2010 SKODA FABIA light

Intelligent Technology
142
You will place great stresses on the power steering system if the steering is turned to full lock when the vehicle is stationary. Turn
ing the steering to full lock in such a situa-
tion will be accompanied by noises. It is still possible to fully steer the vehicle if the power steering fails or if the engine is not running (vehicle being towed in). The only
difference is that gr
eater physical effort
is required. It is possible that the hydraulic pump of
the power steering will not run due to the low
vehicle network voltage if the battery has gone flat and the engine must started with the help off jump leads. This condition will
be indicated by lighti
ng up of the warning
light. The power steering operates again if the ba
ttery is charged to a specific range when
engine is running. It also op
erates again, if the engine
can be started with its own
battery. If there is a fault in the power steering, the warning light lights up in the instrument cluster
 page 26.
Caution
Do not leave the steering at full lock fo
r more than 15 seconds when the engine is
running - risk of damagi
ng the power steering!
Note
Have the steering inspected as soon as possible by a specialist garage if there is a leak or fault in the system.
Tyre pressure monitoring system*The tyre pressure monitoring system compares with the aid of the ABS sensors the speed and also the rolling circumference of the individual wheels. If the tyre inflation pressure is significantly changed and thus the rolling circumference of a wheel, the warning light
 lights up in the instrument cluster
page 31. The tyre pressure moni-
toring system functions late or too sensitively if:
the structure of the tyre is damaged,

the vehicle is loaded to one side or with a load on the roof,

the wheels of an axle are loaded heavily (e.g. when towing a trailer or when driving
uphill or downhill),
the vehicle is operated in unfavourable wi
nter conditions or
on an unfirm ground,

snow chains or emergency wheel* are mounted,

the driver has a sporty style of driving (with sharp acceleration and high speed
when cornering). Basic setting of the system After changing the tyre inflation pressures
or after changing one or several wheels, a
basic setting of the system mu
st be carried
out as follows.

Inflate all tyres to the specified inflation pressure
page 178.

Switch on the ignition.

Press button
 
fig. 131
for more than 2 seconds. While pressing the button,
the warning light
 lights up. At the same time the basic values are stored, which is
confirmed with an acoustic sound and then the warning light
 goes out.
Fig. 131 Button for setting the tyre inflation pressure control value
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Intelligent Technology
143
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data

If the warning light
 does not go out after the basic setting, there is a fault in the
system. Have the vehicle inspected by your nearest specialist garage. Functional description After the basic setting of the system the “adaptation” of the tyre inflation pressures and then the tyre pressure control in the individual tyres are performed. Warning light
 lights up
If the tyre inflation pressure of at least one wheel is insufficiently inflated in comparison to the stored basic value, the warning light
 
lights up. Inflate all tyres to the
specified inflation pressure
page 178, “Tyre life” and then perform a basic setting of
the system. Warning light
 flashes
If the warning light flashes, there is a system fault. Have the vehicle inspected by your nearest specialist garage.
WARNING

When the warning light
 lights up, immediately reduce the speed and
avoid sudden steering and brake manoeuvr
es. Please stop the vehicle without
delay at the nearest possible stop and in
spect the tyres and their inflation pres-
sures.
The driver is responsible
for the correct tyre inflation pressures. For this
reason, the tyre inflation pressu
res must be checked regularly.

Under certain circumstances (e.g. sporty style of driving, wintry or unpaved
roads) the warning light
 can be delayed or does not light up at all.

The tyre pressure monitoring system does not take away the responsibility
from the driver for the correct tyre inflation pressure.
Note
The tyre pressure monitoring system:
does not replace the regular tyre inflatio
n pressure control, because the system
cannot detect an even pressure loss;

cannot warn in case of very rapid tyre inflation pressure loss, e.g. in case of sudden
tyre damage. In this case ca
refully bring the vehicle to a standstill without sudden
steering movements and without sharp braking.Diesel particle filter* (diesel engine)In the diesel particle filter the resu
lting soot particles are collected and
burnt during the combustion of diesel fuel.Code
7GG
, 7MB
or 7MG
on the vehicle data sticker, see
fig. 132
, indicates that your
vehicle is equipped with a diesel particle fi
lter. The vehicle data st
icker is located on
the floor of the luggage compartment and is
also stated in the Service schedule.
The diesel particle filter filters the soot particles completely from the exhaust. The soot is collected in the diesel particle filter and
burnt regularly. To assist this procedure, we
recommend not to drive regu
larly over short distances.
If the diesel particle filter is clogged or there is a fault, it is indicated by the warning light 
page 33, “Diesel particle filter*
 (diesel engine)”.
WARNING

