2009 SKODA OCTAVIA Owner's Manual

Lights and Visibility
64
when driving. Vehicles which are equipp
ed with Xenon bulbs* do not have a
manual headlight range adjustment control.Switch for hazard warning lights

– Press switch
 ⇒
fig. 59
to switch the hazard warning light system on
or off.
All the turn signal lights on the vehicle
flash at the same time when the hazard
warning light system is switched on. The in
dicator light for the turn signals and the
indicator light in the switch also flash at
the same time. You can also switch on the
hazard warning light system if the ignition is switched off. The hazard warning light system is swit
ched on automatically if an airbag is
deployed in the event of an accident. Please comply with any legal requirements when using the hazard warning light system.
Note
Switch on the hazard warning light system if, for example:•
you encounter traffic congestion,
•
your vehicle breaks down or an emergency situation occurs.
The turn signal
  and main beam lever

The parking lights and headlight flasher are also switched on and off using the turn signal and main beam lever.The turn signal and main beam lever perform the following functions: Right
 and left
 turn signal light
– Push the lever upwards or downwards
⇒
fig. 60
.
– If you only wish to flash three time
s* (the so-called convenience turn
signal), push the lever briefly up to
the upper or lower pressure point
and release it. This function can be activated/deactivated in the infor-mation display*
⇒
page 26.
– Turn signal for changing lanes - in order to only flash briefly, move the
lever up or down to the pressure point and hold it in this position.
Main beam

– Switch on the low beam. – Push the lever forwards.– Pull the lever back into the initial po
sition in order to switch the main
beam off again.
Fig. 59 Dash panel: Switch for hazard warning lights
Fig. 60 Turn signal and main beam lever
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Lights and Visibility
65
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Headlight flasher

– Pull the lever towards the steering wheel (spring-tensioned position)
- the main beam and warning light

in the instrument cluster come
on.
Parking light

– Switch off the ignition. – Push the lever up or down - the ri
ght-hand or left-hand parking light
is switched on.
Information concerning the function of the lights.•
The
turn signal system
only operates when the ignition is switched on. The
corresponding indicator light
 or  in the instrument cluster also flashes.
•
The turn signal is automatically cancelled after negotiating a curve.
•
The indicator light flashes at twice its normal
ra te if a bulb of the turn s ignal lig ht
fails.•
The side light and rear light on the appropriate side of the vehicle are switched
on when the
parking light
is selected. The parking light only operates if the ignition
is switched off.
Caution
Use main beam or the headlight flasher only
if this does not risk dazzling other road
users.
Note
•
If you have switched on the right or left
turn signal light and you switch off the
ignition, the parking light is
not automatically switched on.
•
Use only in accordance with the legal
requirements the described lighting and
signal systems.
Interior lightingvehicle interior lighting front and rear*The same principles apply for the lighti
ng of the front and rear part of the
vehicle. Switching the interior light on – Press the switch to the left, the symbol

⇒
fig. 61
appears.
Switching the interior light off – Press the switch into the middle position
O.
– On the version without reading lights press the switch to the right,
the symbol
O appears.
Door contact setting – Press the switch to the right, the symbol

appears.
– On the version without reading lights press the switch into the
middle position

.
Fig. 61 Detail of the head- liner: Front and rear interior lighting
AAAA
AA
AA
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Lights and Visibility
66
Reading lights* – Press on one of the switches in order to switch the right or left
reading light on or off.
The interior light comes on as soon as you unlock the car or open a door or when the ignition key has been removed. The li
ght goes out again about 30 seconds after
all the doors have been closed. The interior
lighting is switched off when you lock
the car or switch the ignition on. This on
ly applies when the switch for the corre-
sponding interior lights is stan
ding n the door contact setting.
The interior lighting goes off after about
10 minutes when a door has been left open
in order to avoid discharging the battery of the vehicle. If the switch is in the position
 (permanent lights), the interior lighting goes off at
the latest after 10 minutes in order to avoid discharging the battery of the vehicle.
Note
We recommend having these bulbs re
placed by a specialist garage.
Lighting of the storage compartment on front passenger side*– When opening the flap of the st
orage compartment on the front
passenger side the lighting in the storage compartment comes on.
– The light switches on automatically
when the parking light is switched
on and goes out when the flap is closed.
Front door warning light*The warning light is located in the door trim panel below
⇒fig. 62
.
The warning light goes on every time the door is opened. The light goes out about 10 minutes after opening the d
oor in order to avoid discharging the battery of the
vehicle. There is a reflector installed on some vehicles instead of the warning light.Luggage compartment light*The lighting comes on automatically when
the boot lid is opened. The luggage
compartment lighting will switch off agai
n automatically if the boot lid remains
open for more than about 30 minutes.Entry lighting*The lighting is positioned on the bottom edge of the exterior mirror. The light beam is directed towards the entry area of the front door.The light comes on after the doors have been
locked or on opening the boot lid. The
light goes out after switching on the ignition
or up to 30 seconds after closing all the
doors, the bonnet and the boot lid.
AB
Fig. 62 Front door: Warning light
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Lights and Visibility
67
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
If a door, the bonnet or the boot lid re
mains open, the light goes out within 2
minutes if the ignition is switched off.
WARNING
If the entry light comes on, do not touch its cover - risk of burns!VisibilityRear window heater– You can switch the rear window heater on or off by pressing the switch
⇒
fig. 63
- the indicator light in the
switch comes on or goes out.
The rear window heater only oper
ates when the engine is running.
The rear window heater
switches
off automatically after 10 minutes.
For the sake of the environment
As soon as the window is de-iced or free from mist, the heating should be switched off. The reduced current consumption will have a favourable effect on fuel economy
⇒page 205, “Saving electricity”.
Note
•
The position and the shape of the switch can differ depending on equipment
installed in the vehicle.•
If the on-board voltage drops, the rear
window heater
is switched off automat-
ically, in order to provide sufficient electrical energy for the engine control.Sun visorsYou can pull the sun visor for the driver or
front passenger out of the fixture and
swivel it toward the door in the direction of the arrow
⇒fig. 64
.
Fig. 63 Switch for rear window heater

