2010 Seat Altea charging

Cockpit
82wheels to lock quickly when you brake. This could cause the rear to break
away. Risk of skidding. Stop the vehicle and seek technical assistance.Washer fluid

This warning lamp lights up to indicate that the windscreen
washer level is too low.This serves as a reminder to fill up the reservoir at the earliest opportunity
⇒ page 235
The following message is shown on the dash panel display*
12): REFILL
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID .
Alternator

This warning lamp signals a fault in the alternator.
The warning lamp
 lights up when the ignition is switched on. It should go
out when the engine has started running.
If the warning lamp  lights up while driving, the alternator is no longer
charging the battery. You should immediately drive to the nearest qualified
workshop.
You should avoid using electrical equipment that is not absolutely necessary
because this will drain the battery.
Tyre pressure

The tyre pressure control system controls the tyre speed and
the frequency spectrum of each tyre.The tyre monitor
13) compares wheel revolutions and with this information,
the diameter of each wheel using the ESP sensors. If the diameter of a wheel
changes, the tyre monitor indicator lights . The wheel diameter changes
when:
•Tyre pressure is insufficient.•The tyre structure is damaged.•The vehicle is unbalanced because of a load.•The wheels of one axle are under more pressure (for example, driving with
a trailer or on extreme slopes).•The vehicle is fitted with snow chains.•The emergency wheel is fitted.
12)Depending on the version of the model.WARNING (continued)
13)Depending on the model version
Fig. 50 Centre console:
tyre monitor system
button
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Lights and visibility
122
NoteIf not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the key has been removed and the cour-
tesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from discharging.Interior front light, type 2 The switch ⇒fig. 80 is used to select the following positions:
Courtesy light position

Rocker switch in flat position (not activated). The interior lights are automat-
ically switched on when the vehicle is unlocked or the key removed from the
ignition lock And turn off approx. 20 seconds after closing the doors. The inte-
rior lights are switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the ignition is
switched on. Interior light switched on

Push the switch to the position
.
Interior light switched off O
Push the switch to position O ⇒fig. 80 .
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the key has been removed and the cour-
tesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from discharging.
Fig. 80 Interior roof trim:
front interior lights
AA
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Lights and visibility
124light turns off about 20 seconds after closing the doors. The interior lights are
switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the ignition is switched on.
Interior lights or both reading lights switched on

Turn the control to position .
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the key has been removed and the cour-
tesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from discharging.VisibilitySun visors
The sun visors for the driver and the front passenger can be pulled out of their
mountings in the centre of the vehicle and turned towards the doors ⇒fig. 84
The make-up mirrors in the sun visors have covers. When you open the cover , a lamp in the roof lights up.
The lamp* in the roof lining will go out when the vanity mirror cover is pushed
back or the sun visor is pushed back up.
Note
The roof lamp will turn off about 10 minutes following the removal of the igni-
tion key. This prevents the battery from discharging.
A5
Fig. 84 Sun visor on the
driver side
A1A2
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Driving171
Safety First
Operating instructions
Practical tips
Technical Data
If the engine does not start immediately, switch the starter off after
10 seconds and try again after half a minute. If the engine still does not start,
the fuel pump fuse should be checked ⇒
page 261, “Fuses”.
WARNING
•Never start or run the engine in unventilated or closed rooms. The
exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide, an odourless and colourless
poisonous gas. Risk of fatal accidents. Carbon monoxide can cause loss of
consciousness. It can also cause death.•Never leave the vehicle unattended if the engine is running.•Never use “cold start sprays”, they could explode or cause the engine
to run at high revs. Risk of injury.Caution
•When the engine is cold, you should avoid high engine speeds, driving at
full throttle and over-loading the engine. Risk of engine damage.•The vehicle should not be pushed or towed more than 50 metres to start
the engine. Unburnt fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it.•Before attempting to push-start or tow a vehicle in order to start it, you
should first try to start it using the battery of another vehicle. Note and follow
the instructions ⇒ page 275, “Jump-starting”.For the sake of the environment
Do not warm-up the engine by running the engine with the vehicle stationary.
You should drive off as soon as you start the engine. This helps the engine
reach operating temperature faster and reduces emissions.
Starting diesel engines
The engine can only be started using a genuine SEAT key with
its correct code.– Move the gear lever to the neutral position and depress the
clutch pedal thoroughly and hold it in this position for the starter
to turn the engine on.
– Turn the ignition key to the starting position.
– Turn the ignition key to position ⇒page 169, fig. 137 . The
indication lamp
 will light for engine pre-heating.
– When the warning lamp turns off, turn the key to position to start the engine. Do not press the accelerator.
– Let go of the ignition key as soon as the engine starts, the starter motor must not be allowed to run on with the engine.
When starting a very cold engine, it may be a little noisy for the first few
seconds until oil pressure has built up in the hydraulic valve compensators.
This is quite normal, and no cause for concern.
If there are problems starting the engine, see ⇒page 275.
Glow plug system for the diesel engine
To avoid unnecessary discharging of the battery, do not use any other major
electrical equipment while the glow plugs are pre-heating.
Start the engine as soon as the glow plug warning lamp ⇒ page 80 goes out.
Starting the engine after the fuel tank has been completely run dry
If the fuel tank has been completely run dry, it may take longer than normal
(up to one minute) to start the engine after refuelling with diesel fuel. This is
because the system must eliminate air first.
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Checking and refilling levels
242Charging and changing the vehicle battery
The battery is maintenance-free and is checked during the
inspection service. All work on the vehicle battery requires
specialist knowledge.If you often drive short distances or if the vehicle is not driven for long
periods, the battery should be checked by a qualified workshop between the
scheduled services.
If the battery has discharged and you have problems starting the vehicle, the
battery might be damaged. If this happens, we recommend you have the
vehicle battery checked by an Authorised Service Centre where it will be re-
charged or replaced.
Charging the battery
The vehicle battery should be charged by a qualified workshop only, as
batteries using special technology have been installed and they must be
charged in a controlled environment.
Replacing a vehicle battery
The battery has been developed to suit the conditions of its location and has
special safety features.
Genuine SEAT batteries fulfil the maintenance, performance and safety spec-
ifications of your vehicle.
WARNING
•We recommend you use only maintenance-free or cycle free leak-proof
batteries which comply with the standards T 825 06 and VW 7 50 73. This
standard applies as of 2001.•Before starting any work on the batteries, you must read and observe
the warnings ⇒ in “Warnings on handling the battery” on page 240.
For the sake of the environment
Batteries contain toxic substances such as sulphuric acid and lead. They
must be disposed of appropriately and must not be disposed of with ordinary
household waste.
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Index299
Index
AABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Acoustic signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Acoustic warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Adjusting the seat belt height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
AFS (curve lights) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Air conditioner* 2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Air conditioning system General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Air conditioning* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Air recirculation mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Manual air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Airbag covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Alarm system Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Alternator Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Ambient temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 73
Anti-freeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Anti-puncture tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Anti-theft wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Aquaplaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Ashtray* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror* Activating the anti-dazzle function . . . . . . 129
Deactivating anti-dazzle function . . . . . . . . 129
Automatic car wash tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Automatic gearbox Kick-down feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Automatic gearbox / DSG automatic gearbox . 178
Automatic lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Automatic mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Automatic wiper/wash function for the rear window 128
Auxiliary audio connection: AUX-IN . . . . . . . . . 149
BBall coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
BAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Battery
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Winter conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Belt tension device Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Belt tension devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Biodiesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Brake assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193, 200
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Braking distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Bulb changes general notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Bulb defect warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120, 169
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