Regular servicing
A poorly tuned engine uses 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 only 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 fuel 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 consid-
erable extent on the load and speed of the engine. 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 rea-
ches its lowest level only after a certain running in time. It is therefore not possi-
ble to correctly assess the oil consumption of a new 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 car at regular intervals to detect any leakages in
good time. Please have your vehicle inspected 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.
Fig. 123 Fuel consumption in litres/100
km at different temperatures
– Avoid driving a distance of no more than 4 km if the engine is cold.
The engine and catalytic converter must first have reached their optimal operat-
ing temperature in order to effectively reduce fuel consumption and pollutant
emissions.
The cold engine vehicle consumes approx. 15 - 20 litres/100 km of fuel immediate-
ly after starting. Fuel consumption drops to 10 litres/100 km after just 1 kilometre.
The engine reaches its operating temperature (outside temperature and engine
dependent) only after about 4 to 10 kilometres and the fuel consumption then
stabilizes. You should therefore avoid driving short distances whenever possible.
An important factor in this connection is also the ambient temperature. The
⇒ fig. 123 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.
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 wear and the driving behaviour
will worsen.
Always check the inflation pressure of the tyres when cold. £138
Driving and the Environment
The headlight lenses
Please do not use any aggressive cleaning or chemical solvent products for clean-
ing the front headlights - risk of damage to the plastic lenses.
Please use soap
and clean warm water. CAUTION
Never wipe the headlights dry and do not use any sharp objects for cleaning the
plastic lenses, this may result in damage to the protective paintwork and conse-
quently in formation of cracks on the headlight lenses, e.g. through effect of
chemical products.
Door and window seals The rubber seals on the doors, boot lid, bonnet and windows remain supple and
last longer if you treat them regularly with a rubber care product (e.
g. with a spray
with silicone-free oil). You also avoid premature wear of the seals and prevent
leakages in this way. It is also easier to open the doors. Rubber seals which are
well cared for also do not stick together in cold winter weather.
Locking cylinder Use specific products for de-icing locking cylinders.
Note
When washing your vehicle, ensure that as little water as possible gets into the
locking cylinders.
Wheels Steel wheels
You should also thoroughly wash the wheels and wheel trims when giving your
vehicle its regular wash. This prevents any brake dust, dirt and road salt from
sticking to the wheel hubs. You can remove stubborn brake abrasion adhering to
the wheels with an industrial cleaner. Touch up any damage to the paintwork on
the wheels before rust is able to form. Light alloy wheels
Regular care of light alloy wheels is necessary in order to retain their decorative
appearance over long periods. It is particularly important to remove regularly any
road salt and brake abrasion from light alloy wheels, otherwise the light metal will
suffer. Wash thoroughly and then treat the wheels with a protective product for
light alloy wheels which does not contain any acidic components. We recommend
to apply a hard wax layer onto the wheel hubs every three months. You must not
use any products which cause abrasion when treating the wheel hubs. Any dam-
age to the paint layer on the wheel hubs must be touched up immediately.
WARNING
One should remember when cleaning the wheels that moisture, ice and road
salt may adversely affect braking efficiency - risk of an accident! 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 protection The 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 be-
ginning and end of the winter - and to touch up any damaged areas.
The authorised
ŠKODA Service Partners 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 an authorised ŠKODA Service Partner. WARNING
Never use additional underbody protection or corrosion-protection agents for
the exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, diesel particle filter or heat shields.
When the engine reaches its operating temperature, these substances might
ignite - risk of fire! 147
Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Replenishing engine oil
–
Inspecting the engine oil level ⇒ page 155.
– Unscrew the cap of the engine oil filler opening.
– Pour in a suitable grade of oil in portions of 0.5 litres ⇒
page 195.
– Inspect the oil level ⇒
page 155.
– Carefully screw on the cap of the filler opening and push the dipstick in fully. WARNING
● Avoid dripping oil onto hot parts of the engine when topping up will oil - a
risk of fire!
● Read and observe the warning notes ⇒
page 153, Working in the engine
compartment before working in the engine compartment. For the sake of the environment
The oil level must on no account be above the range a ⇒ page 155. Oil will other-
wise be drawn in through the crankcase ventilation and may pass through the ex-
haust system to atmosphere. The oil may combust in the catalytic converter and
damage it.
Changing engine oil The engine oil must be changed at the intervals stated in the Service schedule or
according to the service interval indicator
⇒ page 12.WARNING
● Only carry out the engine oil change, if you have the required professional
knowledge!
● Read and observe the warning notes ⇒
page 153, Working in the engine
compartment before working in the engine compartment.
● First of all, let the engine cool down, wear an eye protection and gloves -
risk of caustic burns due to hot oil. CAUTION
You must not pour any additives into the engine oil - risk of engine damage! Dam-
age, which results from such product, are excluded from the warranty. For the sake of the environment
● You must on no account pour oil into the ground or into the sewage system.