The diesel particle filter
achieves very high temp
eratures. Therefore do not
park at points where the hot filter comes into direct contact with dry grass or other combustible materials - risk of fire!
Never use additional underbody protection or corrosion-protection agents
for the exhaust pipes, catalytic converters,
heat shields or diesel particle filter. Fig. 132 Vehicle data sticker
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Driving and the Environment
145
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Driving and the EnvironmentThe first 1 500 kilometres and then afterwardsA new engine The engine has to be run in du
ring the first 1 500 kilometres.
Up to 1 000 kilometres– Do not drive faster than 3/4 of the maximum speed of the gear in use, that is 3/4 of
the maximum permissi
ble engine speed.
– Do not use full throttle.– Avoid high engine revolutions.– Do not tow a trailer.From 1 000 up to 1 500 kilometres– Increase the power output of the engine
gradually
up to the full speed of the gear
engaged, that is up to the maxi
mum permissible engine revolutions.
During the first operating hours the engine ha
s higher internal friction than later until
all of the moving parts have harmonized. Th
e driving style which you adopt during the
first approx.1 500 kilometres plays a decisive
part in the success of running in your
vehicle. You should not drive at unnecessarily
high engine revolutions
even after the
running-in period is complete
. The maximum permissible en
gine speed is marked by
the beginning of the red zone on the scale of the revolutions counter. Shift up into the next higher gear on a vehi
cle fitted with manual gear
box before the red zone is
reached. During acceleration
(depressing the accelerator)
exceptionally
high engine
speeds are automatically reduced, yet the engine is not protected against too high engine speeds which are caused by incorrectly shifting down the gears resulting in a sudden increase of the engine speeds above the permitted maximum revolutions which can lead to engine damage. For a vehicle fitted with a manual gearbox the
converse situation also applies: Do not
drive at engine revolutions which are
too low
. Shift down as soon as the engine is no
longer running smoothly.
Caution
All the speed and engine revolution figures ap
ply only when the engine is at its normal
operating temperature. Never rev up an engine which is cold, neither when the vehicle is stationary nor when driving in individual gears.
For the sake of the environment
Not driving at unnecessari
ly high engine revolutions and
shifting to a higher gear as
early as possible are ways to minimise fuel consumption, operating noise levels as well as protects the environment and contributes
to a longer life and reliability of the
engine.New tyresNew tyres have to be “run in” since they do
not offer optimal grip at first. You should
take account of this fact for the first 500
kilometres and drive pa
rticularly carefully.
New brake padsAllow for the fact that new brake pads do no
t achieve their full braking efficiency until
approximately 200 kilometres. New brake pads must be first “run in” before they develop their optimal friction force. You ca
n, however, compensate for this slightly
reduced braking force by increasing the pressure on the brake pedal. This guideline also applies to any new brake pads installed at a future date.During the running-in pe
riod, you should avoi
d excessive stre
sses on the brakes. This
includes, for example, violent braking, part
icularly from very high speeds, and also
when crossing mountain passes.
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Driving and the Environment
147
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
guidelines given in this chapter in order to
make best use of these characteristics and
to maintain their effectiveness.Looking ahead when driving A vehicle's highest fuel consumption occurs it accelerates.Avoid accelerating and braking unnecessarily.
If you drive with forsight you will not
need to brake so often and will also then
not have to accelerate so much. Let your
vehicle coast to a stop, for example, if this is possible, when you see that the next set of traffic lights is at red.Shifting gears and saving energy Shifting up early saves on fuel.Manual gearbox– Drive no more than about one length of your vehicle in first gear. – Shift up into the next higher gear at approx. 2 000 to 2 500 revs.Automatic gearbox– Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly
. Do not depress it beyond the kickdown
position, however.
An effective way of achieving good
fuel economy is to shift up
early
. You will consume
more fuel if you drive at unnecessaril
y high revolutions in any given gear.
The
fig. 133
shows the ratio of fuel consumption
to the speed of your vehicle in the
relevant gear. Fuel consumption in 1st gear
is the highest. The consumption is the
lowest in the highest gear. You will achieve good fuel economy by shif
ting up early and shifting down late.
Note
Also use the information supplied by the multi-functional indicator*
page 19.
Avoiding full throttle Driving more slowly
means saving fuel.
Sensitive use of the accelerator will not only significantly reduce fuel consumption but also positively influence environmenta
l pollution and wear of your vehicle.
You should avoid exploiting the top speed
of your vehicle wherever possible. Fuel
consumption, pollutant emissions and vehicl
e noises increase disproportionally at
high speeds. The
fig. 134
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.
Fig. 133 Fuel consumption
Fig. 134 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km. and speed in km/h.
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Driving and the Environment
148
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 lengthy red phase. Even after just 30 - 40 seconds you will have saved more fuel th
an 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 emis
sions, 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 revolu
tions 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 motoring even before you set off on your journey. Keeping your vehicle properly serviced not on
ly 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 consider-
able extent on the load and speed of the en
gine. Oil consumption co
uld be as high as
0.5 litres/1 000 km depending on your style of driving. It is quite normal that a new engine has 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 consumption of a new
vehicle until after yo
u 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 vehicle at regular intervals to detect any leakages in
good time. Please have your vehicle inspec
ted by a specialist garge if you find any
stains caused by oil or other fluids on the floor.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 th
e engine is cold.
The engine and catalytic converter mu
st first have reached their optimal
operating
temperature
in order to effectively reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.
The cold engine vehicle cons
umes 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 stabi-
lizes. You should therefore avoid driving short distances whenever possible. An important factor in this connection is also the
ambient temperature
. The
 fig. 135
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.
Fig. 135 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km at different temperatures
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Driving and the Environment
150

