CAUTION
● In cold temperatures and in winter, check before the trip or before switching
on the ignition that the wiper blades are not frozen. Switching on windscreen
wipers when the blades are frozen to the windscreen may result in damage both
to the blades and the motor of the windscreen wipers!
● If you switch off the ignition while the windscreen wipers are on, the wipers
will sweep in the same mode the next time the ignition is switched on. At low
temperatures, the wipers may freeze to the window between switching off the ig-
nition and the next time you switch the ignition on again.
● Carefully detach frozen wiper blades from the front or rear window.
● Remove snow and ice from the window wipers before driving. Note
The content of the windscreen wiper reservoir is 3.5 litres. On vehicles which are
equipped with a headlight cleaning system, the content of the reservoir is 5.4 li-
tres.
Headlight cleaning system The headlights are being cleaned after the windscreen washer system has been
operated for the fifth time, the low beam or main beam are switched on as well as
the windscreen wiper lever is held in the position
5 ⇒
fig. 32 for about 1 second.
You should remove stubborn dirt (such as insect residues) from the headlight len-
ses at regular intervals, for example when refuelling. Please refer to the following
guidelines ⇒
page 147, The headlight lenses.
You should remove any snow from the fixtures of the washer nozzles and clear ice
in winter with a de-icing spray in order to ensure proper operation of the cleaning
system. CAUTION
Never remove the nozzles from the headlamp cleaning system by hand - risk of
damage! Replacing wiper blades for the windscreen wipers Fig. 33 Wiper blade for the windscreen
wiper
Removing the wiper blade
– Fold windscreen wiper arm away from the windscreen.
– Press the locking button, in order to unlock the wiper blade and pull off in the
direction of arrow.
Attaching the wiper blade
– Push the wiper blade until it locks up to the stop.
– Check whether the wiper blade is correctly attached.
– Fold the windscreen wiper arm back onto the windscreen.
Windscreen wiper blades in proper condition are essential to obtain good visibility.
Wiper blades should not be allowed to become dirtied by dust, insect remains and
preserving wax.
Juddering or smearing of the wiper blades could then be due to wax residues left
on the windscreen by vehicle washing in automatic vehicle wash systems. It is
therefore important to degrease the lips of the winscreen wiper blades after ev-
ery pass through an automatic vehicle wash system .£ 49
Lights and Visibility Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Rear mirror
You can adjust the exterior mirrors electrically.
Fig. 36 Inner part of door: Rotary knob
Adjust the rear mirror before commencing to drive so that there is a clear view to
the rear.
Dimming the interior mirror
– Pull the lever on the bottom edge of the mirror toward rear (the lever on the
interior mirror must point forwards in it home position).
Heating of the external mirror
– Turn the rotary knob to position ⇒
fig. 36 .
Adjusting the left-hand exterior mirror
– Turn the rotary knob to position . The movement of the mirror surface is iden-
tical to the movement of the rotary knob.
Adjusting the right-hand exterior mirror
– Turn the rotary knob to position . The movement of the mirror surface is iden-
tical to the movement of the rotary knob. WARNING
● Convex (curved outward) exterior mirrors increase the field of vision. They
do, however, make objects appear smaller in the mirror. These mirrors are only
of limited use, therefore, for estimating distances to the following vehicles.
● Use whenever possible the interior rear mirror, for estimating the distan-
ces to the following vehicles. Note
● The exterior mirror heater only operates when the engine is running.
● Do not touch the surfaces of the exterior mirrors if the exterior mirror heater is
switched on.
● You can set the exterior mirrors by hand, if the power setting function fails at
any time, by pressing on the edge of the mirror surface.
● Contact your specialist garage if a fault exists with the power setting of the
exterior mirrors. 51
Lights and Visibility Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
–
Relieve any pressure on the seat backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the
handwheel 3 to adjust the angle of the backrest.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be fully
pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The seat backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the
upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly bent arms. WARNING
● Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
● Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without care can
lead to bruises or injuries.
● The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag sys-
tem - risk of injury!
Adjusting the front seats - Variant 2 Fig. 38 Controls at seat
This front seat variant is only available in some countries.
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever (in the middle section) 1 ⇒ fig. 38
up and push the seat into the
desired position.
– Release the lever 1 and push the seat further until the lock is heard to en-
gage. Adjusting height of seat
–
Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever 2 upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever 2 downwards.
Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
– Remove the pressure of the backrest (do not lean on it), pull the lever 3 to-
wards the rear and set the desired angle of the seat backrest with the back
– After releasing the lever 3 , the seat backrest will remain in the set position.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be fully
pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The seat backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the
upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly bent arms. WARNING
● Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
● Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without care can
lead to bruises or injuries.
● The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag sys-
tem - risk of injury!
Head restraints Fig. 39 Head restraint: Adjusting/pulling out
Best protection is achieved if the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head.
