2008 SKODA SUPERB coolant temperature

The air conditioning system
106
Auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation)*
Description and important information
The auxiliary heating (auxiliary he ating and ventilation) heats or
supplies the interior of the vehicl e with fresh air independent of the
engine.
Auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating)
The auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating) func tions in connection with the Climatic or
Climatronic.
It can be used when stationary, when engi ne is switched off for preheating of the
vehicle as well as while driving (e.g. during the heating phase of the engine).
The auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating) warms up the coolant during the combus-
tion of fuel from the vehicle tank. The coolant warms up the air, which (if the blower
speed is not set to zero) flows into the occupant compartment.
10)
Auxiliary ventilation
The auxiliary ventilation enables fresh air to flow into the vehicle interior by
switching off the engine, whereby the interior temperature is effectively decreased
(e.g. with the vehicle parked in the sun).
WARNING
•The auxiliary heating must never be op erated in closed rooms - risk of
poisoning!
•The auxiliary heating must not be running during refueling - risk of fire.
•The exhaust pipe of the auxiliary heating is located on the underside of
the vehicle. Therefore do not place the vehicle, if you wish to operate the
auxiliary heating, in such a way that the exhaust gases of the auxiliary
heating can come easily into contact with inflammable materials (e.g. dry
grass) or easily inflammable substances (e.g. fuel run out).
Note
•If the auxiliary heating runs, the fuel consumption comes from the vehicle tank.
Therefore the auxiliary heating should not be operated, if there is very little fuel in
the tank.
•The exhaust pipe of the auxiliary heatin g, which is located on the underside of
the vehicle, must not be clogged and the exhaust flow must not be blocked.
•If the auxiliary heating and ventilation is running, the vehicle battery discharges.
If the auxiliary heating and ventilation has been operated several times over a
longer period, the vehicle must be driven a few kilometers in order to recharge the
vehicle battery.
•The auxiliary heating only switches the blower on, if it has achieved a coolant
temperature of approx. 50 °C.
•At low outside temperatures, this can result in a formation of water vapour in
the area of the engine compartment. This is quite normal and is not an operating
problem.
•After switching off the auxiliary heating, the coolant pump runs for a short
period.
•The auxiliary heating and ventilation does not switch on or comes on, if the
vehicle battery indicates a low loading state.
•The auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating) switches off, if in the information
display: Please refuel! is indicated or wa s indicated before switching off the igni-
tion.
•When driving, the auxiliary heating can only be switched on, if the exterior
temperature is lower than 5 °C.
•The air inlet in front of the windscreen must be free of ice, snow or leaves in
order to ensure that the auxili ary heating operates properly.
•So that warm air can flow into the vehi cle interior after switching on the auxil-
iary heating, you must maintain the te mperature normally selected by you (we
recommend 22°C). It is recommended to put the air flow in the position
.
•On vehicles with DPF (diesel particle filter) the warm coolant heats up the
engine.
10)However the coolant does not warm up the engine.
NKO B6 20.book Page 106 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:15 PM

