2011 SKODA OCTAVIA ignition

We recommend you have the electrolyte level checked by a specialist garage from
time to time, especially in the following cases.
● High outside temperatures.
● Long daily drives
● After each charge ⇒  page 189.
On vehicles with a vehicle battery fitted with a colour indicator, the so-called mag-
ic eye ⇒ fig. 155 , the electrolyte level can be determined by looking at the change
in colour.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason carefully
knock on the indicator before carrying out the check.
● Black colour - electrolyte level is correct.
● Colourless or light yellow colour - electrolyte level too low, the battery must be
replaced. Note
● The battery electrolyte level is periodically checked by an authorised
ŠKODA
Service Partner as part of the Inspection Service.
● For technical reasons, on vehicles with the description “AGM”, the electrolyte
level cannot be checked.
● Vehicles with a “START-STOP” system are fitted with a battery control unit for
checking the energy level for the recurring engine start. 
Operation in winter The battery has to provide greater amounts of electricity during the winter. It also
has only part of the initial power output at low temperatures that it has at normal
temperatures.
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below 0 °C.
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked by a specialist ga-
rage before the start of winter and recharged if necessary. WARNING
Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and caustic burns.
Replace a frozen battery. Charging the battery A properly charged battery is essential for reliably starting the en-
gine.
– Read the warning notes ⇒
  in General information on page 187 and ⇒
  .
– Switch the ignition and all electrical components off.
– Only for “quick-charging”: Disconnect both battery cables (first of all “nega-
tive
”, then “positive”).
– Carefully attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals
(red = “positive

”, black = “negative”).
– You can now plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and
switch on the charger.
– When charging is completed: switch the charger off and unplug the mains ca-
ble from the power socket.
– Only then should you disconnect the terminal clamps of the charger.
– Reconnect the cables to the battery (first of all “positive”, then “negative”).
It is not normally necessary to disconnect the cables of the battery if you recharge
the battery using low amperages (as for example from a mini-charger). Please al-
so refer to the instructions from the charger manufacturer.
A charging current of 0.1 of the total battery capacity (or lower) is that which
should be used until full charging is achieved.
It is, however, necessary to disconnect both cables before charging the battery
with high amperages, so-called

“quick-charging ”.
“Quick-charging” a battery is dangerous ⇒  in General information on page 187.
It requires a special charger and specialist knowledge. We recommend having the
quick charging of vehicle batteries undertaken by a specialist garage.
A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below 0

°C ⇒  . We
recommend that you no longer use a battery which has thawed out because the
casing of the battery may be cracked through the formation of ice and this would
allow battery electrolyte to flow out.
The vent plugs of the battery should not be opened for charging. £ 189
Inspecting and Replenishing Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

WARNING
● Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and caustic
burns. Replace a frozen battery.
● Never charge a battery which has a too low electrolyte level - risk of explo-
sion and caustic burns. CAUTION
On vehicles with the “START/STOP” system, the pole terminal of the charger must
not be connected directly to the negative terminal of the vehicle battery, but only
to the engine earth ⇒ fig. 172. 
Disconnecting and reconnecting the battery On disconnecting and reconnecting the battery the following functions are initially
deactivated or are no longer able to operate fault-free.
Operation Operating measure
Electrical power window (operational faults) ⇒ page 41
Enter the car stereo/radio navigation system
code number see operating instructions for the
car stereo/radio navigation sys-
tem
Setting the clock ⇒ page 13
Data in the multi-functional indicator are de-
leted. ⇒ page 14
We recommend having the vehicle checked by an authorised ŠKODA Service Part-
ner to ensure full functionality of all electrical systems.

Replacing the battery When replacing a battery, the new new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12
V), amperage and be the same size. Suitable types of vehicle battery
are available from an authorised ŠKODA Service Partner.
We recommend you have a battery change carried out by an authorised ŠKODA
Service Partner, who will properly install the new battery and dispose of the origi-
nal one. CAUTION
Vehicles with a “START-STOP” system are fitted with a special battery type which
allows the battery control unit to check the energy level for recurring engine start.
This battery must only be replaced by a battery of the same type. For the sake of the environment
Batteries contain poisonous substances such as sulphuric acid and lead. For this
reason, it must be disposed of properly. Under no circumstances must it be dis-
posed of in the communal rubbish. 
Automatic consumer shut-off Under heavy load on the vehicle battery, the vehicle electrical system manage-
ment automatically takes various measures to avoid draining the vehicle battery.
●
The idling speed is raised to allow the generator to deliver more electricity to
the electrical system.
● If necessary, some electrical consumers are limited in their performance or are
temporarily switched off completely. Note
Despite such intervention by the vehicle electric system management, the vehicle
battery may be drained. For example, when the ignition is switched on a long time
with the engine turned off or the side or parking lights are turned on during lon-
ger parking. 
Windshield washer system Fig. 156 Engine compartment: Wind-
shield washer fluid reservoir
£190
Inspecting and Replenishing