£ 53
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Note
The seat heating should only be switched on when the engine is running. This has
a significant effect of saving on the battery capacity.
Rear seats Folding the rear seats forwards Fig. 41 Fold the seat cushion forwards/unlock the seat backrest
To enlarge the luggage compartment, the rear seats can be folded forwards, if
necessary remove the seat cushions ⇒ page 56. The rear seats can be folded for-
ward individually on vehicles with divided rear seats.
Folding seats forwards
– Before folding the rear seats forwards, you must adapt the position of the
front seats in such a way that they are not damaged when the rear seats are
folded forwards.
– Pull up the seat cushion in direction of arrow 1 ⇒ fig. 41
and fold forwards in
direction of arrow 2 .
– Unlock the seat backrest by pressing the securing knob A and fold it forwards
⇒ fig. 41 on the right.
– Pull the head restraint out of the seat backrest.
– The head restraints can be inserted into the relevant holes of the folded for-
ward seat cushions ⇒ fig. 42.
– Fold the seat backrests fully fowards. Move seats into the initial position
–
Install the head restraint in the slightly lifted seat backrest.
– Then push the seat backrest back into the upright position until the securing
knob clicks into place - check by pulling on the seat backrest.
– Make sure that the red pin B is covered ⇒ fig. 41
on the right.
– Move the seat cushion into its original position. WARNING
● Ensure that the seat belts are not damaged when operating the seat
backrests. Under no circumstances must the rear seat belts be jammed by the
folded back seat backrests.
● The belts and the belt locks must be in their original position after folding
back the seat cushions and the seat backrests - they must be ready to use.
● Pay attention that the seat backrest is correctly interlocked. It is only then
that the three-point seat belt can reliably fulfil its function.
● The seat backrests must be securely interlocked in position so that no ob-
jects in the luggage compartment can slide into the passenger compartment if
there is sudden braking - risk of injury! Note
If the housing of the net partition is installed, first of all fold the left seat backrest
forward and then the right double seat backrest.
Inserting head restraints in the seat cushions Fig. 42 Rear seats: Inserting head re-
straints in the seat cushions
£ 55
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
WARNING
● Store the objects in the luggage compartment and attach them to the
lashing eyes.
● Loose objects in the passenger compartment can be thrown forward dur-
ing a sudden manoeuvre or in case of an accident and can injure the occupants
or other oncoming traffic. This risk is still increased, if the objects which are
flying around are hit by a deployed airbag. In this case, the objects which are
thrown back can injure the occupants - hazard.
● Please note that the handling properties of your vehicle may be affected
when transporting heavy objects as a result of the displacement of the centre
of gravity. The speed and style of driving must be adjusted accordingly.
● The items carried in the luggage compartment should be stored in such a
way that no objects are able to slip forward if there are any sudden driving or
braking manoeuvres undertaken - risk of injury!
● When transporting fastened objects which are sharp and dangerous in the
luggage compartment enlarged by folding the rear seats forward or removing
the rear seats, ensure the safety of the passengers transported on the other
rear seats ⇒ page 107, Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear
seats.
● If the rear seats next to the folded forward seat are occupied, ensure max-
imum safety, e.g. by placing the goods to be transported in such a way that a
folding back of the seat is prevented in case of a rear collision.
● Never drive with the boot lid fully opened or slightly ajar otherwise ex-
haust gases may get into the interior of the vehicle - risk of poisoning!
● On no account exceed the permissible axle loads and the permissible gross
weight of the vehicle - risk of accident!
● Never transport occupants in the luggage compartment. CAUTION
Please ensure that the heating elements of the rear window heater are not dam-
aged as a result of objects sliding in this area. Note
Tyre pressure must be adjusted to the load ⇒ fig. 135. Vehicles of category N1 On vehicles of the category N1, which are not fitted with a protective grille, a lash-
ing set which complies with the standard EN
12195 (1 - 4) must be used for fasten-
ing the load.
Fastening elements Fig. 44 Luggage compartment: Lashing eyes and fastening elements (Fabia)/(Combi)
Fastening eyelets and fastening elements are located on the sides of the luggage
compartment for securing the items of luggage
⇒ fig. 44
.
You can also attach fixing nets to these fastening eyelets and fastening elements
for holding small objects. WARNING
● The load to be transported must be fixed in place in such a way that it can-
not move during the journey and when braking.
● If the items of luggage or objects are attached to the lashing eyes with un-
suitable or damaged lashing straps, injuries can occur in the event of braking
manoeuvres or accidents. In order to prevent the items of luggage being
thrown forward, always use suitable lashing straps which are firmly attached
to the lashing eyes. 57
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
The luggage compartment cover can be removed as required if one must trans-
port bulky goods.
–
Unhook the support straps 1 ⇒ fig. 47.
