
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. 195
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 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 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 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 consum
ption 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. 195 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km. and speed in km/h.
s2dk.1.book Page 204 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Driving and the Environment
205
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. 196
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. 196 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km at different temperatures
s2dk.1.book Page 205 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Driving and the Environment
206
Keeping a log of your fuel consumptionIf 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 compatibilityEnvironmental 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 different classes of materials,
•
Identification of all plastic parts in
accordance with VDA Recommendation 260,
•
Reduced fuel consumption
and exhaust emission CO
2,
•
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.
Motoring abroadGeneral 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
o n l y b e a b l e t o m a ke l i m i te d re p a i rs . Š ko d a A u to i n t h e C z e c h R e pu b l i c a n d re l e v a n t importers are happy to provide information
about technical aspects of the vehicle,
required maintenance work and possibilities for getting repairs done.Unleaded petrolA 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.HeadlightThe 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 authorised Škoda Service Partner.
s2dk.1.book Page 206 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Fuel
219
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
FuelPetrolGrades of petrolThere are various grades of petrol. Please read
⇒page 267, “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 220, fig. 199
.
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 whic
h 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 performance 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 220, “Refuelling”.
Caution
•
Filling the tank even only once with lead
ed petrol will result in the catalytic
converter being destroyed.•
Operating the engine with petrol of a lo
w octane number can result in engine
damage at high revolutions or severe engine loading.DieselDiesel fuelYour vehicle can be operated with
diesel fuel
, which complies with the standard
DIN EN 590
.
Fuel additives You must not use fuel additives, so-called “flow improvers” (petrol and similar products) in diesel fuel. If the quality of the diesel fuel is poor, it is then necessary to drain the
fuel filter
more often than stated in the Service schedule. You can find information on refuelling
⇒page 220, “Refuelling”.
Caution
•
Use fuel which complies with the standard
DIN EN 590
. Filling the tank even
only once, which does not comply with th
e standard, can result
in damage to the
fuel system.•
Water which has collected in the fuel fi
lter can result in engine problems.
•
Your vehicle is not adapted
for use of biofuel (RME), therefore this fuel must not
be refuelled and driven. Using this fuel (RME) can lead to damage to the engine or the fuel system.
s2dk.1.book Page 219 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Inspecting and replenishing
225
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
– Wait a few minutes and pull out the oil dipstick. – Wipe off the dipstick with a clea
n cloth and insert it again fully.
– Then withdraw the dipstick ag
ain and read off the oil level.
Oil level within range – You must
not
top up the oil.
Oil level within range – You
may
top up the oil. It is possible that the oil level may then be
within range after doing this.
Oil level within range – You
must
top up the oil
⇒
page 225. It is sufficient, once this is done,
to keep the oil level within range .
It is normal for the engine to consume oi
l. The oil consumption may be as much as
0.5 l/1 000 km depending on your style of
driving and the conditions under which
you operate your vehicle. Th
e oil consumption may be sl
ightly higher than this
during the first 5 000 kilometres. One should therefore check the oil level at regular intervals, preferably every time after the fuel tank is filled or after driving for long stretches. We recommend maintaining the oil level within the range -
but not above this
,
if the engine has been operating at high loads, for example during a lengthy motorway trip during the
summer months, towing a trai
ler or negotiating a high
mountain pass. The warning light in the instrument cluster* will indicate
⇒page 42, “Engine oil
level
” whether the oil level is too low. In this case, check the oil level as soon as
possible. Top up with an appropriate quantity of oil.
Caution
•
The oil level must on no account ex
tend beyond the ra
nge . Danger of
damaging the catalytic converter.
•
Do not continue your journey
if for some reason it is not possible under the
conditions prev
ailing to top up with oil.
Switch of the engine and contact
and
obtain professional assistance from a specialist garage.
Note
Engine oil specifications
⇒page 270.
Replenishing engine oil– Inspecting the engine oil level
⇒
page 224.