Starting-off and Driving
112
Starting the engine
General
You can only start the engine only using an original ignition key.
•Place the gearshift lever into neutral (or place the selector lever to the position
P or N in the case of an automatic gearbox) and put on the handbrake firmly before
starting the engine.
•The clutch pedal should be fully depressed when starting the engine which
means that the starter only has to crank the engine.
•Let go of the key as soon as the engine starts otherwise there may be damage
to the starter.
The engine running noises ma y louder at first be louder for a short time after
starting the cold engine until oil pressure can be built up in the hydraulic valve
clearance compensation. This is quite no rmal and is not an operating problem.
If the engine does not start ...
You can use the battery of anothe r vehicle as a jump-start aid ⇒page 236.
It is only possible to tow-start vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox. The tow-
starting distance must not be more than 50 metres.
WARNING
•Never run the engine in non ventilat ed or enclosed areas. The exhaust
gases of the engine contain besides the odorless and colourless carbon
monoxide a poisonous gas - hazard! Carbon monoxide can cause uncon-
sciousness and death.
•Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running.
Caution
•The starter may only be operated (ignition key position ), if the engine is not
running. If the starter is immediately operated after switching off the engine, the
starter or the engine can be damaged.
•Avoid high engine revolutions, full throttle and high engine loads as long as the
engine has not yet reached its normal oper ating temperature - risk of damaging the
engine!
•Vehicles which are fitted with an exhaust gas catalytic conver ter should not be
tow-started over a distance of more than 50 metres.
For the sake of the environment
Never warm up the engine when the vehicle is standing. Drive off right away.
Through this the engine reaches its operating temperature more rapidly and the
pollutant emissions are lower.
Petrol engines
These engines are fitted with a starter system which selects the correct fuel/air
mixture for every external air temperature.
•Do not operate accelerator befo re and when starting engine.
•Interrupt the attempt at starting after 10 seconds if the engine does not start
right awayand wait for about 30 seconds before repeating the attempt.
•It is possible that the fuse on the electrical fuel pump is defect if the engine still
does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary ⇒page 241.
•Contact the nearest specialist garage to obtain professional assistance.
It may be necessary, if the engine is very hot, to slightly depress the accelerator
after the engine has started.
Diesel engines
Glow plug system
Diesel engines are equipped with a glow plug system, the preglow period being
controlled automatically in line with the coolant temperature and outside temper-
ature.
The preglow indicator light
 comes on after the igniti on has been switched on.
A3
NKO B6 20.book Page 112 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:15 PM

Starting-off and Driving113
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
You should not switch on any major electrical components during the heating
period otherwise the vehicle battery will be drained unnecessarily.
•You should start the engine immediately after the glow plug warning light 
has gone out.
•The glow plug warning light will come on for about one second if the engine is
at a normal operating temperature or if th e outside temperature is above +5°C. This
means that you can start the engine right away.
•Interrupt the attempt at starting after 10 seconds if the engine does not start
right awayand wait for about 30 seconds before repeating the attempt.
•It is possible that the fuse on the diesel preglow system is defect if the engine
still does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary ⇒page 241.
•Contact the nearest specialist garage to obtain professional assistance.
Starting the engine after the fuel tank has run dry
It may take longer than normal to start the engine after refuelling if the fuel tank has
run completely dry - up to one minute. This is because the fuel system must first of
all be filled while the attempting to start the engine.
Switching off the engine
– The engine can be switched off by turning the ignition key from posi- tion into ⇒page 111, fig. 121 .
WARNING
•Never switch off the engine before the vehicle is stationary - risk of acci-
dent!
•The brake booster only operates when the engine is running. Greater
physical effort for braking is required when engine is switched off. Because
if you do not stop as normal, this can cause an accident and severe injuries.
Caution
you should not switch the engine off right away at the end of your journey after the
engine has been operated for a lengthy peri od at high loads but should be allowed
it to run at idling speed for about 2 minutes. This prevents any accumulation of heat
when the engine is switched off.
Note
•The radiator fan may continue running fo r a further 10 minutes or so after the
engine and the ignition have been switched off. The coolant fan may, however, also
switch on again after some time if the coolant temperature rises because of an
accumulation of heat in the engine or if the engine is warm and the engine
compartment is additionally heated by strong sunlight.
•This is why particular care is required when carrying out any work in the engine
compartment ⇒page 209, “Working in the engine compartment”.
Shifting (manual gearbox)
Shift into reverse only when the car is stationary. Depress the clutch pedal and hold
it fully depressed. Wait a moment before engaging reverse gear in order to avoid
any shift noises.
The reversing lights will come on once re verse gear is engaged, provided the igni-
tion is on.
A1
Fig. 122 The shift pattern: 5-
speed or 6-speed manual
gearbox
NKO B6 20.book Page 113 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:15 PM

