2010 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR engine

Towing a trailer135
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights. Alter
the setting as necessary with the ai
d of the headlight beam adjuster page 48.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device. It is
stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the
luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Further information on the towing device page 136.
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.
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/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for countries
in which higher speeds are allowed. The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with
increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when there
are unfavourable road, weather or wind cond
itions, particularly near accident black
spots.
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 153,
“Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines  page 28, “Coolant temperature/coolant
level ”.
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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Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle141
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Note
Severe layers of dirt on the wheels can also result in wheel imbalance. This may show
itself in the form of a wheel vibration which is transmitted to the steering wheel which,
in certain circumstances, can cause premature wear of the steering. This means it is
necessary to remove the dirt.Underbody protectionThe underside of your vehicle is protected for life against chemical and mechanical
influences.
One cannot, however, completely rule out damage to the protective layer when
driving so we recommend that you inspect the protective layer on the underside of
your vehicle and on the chassis at certain intervals - this is best done at the beginning
and end of the winter - and to touch up any damaged areas.
Specialist garages have suitable spray products available as well as the necessary
equipment and are familiar with the instructio ns for use. It is therefore best to have
such touch-up work or additional corros ion protection measures carried out by a
specialist garage.
WARNING
Never use additional underbody protection or corrosion-protection agents for
the exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, di esel particle filter or heat shields.
When the engine reaches its operating temperature, these substances might
ignite - risk of fire!Protection of hollow spacesAll the cavities of your vehicle which are at risk from corrosion are protected for life by
a layer of protective wax applied in the factory.
This wax protection does not require to be inspected or re-treated. Please remove any
small amount of wax which flows out of the cavities at high temperatures with a plastic
scraper and clean the spot using petroleum cleaner.
WARNING
Safety and environmental protection regulations should observed when using
petroleum cleaner to remove wax - a risk of fire!Engine compartmentGood corrosion protection is very importan t, particularly in winter when one often
drives over its salt-strewn roads. One should therefore clean the whole engine
compartment before and after the salt spreading period and treat with preservative in
order to prevent the salt from being destructive.
Specialist garages have the cleaning agen ts and preservatives recommended by the
manufacturer and also the required equipment.
WARNING

It is necessary to observ e the guidelines given in the chapter before working
on the engine compartment page 148.

Let the engine cool down before cleaning the engine compartment.Caution

Engine cleaning may be only be un dertaken when the ignition is off.

It is recommended to cover the generator before washing the engine compart-
ment.For the sake of the environment
The dirty water produced by washing the engine has washed away petrol, and residues
of grease and oil and should therefore be cleaned by an oil separator. This is why
engine washing should only be undertaken in a specialist garage or at a fueling station
(when these are fitted with the required equipment).
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Fuel
144
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 145, fig. 141 .
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 medium 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 145.
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 145.
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Fuel145
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 EN 590 prescribes diesel fuel class for certain periods of the
year which can also be purchased at the co rresponding 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 characteri stic. The specialist garages and the filling
stations in the country co ncerned will be able to pr ovide you with information
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.RefuellingThe filler tube of the fuel reservoir is locate d in the rear right side part of the vehicle.Opening the fuel filler cap– Open the fuel filler flap with the hand.
– On vehicles without remote unlocking of the fuel filler flap from the driver's seat,
unlock the fuel filler cap on the fuel filler tube by turning the vehicle key to the left.
Fig. 140 Switch for opening the
fuel filler flap from the driver
seatFig. 141 Fuel filler flap with cap
unscrewed
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Fuel
146
– Unscrew the fuel filler cap anti-clockwise and place the fuel filler cap from above
on the fuel filler flap page 145, fig. 141 .Closing fuel filler cap– Screw on the cap by turning it to the right until it is heard to lock.
– On vehicles without remote unlocking of the fuel filler flap from the driver's seat,
lock the fuel filler cap on the fuel filler tube by turning the vehicle key to the right
and withdraw the key.
– Close the fuel filler flap until it locks.Open the fuel filler flap from the driver's seat*– Press the switch to open the fuel filler flap page 145, fig. 140 .
– Unscrew the fuel filler cap anti-clockwise and place the fuel filler cap from above
on the fuel filler flap page 145, fig. 141 .Closing fuel filler cap– Screw on the cap by turning it to the right until it is heard to lock.
– Close the fuel filler flap until it locks.
The correct grade of fuel for your vehicle as well as the tyre size and inflation pressures
are stated on a sticker affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap. Further information on
fuel page 144, “Fuel”.
The fuel tank has a capa city of about 55 litres.
WARNING
Pay attention to any legal requirements if you do carry a spare canister in the
vehicle. We do not recommend carrying any fuel canisters in your vehicle for
safety reasons. The canister can be da maged in the event of an accident and
fuel may leak out.
Caution

Before refuelling it is necessary to switch off the auxiliary heating system (auxiliary
heating and ventilation) *.

Remove any fuel which has spilled onto th e paintwork of your vehicle immediately
- risk of paint damage!

On vehicles fitted with a ca talytic converter, never let th e fuel tank run completely
empty. An irregular supply of fuel to the engine can result in misfiring and unburnt fuel
may get into the exhaust system, which may result in overheating and damage to the
catalytic converter.

Make sure that the valve is not pressed into the filler tube when inserting the pump
nozzle into the filler tube. Otherwise you are unintentionally filling up the volume,
which in case of heat can caus e an expansion of the fuel. This can lead to an overflow
of fuel or damage to parts of the fuel reservoir.