– Remove the luggage compartment cover from the holders 2 by knocking
lightly on the bottom side of the cover in the area between the holders.
– To re-install, place the cover on the contact surfaces of the side trim panel and
position the mounts on the cover 3 above the holders
2 at the side trim
panel.
– Interlock the cover by lightly knocking on the top side of the cover in the area
between the holders.
– Attach the support straps 1 on the boot lid.
WARNING
No objects should be placed on the luggage compartment cover, the vehicle
occupants could be endangered if there is sudden braking or the vehicle col-
lides with something. CAUTION
When closing the boot lid, jamming and damage to the luggage compartment cov-
er or the side trim panel can occur if handled in an unprofessional way. Therefore,
check the following before closing:
● The mounts of the cover 3 must be interlocked on the holders of the side
trim panel 2 .
● The items which are transported must not exceed the level of the luggage
compartment cover.
● The cover must not be jammed in the seal of the boot lid when it is in the
opened position.
● There must be no object in the gap between the opened cover and the rear
seat backrest.
● Please ensure that the heating wire of the rear window heater is not damaged
as a result of objects placed in this area. Note
● When opening the boot lid, lift the luggage compartment cover - risk that ob-
jects placed in this area can slip forward! Further positions of the luggage compartment cover You can use the luggage compartment cover behind the head re-
straints for storing light and soft items.
Fig. 48 Luggage compartment cover in the lower position/stowed behind the rear seats
The luggage compartment cover can also be put into the lower position on the
supporting elements
⇒ fig. 48 - left.
The luggage compartment cover can also be stowed behind the rear seats
⇒ fig. 48 - right. CAUTION
In this position, the luggage compartment cover is designed for storing small ob-
jects of up to 2.5 kg. in weight.
Foldable luggage compartment cover (Combi) Fig. 49 Luggage compartment: foldable luggage compartment cover/removing foldable lug-
gage compartment cover
£ 59
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Note
If the variable loading floor is installed in the luggage compartment, no flexible
storage compartment or fixing net can be installed ⇒
page 58.
Remove carrier rails Fig. 51 Luggage compartment: Slacken check points/remove carrier rails
Remove carrier rails
–
Slacken the check points B on the carrier rails using the vehicle key or a flat
screwdriver ⇒ fig. 51
.
– Grasp the carrier rail A at the position
1 ⇒
fig. 51
and slacken it by pulling in
the direction of the arrow. You can take out the removable storage compart-
ments in order to facilitate the removal ⇒ page 71, Removeable storage com-
partments in the luggage compartment.
– Grasp the carrier rail A at the position
2 , slacken it by pulling in the direction
of the arrow and take it out.
– The carrier rail on the other side of the luggage compartment can be removed
in the same way.
Install carrier rails
– Position the carrier rails on the sides of the luggage compartment.
– Press both check points on each carrier rail up to the stop.
– Check the attachment of the carrier rails by pulling it. WARNING
Pay attention when installing that the carrier rails and the variable loading
floor are correctly fixed, otherwise the occupants are at risk.
Dividing the luggage compartment with variable loading floor Fig. 52 Divide the luggage compartment
The luggage compartment can be divided with the variable loading floor.
– Lift up the part with the holder and secure it by sliding it into the grooves
⇒ fig. 52 .
Luggage net partition (Combi) Use the luggage net partition behind the rear seats Fig. 53 Pull out the rear bulkhead/roll up
£ 61
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Removing and installing the luggage net partition housing
Fig. 55 Rear seats: Luggage net parti-
tion housing
Removing
– Open the right rear door.
– Fold the surfaces of the seats and seat backrests of the rear seats forward.
First the right then the left backrest.
– Push the rear bulkhead A ⇒ fig. 55
in the direction of arrow 1 and take it out
of the mounts of the rear seat backrests on the right in the direction of arrow 2 .
Install
– Position the luggage net partition housing into the mounts in the rear seat
backrests.
– Push the luggage net partition housing in the opposite direction of arrow 1as far as the stop.
– Fold the rear seats back into its original position. Bicycle holder in the luggage compartment
Install cross member Fig. 56 Install cross member
– Remove the luggage compartment cover ⇒
page 59; if necessary we recom-
mend you remove the rear bulkhead ⇒ page 63.
– Take the head restraints out of the rear seat backrests and fold the rear seats
in order to extend the luggage compartment as desired.
– Release the fixtures B at the ends of the cross member by fully loosening and
slightly pulling up the securing screws C . The fixtures open when they are
not already opened.
– Position the cross member with the fixed (not pulled out) part onto the right
(in direction of travel) lashing eye and then the pull out part A onto the left
lashing eye.
– Press the fixtures B on both sides of the cross member until they lock in
place and tighten the securing screws C .
– Check the attachment of the cross member by pulling it. WARNING
When transporting bicycles in the luggage compartment, ensure the safety of
passengers . 63
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data