2009 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR alternator

Instruments and Indicator/Warning Lights
34
Alternator

The warning light
 comes on after the ignition has been switched on. It should go
out after the engine has started. If the warning light does not go out after the engine has started, or comes on when driving, drive to the nearest specialist garage. The vehicle battery will be discharged in this case so switch off all non-essential electrical components. A peep sounds as an additional warning signal.
Caution
If the warning light
 comes on when driving and in addition the warning light

(cooling system fault) also comes on in display, you must then stop the car imme- diately and switch the engine
off - risk of engine damage!
Brake system

The warning light
 comes on for several seconds after the ignition is switched on.
If the warning light
 stays on when the ignition is switched on or comes on while
driving, there is a fault in the brake system. Visit the nearest specialist garage imme-diately and have the brake system inspected. The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
STOP BRAKE FLUID SERVICE MANUAL
3 peeps sound as an additional warning signal.One should get used to high pedal forces, long braking distances and long free play of the brake pedal when driving to the next specialist garage. For further information on the brake system
⇒page 133, “Brakes”.
Handbrake applied The warning light
 also comes on if the handbrake is applied. An audible warning
is also given if you drive the vehicle for at least 3 seconds at a speed of more than 5 km/h.
The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
HANDBRAKE ON
WARNING
•
Pay attention to the following instru
ctions before checking the brake
fluid level and opening the bonnet
⇒page 160, “Working in the engine
compartment”.•
If the brake system warning light
 does not go out a few seconds after
switching on the ignition or comes on when driving, stop immediately and check the brake fluid in the reservoir
⇒page 167, “Brake fluid”. If the fluid
level has dropped below the MIN marking,
do not drive any further - risk of
accident! Obtain prof
essional assistance.
Seat belt warning light*

The warning light
 comes on after the ignition is
switched on as a reminder to
fasten the seat belt. In the event that the driver is not restrained, a warning signal sounds for 6 seconds.The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
FASTEN SEAT BELT
Further information on the seat belts
⇒page 108, “Seat belts”.
s2g8.b.book Page 34 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Driving and the Environment
141
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical 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. 143
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. 143 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km at different temperatures
s2g8.b.book Page 141 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Inspecting and replenishing
160
– Take the bonnet support out of its holder and set it in the opening
designed for it
⇒
page 159, fig. 150
.
Closing the bonnet – Lift the bonnet slightly and unhook the bonnet support. Press the
bonnet support into the hold
er designed to hold it.
– Allow the bonnet to drop from a height of about 30 cm into the lock -
bonnet
do not press down on it
!
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 i
mmediately while driving if yo
u notice that the lock is
not properly engaged and close the bonn
et properly - risk of an accident!
Working in the engine compartment Particular care is required when ca
rrying out any work in the engine
compartment!There is a risk of injuries, scalding,
accidents and fire wh
en working in the
engine compartment, e.g. inspecting an
d 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.
•
On vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox, move the gearshift lever into
Neutral.•
Allow the engine to cool down.
•
Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
•
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 vehicl
e, you must secure the vehicle from
rolling away and support it
with suitable supporting blocks; the lifting 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 part
s of the engine - Hazard! Therefore
s2g8.b.book Page 160 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Index
215
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Index AAbroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Adjusting seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 104
electrically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Adjusting the steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Recirculated air mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Front airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Side airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Alternator
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Antilock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Antilock brake system (ABS)
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Auto Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Auto Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Automatic seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Automatic vehicle wash systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Automatic wiper/washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Avoiding damage to your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143BBattery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 168
change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Inspecting the electrolyte level . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Operation in winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Belt
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 159Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Brake
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Brake pads
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Bulbs
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Button for the central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . 40Buttons on the driver's door
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
CCar state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39unlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Changing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Changing the engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Changing wheels around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Check engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Side airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Child safety seat
on the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
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