2010 Seat Alhambra change wheel

Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning185
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTe c h n i c a l D a t a
Air vents
Air vents
Never close the air vents Ÿfig. 131 completely to ensure heating,
cooling and ventilation inside the vehicle.
xTurn the thumbwheel in the required direction to open and close the air
vents.
xChange the air direction using the ventilation grille lever.
There are additional vents in the footwell areas and in the rear of the
passenger compartment.
Caution
Never place food, medicines or other heat-sensitive objects close to the air
vents. Food, medicines and other heat-sensitive objects may be damaged or
made unsuitable for use by the air coming from the air vents.
Air recirculation mode
Important
Air recirculation works in two ways:
Air recirculation mode
 prevents the ambient air from entering the vehicle
interior.
When the outside temperature is very high or very low, selecting manual air
recirculation mode for a short period refreshes or heats the vehicle interior
more quickly.
For safety reasons, air recirculation mode is switched off when the button
is pressed or the air distributor turned to
< Ÿ.
Fig. 131 Air vents in the instrument panel.
AA
Manual air recirculation mode.
oAutomatic air recirculation mode.
<

Driving 194
WARNING
The counter steering assistance system combined with ESP helps the
driver to steer the vehicle in critical driving conditions. At all times, it is the
driver who steers the vehicle. The counter steering system does not steer
the vehicle.
Adjusting the steering wheel position
Adjust the steering wheel before your trip and only when the vehicle is
stationary.
xPush the lever Ÿfig. 133 downwards.
xAdjust the steering wheel so that you can hold onto the steering wheel
with both hands on the outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi-
tions and your arms slightly bent.
xPush the lever firmly upwards until it is flush to the steering column
Ÿ.
WARNING
Incorrect use of the steering wheel adjustment function and an incorrect
adjustment of the steering wheel can result in severe or fatal injury.
xAfter adjusting the steering column, push the lever Ÿfig. 133
firmly upwards to ensure the steering wheel does not accidentally change
position while driving.
xNever adjust the steering wheel while the vehicle is in motion. If you
need to adjust the steering wheel while the vehicle is in motion, stop safely
and make the proper adjustment.
xThe adjusted steering wheel should be facing your chest and not your
face so as not to hinder the driver's frontal airbag protection in the event of
an accident.
xWhen driving, always hold the steering wheel with both hands on the
outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to reduce injuries
when the driver's frontal airbag deploys.
xNever hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or in any other
manner (e.g. in the centre of the steering wheel). In such cases, if the
driver's airbag deploys, you may sustain injuries to your arms, hands and
head.
Fig. 133 Mechanical
steering wheel adjust-
ment.
A1
A1

Driving205
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTe c h n i c a l D a t a
Automatic gearbox*: Selecting gears
The gear selection lever has a lock. When changing the gear selector lever
from the position P to a range of gears, press on the brake pedal and press
the lock on the selector lever in the direction of the arrow Ÿfig. 139 or Ÿfig. 140. To move the gear selector lever from the position N to D or to R,
first press and hold the brake pedal.
When the ignition is on, the current position of the selector lever is shown on
the instrument panel.
Fig. 139 Left-hand drive
vehicles: Automatic
gearbox selector lever
with locking button
(arrow).
Fig. 140 Right-hand
drive vehicles: Automatic
gearbox selector lever
with locking button
(arrow).
Selector
lever
positionsDenominationMeaning Ÿ
0Parking lock
The drive wheels are locked mechanically.
They only engage when the vehicle is at a
standstill. To change the position of the selec-
tor lever, press the brake pedal and switch on
the ignition.
2Reverse gearReverse gear is engaged.
Only select reverse gear when the vehicle is at
a standstill.
.NeutralThe gear box is in neutral. No movement is
transmitted to the wheels and the engine does
not act as a brake.
$
Standard for-
wards driving
position (nor-
mal pro-
gramme)The gears are changed (up and down) auto-
matically. The gear shifts are determined by
the engine load, your individual driving style
and the speed of the vehicle.
3
Standard for-
wards driving
position
(sports pro-
gramme)The shift up to a higher gear is automatically
delayed and the shift down is faster with
respect to the D range of gears, to take full
advantage of the engine power. The gear
shifts are determined by the engine load, your
individual driving style and the speed of the
vehicle.

