2010 SKODA FABIA fuel

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
146
Catalytic converterProper operation of the emission cont
rol system (catalytic converter) is
of major significance for driving your vehicle in an environmentally conscious way.Please refer to the following guidelines: – For vehicles with petrol engine only refuel with unleaded petrol
page 162,
“Grades of petrol”.
– Never run the fuel tank completely empty.– Do not switch off the ignition while you are driving the vehicle.– Do not pour too much oil into the engine
page 168, “Replenishing engine oil”.
– Do not tow-start the vehicle over a distance of more than 50 metres
page 193,
“Tow-starting a vehicle”.
If you drive your vehicle in a country in
which unleaded petrol is not available, you
must have the catalytic converter replaced la
ter when driving the ve
hicle into a country
in which use of a catalyti
c converter is mandatory.
WARNING

In view of the high temperatures which may be produced in the catalytic
converter, one should always park a vehicle in such a way that the catalytic converter cannot come into contact with easily flammable materials below the vehicle - a risk of fire!
Never use additional underbody protection or corrosion-protection agents
for the exhaust pipes, catalytic converters or heat shields. Such substances might ignite when driving - risk of fire!
Caution

On vehicles fitted with a catalytic converte
r, never let the fuel tank run completely
empty. An irregular fuel supply can result in poor ignition or misfiring. Unburnt fuel may get into the exhaust system an
d damage the cata
lytic converter.

Filling the tank even only once with le
aded petrol will resu
lt in the catalytic
converter being destroyed.

If you detect misfir
ing, a drop in performance or
irregular engine running when
driving, reduce your speed immediately and have the vehicle inspected by the nearest specialist garage. The symptoms described ma
y be caused by a fault in the ignition
system. Unburnt fuel may get into the exhaust system and damage the catalytic converter.
For the sake of the environment
Even if the exhaust system is operating pr
operly, a sulphur-like exhaust odour may be
produced under certain oper
ating conditions of the en
gine. This de
pends on the
sulphur content of the fuel. It is often sufficient to refuel with unleaded premium-grade petrol of a different brand or at a different filling station.Driving in an economical and environmentally conscious mannerGeneral Your personal style of driving is a major factor.Your fuel consumption, any pollution of
the environmental and the wear-and-tear to
the engine, brakes and tyres, depend essentially on three factors:
your personal style of driving;

the conditions under which
your vehicle is operated;

technical aspects.
You can easily improve your fuel economy by
10 - 15 percent by driving in an econom-
ical way with foresight. This section is intended to provide you with a number of tips on how to protect the environment and at the same time save money. The fuel consumption can naturally also be
influenced by factors which are beyond the
driver's control. It is, for example, normal
for the fuel consumption to increase in
winter and under worsened cond
itions such as poor road conditions, towing a trailer,
etc. The technical requirements for low fuel usage and economic efficiency of the vehicle have already been built into the vehicle at the works. Special attention has been given to minimising negative
effects on the environment. It is
necessary to take note of the
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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
149
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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 we
ar and the driving behaviour will worsen.
Always check the inflation pr
essure 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 transporting 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 consump- tion 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 increased aerodyna
mic drag of your vehi
cle causes it to use
about 1 l more fuel than normal at a speed of 100 - 120 km/h, even when you are not carrying 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, th
e alternator generates and supp
lies electrical power. If
more electrical components of the electrical system are switched on, more fuel is needed to operate the alternator.
Keeping a log of your fuel consumptionIf you really wish to keep 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 (p
ositive and negative) at an early stage and
to take any appropriate action. If you find that your fuel
consumption is too high, you should reflect on how, where
and in what conditions you have driven
the vehicle since you last refuelled.
Environmental compatibilityEnvironmental protection has played a major role in the design, selection of materials 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 differ
ent 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 re
cyclable material.

Air conditioning filled with CFC-free refrigerant.

No cadmium.

No asbestos.

Reduction in the “vaporisation” of plastics.
Manufacture
Solvent-free cavity protection.
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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