Fig. 64 Sun visor: swivelling outFig. 65 Double sun visorA1
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Lights and Visibility
68
The vanity mirrors* in the sun visors are
provided with covers. Push the cover in
direction of arrow . On vehicles which are equipped with do
uble sun visor*, you can also unfold the
auxiliary visor after swivelling the sun visor
⇒page 67, fig. 65
.
WARNING
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy- ment area of the head airbags if any ob
jects, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head airbag is deployed.Sun screen*
The sun screen is located in a housing on the luggage compartment cover. If required, you can remove the housing with the sun screen from the luggage compartment cover. Pulling out – Pull the sun screen at the loop and hang it in the brackets
⇒
fig. 66
.
Folding – Take the sun screen out of the brackets and hold it at the loop
so that it can roll up slowly and
without damage into the housing on
the luggage compartment cover.
Removing – Unhook the fastening elements from the luggage compartment cover
.
– Roll up the sun screen again into the housing on the luggage compart-
ment cover.
– Press the locking button in the direction of arrow and take out the
sun screen in the direction or arrow
⇒
fig. 67
.
A2
Fig. 66 Unroll the sun screen
Fig. 67 Remove the sun screen
AA
AB
AB
AA
AC
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Lights and Visibility
69
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Windshield wiper and wash systemWindshield wiper You can operate the windscreen wipers and automatic wipe/wash using the windscreen wiper lever.The windscreen wiper lever
⇒
fig. 68
has the following positions:
Finger-operated wiping – If you wish to wipe the windscreen only
briefly
, push the lever into the
sprung position . If you hold the le
ver in the lower position for more
than 1 second, the wiper wipes faster.
Intermittent wiping – Position the lever up into position . – Set with the switch the desired break between the individual wiper
strokes
Slow wipe – Position the lever up into position .
Fa s t w ip e – Position the lever up into position . Automatic wipe/wash for windscreen – Pull the lever towards the steering
wheel into sprung position , the
wash system sprays immediately, the windscreen wiper starts wiping a little later. The wash system and the windscreen wiper operate simultaneously at a speed of more than 120 km/h.
– Release the lever. The windscreen wash system stops and the wiper
continues for another 3 - 4 wiper strokes (depending on the period of spraying of the windscreen). At a speed of more than 2 km/h, the wiper wipes once again* 5 seconds after the last wiper stroke in order to wipe the last drops from the windscreen. This function can be acti-vated/deactivated by a specialist garage.
Rain sensor* – Move the lever into position . – You can set the sensitivity of the sensor individually with switch . Wiping the rear window pane* – Push the lever away from the steering wheel into position - the
widescreen wiper will operate every 6 seconds.
Automatic wipe/wash for the rear window pane* – Press the lever from the steering wheel forward into the sprung posi-
tion , the wash system sprays immediately, the windscreen wiper starts wiping a little later. As long as you hold the lever in this position, the wiper operates as well as the wash system.
– Letting go of the lever will cause the windscreen wash system to stop
and the wiper to continue for another 2 - 3 wiper strokes (depending on the period of spraying of the windscreen).
The lever will stay in
position after releasing it
.
Fig. 68 Windscreen wiper lever
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AA
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Lights and Visibility
70
Switching windscreen wipers off – Move the lever back into its home position .After the windscreen wiper switches off each
time or the igniti
on switches off for
the third time, the position of the windscreen wiper changes, this counteracts an early fatigue of the wiper rubbers. The windscreen wipers and the wash system only operate if the ignition is switched on and the bonnet is closed
11).
If the intermittent wipe is switched on, the intervals are also controlled depending on speed. The rain sensor* automatically regulates
the break between the individual wiper
strokes depending on the intensity of the rain. The rear window will be
wiped again if the front wi
ndow wipers are on when
reverse gear is selected. The windscreen washer nozzles are heated* when the ignition is switched on.Top up with wash liquid
⇒page 236.
Winter position If the windscreen wipers are in rest posi
tion, they cannot be folded out from the
windscreen. For this reason we recommend
adjusting the windscreen wipers in
winter so that they can be folded out fr
om the windscreen easi
ly. You can set this
rest position as follows:•
Switch on the windscreen wipers.
•
Switch off the ignition. The windscreen wi
pers remain in the position in which
they were when switching off the ignition. You can also use the service position
⇒page 71 as a winter position.
WARNING
•
Properly maintained windscreen wiper
blades are essential for clear visi-
bility and safe driving
⇒page 71.
•
Do not use the windscreen
washer system at lo
w temperatures, without
heating the windscreen beforehand.
Otherwise the window cleaner could
freeze on the windscreen and re
strict the view to the front.
•
The rain sensor only operates as a support. The driver is not released
from the responsibility to set the function of the windscreen wipers manu- ally depending on the visibility conditions.
Caution
In frosty weather, please first of all check whether the windscreen wiper blades are not frozen to the windscreen before switching them on. Switching on windscreen wipers when the blades are frozen to the windscreen may result in damage both to the blades and the motor of the windscreen wipers!
Note
•
If the slower or the faster wiper setting is switched on
⇒page 69, fig. 68