– Unscrew the cap of the engine oil filler opening.– Pour in a suitable grade of oil in portions of 0.5 litres
⇒
page 270.
– Inspect the oil level
⇒
page 224, “Check engine oil level”.
– Carefully screw on the cap of the filler opening and push the dipstick
in fully.
WARNING
•
Avoid dripping oil onto hot parts of the engine when topping up will oil -
a risk of fire!•
Read and observe the warning notes
⇒page 223, “Working in the engine
compartment” before working in the engine compartment.
For the sake of the environment
The oil level must on no account be above the range
⇒page 224. Oil will other-
wise be drawn in through the crankcas
e ventilation and may pass through the
exhaust system to atmosphere. The oil ma
y combust in the catalytic converter and
damage it.
AAAB
AA
AC
AB
AA
AA
Aa
s2dk.1.book Page 225 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Wheels and Tyres
236
setting off on a long trip. Please do not forget the spare wheel when checking the tyres. The tyre inflation pressures for
summer tyres
are indicated on the inside of the fuel
filler flap
⇒page 235, fig. 210
. The inflation pressures for
winter tyres
are 20 kPa
(0.2 bar) higher than those for summer tyres
⇒page 239.
The tyre pressure should be at the highest pressure specified for your vehicle at all times. The tyre inflation pressure of the emergency spare wheel R 18 is 420 kPa (4.2 bar).Always check the inflation pressure of ty
res when cold. Do not reduce the higher
pressure of warm tyres. Adapt the inflation pressure of the tyres accordingly if your vehicle is carrying a significantly higher payload. Driving style Fast cornering, sharp acceleration and braking (squealing tyres) increase wear-and- tear on your tyres. Balancing wheels The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. There are a wide range of influences when driving which may result in an imbalance and which makes themselves felt through vibration in the steering. You should have the wheels rebalanced
since any imbalance increases wear-and-
tear on the steering, the suspension and
tyres. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tyre is fitted and each time a tyre is repaired. Wheel alignment errors Incorrect wheel alignment at the front and re
ar will not only increase wear-and-tear
on the tyres but will also has an adverse
effect on vehicle safety. Contact your
specialist garage if you notice any unusual tyre wear.
WARNING
•
If the inflation pressure is too low,
the tyre must perform a greater flexing
work. At higher speeds the tyre will warm up as a result of this. This can result in tread separation and even a tyre blowout.•
Immediately replace the damaged rims or tyres.
For the sake of the environment
Tyres which are insufficiently inflated increase your fuel consumption.Wear indicatorsThe base of the tread of the original tyres has wear indicators 1.6 mm high, installed at right angles to the direction of travel. These wear indicators are located at 6 - 8 points depending on the make and are evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre
⇒fig. 211
. Markings on the walls of the
tyres through the letters “TWI”,
triangular symbols or other symbols identi
fy the position of the wear indicators.
A remaining tread of just 1.6 mm, measured in the grooves of the tread next to the wear indicators, means that your tyres
have reached their legally permissible
minimum tread depth.
WARNING
•
You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the
wear indicators have been worn do
wn. The legally permissible minimum
tread depth should be observed.•
Worn tyres do not provide the necessar
y adhesion to the road surface at
high speeds on wet roads. One coul
d experience “aquaplaning” (uncon-
trolled movements of the vehicle - “swimming” on a wet road surface).
Fig. 211 Tyre tread with wear indicators
s2dk.1.book Page 236 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Wheels and Tyres
239
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Winter tyresThe handling of your vehicle will be significantly improved when driving on wintry roads if you fit winter tyres. Summer tyres do not offer the same grip on ice, snow and at temperatures below 7 °C because of
their construction (width, rubber blend,
tread pattern). This partic
ularly applies to vehicles
which are equipped with
low-
profile tyres
or high-speed tyres
(code index H or V on wall of tyre).
Winter tyres must be mounted on all four wheels to obtain the best handling char- acteristics. You must only fit those types of winter tyre which are approved for your vehicle. The permissible
sizes of winter tyres
are stated in your vehicle documents. Approvals
may differ because of national legislation. Please remember that the tyres should be in
flated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar) more than is
the case for summer tyres
⇒page 235, fig. 210
.
