The speed of the vehicle is, nevertheless, the most important factor. Doubling the
speed of the vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy
four times.
The common opinion that it is possible to support your body in a minor accident
with your hands, is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces
acting on the body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed within the range from 30 km/hour to 50 km/hour,
the forces which are produced on your body in the event of an accident can easily
exceed 10.000 N (Newton). This equals a weight of one tonne (1 000 kg).
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the vehicle not wearing a seat belt
are thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the
vehicle, such as steering wheel, dash panel, windshield
⇒ fig. 98 - left. The occu-
pants of a vehicle who have not fastened their seat belts may even be thrown out
of the vehicle. This can result in fatal injuries.
It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they will
otherwise be thrown through the vehicle in an uncontrolled manner in the event
of an accident A rear seat passenger who has not fastened the seat belt is a dan-
ger not only to himself but also for those seated at the front ⇒ fig. 98 - right.
Important safety information regarding the use of
seat belts The correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
● The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or twisted,
or chafe against any sharp edges.
● It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts are
to offer their maximum protection ⇒ page 111, How are seat belts correctly
fastened? .
● No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat belt to-
gether.
● The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if you
are correctly seated ⇒ page 106, Correct seated position
. WARNING (Continued)
● The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. specta-
cles, ball-point pens, keys etc.) as this may be a cause of injuries.
● Many layers of clothing and loose clothing (e. g. a winter coat over a jacket)
do not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the
seat belts.
● It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e. g. for
shortening the belts for smaller persons).
● The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct
one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to pro-
tect and the risk of injury increases.
● The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.
● The three-point seat belt for the rear middle seat can only fulfil its func-
tion reliably when the backrests are correctly locked into position ⇒ page 55.
● The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belt webbing may im-
pair proper operation of the inertia reel ⇒ page 149
, Seat belts.
● The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or similar objects
otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place properly.
● Inspect the seat belts regularly to ensure they are in good condition. If you
find seat belts which have damage to the belt, the seat belt connections, to
the inertia reel or to the lock, the relevant seat belt must be replaced by a
specialist garage.
● The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not make
an attempt to repair the seat belts yourself.
● Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident
and were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is best done by a spe-
cialist garage. The anchorage points of the belts must also be inspected. The
anchorage points for the belts should also be checked.
● In certain countries it is possible to use seat belts which differ in terms of
their operation from the seat belts which are described on the pages which
follow. Note
The vehicles of the category N1 are not equipped with the middle seat belt on the
rear seats. The vehicle is only approved for four persons. 110
Seat belts
WARNING
● Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of
the engine compartment - risk of scalding! Wait long enough until the steam
or coolant has stopped escaping.
● Switch off the engine and pull out the ignition key.
● Apply the handbrake firmly.
● If your vehicle is fitted with a manual gearbox, move the gearshift lever in-
to Neutral, or if it is fitted with automatic gearbox, move the selector lever in-
to position P
.
● Allow the engine to cool down.
● Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
● Do not touch any hot engine parts - risk of burns!
● Never spill oil and other fluids over the hot engine. Such fluids (e.g. the an-
tifreeze contained in the coolant) may ignite!
● Avoid short circuits in the electrical system - particularly on the battery.
● Never place your hand into the radiator fan as long as the engine is still
warm. The fan might suddenly start running!
● Never open the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir so long as the en-
gine is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!
● Cover over the cap of the reservoir with a large cloth when opening it as
protection for your face, hands and arms from hot steam or hot coolant.
● Do not let objects, such as e.g cleaning cloth or tools lie in the engine com-
partment.
● If you wish to work under the vehicle, you must secure the vehicle from
rolling away and support it with suitable supporting blocks: the car jack is not
sufficient for this - risk of injury! WARNING (Continued)
● In cases where it be necessary to carry out inspection work when the en-
gine is running there is an additional risk from rotating parts (e.g. the V-ribbed
belt, alternator, radiator fan) and from the high-voltage ignition system.
Please observe in addition the following:
–Never touch the electrical cables of the ignition system.