The fuel tank is full just as soon as the pump nozzle switches off for the first time,
provided the nozzle has been operated properly. Do not continue refuelling - other-
wise the expansion volume is filled up.
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Inspecting and replenishing147
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Inspecting and replenishingEngine compartmentBonnet remote releaseBonnet remote release– Pull the unlocking lever below the dash panel on the driver's side fig. 142 .
The bonnet jumps out of its lock as a result of the spring force.
Note
Ensure that the windscreen wiper arms are not folded out before opening the bonnet
otherwise damage could occur to the paintwork.
Opening and closing the bonnet.Opening the bonnet– Unlock the bonnet fig. 142 .
– Grip with the hand under the radiator grille and lift up the bonnet.
– Press the locking lever in direction of arrow fig. 143 and lift up the bonnet.
– Take the bonnet support out of its holder and set it in the opening designed for it fig. 144 .
Fig. 142 Bonnet release lever
Fig. 143 Radiator grille: Locking
leverFig. 144 Securing the bonnet
with the bonnet support
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Inspecting and replenishing
148
Closing the bonnet
– Lift the bonnet slightly and unhook the bonnet support. Press the bonnet support
into the holder designed to hold it.
– Allow the bonnet to drop from a height of about 30 cm into the lock - bonnet do
not press down on it !
WARNING

Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of the
engine compartment - risk of scalding! Wait long enough until the steam or
coolant has stopped escaping.

For safety reasons, the bonnet must always be properly closed when
driving. One should therefore check that the lock has in fact engaged properly
after closing the bonnet.

Stop your vehicle immediately while drivin g if you notice that the lock is not
properly engaged and close the bonnet properly - risk of an accident!
Working in the engine compartment
Particular care is required when carrying out any work in the engine
compartment!There is a risk of injuries, scalding, acci dents and fire when working in the engine
compartment, e.g. inspecting and replenishing oil and other fluids. For this
reason, it is essential to comply with the warning instructions stated below and
with the general applicable rules of safe ty. The engine compartment of your car
is a hazardous area  .
WARNING

Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of the
engine compartment - risk of scalding! Wait long enough until the steam or
coolant has stopped escaping.

Switch off the engine and pull out the ignition key.

Apply the handbrake firmly.

On vehicles fitted with a manual gea rbox, move the gearshift lever into
Neutral.

Allow the engine to cool down.

Keep children clear of the engine compartment.

Never spill oil and other fluids over the hot engine. Such fluids (e.g. the anti-
freeze contained in the coolant) may ignite!

Avoid short circuits in the electrical system - particularly on the battery.

Never place your hand into the radiator fan as long as the engine is still
warm. The fan might suddenly start running!

Never open the cap of the coolant expans ion bottle as long as the engine is
still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!

Cover over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir with a large cloth
when opening it as protection for your face, hands and arms from hot steam or
hot coolant.

Do not let objects, such as e.g cleaning cloth or tools lie in the engine
compartment.

If you wish to work under the vehicl e, you must secure the vehicle from
rolling away and support it with suitable supporting blocks; the lifting jack* is
not sufficient for this - risk of injury!

In cases where it be necessary to carry out inspection work when the engine
is running there is an additional risk fr om rotating parts (e.g. the V-ribbed belt,
alternator, radiator fan) and from the high-voltage ignition system. Please
observe in addition the following:
Never touch the electrical cabl es of the ignition system.
 Absolutely avoid any jewellery, loose it ems of clothing or long hair from
getting into the rotating parts of the engine - Hazard! Therefore remove any
jewellery beforehand, tie up your hair and wear tight fitting clothing.

Please also comply with the warnin g instructions stated below when
carrying out any essential work on the fu el system or on the electrical system:
 Always separate the car battery from the electrical system.
 Do not smoke.WARNING (continued)
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Inspecting and replenishing149
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data

Never carry out any work close to naked flames.
 Always keep a working fire extinguisher at hand.
Caution
When replenishing fluids in the engine, always ensure that the fluids are on no account
mixed up. This may result in major oper ating problems and also vehicle damage!Overview of the engine compartment
The main inspection pointsFig. 145 1.6 ltr./75 kW petrol engine1.6 ltr./75 kW petrol engine  fig. 145
Coolant expansion bottle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reservoir for hydraulic liquid of power steering Windshield washer fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Engine oil filler opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake fluid reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Battery (below a cover) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Note
The location of the inspection points in th
e engine compartment of petrol and diesel
engines is practically identical.Engine oilEngine oil specificationsThe engine of your vehicle ha s been factory-filled with a high-grade oil which you can
use throughout the year - except in extreme climatic regions.
You can mix various oils together with each ot her when refilling with oil. This does not,
however, apply for models with flexible service intervals (QG1).
Engine oils are, of course, undergoing co ntinuous further development. Thus the
information stated in this Owner's Manual is only correct at the time of publication.
Authorised Škoda Service Partners are informed by Škoda Auto about current changes.
This why you should always have engine oi l changed by an authorised Škoda Service
Par tner.
The specifications (VW standards) stated in the following must be indicated separately
or together with other specifications on the bottle.
Engine oil specifications for models with flexible service intervals (QG1)
WARNING (continued)
A1
153
A2
Petrol engines
Specification
Content
a)
1.4 ltr./55 kW - EU4
VW 503 00, VW 504 00
3,2
1.6 ltr./75 kW - EU4/EU2 DDK
VW 503 00, VW 504 00
4,5
1.8 ltr./110 kW - EU4/EU3D
VW 504 00
4,5
A3
159
A4
150
A5
151
A6
154
A7
155
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