Driving207
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTe c h n i c a l D a t a
Changing gears with Tiptronic*
The Tiptronic system allows you to manually change gears in vehicles with an
automatic gearbox. When you change to the Tiptronic programme, the vehicle remains in the currently selected gear. This is possible as long as the
system is not changing gear automatically due to a traffic situation.
Using Tiptronic with the selector lever
xPress the selector lever from position D to the right into the Tiptronic
selector gate Ÿ in “Automatic gearbox*: Selecting gears” on page 205.
xPress the lever forwards or backwards to move up or down a gear
Ÿfig. 141.
Using the Tiptronic with the steering wheel paddle shifts
xIn D or S, move the steering wheel paddle shifts Ÿfig. 142.
xPull the right-hand side paddle Ÿfig. 142 towards the steering
wheel to step up a gear.
xPull the left-hand side paddle Ÿfig. 142 towards the steering wheel
step down a gear.
If the paddles are not used for a period of time, the vehicle leaves Tiptronic
mode.
Caution
xWhen accelerating, the gearbox automatically shifts up into the next gear
shortly before the maximum engine speed is reached.
xWhen reducing speed manually, the gear box only shifts gear when the
engine can no longer exceed the maximum engine speed.
Driving with an automatic gearbox
The gearbox changes gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves.
Fig. 141 Selector lever in
Tiptronic position (left-
hand drive vehicles). The
lay-out in right-hand drive
vehicles is symmetrically
opposed.
Fig. 142 Steering wheel
with two paddle shifts for
Tiptronic.
A+A

Driving 208
Driving down hills
The steeper the gradient, the lower the gear you will need. The lowest gears
increase the engine braking work. Never go down hills with the selector lever
in neutral N.
xYou should reduce speed accordingly.
xPress the selector lever from position D to the right into the Tiptronic
selector gate Ÿpage 207.
xGently pull the selector lever back to change down a gear.
xALTERNATIVELY: Reduce using the steering wheel paddles Ÿpage 207.
Emergency program
If all the selector lever positions on the instrument panel display are shown
with a light-coloured background, this means there is a fault in the system.
The automatic gearbox will operate in emergency programme mode. When
the emergency program is activated, it is possible to drive the vehicle
however, at low speeds and within a selected range of gears.
For the DSG
® dual clutch gearbox, in some cases, this may mean that reverse
gear does not engage. The gearbox should be checked by a qualified work-
shop as soon as possible.
Overload protection for the 6-speed DSG gearbox
®
When the clutch is overloaded, the vehicle begins to jerk and the selector
lever position indicator begins to flash. To prevent damage to the clutch, this
interrupts the power transmission between the engine and the gearbox.
There is no more traction and it is not possible to accelerate. If the clutch is
opened automatically due to overloading, press the brake pedal. Wait a few
seconds before starting to move again.
Kick-down
The kick-down system provides maximum acceleration when the gear
selector lever is in the positions D, S or in the Tiptronic position.When the accelerator pedal is pressed right down, the automatic gearbox will
shift down to a lower gear, depending on road speed and engine speed. This
takes advantage of the maximum acceleration of the vehicle Ÿ.
When the accelerator is pressed to the floor, the automatic gearbox shifts to
the next gear only after the engine reaches the specified maximum engine
speed.
Launch-Control Programme
The Launch-Control programme enables maximum acceleration while at a
standstill.
xDeactivating the TCS Ÿpage 210.
xPress and hold the brake pedal with your left foot.
xPlace the selector lever in position S or Tiptronic.
xPress the accelerator with the right foot until the vehicle reaches an
engine speed of approximately 3,200 rpm.
xLift the left foot off the brake Ÿ. The vehicle starts with maximum
acceleration.
xTurn on the TCS after accelerating!
WARNING
Rapid acceleration can cause loss of traction and skidding, especially on
slippery ground. This could cause loss of control of the vehicle resulting in
an accident and considerable damage.
xOnly use kick-down and rapid acceleration when weather conditions,
surface conditions and traffic conditions permit; accelerate and drive in a
manner that does not endanger other road users.
xPlease remember that the driven wheels can slip and the vehicle can
skid if the TCS is turned off, especially on slippery ground.
xTurn on the TCS after accelerating.