– Absolutely avoid any jewellery, loose items of clothing or long hair from
getting into the rotating parts of the engine - Hazard! Therefore remove
any jewellery beforehand, tie up your hair and wear tight fitting clothing.
● Please also comply with the warning instructions stated below when car-
rying out any essential work on the fuel system or on the electrical system:
–Always separate the car battery from the electrical system.
– Do not smoke.
– Never carry out any work close to naked flames.
– Always keep a working fire extinguisher at hand. CAUTION
When replenishing fluids in the engine, always ensure that the fluids are on no ac-
count mixed up. This may result in major operating problems and also vehicle
damage!
Overview of the engine compartment The main inspection points.
Fig. 128 Diesel engine 1.6 ltr./77 kW
£154
Inspecting and Replenishing
Full wheel trim
Fig. 140 Removing the full wheel trim
Pulling off
– Hook the clamp found in the vehicle tool kit into the reinforced edge of the full
wheel trim.
– Push the wheel key through the clamp, support the wheel key on the tyre and
pull off the wheel trim ⇒ fig. 140.
Install
– First press the full wheel trim onto the wheel at the valve opening provided.
Then press the full wheel trim into the wheel in such a way that its entire cir-
cumference locks correctly in place. CAUTION
● Use the pressure of your hand, do not knock on the full wheel trim! Heavy
knocks mainly on the points where the full wheel trim has not been inserted into
the wheel, can result in damage to the guide and centering elements of the full
wheel trim.
● Check for yourself that the safety wheel bolt is located in the hole in the area
of the valve before fitting the full wheel trim onto a steel wheel which is attached
with a safety wheel bolt ⇒
page 175, Securing wheels against being stolen. Wheel bolts with caps The caps are designed to protect the wheel bolts.
Fig. 141 Changing a wheel: Pull off cap
from the wheel bolt
Pulling off
– Insert the plastic clip (in the car tool kit) sufficiently far onto the cap until the
inner catches of the clip are positioned at the collar of the cap.
– Pull the cap off with the plastic clip ⇒ fig. 141.
Install
– Insert the caps onto the bolts.
Slackening and tightening wheel bolts Loosen the wheel bolts before jacking up the vehicle.
Fig. 142 Changing a wheel: Loosening
the wheel bolts
£ 173
Breakdown assistance Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Loosening the wheel bolts
–
Insert the wheel wrench fully onto the wheel bolt 1)
.
– Grasp the end of the wrench and turn the bolt about one turn to the left
⇒ fig. 142.
Tightening wheel bolts
– Insert the wheel wrench fully onto the wheel bolt 1
)
.
– Grasp the end of the wrench and turn the bolt to the right until it is tight. WARNING
Loosen the wheel bolts only a little (about one turn) while the vehicle has not
yet been jacked up - risk of an accident!. Note
● Apply pressure carefully with your foot to the end of the wrench if it is difficult
to loosen the bolts. Hold tight on the vehicle when doing this and ensure that you
have a steady position.
Raise vehicle You have to raise the vehicle with a lifting jack in order to be able
to take off the wheel.
Fig. 143 Changing a wheel: Jacking
points for positioning lifting jack Fig. 144 Attach lifting jack
Position the lifting jack by selecting the jacking point which is closest to the wheel
to be removed ⇒ fig. 143
. The jacking point is located directly below the engraving
in the lower sill.
– Position the lifting jack below the jacking point and move it up until its claw is
positioned directly below the vertical web of the lower sill.
– Align the lifting jack so that its claw grasps the web ⇒ fig. 144 at the right be-
low the embossing in the side surface of the base plate.
– Make sure that the base plate of the lifting jack rests with its entire surface on
level ground and is located vertical to the point ⇒
fig. 144 where the claw
grasps the web.
– Turn the lifting jack up further until the wheel is just clear of the ground. WARNING
● Always raise the vehicle with the doors closed - risk of injury.