● In view of the problems involved in properly disposing of old oil, the necessary
special tools and the knowledge required for such work, we recommend that you
have the oil and oil filter change carried out by an authorised ŠKODA Service Part-
ner. Note
After your skin has come in contact with the oil, you must thoroughly wash your
skin.
Cooling system
Coolant The job of the coolant is to cool the engine.
The cooling system does not require any maintenance under normal operating
conditions. The coolant consists of water with a concentration of coolant additive
of 40 %. This mixture not only provides antifreeze protection down to -25°C but
also protects the cooling and heating system from corrosion. It also prevents the
formation of scale and significantly increases the boiling point of the coolant.
You must therefore not reduce the concentration of antifreeze agent in the cool- ant by adding water, also not during the summer months or in countries with a
warm climate. The concentration of coolant additive in the coolant must be at
least 40 %.
You can increase the amount of antifreeze in the coolant if a higher concentration
of antifreeze is necessary for climatic reasons but only up to 60% (antifreeze pro- tection down to approx. -40°C). The antifreeze protection tails off above that con-
centration.
Vehicles exported to countries with a cold climate (e.g. Sweden, Norway, Finland)
are already factory-filled with a coolant which offers antifreeze protection down
to about -35°C. In these countries the concentration of coolant additive should be
at least 50 %.
Coolant
The cooling system is factory-filled with coolant (purple in colour), which complies
with the specification TL-VW 774
G. £156
Inspecting and Replenishing
Engine oil specifications
The grade of engine oil should be selected in accordance with pre-
cise specifications.
The engine of your vehicle has 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 other when refilling with oil. This does
not, however, apply for models with flexible service intervals (QG1).
Engine oils are, of course, undergoing continuous further development. Thus the
information stated in this Owner's Manual is only correct at the time of publica-
tion.
Specialist garages are informed by ŠKODA about the latest changes. We recom-
mend having this oil change undertaken by a specialist garage.
The specifications (VW standards) stated in the following must be indicated sepa-
rately or together with other specifications on the bottle.
Engine oil specifications for models with flexible service intervals (QG1) Petrol engines Specification Content
a) 1.2 ltr./44 kW - EU5 VW 503 00, VW 504 00 2,8
1.2 l/51 kW - EU5 / EU2 DDK VW 503 00, VW 504 00 2,8
1.4 ltr./63 kW - EU5 VW 503 00, VW 504 00 3,2
1.4 ltr./132 kW TSI - EU5 VW 504 00 3,6
1.2 ltr./63 kW TSI - EU5 VW 504 00 3,6
1.2 ltr./77 kW TSI - EU5 VW 504 00 3,6
a)
Oil capacity with oil filter change. Inspect oil level when filling; do not fill up too much. The oil level
must be between the markings ⇒ page 155, Check engine oil level .Diesel engines Specification Content
a) 1.2 ltr./55 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
1.6 ltr./55 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
1.6 ltr./66 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
1.6 ltr./77 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
a)
Oil capacity with oil filter change. Inspect oil level when filling; do not fill up too much. The oil level
must be between the markings ⇒ page 155, Check engine oil level . Engine oil specifications for vehicles with fixed service intervals (QG2) Petrol engines Specification Content
a) 1.2 ltr./44 kW - EU5 VW 501 01, VW 502 00 2,8
1.2 l/51 kW - EU5 / EU2 DDK VW 501 01, VW 502 00 2,8
1.4 ltr./63 kW - EU5 VW 501 01, VW 502 00 3,2
1.6 ltr./77 kW - EU4/EU2 DDK VW 501 01, VW 502 00 3,6
1.4 ltr./132 kW TSI - EU5 VW 502 00 3,6
1.2 ltr./63 kW TSI - EU5 VW 502 00 3,6
1.2 ltr./77 kW TSI - EU5 VW 502 00 3,6
a)
Oil capacity with oil filter change. Inspect oil level when filling; do not fill up too much. The oil level
must be between the markings ⇒ page 155, Check engine oil level .
If the oils specified above are not available, oils according to ACEA A2 or ACEA A3
can be used once for refilling. Diesel engines Specification Content
a) 1.2 l/55 kW TDI CR DPF - EU4/
EU5
VW 507 00 4,3
1.6 ltr./55 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
1.6 ltr./66 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
1.6 ltr./77 kW TDI CR DPF - EU5 VW 507 00 4,3
a)
Oil capacity with oil filter change. Inspect oil level when filling; do not fill up too much. The oil level
must be between the markings ⇒ page 155, Check engine oil level .
If the oils specified above are not available, oils according to ACEA B3 or ACEA B4
can be used once for refilling. CAUTION
Only the above-mentioned oils may be used on vehicles with flexible service inter-
vals (QG1). We recommend always refilling with oil of the same specification since
this will maintain the properties of the oil. In exceptional cases, you must top up
only once engine oil complying with Specification VW 502 00 (only for petrol en-
gines) or Specification VW 505 01 (only for diesel engines) to maximum 0.5 litres.
You must not use other engine oils - risk of engine damage! £ 195
Technical data Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data