Driving 216
Caution
xNever make the brakes slip by pressing the pedal gently, if it is not really
necessary to brake. Continuously pressing on the brake pedal will heat the
brakes. This could significantly reduce braking power, increase braking
distance or even result in the total failure of the brake system.
xReduce speed, move down a gear or select a shorter range of gears before
long steep slopes. This allows you to use the engine braking effect and to
reduce the strain on the brake system. Otherwise, the brakes may overheat
and fail. Only use the brakes to reduce speed or to stop.
Note
When checking the front brake pads, take the time to also check the rear
brake pads. The thickness of the brake pads should be checked visually and
regularly, by looking through the openings in the wheel rims or from under-
neath the vehicle. If necessary, remove the wheels to check them thoroughly.
SEAT recommends visiting a qualified workshop.
Assisted braking systems
The assisted braking systems ESP, ABS, BAS, TCS and EDS only operate when
the ignition is switched on. They contribute significantly to increasing active
safety.
Electronic stability programme (ESP)
ESP reduces the risk of skidding and increases the vehicle stability by braking
individual wheels under specific driving conditions. ESP detects critical
handling situations, such as understeer, oversteer and wheelspin on the
driven wheels. The system stabilises the vehicle by braking individual wheels
or by reducing the engine torque.
The ESP has limits. It is important to realise that the ESP is also subject to the
laws of physics. ESP will not be able to deal with all situations with which drivers may be faced. For example, if the road surface changes suddenly then
ESP will not be useful in all cases. If the vehicle suddenly enters a section
covered by water, mud or snow then ESP will not provide assistance in the
same way as on dry ground. If the vehicle loses its grip on the ground and
moves on a film of water (aquaplaning), the ESP will not be able to assist the
driver to control the vehicle due to the loss of adherence with the road surface
preventing braking and steering. If the vehicle is driven through series of
bends at high speed, the ESP will not always be as effective: the vehicle reac-
tion to aggressive driving is not the same as at reduced speeds. When driving
with a trailer, ESP does not provide the same amount of vehicle control as
without a trailer.
Adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions.
ESP cannot push the limits of the laws of physics; improve the transmission
available or maintain the vehicle on the road if a lack of driver attention
creates an inevitable situation. Otherwise, ESP assists in maintaining vehicle
control in extreme situations and uses the movements of the steering made
by the driver to maintain the vehicle moving in the desired direction. If the
vehicle is driven at such a speed that it will leave the road before ESP can
intervene then the system cannot provide assistance.
The ABS, BAS, TCS and EDS systems are incorporated into the ESP. The ESP is
always on. The ESP should only be turned off using the TCS button
Ÿpage 218, fig. 144 when traction is insufficient. Always remember to turn
on the TCS once more when the vehicle has traction once again.
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
ABS can prevent the wheels from locking during braking until just before the
vehicle stops thus helping the driver to steer the vehicle and maintain
control. This means that, even during full braking, the risk of skidding is
reduced:
xPress and hold the brake pedal fully. Do not remove your foot from the
brake pedal or reduce braking force!
xDo not “pump” the brake pedal, or reduce braking force!
xMaintain vehicle direction when braking fully.

Driving 218
functioning correctly. This includes, among others, brakes, tyres and other
systems already mentioned.
xRemember that changing and fitting other components to the vehicle
can affect operation of the ABS, BAS, ASL EDL and ESP.
xChanges to the vehicle suspension or using unapproved wheel/tyre
combinations can affect operation of the ABS, BAS, ASL EDL and ESP and
their effectiveness.
xLikewise, the effectiveness of ESP depends on the use of suitable tyres
Ÿpage 323.
Note
To ensure that the ESP and TCS work properly, all four wheels must be fitted
with identical tyres. Any differences in the rolling radius of the tyres can cause
the system to reduce engine power when this is not desired.
Note
If a malfunction should occur in the ABS, the ESP, TCS and EDS will also be
affected.
Note
Noises may be heard while any of the above systems are operating.
Turning on and off the TCS
The electronic stabilisation programme (ESP) includes the ABS, EDL and TCS
systems and only works when the engine is running.
The TCS can be switched off while the engine is running by pressing the
Ÿfig. 144 button. The TCS (and similar) is only switched off when the
required traction is not obtained:
xWhen driving through deep snow or on loose ground (gravel...).
xWhen freeing a trapped vehicle.
Turn the TCS back on by pressing the button Ÿfig. 144.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 144 Detailed view of
the centre console: button
used to switch TCS on and
off (vehicles with ESP).
« OFF
« OFF

Driving221
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTe c h n i c a l D a t a
Start assist systems
Introduction
Additional information and warnings:
xSEAT information system Ÿpage 70
xBraking, stopping and parking Ÿpage 210
xVehicle battery Ÿpage 318
xWheels and tyres Ÿpage 323
xAccessories, parts replacement, repairs and modifications Ÿpage 285
xJump starting Ÿpage 371
WARNING
The intelligent technology in the start assist systems cannot change the
laws of physics. The improved comfort provided by start assist systems
should not prompt you to take risks.
xUnintentional movements of the vehicle could cause serious injury.
xThe start assist systems are not a replacement for driver awareness.
xAlways try to adapt the speed of the vehicle and your style of driving to
the condition of the ground or the road and to weather and traffic condi-
tions.
xThe start assist system cannot keep the vehicle stationary in all condi-
tions on a gradient or cause it to brake on steep downhill gradients, e.g. if
the road is slippery or icy.