Winter tyres no longer
offer the same winter performance once the
tyre tread
has
worn down to a depth of about 4 mm. Ageing
also causes winter tyres to lose most of their winter performance properties
- even in cases where the remaining tread depth is still clearly more than 4 mm. Speed restrictions
apply to winter tyres as well as to summer tyres
⇒page 237,
⇒
.
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed ca
tegory to your vehicle provided that you
also do not drive faster than the permis
sible maximum speed fo
r such tyres, even
if the possible maximum speed of your ve
hicle is higher. The corresponding tyre
category can damage the tyres when ex
ceeding the permissi
ble maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if
you decide to fit winter tyres
⇒page 235.
You can also fit so-called “all-year tyres” instead of winter tyres.Please contact your specialist garage if
there are any points which are not clear who
will be able to provide you with information regarding the maximum speed for your tyres.
WARNING
You must on no account drive your car at more than the permissible maximum speed for your winter tyres - risk of an accident resulting from tyre damage and loss of control over your car.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres on again in good ti
me since summer tyres offer you better
grip and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well as ar tempera-tures below 7 °C - the braking distance is shorter, there is less tyre noise, tyre wear is reduced and fuel consumption is reduced.
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.Unidirectional tyres*The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by
arrows on the wall of the tyre
.
This indicates the direction of rotation of the tyre, and it is essential that the tyres are fitted on to run in this direction. Only then are the tyres able to provide the optimal properties in terms of grip, low noise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning. Should it be necessary to fit on a spare
wheel in exceptional cases with a tyre not
dedicated to the running dire
ction or in opposite running
direction, please adopt a
cautious style of driving as the tyre is no
longer able to provide optimal grip and
handling in such a situation.
This particularly important
on wet roads. Please refer
to the notes
⇒page 245, “Spare wheel*”.
You should have the defective tyre replac
ed as soon as possible and restore the
correct direction of rotation on all tyresSnow chainsSnow chains must only be mounted on the front wheels.
s2dk.1.book Page 239 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Technical Data
268
Identification detailsVehicle data sticker The vehicle data sticker
⇒fig. 243
is located on the floor of the luggage compart-
ment and is also stated in the Service schedule. The vehicle data sticker co
ntains the following data:
Vehicle identification number (VIN). Vehicle type.Gearbox code, paint number, interior
equipment number, engine output,
engine code. Partial description of the vehicle.7GG, 7MB, 7MG - vehicles with DPF
⇒page 200.
Vehicle identification number (VIN) The vehicle identification num
ber - VIN (vehicle body number) is stamped into the
engine compartment on the right hand shoc
k absorber dome. This number is also
located on a sign on the lower left hand
edge below the windscreen (together with
a VIN bar code).
Engine number The engine number is stam
ped into the engine block.
Type plate (production plate) It is located on the left
middle pillar of the body.
Homologation sign The homologation sign is located on the lock carrier. Vehicles for certain countries do not have an homologation sign. Sticker on inside of fuel filler flap The stickers are affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap. They contain the following data:•
The prescribed types of fuel,
•
Tyre s iz e ,
•
Tyre pressure.
Fuel consumption according to the regulations (99/100/EU)Depending on the range of the special equipment, style of driving, traffic situation, weather influences and vehi
cle condition, the consumpt
ion values which in prac-
tice result when using the vehicle ca
n deviate from the indicated values.
Urban traffic The consumption measurement in urban traf
fic begins with starting of the cold
engine. Afterwards the normal
urban traffic is simulated.
Non-urban traffic For the consumption measurement in non-ur
ban traffic the vehicle, as in daily
motoring, is accelerated and braked several times in all gears. The vehicle speed changes within the range from 0 to 120 km/h.
Fig. 243 Vehicle data sticker
A1A2A3A4A5s2dk.1.book Page 268 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM