2010 SKODA ROOMSTER engine

Driving and the Environment
142
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 158,
“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 164, “Replenishing engine oil”.
– Do not tow-start the vehicle over a distance of more than 50 metres page 189,
“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 vehicle 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 and damage the cata lytic converter.

Filling the tank even only once with leaded petrol will result 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 engine. This depends 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
144
You should avoid exploiting the top speed of your vehicle wherever possible. Fuel
consumption, pollutant emissions and vehicle noises increase disproportionally at
high speeds.
The page 143, fig. 130 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.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 could 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 ne
w vehicle until after you 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 the 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. 131 shows the different fuel consumptions for the same distance, on the one
Fig. 131 Fuel consumption in litres/100
km at different temperatures
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Driving and the Environment145
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hand at +20°C and on the other hand at
-10°C. Your vehicle has a higher fuel
consumption in winter than in summer.
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 vehicle 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,
the alternator generates and supplies electrical power.
The greater the load on the alternator as a result of having a large number of electrical
components switched on, the more fuel will be consumed for operating 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.
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Driving and the Environment
146

Reduction in the “vaporisation” of plastics.
Manufacture

Solvent-free cavity protection.

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
12) 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 142. 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.
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Driving and the Environment147
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This particularly applies to
models with a lowered suspen sion (sport suspension) and
also when your vehicle is fully laden.
Driving through bodies of water on roadsIn order to avoid damage to the vehicle, for example when driving through flooded
roads, observe the following:
Determine the depth of the water when driv ing through bodies of water. The water
can reach at the maximum the web on the lower sill of the vehicle fig. 132 .

Drive no more than at walking speed. At a higher speed, a water wave can form in
front of the vehicle which can cause water to penetrate into the air induction system of
the engine or into other parts of the vehicle.

Never let the vehicle stand in the water, never drive backwards and do not switch
off the engine.
WARNING

Driving through water, mud, sludge etc. can reduce the braking power and
extend the braking distance - risk of accident!

Avoid sudden and severe braking manoeuvres immediately after driving
through bodies of water.

After driving through bodies of water, the brakes must be cleaned and dried
as soon as possible by intermittent braking. Only apply the brakes for the
purpose of drying and cleaning the brake discs if the traffic conditions permit
this. Do not place any other road users in jeopardy.
Caution

When driving through bodies of water, pa rts of the vehicle such as the engine,
gearbox, catalytic converter, chassis or electrics can be severely damaged.

Oncoming vehicles can generate water waves which ca n exceed the permissible
water level for your vehicle.

Potholes, mud or rocks can be hidden under the water making it difficult or impos-
sible to drive through the body of water.

Do not drive through salt water. The salt can lead to corrosion. Immediately rinse
all the parts of the vehicle, which came into contact with the salt water, with fresh
water.Note
After driving through a body of water, we recommend that the vehicle is checked by a
specialist garage.
Fig. 132 Crossing bodies of water
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Towing a trailer
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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 equipped 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 socket 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
13) 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 height 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 prevent them slipping.
Tyre pressure
Correct the tyre inflation pressure on yo ur vehicle for that of “fully laden”, page 173.
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 49.13)In some countries the adapter is supplied with the towing device.s16g.4.book Page 148 Wednesda y, February 10, 2010 3:53 PM

Towing a trailer149
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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.
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 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 allo wed 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 166,
“Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines  page 28, “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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Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle155
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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 instructions for use. Therefore, we recommend
you have such touch-up work or additional corrosion 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 pr otection 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 entire engine
compartment before and after the salt spread ing period, in order to prevent the salt
from being destructive.
Specialist garages have the cleaning agen ts 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 162.

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 garages or at filling stations (when these
are fitted with the required equipment).Care of the interior of vehiclePlastic parts, artificial leather and clothsYou can clean plastic parts and artificial leather with a moist cloth. You should only
treat such parts with special solvent-free plastic cleaning and care products it does
prove to be adequate.
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