
If and when271
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Some of the electrical items listed in the table are only fitted on certain
models or are optional extras. Please note that the above list, while correct at the time of printing, is subject
to alterations. If discrepancies should occur, please refer to the sticker on the
inside of the fuse cover for the correct information for your model.
Fuses layout, engine compartment, left partFuses
40
Trailer control unit (turn signals, brakes and left
side)
20
41
Trailer control unit (fog light, reverse light and
right side)
20
42
BCM wiring switchboard
20
43
Trailer pre-installation
40
44
Heated rear window
25
45
Electric windows (front)
30
46
Rear electric windows
30
47
Engine (Fuel control unit, petrol relay)
15
48
Convenience controls
20
49
Heating controls
40
50
Heated seats
30
51
Sunroof
20
52
Headlight washer system
20
53
Trailer hook pre-installation assistant
20
54
Taxi (taximeter power supply)
5
55
Trailer hook pre-installation assistant
20
56
Taxi (taximeter power supply)
15
57
Telephone power supply with START STOP
10
58
Central locking control unit
30
Number
Consumer
Amps
Number
Consumer
Amps
1
Windscreen wipers
20
2
DQ200 gearbox
30
3
Cable control unit
5
4
ABS
20
5
AQ gearbox
15
6
Instrument panel/Steering column
5
7
Ignition key
40
8
Radio
15
9
Te lep ho ne /TomTo m Na viga tor
5
10
Engine management
5
Engine management
10
11
Vacant
12
Electronic control unit
5
13
Petrol injection module supply
15
Diesel injection module supply
30
14
Coil
20
Altea_EN.book Seite 271 Donnerstag, 2. September 2010 2:00 14

If and when
284Towing and tow-startingTo w - s t a r t i n g
The use of jump leads is preferable to tow-starting.We recommend that you do not tow-start your vehicle. Jump-starting
is preferable ⇒ page 281.
However, if your vehicle has to be tow-started:
– Engage the 2nd or the 3rd gear.
– Keep the clutch pressed down.
– Switch the ignition on.
– Once both vehicles are moving, release the clutch.
– As soon as the engine starts, press the clutch and move the gear lever into neutral. This helps to prevent driving into the towing
vehicle.
WARNING
The risk of accidents is high when tow-starting. The vehicle being towed
can easily collide with the towing vehicle.
Caution
When tow-starting, fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it.
General notesPlease observe the following points if you use a tow-rope:
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
– Drive slowly at first until the tow-rope is taut. Then accelerate gradually.
– Begin and change gears cautiously. If you are driving an auto- matic vehicle, accelerate gently.
– Remember that the brake servo and power steering are not working in the vehicle you are towing. Brake sooner than normal
and pressing the pedal gently.
Notes for the driver of the towed vehicle
– Ensure that the tow-rope remains taut at all times when towing.Tow-rope or tow-bar
It is easier and safer to tow a vehicle with a tow-bar. You should only use a
tow-rope if you do not have a tow-bar.
A tow-rope should be slightly elastic to reduce the loading on both vehicles.
It is advisable to use a tow-rope made of synthetic fibre or similarly elastic
material.
Attach the tow-rope or the tow-bar only to the towing eyes provided or a
towing bracket.
Driving style
Towing requires some experience, especially when using a tow-rope. Both
drivers should be familiar with the technique required for towing. Inexperi-
enced drivers should not attempt to tow.
Altea_EN.book Seite 284 Donnerstag, 2. September 2010 2:00 14