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.
Trade-in and recycling of old cars Škoda Auto meets the requirements of the brand and its products regarding environ- ment and ressource protection. All new Škoda
vehicles can be utilized up to 95% and
always
11) be returned. In a lot of countries sufficient trade-in networks have been
created, where you can trade-in your vehicle.
After you trade-in your vehicle, you will
receive a confirmation stating the recycling
in accordance with environmental regula-
tions. Vehicles with special built-on types Technical documents regarding changes carried
out on the vehicle must be kept by the
vehicle user, in order to hand over later to the old car user. This ensures the recycling in accordance with en
vironmental regulations.
Motoring abroadGeneral Other circumstances may exist abroad.It is also possible, in certai
n 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 complicated and specialist
garage personnel may only be able to
make limited repairs. Škoda
Auto in the Czech Republic and relevant importers are
happy to provide information
about technical aspects of the vehicle, required mainte-
nance work and possibilities for getting repairs done.
Unleaded petrolA vehicle fitted with a petrol engine must
always be refuelled
with unleaded petrol
 page 146. The automobile associations can provide you with information regarding the locations of filling stations which offer unleaded petrol.HeadlightsThe low beam of your headligh
ts is set asymmetrically. It illuminates the side of the
road on which you are driving to a greater ex
tent. If you drive abroad on the other side
of the road, you will da
zzle oncoming traffic.
Halogen projector headlights The adaptation of the headlights (valid for vehicles which are designed for driving on the left and on the right) must be performe
d by switching over a bezel by a specialist
garage. Halogen headlight When using Halogen headlights, it is necessary to stick a sticker over a certain part of the headlights in order to prevent the dazzling of oncoming traffic. You can purchase headlight stickers from
the range of the Škoda original parts.
Note
You can obtain further information regardin
g masking over or converting the head-
lights from your specialist garage.Avoiding damage to your vehicleWhen driving on poor roads and lanes or when driving over kerbstones, steep ramps etc., you must pay particular attention to
ensuring that any low-slung parts of the
vehicle, such as spoiler and exhaust,
do not touch the ground and get damaged.
This particularly applies to models with a lowered suspension (sport suspension) and also when your vehicle is fully laden.
11)Subject to fulfilment of the national legal requirements.s3j8.a.book Page 150 Tuesday, April 20, 2010 1:10 PM