Fuel
162
FuelPetrolGrades of petrolYour vehicle can only be operated with
unleaded petrol
, which complies with the
standard
EN 228
. The individual grades of petrol
are distinguished by their octane
number (RON). On the inside of the fuel
filler flap, you will find the information
regarding the RON required by your engine
page 163.
Prescribed fuel - unleaded petrol 95/91 RON Use unleaded petrol
95 RON. You can also use unleaded petrol
91 RON, but this leads
to a slight loss in performance. If, in case of necessity, the vehicle must
be refuelled with petrol of a lower octane
number than the one prescribed, you must co
ntinue driving at me
dium engine speeds
and low engine load. Driving at high engine speeds or a high engine load can severely damage the engine! Refuel as soon as possib
le with petrol of the prescribed octane
number. Prescribed fuel - unleaded petrol min. 95 RON Use unleaded petrol
95 RON.
In case of necessity, you can refuel with petrol
91 RON
if petrol
95 RON
is not avail-
able. You must continue driving at medium
engine speeds and minimum engine load.
Driving at high engine speeds or a high engine load can severely damage the engine! Refuel as soon as possib
le with petrol of the prescribed octane number.
Even in case of necessity, you must not
use petrol of a lower octane number than
91,
otherwise the engine can be severely damaged! You can find further information on refuelling
page 163, “Refuelling”.
Unleaded petrol with higher octane number You can make unlimited use of unleaded pe
trol which has a higher octane number
than the one prescribed.
On vehicles with prescribed unleaded petrol
95/91 RON
, the use of petrol with a
higher octane number than
95 does not result in a noticeable power increase or a
lower fuel consumption. On vehicles with prescribed unleaded petrol
min. 95 RON
, the use of petrol with a
higher octane number than
95 does not result in a power increase or a lower fuel
consumption.
Caution

All Škoda vehicles with petrol engines are equipped with a catalytic converter and
must be only driven with unleaded petrol. Fi
lling the tank even only once with leaded
petrol will result in the cata
lytic converter being destroyed!

Only use unleaded petrol which
complies with the standard
EN 228
.

If you use petrol with a lower octane num
ber than the one prescribed, the engine
can be severely damaged!
Note
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.DieselDiesel fuelYour vehicle can only be operated with
diesel fuel
, which complies with the standard
EN 590
(standard
DIN 51628
in Germany, standard
ÖNORM C 1590
in Austria).
Fuel additives You must not use fuel additives, so-called “flow improvers” (petrol and similar prod- ucts) in diesel fuel. You can find information on refuelling
page 163, “Refuelling”.
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Fuel
163
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Caution

Therefore, your vehicle can only be operated with diesel fuel which complies with
the standard
EN 590
(standard
DIN 51628
in Germany, standard
ÖNORM C 1590
in
Austria). Filling the tank even only once wi
th diesel fuel which does not comply with
the standard, can result in damage to the engine parts, the lubrication system, the fuel and exhaust system.
If by mistake you have refuelled with a different fuel other than the diesel fuel
which complies to the above mentioned standards (e.g. petrol), do not start the engine or switch on the ignition! This can result in
severe engine damage! Contact a specialist
garage and have the fuel sy
stem of the engine cleaned.

Water which has collected in the fuel fi
lter can result in engine problems.

Your vehicle is not adapted for use of biofue
l (RME), therefore this fuel must not be
refuelled and driven. The use of biofuel (RME) can lead to damage to the engine or the fuel system.Operation in winterWinter-grade diesel fuel A different grade of diesel fuel is available at
filling stations in winter than during the
summer. Using “summer-grade diesel fuel” at temperatures below 0°C can result in operational problems because th
e diesel becomes viscous as a result of paraffin sepa-
ration. It is therefore the case that the standard
EN 590
(standard
DIN 51628
in Germany,
standard
ÖNORM C 1590
in Austria) is the diesel fuel class prescribed for certain
periods of the year which can also be purc
hased at the correspond
ing time during the
year. “Winter-grade diesel fuel” will still operate properly even at a temperature of - 20°C. It is often the case in countries with different climatic conditions that diesel fuels avail- able have a different temperature characte
ristic. The authorised Škoda Service Part-
ners and filling stations in the country concer
ned will be able to provide you with infor-
mation regarding the diesel fuels available. Prewarming fuel The vehicle is fitted with a fuel filter prewarming system. This secures operation of a vehicle using diesel fuel down to an environmental temperature of -25°C.
Caution
It is not permitted to add the various fuel
additives on the market, including petrol, to
diesel fuel in order to improve its flow properties.RefuellingFig. 137 Right rear side of the vehicle: Fuel
filler flap / fuel filler
flap with cap unscrewed
Opening the fuel filler cap– Open the fuel filler flap with the hand
fig. 137
- left.
– Unlock the fuel filler cap on the fuel fi
ller tube to the left using the vehicle key.
– Unscrew the fuel filler ca
p anti-clockwise and place the fuel filler cap from above
on the fuel filler flap
fig. 137
- right.
Closing fuel filler cap– Screw on the cap by turning it to the right until it is heard to lock. – Lock the fuel filler cap on the fuel filler tube by turning the vehicle key to the right
and withdraw the key.
– Press the fuel tank flap closed. The correct grades of fuel for your vehicle are stated on a sticker affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap. Further information on fuel
page 162.
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