WARNING
● A discharged battery may already freeze at temperatures just below 0 °C.
In case of frozen battery carry out no jump-starting - risk of explosion!
● Please pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the
engine compartment ⇒ page 181, Working in the engine compartment
.Note
● There must not be any contact between the two vehicles otherwise current
may flow as soon as the negative terminals are connected.
● The discharged battery must be properly connected to the system of the vehi-
cle.
● Switch off any mobile phone, pay attention to the instructions for use of the
mobile phone in such a situation.
● We recommend you buy jump-start cables from a car battery specialist. 
Start engine Fig. 171 Jump-starting using the battery
from another vehicle: A - flat vehicle bat-
tery, B - battery providing current
It is important to connect the jump-start cables in the correct order.
Connecting positive terminals
– Attach one end 1
⇒
 fig. 171 to the positive terminal of the discharged battery
A .
– Attach the other end 2 to the positive terminal of the battery supplying the
power B . Connecting negative terminal and engine block
– Attach one end 3 to the negative terminal of the battery supplying the power
B .
– Attach the other end 4 to a solid metal part which is connected firmly to the
engine block, or to the engine block itself.
Starting engine
– Start the engine of the vehicle providing current and run the engine at idling
speed.
– Now start the engine of the vehicle with the discharged battery.
– Interrupt the attempt at starting an engine after 10 seconds if it does not start
right away and wait for about 30 seconds before repeating the attempt.
– Disconnect the cables on the engine in exactly the reverse order they were
connected up. WARNING
● The non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps must never make contact
with each other. In addition, the jump-start cable connected to the positive
terminal of the battery must not come into contact with electrically conduct-
ing parts of the vehicle - risk of short circuit!
● Do not affix the jump starting cables to the negative terminal of the dis-
charged battery. There is the risk of detonating gas seeping out the battery
being ignited by the strong spark which results from the engine being started.
● Run the jump-start cables so that they cannot be caught by any rotating
parts in the engine compartment.
● Do not bend over the batteries - risk of caustic burns!
● The vent screws of the battery cells must be tightened firmly.
● Keep any sources of ignition (naked flame, smouldering cigarettes etc.)
away from the battery - risk of an explosion!
● Never jump-start the batteries which have a too low electrolyte level - risk
of explosion and caustic burns! 207
Breakdown assistance Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Jump-starting in vehicles with the “START-STOP” system
Fig. 172 Jump-starting on vehicles with
the START-STOP system
On vehicles with the “START STOP” system, the negative cable of the charger
must never be connected directly to the negative pole of the vehicle battery, but
only to the engine earth ⇒ fig. 172. 
Towing the vehicle General Vehicles with manual transmission can be towed in with a tow bar or a tow rope
or with the front or rear wheels raised.
Vehicles with automatic transmission can be towed in with a tow bar or a tow
rope or with the front wheels raised. If the vehicle is raised at rear, the automatic
gearbox is damaged!
Vehicles with four-wheel drive can be towed in with a tow bar or a tow rope or
with the front wheels raised.
A tow bar
is safest way of towing a vehicle and also minimizes any shocks. You
can use a tow rope only if a suitable tow bar is not available.
Refer to the following guidelines when towing:
Driver of the towing vehicle
– Release the clutch particularly gently when starting off or depress the acceler-
ator particularly gently if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
– On vehicles with manual transmission, only push down on the accelerator ped-
al once the rope is taught. The maximum towing speed is
50 km/h.
Driver of the towed vehicle
– Switch the ignition on so that the steering wheel is not blocked and you can
also operate the turn signal lights, the headlight flasher, the windscreen wip-
ers and windscreen washer system.
– Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position N if your
vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the engine is
running. You will require significantly greater physical force to depress the brake
pedal and to steer the vehicle if the engine is not running.
When using a tow rope, always ensure that the tow rope is always kept taught. CAUTION
● Do not tow start the engine - danger of damaging the engine. On vehicles with
a catalytic converter, unburnt fuel may get into the catalytic converter where it
may ignite. This in turn may damage or destroy the catalytic converter. You can
use the battery of another vehicle as a jump-start aid ⇒ page 206, Jump-starting
.
● If the gearbox of your vehicle no longer contains any oil because of a defect,
your vehicle must only be towed in with the driven wheels raised clear of the
ground, or on a special vehicle transporter or trailer.
● The vehicle must be transported on a special vehicle or trailer if it is not possi-
ble to tow in the vehicle in the way described or if the towing distance is greater
than 50