Towing a trailer
152
Towing a trailerTo w i n g a t r a i l e rTechnical requirements The towing device must satisfy certain technical requirements.Your vehicle is designed primarily for tr
ansporting persons and luggage. It can,
however, also be used for towing a traile
r - provided certain technical equipment is
fitted. If your vehicle has been eq
uipped with a towing device
from Škoda Original Accesso-
ries, then the towing device satisfies all technical and legal requirements. Your vehicle is fitted with a 13-pin power so
cket for the electrical connection between
the vehicle and trailer. If the tr
ailer which you wish to tow has a
7-pin connector
, you
can use a suitable adapter
12) from Škoda original accessories.
This work must be carried out in accordance
with the manufacturer's specifications if
a towing device is retrofitted. Specialist garages are familiar with details re
lating to retrofitting a towing device and
for any necessary modifications to the cooling system.
WARNING
We recommend that you have the towing device from Škoda original accesso-ries installed by a specialist garage. He
is familiar with all the relevant details
relating to retrofitting such equipment. There is a risk of an accident if the towing device is not properly fitted!General Maintenance There are a number of points to pay attention to when towing a trailer.Trailer load The permissible trailer load must
on no account be exceeded.
You can negotiate appropriately steeper inclin
es and descents if you do not make full
use of the permissible trailer load. The trailer loads specified only apply for
altitudes
up to 1 000 metres above mean sea
level. On petrol engines without forced indu
ction, the engine power output drops with
increasing height due to a lowering of air pr
essure and thus the ability to climb, this
means that the trailer load must be reduced by 10% for every further increase of 1 000 metres in height above sea le
vel. The towed weight is the weight of the (laden) vehicle
and the (laden) trailer together. One should ta
ke this into account before driving up to
higher altitudes. Petrol engines with forced induction use an air pressure correction method, so that their power output does
not depend on the he
ight above sea level.
The trailer and drawbar load information on the type plate of the towing device are merely test data for the towing device
The data relating to your vehicle, which
is often less than this test data, can be found in your vehicle registration docu- ments. Distribution of the load Distribute the load in the trailer in such a
way that any heavy items are located as close
as possible to the axle. Secure th
e items to preven
t them slipping.
Tyre pressure Correct the tyre inflation pressure on yo
ur vehicle for that of “fully laden”,
page 178.
The inflation pressure of the tyres fitted to
the trailer adjust in accordance with the
manufacturer's recommendation. Exterior mirrors You have to have additional ex
terior mirrors fitted if you are not able to see the traffic
behind the trailer with the standard rear-view mirrors. Both exterior mirrors should be attached to folding arms. Adjust the mirrors so that they provide you with an adequate field of view to the rear. Headlights Before starting off with a hitched trailer, al
so check the setting of the headlights. Alter
the setting as necessary with the aid of the headlight beam adjuster
page 51.
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Towing a trailer
153
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Detachable ball head The ball rod is detachable on
vehicles with towing devi
ce and suppliable from Škoda
original accessories. It is stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Note

We recommend that you also have your
vehicle inspected between service inter-
vals if you tow a trailer frequently.
The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and decou-
pling the trailer.
Keep the mechanism of the ball head of
the towing device clean and take proper
care of it with a suitable preservative.Driving Tips Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.– Do not, as far as possible, drive with
your vehicle unladen and the trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in particular to
downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside temperature is high. Distribution of weight The distribution of the weight
is very poor if your vehicle
is unladen and the trailer is
laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this combina- tion. Driving speed Do not drive faster than 80 km/h for safety
reasons. This also a
pplies for countries in
which higher speeds are allowed. The fact that the driving stability of the
vehicle + trailer comb
ination reduces with
increasing speed means that the legally allo
wed speed should not be used when there
are unfavourable road, weather or wind cond
itions as well as on downhill sections.
You must always reduce your speed immediat
ely as soon as you detect even just the
slightest swaying
of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from
“swaying” by accelerating. Apply the brakes in good time! If
the trailer is fitted with a
trailer brake
, apply the
brakes gently at first and then brake firmly. This will avoid brake jolts resulting from the trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good time before negotiating a downhill section to allow the engine to also act as a brake. Engine overheating Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engi
ne speed when the outside temperature is
very high
page 16.
If the needle of the coolant temperature gauge moves into the right-hand area or even the red area of the scale, reduce your speed immediately. Stop and switch off the engine if the warning light
 in the instrument cluster begins flashing. Wait a few
minutes and check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle
page 170,
“Inspecting the coolant level”. Please refer to the following guidelines
page 29, “Coolant temperature/coolant
quantity
 ”.
The coolant temperature can be reduced by switching on the heating.Any increase in the cooling effect of the coolant fan through shifting down a gear and increasing the engine speed is not possible
since the fan speed is independent of the
engine speed. One should also not drop a gear
for this reason when towing a trailer as
long as the engine can manage th
e slope without any drop in speed.
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