● Never position any body parts such as arms or legs under the vehicle, while
the vehicle is raised with a lifting jack. £1)
Use the appropriate adapter for loosening and tightening the safety wheel bolts ⇒ page 175.174
Breakdown assistance
WARNING (Continued)
● Secure the base plate of the lifting jack with suitable means to prevent
possible moving. A soft and slippery ground under the base plate may move
the lifting jack, causing the vehicle to fall down. It is therefore always neces-
sary to place the lifting jack on a solid surface or use a wide and stable base.
Use a non-slip base (e.g. a rubber foot mat) if the surface is smooth, such as
cobbled stones, a tiled floor, etc.
● Attach the lifting jack only at the attachment points provided for this pur-
pose.
Securing wheels against being stolen You need a special adapter for loosening the safety wheel bolts.
Fig. 145 Illustration image: Safety wheel
bolt with adapter
– Pull off the full wheel trim/cap from the wheel hub or cap from the safety
wheel bolt.
– Insert the adapter B with its toothed side into the inner toothing of the head
of the safety wheel bolt A ⇒
fig. 145 .
– Insert the wheel wrench fully onto the adapter B .
– Slacken the wheel bolt, or tighten it firmly ⇒ page 173.
– Reinstall the full wheel trim/wheel cap after removing the adapter or place the
cap onto the safety wheel bolt.
– Have the tightening torque
checked with a torque wrench as soon as possi-
ble. Steel and light alloy wheels must be tightened to a tightening torque of
120 Nm
. The safety wheel bolts on vehicles fitted with them (one safety wheel bolt per
wheel) can only be loosened or tighten up by using the adapter provided.
It is meaningful to note the code number hammered into the rear side of the
adapter or the rear side of the safety wheel bolts. You can obtain a replacement
adapter from an authorised ŠKODA Service Partner, if necessary, by quoting this
number.
We recommend that you always carry the adapter for the wheel bolts with you in
the vehicle. It should be stowed in the vehicle tool kit.
CAUTION
● Damage can occur to the adapter and safety wheel bolt if the safety wheel
bolt is tightened up too much.
● On steel wheels, the theft-deterrent wheel bolt must always be installed in
the hole, which is close to the valve. Otherwise the full wheel trim cannot be
mounted and the full wheel trim can be damaged during the assembly. Note
The set of safety wheel bolts can be obtained from a specialist garage.
Tyre repair kit General information The tyre repair kit is located in a box under the carpet in the luggage compart-
ment.
Use the tyre repair kit to reliably repair tyre damage caused by foreign bodies or a
puncture with diameters up to 4 mm. Do not remove foreign bodies, e.g. screws or
nails, from the tyre!
The repair can be undertaken on the vehicle immediately.
The repair with the tyre repair kit is
not at all intended to replace a permanent
repair on the tyre, this repair only serves to reach the next specialist garage.
Do not use the tyre repair kit:
● to repair wheel damage,
● in outside temperatures of less than -20 °C (-4 °F),
● with tears or punctures greater than 4 mm in size,
● to repair damage to the tyre wall, £ 175
Breakdown assistance Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
Glow plug system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
GSM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
H
Halogen projector headlights with cornering light function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Hazard warning light system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Head airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Headlight cleaning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Headlight flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Headlights Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Headlight cleaning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Head restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Heated windscreen washer nozzles . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Recirculated air mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Heating the front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
I
Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Iinterior lighting Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Information display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Interior light Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Interior lighting Version 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Version 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Interior mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Interior monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
36
Intermittent wiping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
ISOFIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
JJacking points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
L
Lashing eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Leather care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Lights converting/masking over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Range adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
switching on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Lights and Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Liquid in reservoir for windscreen washer system Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Lock Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 30 Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Locking and unlocking from inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Locking of the door in an emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Low beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 188 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Folding hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Lashing eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Luggage compartment - variable loading floor . . . 60
Luggage compartment cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 59
Luggage compartment door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Luggage net partition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 M
Main beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
41, 45, 188
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Manual shifting of gears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
MDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Memory for the on-board computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Mobile phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Connection with the hands-free system . . . . . . 99
Motoring abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Multi-functional indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Multifunction steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
N New tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
O Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Onboard computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Opening a single door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Opening the door Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Operation in winter Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
De-icing windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Outside temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Overview of the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 154
PPaint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 210
Index