km.
● To protect both vehicles when tow-starting or towing, the tow rope should be
elastic. Thus one should only use plastic fibre rope or a rope made out of a similar-
ly elastic material.
● One should be constantly vigilant not to allow impermissibly high towing
forces or jerky loadings. There is always a risk of excessive stresses and damage
resulting at the points to which you attach the tow rope or tow bar when you at-
tempt to tow a vehicle which is not standing on a paved road.
● Attach the tow rope or the tow bar only to the towing eyes provided for this
purpose ⇒ page 209

, Front towing eye and ⇒ page 210, Rear towing eye. £208
Breakdown assistance

Fuses and light bulbs
Electric fuses Replacing fuses in the dash panel Defect fuses must be replaced.
Fig. 176 Fuse cover: left side of the dash
panel
Individual electrical circuits are protected by fuses. The fuses are located on the
left side of the dash panel behind the safety cover and under the cover in the en-
gine compartment on the left.
– Switch the ignition off and also the electrical component affected.
– Use a screwdriver to take off the fuse cover on the side of the dash panel
⇒  fig. 176 or the fuse cover in the engine compartment ⇒ page 211.
– Find out which fuse belongs to the relevant component ⇒ page 213, Fuse as-
signment in the dash panel or ⇒ page 212, Fuse assignment in engine compart-
ment.
– Take the plastic clip out of its fixture in the fuse cover, insert it onto the re-
spective fuse and pull out this fuse.
– Defect fuses can be detected by their melted metal strips. Replace the defect
fuse by a new fuse of the same ampere number.
– Fit on the fuse cover again.
We recommend that you always have the small box of replacement fuses in your
vehicle. You can obtain replacement fuses from the range of

ŠKODA Original Parts
or from a specialist garage. Colour coding of fuses Colour Maximum amperage
light brown 5
brown 7,5
red 10
blue 15
yellow 20
white 25
green 30
orange 40
red 50
CAUTION
● Never attempt to
“repair” fuses and also do not replace them with a fuse of a
higher amperage - risk of fire! This may also cause damage at another part of the
electrical system.
● Have the electrical system checked as quickly as possible by a specialist ga-
rage if a newly inserted fuse blows again after a short time. 
Fuse cover in engine compartment Fig. 177 Fuse cover in engine compart-
ment
On some vehicles, the battery cover must be removed before removing the fuse
cover ⇒ page 188

. £ 211
Fuses and light bulbs Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Removing fuse cover
–
Move the circlips A ⇒ 
fig. 177 as far as the stop, the symbol  appears behind
the circlip and remove the cover.
Installing fuse cover
– Position the fuse cover on the fuse box and push the circlips A as far as the
stop - the symbol  is visible behind the circlip. CAUTION
● When unlocking and locking the fuse cover, it must be pressed on the sides to
the box, otherwise damage can occur to the locking mechanism.
● Carefully position the fuse cover in the engine compartment. If the cover was
not correctly positioned, water can get into the fuses and this results in a damage
to the vehicle! 
Fuse assignment in engine compartment Fig. 178 Schematic representation of
fuse carrier in engine compartment
Certain electrical components are only standard on certain vehicle model versions
or only available as optional equipment for certain models. No. Power consumer
F1 Not assigned
F2 Control unit for automatic gearbox DQ 200
F3 Measuring circuit
F4 Valves for ABS
F5 Control unit for automatic gearbox
F6 Instrument cluster, windshield wiper lever and turn signal light lever
F7 Power supply terminal 15, Starter No. Power consumer
F8 Radio
F9 Not assigned
F10 Engine control unit, Main relay
F11 Control unit for auxiliary heating
F12 Control unit for CAN databus
F13 Engine control unit
F14 Ignition
F15 Lambda probe
glow plug system relay
F16 Central control unit, right main headlight, right rear light unit
F17 Horn
F18 Amplifier for digital sound processor
F19 Front window wiper
F20 Water pump
valve for fuel dosing
F21 Lambda probe
F22 Clutch pedal switch, brake pedal switch
F23 Secondary air pump
Air mass meter
Fuel high pressure pump
F24 Activated charcoal filter, exhaust gas recirculation valve
F25 Pump for ABS
F26 Central control unit, left main headlight, left rear light unit
F27 Secondary air pump
Glow plug system
F28 Not assigned
F29 Power supply terminal 30
F30 Terminal X
a) a)
In order not to drain the battery unnecessarily when starting the engine, the electrical components
of this terminal are automatically switched off. 212
Fuses and light bulbs