Towing a trailer195
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
should be attached to folding arms. Adjust
the mirrors so that they provide you with
an adequate field of view to the rear.
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights.
Alter the setting as necessary with th e aid of the headlight beam adjuster
⇒ page 59, “Headlamp range adjustment* ”.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device.
It is stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the
luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Further information on the towing device ⇒page 196.
Note
•We recommend that you also have yo ur vehicle inspected between service
intervals if you tow a trailer frequently.
•The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and
decoupling the trailer.
Driving Tips
Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.
– Do not, as far as possible, drive with your vehicle unladen and the
trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside temper- ature is high.
Distribution of weight
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trailer
is laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this
combination.
Driving speed
Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for coun-
tries in which higher speeds are allowed.
The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with
increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when
there are unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions, particularly near accident
black spots.
You must always reduce your speed immedi ately as soon as you detect even just
the slightest swaying of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from
“swaying” by accelerating.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a trailer brake, apply the
brakes gently at first and then brake firmly . This will avoid brake jolts resulting from
the trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good time before negotiating a down-
hill section to allow the engine to also act as a brake.
Engine overheating
Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a
lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engine speed when the outside temperature is
very high ⇒page 11, “Coolant temperature gauge”.
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 214, “Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒page 31, “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
NKO B6 20.book Page 195 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:15 PM

Inspecting and Replenishing215
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
WARNING
•The cooling system is pressurized! Do not open the cap of the coolant
expansion bottle if the engine is still hot - risk of scalding!
•The coolant additive and thus all of the coolant is harmful to your health.
Avoid contact with the coolant. Coolant vapours are also harmful to the
health. It is important, therefore, to always safely store any coolant additive
in its original container out of the reach of children - risk of poisoning!
•If any splashes of coolant get into yo ur eyes, rinse out your eyes immedi-
ately with clear water and contact a doctor as soon as possible.
•You should also consult a doctor without delay if you have inadvertently
swallowed coolant.
Caution
Do not continue your journey if for some reason it is not possible under the
conditions prevailing to top up with coolant. Switch of the engine and contact
and obtain professional assistance from a specialist garage.
For the sake of the environment
Do not re-use coolant if it is necessary to drain the coolant in the system. It should
be collected and disposed of in comp liance with environmental protection
regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan may switch on suddenly.
The radiator fan is driven by an electric motor and controlled according to the
coolant temperature.
The radiator fan may continue running fo r up to 10 minutes after the engine has
been switched off - even if the ignition is also off. It may also switch on suddenly
after a certain time, if
•the coolant temperature ha s risen because of an accumulation of heat or
•the warm engine compartmen t is heated up additionally by strong sunlight.
WARNING
You must therefore be aware when working in the engine compartment that
the fan may switch on suddenly - risk of injury!
Brake fluid
Inspecting the brake fluid level
The brake fluid reservoir is located on the left of the engine compartment.
The brake fluid reservoir on right-hand steering models is positioned on
the other side of the engine compartment.
– Switch the engine off.
– Open the bonnet ⇒page 209, “Working in the engine compartment”.
– Inspect the brake fluid level in the reservoir ⇒fig. 190 . The level must
be between the “MIN” and “MAX” markings.
A slight drop in the fluid level results when driving due to normal wear-and-tear
and automatic adjustment of the br ake pads, and is perfectly normal.
Fig. 190 Engine compart-
ment: Brake fluid reservoir
NKO B6 20.book Page 215 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:15 PM

Index
266
Changing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Changing the engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Changing wheels around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Check engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Side airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Child safety seat on the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Classification into groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Use of child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Children and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Chrome parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Climatic Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Climatronic Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Recirculated air mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Climatronic (automatic air conditioning) . . . . . . 100
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Clothes hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Cockpit General view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Convenience operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Converting/masking over headlights . . . . . . . . . . 192
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Coolant level Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Coolant quantity Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Coolant temperatur e/coolant level
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Correct seated position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Counter for distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cruise control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Cup holder front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
D
Daylight driving lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Deactivatingan airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Deactivating an airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Defrosting rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
De-icing the windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Detachable towing device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Diesel engines
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Diesel particle filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Direction indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Door Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Driver-steering recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Driving economically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
E
EDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Electric power-operated window Operational faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Electric sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Electrically adjustable exterior mirror . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Electronic Differential Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Electronic immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Electronic stability programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Electronic stability programme (ESP) Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Engine starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Engine compartment Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
NKO B6 20.book Page 266 Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:15 PM