
If and when
278Towing and tow-startingTo w - s t a r t i n g
The use of jump leads is preferable to tow-starting.We recommend that you do not tow-start your vehicle. Jump-starting
is preferable ⇒page 275.
However, if your vehicle has to be tow-started:
– Engage the 2
nd or the 3
rd gear.
– Keep the clutch pressed down.
– Switch the ignition on.
– Once both vehicles are moving, release the clutch.
– As soon as the engine starts, press the clutch and move the gear lever into neutral. This helps to prevent driving into the towing
vehicle.
WARNING
The risk of accidents is high when tow-starting. The vehicle being towed
can easily collide with the towing vehicle.
Caution
When tow-starting, fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it.
CommentsPlease observe the following points if you use a tow-rope:
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
– Drive slowly at first until the tow-rope is taut. Then accelerate gradually.
– Begin and change gears cautiously. If you are driving an auto- matic vehicle, accelerate gently.
– Remember that the brake servo and power steering are not working in the vehicle you are towing. Brake earlier than you
would normally, but with a more gentle pressure on the brake.
Notes for the driver of the towed vehicle
– Ensure that the tow-rope remains taut at all times when towing.Tow-rope or tow-bar
It is easier and safer to tow a vehicle with a tow-bar. You should only use a
tow-rope if you do not have a tow-bar.
A tow-rope should be slightly elastic to reduce the loading on both vehicles.
It is advisable to use a tow-rope made of synthetic fibre or similarly elastic
material.
Attach the tow-rope or the tow-bar only to the towing eyes provided or a
towing bracket.
Driving style
Towing requires some experience, especially when using a tow-rope. Both
drivers should be familiar with the technique required for towing. Inexperi-
enced drivers should not attempt to tow-start or tow away another vehicle.
altea_EN Seite 278 Mittwoch, 26. August 2009 6:00 18

If and when279
Safety First
Operating instructions
Practical tips
Technical Data
Do not pull too hard with the towing vehicle and take care to avoid jerking the
tow-rope. When towing on an unpaved road, there is always a risk of over-
loading and damaging the anchorage points.
The ignition of the vehicle being towed must be switched on to prevent the
steering wheel from locking and also to allow the use of the turn signals,
horn, windscreen wipers and washers.
As the brake servo does not work if the engine is not running, you must apply
considerably more pressure to the brake pedal than you normally would.
As the power assisted steering does not work if the engine is not running, you
will need more strength to steer than you normally would.
Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
•Put the selector lever into position “N”.•Do not drive faster than 50 km/h when towing a vehicle.•Do not tow further than 50 km.•If a breakdown vehicle is used, the vehicle must be towed with the front
wheels raised.Note
•Observe legal requirements when towing or tow-starting.•Switch on the hazard warning lights of both vehicles. However, observe
any regulations to the contrary.•For technical reasons, vehicles with an automatic gearbox must not be
tow-started.•If damage to your vehicle means that there is no lubricant in the gearbox,
you must raise the drive wheels while the vehicle is being towed.•If the vehicle has to be towed more than 50 km, the front wheels must be
raised during towing, and towing should be carried out by a qualified person.•The steering wheel is locked when the vehicle has no electrical power. The
vehicle must then be towed with the front wheels raised. Towing should be
carried out by a qualified person.
•The towing eye should always be kept in the vehicle. Please refer to the
notes on ⇒ page 278, “Tow-starting”.Trailer eyes
Fig. 205 The front right
section of the vehicle:
Fitting the front towing
eyeFig. 206 Fitting the
towing eye to the rear of
the vehicle
altea_EN Seite 279 Mittwoch, 26. August 2009 6:00 18

Index
302Engine fault
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Engine management Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Checking level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine oil pressure monitor indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Environmental friendliness . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Environmental tip Avoiding pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 195
Example of menu use Program a speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . 69
To activate and deactivate the speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Example of the use of the menus Open the Configuration menu with the MFD lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Open the Configuration menu with the steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Examples of menu use
Open the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Open the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
To close the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . 69
Exhaust gasses purification system . . . . . . . . 201
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
FFabric trim cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
First-aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Fog lights with cornering function . . . . . . . . . . 118
folding table* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Folding the seat backrests down . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Foot brake Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Four wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Front passenger airbag deactivation . . . . . . . . . 44
Front reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Front seat adjustment Lumbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Frontal airbags Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Fuel
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fuel level Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 warning message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Fuel Tank Opening the fuel tank flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Fuel tank See Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Fuel: saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
GG 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Gear shift pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
General overview of the engine compartment 285
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Glow plug system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
GRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188HHandbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 183
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
altea_EN Seite 302 Mittwoch, 26. August 2009 6:00 18

Index
304Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
One-touch opening and closing
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Opening and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Overview Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77PPaintworkPolishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Parking aid acoustic system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Parking system plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Petrol additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Petrol engines, starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Physical principles of a frontal collision . . . . . . 21
Plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Plastic parts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Power steering system
warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 209
RRadio frequency remote control Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Radio navigation Steering wheel controls audio + telephone version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
audio version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Radio wave remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Rain sensor* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Rear drink holder* Armrest* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Rear fog light Indication lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Rear interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rear lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Rear reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rear seat bench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Rear shelf Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Rear window heating Heating element wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Rear window wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Rear-view mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Recommended gear display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Remote control key
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Synchronising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Removing and fitting the wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Repairs airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacement keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Replacement of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Rev counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reverse gear Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Roll-back function Sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Roof aerial* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Roof carrier* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Roof stowage compartment* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Rubber seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Running in Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
SSafe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Safety equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safety instructionsCoolant temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
altea_EN Seite 304 Mittwoch, 26. August 2009 6:00 18

Index305
Safety notes
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Belt tension devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Disabling front passenger airbag . . . . . . . . . 45
frontal airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Safety system- safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132, 135, 137
Seat belt position Pregnant women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Seat belt release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Seat belt warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Incorrectly fastened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Not worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Seat belts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Seat belts protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Selective opening* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Selector lever locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 servotronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Side lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Sitting position Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Front passenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Incorrect sitting position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Passengers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Sitting position, occupants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250, 284
Soot accumulation in the diesel engine particulate filter
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Starting Petrol engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170, 171 After the fuel tank has been run dry . . . . . . 171
Start-Stop deactivating and activating . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Steam jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Steering lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Steering wheel audio controls
audio + telephone version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
audio version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Steering wheel height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . 167
Storage compartment Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Stowage area Centre arm rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Other stowage areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Stowage compartment Front passenger side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Stowage in the luggage compartment . . . . . . . 142
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Sunroof blind Sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Switch Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Switches Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Electrical exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
TTailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Emergency opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
altea_EN Seite 305 Mittwoch, 26. August 2009 6:00 18