
Cockpit85
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
wheels to lock quickly when you brake. This could cause the rear to break 
away. Risk of skidding. Stop the vehicle and seek technical assistance.
Washer fluid 
 Y
This warning lamp lights up to indicate that the windscreen 
washer level is too low.This serves as a reminder to fill up the reservoir at the earliest opportunity 
⇒
page 241
The following message is shown on the instrument panel display*
14):  REFILL 
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID .
Alternator 
 F 
This warning lamp signals a fault in the alternator.
The warning lamp 
 F lights up when the ignition is switched on. It should go 
out when the engine has started running.
If the warning lamp  F lights up while driving, the alternator is no longer 
charging the battery. You should immediately drive to the nearest specialised 
workshop.
You should avoid using electrical equipment that is not absolutely necessary 
because this will drain the battery.
Worn brake pads 
 I
If the 
 I symbol lights up, have the front brake pads (and, for safety reasons, 
the rear pads as well) inspected by a specialised workshop.
Tyre pressure
 ~
The tyre pressure control system controls the tyre speed and 
the frequency spectrum of each tyre.The tyre warning lamp
15) compares wheel revolutions and with this informa-
tion, the diameter of each wheel using the ESP sensors. If the diameter of a 
wheel changes, the tyre warning lamp   ~ lights up. The wheel diameter 
changes when:
•Tyre pressure is insufficient.
14)Depending on the version of the model.WARNING (continued)
15)Depending on the model version
Fig. 52  Centre console: 
tyre monitor system 
button
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Lights and visibility127
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off 
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the key has been removed and the cour-
tesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from discharging.Interior front light, type 2 The switch ⇒fig. 80   is used to select the following positions:
Courtesy light position 
 o
Rocker switch in flat position (not activated). The interior lights are automat-
ically switched on when the vehicle is unlocked or the key removed from the 
ignition. And turn off approx. 20 seconds after closing the doors. The interior 
lights are switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the ignition is 
switched on. Interior light switched on 
 
Push the switch to the position 
 .
Interior light switched off O
Push the switch to position O  ⇒fig. 80.
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off 
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the key has been removed and the cour-
tesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from discharging.
Fig. 80  Interior roof trim: 
front interior lights
AA
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Lights and visibility129
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
light turns off about 20 seconds after closing the doors. The interior lights are 
switched off when the vehicle is locked or when the ignition is switched on.
Interior lights or both reading lights switched on 
 
Turn the control to position  .
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the interior lights will be switched off 
after approx. 10 minutes, providing the key has been removed and the cour-
tesy light position selected. This prevents the battery from discharging.VisibilitySun visors
The sun visors for the driver and the front passenger can be pulled out of their 
mountings in the centre of the vehicle and turned towards the doors 
⇒fig. 84  
.
The vanity mirrors in the sun visors have covers. When you open the cover  , 
a lamp in the roof lights up.
The light* in the roof lining will go out when the vanity mirror cover is pushed 
back or the sun visor is pushed back up.
Note
The roof lamp will turn off about 10 minutes following the removal of the igni-
tion key. This prevents the battery from discharging.
A5
Fig. 84  Sun visor on the 
driver side
A1
A2
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Driving175
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
If the engine does not start immediately, switch the starter off after 
10 seconds and try again after half a minute. If the engine still does not start, 
the fuel pump fuse should be checked 
⇒page 267, “Fuses”.
WARNING
•Never start or run the engine in unventilated or closed rooms. The 
exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide, an odourless and colourless 
poisonous gas. Risk of fatal accidents. Carbon monoxide can cause loss of 
consciousness. It can also cause death.•Never leave the vehicle unattended if the engine is running.•Never use “cold start sprays”, they could explode or cause the engine 
to run at high revs. Risk of injury.Caution
•When the engine is cold, you should avoid high engine speeds, driving at 
full throttle and over-loading the engine. Risk of engine damage.•The vehicle should not be pushed or towed more than 50 metres to start 
the engine. Unburnt fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it.•Before attempting to push-start or tow a vehicle in order to start it, you 
should first try to start it using the battery of another vehicle. Note and follow 
the instructions in  ⇒page 281, “Jump-starting”.For the sake of the environment
Do not warm-up the engine by running the engine with the vehicle stationary. 