If and when285
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Do not pull too hard with the towing vehicle and take care to avoid jerking the
tow-rope. When towing on an unpaved road, there is always a risk of over-
loading and damaging the anchorage points.
The ignition of the vehicle being towed must be switched on to prevent the
steering wheel from locking and also to allow the use of the turn signals,
horn, windscreen wipers and washers.
As the brake servo does not work if the engine is not running, you must apply
considerably more pressure to the brake pedal than you normally would.
As the power assisted steering does not work if the engine is not running, you
will need more strength to steer than you normally would.
Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
•Put the selector lever into position “N”.•Do not drive faster than 50 km/h.•Do not tow further than 50 km.•If a breakdown vehicle is used, the vehicle must be towed with the front
wheels raised.Note
•Observe legal requirements when towing or tow-starting.•Switch on the hazard warning lights of both vehicles. However, observe
any regulations to the contrary.•For technical reasons, vehicles with an automatic gearbox must not be
tow-started.•If damage to your vehicle means that there is no lubricant in the gearbox,
you must raise the drive wheels while the vehicle is being towed.•If the vehicle has to be towed more than 50 km, the front wheels should
be raised during towing, and towing should be carried out by a qualified
person.
•The steering wheel is locked when the vehicle has no electrical power. The
vehicle must then be towed with the front wheels raised. Towing should be
carried out by a qualified person.•The towing eye should always be kept in the vehicle. Please refer to the
notes on ⇒page 284, “Tow-starting”.
Altea_EN.book Seite 285 Donnerstag, 2. September 2010 2:00 14

Index
308Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Engine oil pressure Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 87
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Environmental friendliness . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Environmental tip Avoiding pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Environmentally friendly driving . . . . . . . . . . . 207
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88, 199 See also Electronic Stability Programme . . 172
Example of menu use Program a speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . 69
To activate and deactivate the speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Example of the use of the menus Open the Configuration menu with the MFI lever68
Open the Configuration menu with the steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Examples of menu use Open the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Open the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
To close the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218FFabric trim cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
First-aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Flexible service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Fog lights with cornering function . . . . . . . . . . 123
Folding the seat backrests down . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Folding tray* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Front drinks holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Front passenger airbag deactivation . . . . . . . . . 44
Front reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Front seat adjustment Lumbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Fuel Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Fuel level Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Warning message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Fuel Tank Opening the fuel tank flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Fuel tank See Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Fuel: save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
GG 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Gear shift pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
General overview of the engine compartment 291
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Glow plug system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
GRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192HHandbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86, 187
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
HBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Head restraints Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138, 139
Adjustment of the head restraint angle . . . 139
Removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Headlight flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Headlights Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Headlight washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Heated front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
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Index
310OObservations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
235
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
One-touch opening and closing
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Opening and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Outside temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 73
Overview Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Indicator lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 80PPaintworkPolishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Parking aid acoustic system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking system plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Passenger See Correct sitting position . . . . . . . . . . 11, 12
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Petrol additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Physical principles of a frontal collision . . . . . . 21
Plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Plastic parts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Pollution filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 215
RRadio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Radio navigation controls on the steering wheel Audio + telephone version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Rain sensor* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Rear drink holder* Armrest* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Rear fog light Indicator lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Rear interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Rear reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Rear shelf Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Rear window automatic wiper/washer . . . . . . 133 Rear window wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Recommended gear display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Remote control key
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Synchronising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Removing and fitting the wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Repairs Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacement keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Replacement of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Rev counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reverse gear Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Roll-back function Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Roof aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Roof rack* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Roof storage compartment* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Rubber seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Run-flat tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Running in Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
SSafe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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Index311
Safety equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safety instructions
Coolant temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Safety notes Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Deactivating front passenger airbag . . . . . . 45
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Using seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Safety system - Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137, 140, 142
Seat belt cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Seat belt position Pregnant women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Seat belt protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Seat belt release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Seat belt tensioner Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Seat belt warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Incorrectly fastened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Not worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Seat heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Selective opening* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Selector lever locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Servotronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Side lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Sitting position Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Front passenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Sitting position, occupants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256, 290
Soot accumulation in the diesel engine particulate filter
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Starting Petrol engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Starting petrol engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174, 175 After the fuel tank has been run dry . . . . . . 175
Start-Stop Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Switching on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Steam jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Steering lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Steering wheel audio controls Audio + telephone version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Audio version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Steering wheel height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . 171
Storage area Centre armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Other storage areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Storage compartment Front passenger side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Storage in the luggage compartment . . . . . . . 147
Sun visor Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Switch Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Light switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Switches Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
TTail lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Emergency opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
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