and the vehicle speed decreases to below 4
km/h, the lower wiper step is switched
on automatically. At a speed increase of
more than 8 km/h the previous wiper
setting is established again.•
If there is an obstacle on the windscreen, the wiper will try to push away the
obstacle. If the obstacle continues to bloc
k the wiper, the wiper stops after 5 cycles,
in order to avoid a damage to the wiper.
Remove the obstacle and and switch on
the wiper again.Headlight cleaning system*The headlights are being cleaned after the
windscreen has been sprayed for the first
time and fifth time, the low beam or ma
in beam are switched on and the wind-
screen wiper lever was held in the position
⇒page 69, fig. 68
for about 1
second.
11)On vehicles which do not have a contact swit
ch for the bonnet, the windshield wiper and
wash system operates also when the bonnet is opened.
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Lights and Visibility
71
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
The headlight washer nozzles are moved forward out of the bumper by the water pressure for cleaning the headlights. You should remove stubborn dirt (such
as insect residues) from the headlight
lenses at regular intervals, for example when refuelling. Please refer to the following guidelines
⇒page 214, “The headlight lenses”.
You should remove any snow from the fixt
ures of the washer nozzles and clear ice
in winter with a de-icing spray in order to
ensure proper operation of the cleaning
system.Replacing wiper blades fo
r the windscreen wipers
One cannot fold out the wiper arms in the rest position from the wind- screen. Before replacing the wiper
arms you must put them into the
service position. Service position for changing wiper blades – Close the bonnet. – Switch the ignition on and then again off. – Then press the windscreen wiper lever in the position
⇒
page 69,
fig. 68
within 20 seconds - the wiper ar
ms move into the service posi-
tion.
Taking off the wiper blade – Fold windscreen wiper arm out from
the windscreen and position the
wiper blade at right angles to the wiper arm
⇒
.
– Take off the wiper blade in direction of arrow
⇒
fig. 69
⇒
.
Attaching a wiper blade – Push the new wiper blade over the wiper arm and turn the wiper blade
into the vertical position.
– Check whether the wiper blade is correctly attached.– Fold the windscreen wiper arms onto the window and switch on the
ignition. By pressing the window wi
per lever into the sprung position
⇒
fig. 69
or when driving at a speed greater than 4 km/h, the wind-
screen wiper arms move back into the rest position.
Wiper blades in proper condition are esse
ntial to obtain good visibility. Wiper
blades should not be allowed to become
dirtied by dust, insect remains and
preserving wax. Juddering or smearing of the wiper blades
could then be due to wax residues left
on the windscreen by vehicle washing in
automatic vehicle wash systems. It is
therefore important to
degrease
the lips of the wiper blades after every pass
through an
automatic vehicle wash system
.
WARNING
•
The ignition must not be switched on if the front windscreen wiper arms
are folded out. The wiper blades would move back into their rest position and while doing so damage th
e paintwork of the bonnet.
•
If the windscreen wipers are handled carelessly, there is a risk of damage
to the windscreen.•
You should clean the wiper blades regularly with a windscreen cleaner in
order to avoid any smears. Clean a wiper blade with a sponge or cloth if it is very dirty, for example from insect residues.
Fig. 69 Wiper blade for the windscreen wiper
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