WARNING
● Bulbs H7 and H1 are pressurised and may burst when changing the bulb -
risk of injury!
● It is recommended to wear gloves and safety glasses when changing a
bulb.
● Gas discharge bulbs (xenon bulbs) operate with a high voltage, professio-
nal knowledge is required - danger to life! CAUTION
Do not take hold of the glass bulb with naked fingers (even the smallest amount
of dirt reduces the working life of the light bulb). Use a clean cloth, serviette or
something similar. Note
This Owner's Manual only describes the replacement of bulbs where it is assumed
that no major complications will arise. Other light bulbs should be changed by your
specialist garage. 
Front headlight Fig. 180 Front headlight: Fitting posi-
tion of the bulbs
Positions of the light bulbs in the front headlight ⇒ fig. 180 .
A - Front turn signal light
B - parking lights and low beam
C - main beam light
Removing the headlight
Fig. 181 Front headlight: Fitting position
of the bulbs
The headlight must be removed in order to change the light bulb of the parking
lights, low beam lights and main beam lights as well as the turn signal lights.
Removing the headlight
– Switch the ignition and all lights off.
– Open the bonnet ⇒ page 180 .
– Unscrew the plastic nut A
⇒  fig. 181 .
– Pull the fuse B in upward direction.
– Pull the locking lever of the headlight as far as the stop in the direction of ar-
row 1 .
– Unplug the plug connector and carefully take out the headlight in the direction
of arrow 2 .
Installation is carried out in the reverse order. Note
After installing the headlight, the headlight setting must be checked by a special-
ist garage.  215
Fuses and light bulbs Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Turn signal light (at the front)
Fig. 182 Removing the light bulb for the
turn signal light
Changing light bulb for turn signal light (at the front)
– Switch the ignition and all lights off.
– Remove the headlight ⇒ page 215.
– Turn the socket in the direction of arrow OPEN (open) and take it out together
with the light bulb for the turn signal light ⇒ fig. 182 .
– Press the defective light bulb into the socket, turn to the left and remove.
– Press a new light bulb into the socket and turn the light bulb to the right as far
as the stop.
– Insert the socket with the changed light bulb into the headlight and secure it
by turning in the direction of arrow CLOSE (close) to the right.Note
After installing the headlight, the headlight setting must be checked by a special-
ist garage. Front parking lights and low beam Fig. 183 Removing the bulbs for the
parking and low beam light
Removing the light bulb for the parking light
– Switch the ignition and all lights off.
– Remove the headlight ⇒ page 215.
– Remove the protective cap B
⇒  fig. 180 .
– Remove the socket A
⇒  fig. 183 .
– Take the faulty bulb out of the fixture and insert a new one.
– Insert the protective cap.
Removing the light bulb for the low beam light
– Switch the ignition and all lights off.
– Remove the headlight ⇒ page 215.
– Remove the protective cap B
⇒
 fig. 180 .
– Turn the connector with the light bulb B up to the stop towards the left and
remove ⇒ fig. 183 .
– Replace the lamp, insert the connector with the new lamp and turn to the
right up to the stop.
– Insert the protective cap. Note
● In order to facilitate the removal of the socket with the bulb for the parking
light, we recommend to remove first of all the bulb for the low beam light.
● After installing the headlight, the headlight setting must be checked by a spe-
cialist garage. 216
Fuses and light bulbs