Start off immediately, driving gently. This helps the engine reach operating 
temperature faster and reduces emissions.
Starting diesel engines
The engine can only be started using a genuine SEAT key with 
its correct code.– Move the gear lever to the neutral position and depress the 
clutch pedal thoroughly and hold it in this position for the starter 
to turn the engine on.
– Turn the ignition key to the starting position.
– Turn the ignition key to position  ⇒page 173, fig. 136   . The 
indicator lamp 
 D will light for engine pre-heating.
– When the warning lamp turns off, turn the key to position   to  start the engine. Do not press the accelerator.
– Let go of the ignition key as soon as the engine starts, the starter  motor must not be allowed to run on with the engine.
When starting a very cold engine, it may be a little noisy for the first few 
seconds until oil pressure has built up in the hydraulic valve compensators. 
This is quite normal, and no cause for concern.
If there are problems starting the engine, see the  ⇒page 281.
Glow plug system for the diesel engine
To avoid unnecessary discharging of the battery, do not use any other major 
electrical equipment while the glow plugs are pre-heating.
Start the engine as soon as the glow plug warning lamp  ⇒page 83 goes out.
Starting the engine after the fuel tank has been completely run dry
If the fuel tank has been completely run dry, it may take longer than normal 
(up to one minute) to start the engine after refuelling with diesel fuel. This is 
because the system must eliminate air first.
A1A2
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Checking and refilling levels
248Charging and changing the vehicle battery
The battery is maintenance-free and is checked during the 
inspection service. All work on the vehicle battery requires 
specialist knowledge.If you often drive short distances or if the vehicle is not driven for long 
periods, the battery should be checked by a specialised workshop between 
the scheduled services.
If the battery has discharged and you have problems starting the vehicle, the 
battery might be damaged. If this happens, we recommend you have the 
vehicle battery checked by an Authorised Service Centre where it will be re-
charged or replaced.
Charging the battery
The vehicle battery should be charged by a specialised workshop only, as 
batteries using special technology have been installed and they must be 
charged in a controlled environment.
Replacing a vehicle battery
The battery has been developed to suit the conditions of its location and has 
special safety features.
Genuine SEAT batteries fulfil the maintenance, performance and safety spec-
ifications of your vehicle.
WARNING
•We recommend you use only maintenance-free or cycle free leak-proof 
batteries which comply with standards T 825 06 and VW 7 50 73. This 
standard applies as of 2001.•Before starting any work on the batteries, you must read and observe 
the warnings  ⇒ in “Warnings on handling the battery” on page 246.
For the sake of the environment
Batteries contain toxic substances such as sulphuric acid and lead. They 
m ust  b e  d isp ose d  of  app ro pr iate ly  a nd  m ust no t b e  disp ose d  of  wit h or di na r y 
household waste.
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Index305
Index
AABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Accessories  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Acoustic signal  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Acoustic warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Adaptive headlights  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Adjusting the seat belt height  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
AFS (cornering lights)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Air conditioner General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Air conditioner automatic mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Air conditioner* 2C-Climatronic*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Air conditioning*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Air recirculation mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Manual air conditioner  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Airbag covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Airbag system  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Curtain airbags  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Front airbags  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Alarm system Switching off  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 All-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Alternator
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Anti-freeze  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Anti-lock brake system  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Anti-theft alarm Switching off  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Anti-theft wheel bolts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Aquaplaning  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Ashtray*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Aspects to note before setting off  . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
Automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror* Activating the anti-dazzle function  . . . . . . 134
Deactivating anti-dazzle function . . . . . . . . 134
Automatic car wash tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Automatic gearbox Kick-down feature  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox . . 182
Automatic lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Automatic windscreeen wiper/washer . . . . . . . 130
Auxiliary audio connection: AUX-IN  . . . . . . . . . 154
BBall coupling  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Battery
Changing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Winter conditions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
Biodiesel  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Biodiesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Bonnet  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Brake fluid  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Changing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Warning lamp  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Brake pedal warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Brake servo  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  197, 205
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Brake servo  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Brakes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Warning lamp  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Brakes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Worn brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Braking distance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Bulb changes General notes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Bulb defect warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  125, 173
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