaken when the ignition is off.
•It is recommended to cover the generator before washing the engine compart-
ment.
For the sake of the environment
The dirty water produced by washing the engine has washed away petrol, and resi-
dues of grease and oil and should therefor e be cleaned by an oil separator. This is
why engine washing should only be undertake n in a specialist garage or at a fueling
station (when these are fitted with the required equipment).
Care of the interior of vehicle
Plastic parts, artificial leather and cloths
You can clean plastic parts and artificial le ather with a moist cloth. You should only
treat such parts with special solvent-free plastic cleaning and care products it
does prove to be adequate.
Upholstery cloth and cloth trim on the doors, luggage compartment cover, head-
liner etc. are best treated with special cleaning products, using if necessary a dry
foam and a soft sponge or brush.
We recommend using a cleaning product from Škoda genuine accessories offered
by your Škoda dealer.
Caution
Solvent-free cleaners attack the material and can damage it.
Fabric covers of electrically heated seats
Do not clean the seat covers moist as this may result in damage to the seat heating
system.
Clean such covers using special agents, for example dry foam.
Natural leather
Natural leather requires quite particular care and attention.
Leather should be treated from time to time according the following
guidelines depending on how much it is used.
Normal cleaning
– Clean soiled areas of the leather with slightly moistened cotton or
woollen cloth.
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Fuel219
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Fuel
Petrol
Grades of petrol
There are various grades of petrol. Please read ⇒ page 269, “Technical Data” in
order to know which grade of petrol your vehicle requires. You will also find the
same information affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap of your vehicle
⇒ page 222, fig. 207 .
A distinction is made between unleaded an d leaded petrol. All Škoda vehicles with
petrol engines are equipped with a catalyti c converter and must therefore be only
driven with unleaded petrol . Unleaded petrol complies with the standard
DINEN228 .
The individual grades of petr ol are distinguished by their octane number (RON).
Please adopt the following procedure if the grade of petrol which you normally use
is not be available in exceptional circumstances.
Engines which need unleaded premium petrol 95 RON can also be run on
unleaded regular petrol 91 RON. This does, however, result in a slight loss in
performance.
If, in an emergency, the only fuel availa ble is one which has a lower octane number
than that required by the engine then only drive at medium engine speeds and
lower engine loadings.
You can make unlimited use of fuel which has a higher octane number than that
required by the engine. There will, howeve r, be no advantages gained by this in
terms of engine performa nce and fuel consumption!
The handling, performance and life of your engine are determined to a significant
extent by the quality of the fuel. Do not use any petrol additives. Use a fuel
complying with the standard.
You can find further information on refuelling ⇒page 222, “Refuelling”.
Caution
•Filling the tank even only once with leaded petrol will result in the catalytic
converter being destroyed.
•Operating the engine with petrol of a low octane number can result in engine
damage at high revolutions or severe engine loading.
Biofuel Ethanol E85*
Ethanol E85*
Only valid for vehicles with 1.6/75 kW MultiFuel engine.
Biofuel Ethanol E85 consists of 85% bi oethanol and 15% unleaded petrol
complying with the standard (DIN) EN 228.
Biofuel Ethanol E85 in accordance with th e standard (DIN) EN 228 can be mixed in
any desired ratio with unleaded petrol, see Owner's Manual.
Drive the vehicle for at least 5 minutes without interruption, if biofuel Ethanol E85
has been refuelled, so that the engine co ntrol unit can determine the share of the
biofuel in the fuel. During this period do not drive at top speed of your vehicle or
high engine speeds and not at full throttle . During this process decrease the idling
speed.
WARNING
Pay attention to any legal requirements if you do carry a spare canister in the
vehicle. We do not recommend carrying any fuel canisters in your vehicle for
safety reasons. The canister can be da maged in the event of an accident and
fuel may leak out.
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