2011 SKODA OCTAVIA tow

Reading lights
–
Press switch B to switch the reading light on/off.
If operating lights with the door contact switch is enabled (switch A is in position
), the light will come on when:
● the vehicle is unlocked,
● one of the doors is opened,
● or the ignition key is removed.
If operating lights with the door contact switch is enabled (switch A is in position
), the light will turn off when:
● the vehicle is locked,
● the ignition is switched on,
● about 30 seconds after all the doors have been closed.
If a door remains open, or if the switch A is in position
, the interior lighting
goes out after 10
minutes to prevent the battery from discharging. Note
We recommend having these bulbs replaced by a specialist garage. 
Interior vehicle lighting - Variant 2 Fig. 32 Interior vehicle lighting - Variant
2
Switching on the interior lighting
– Turn the switch to the position  ⇒  fig. 32 .
Switching off the interior lighting
– Turn the switch to the position O. Operating the lights with the door contact switch
– Turn the switch to the position .
The same principles apply for interior lighting version 2 as for ⇒

 page 51.
Lighting of the storage compartment on front passenger side –
When opening the flap of the storage compartment on the front passenger
side the lighting in the storage compartment comes on.
– The light switches on automatically when the parking light is switched on and
goes out when the flap is closed. 
Front door warning light Fig. 33 Front door: Warning light
The warning light is located in the door trim panel below ⇒
 fig. 33.
The warning light goes on every time the door is opened. The light goes out about
10 minutes after opening the door in order to avoid discharging the battery of the
vehicle.
There is a reflector installed on some vehicles instead of the warning light. 
Entry lighting The lighting is positioned on the bottom edge of the exterior mirror.
The light beam is directed towards the entry area of the front door.
£ 51
Lights and Visibility Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

The light comes on after the doors have been locked or on opening the boot lid.
The light goes out after switching on the ignition or up to 30 seconds after closing
all the doors and the boot lid.
If a door or the boot lid remains open, the light goes out within 2 minutes if the
ignition is switched off. WARNING
If the entry light comes on, do not touch its cover - risk of burns! 
Luggage compartment light The lighting comes on automatically when the boot lid is opened. If the lid remains
open for more than about 10 minutes, the luggage compartment lighting switches
off automatically.

Visibility Rear window heater Fig. 34 Switch for rear window heater
– You can switch the rear window heater on or off by pressing the switch ⇒ 
fig. 34 - the indicator light in the switch comes on or goes out.
The rear window heater only operates when the engine is running.
The rear window heater switches off automatically after 10 minutes. For the sake of the environment
As soon as the window is de-iced or free from mist, the heating should be switch-
ed off. The reduced current consumption will have a favourable effect on fuel
economy ⇒ page 165, Saving electricity. Note
● If the on-board voltage drops, the rear window heater switches off automati-
cally, in order to provide sufficient electrical energy for the engine control
⇒
 page 190, Automatic consumer shut-off.
● The position and the shape of the switch can differ depending on equipment
installed in the vehicle. 
Sun visors Fig. 35 Sun visor: Swivelling out/double sun visor
You can pull the sun visor for the driver or front passenger out of the fixture and
swivel it toward the door in the direction of the arrow
1
⇒
 fig. 35.
The vanity mirrors in the sun visors are provided with covers. Push the cover in di-
rection of arrow 2 .
On vehicles which are equipped with double sun visor, you can also unfold the
auxiliary visor in direction of arrow 3 after swivelling the sun visor.
WARNING
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-
ment area of the head airbags if any objects, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head air-
bag is deployed. 52
Lights and Visibility

Automatic wipe/wash for windscreen
–
Pull the lever towards the steering wheel into sprung position 5 , the wash
system sprays immediately, the windscreen wiper starts wiping a little later.
The wash system and the windscreen wiper operate simultaneously at a
speed of more than 120 km/h.
– Release the lever. The windscreen wash system stops and the wiper contin-
ues for another 3 - 4 wiper strokes (depending on the period of spraying of the
windscreen). At a speed of more than 2 km/h, the wiper wipes once again 5
seconds after the last wiper stroke in order to wipe the last drops from the
windscreen. This function can be activated/deactivated by a specialist garage.
Rain sensor
– Move the lever into position 1 .
– You can set the sensitivity of the sensor individually with switch A .
Wiping the rear window pane
– Push the lever away from the steering wheel into position 6 - the windshield
wiper will operate every 6 seconds.
Automatic wipe/wash for the rear window pane
– Press the lever from the steering wheel forward into the sprung position 7 ,
the wash system sprays immediately, the windscreen wiper starts wiping a lit-
tle later. As long as you hold the lever in this position, the wiper operates as
well as the wash system.
– Letting go of the lever will cause the windscreen wash system to stop and the
wiper to continue for another 2 - 3 wiper strokes (depending on the period of
spraying of the windscreen). The lever will stay in position after releasing it
6 .
Switching windscreen wipers off
– Move the lever back into its home position 0 .
After the windscreen wiper switches off each time or the ignition switches off for
the third time, the position of the windscreen wiper changes, this counteracts an
early fatigue of the wiper rubbers.
The windscreen wipers and the wash system only operate if the ignition is switch-
ed on and the bonnet is closed 1)
. If the intermittent wipe is switched on, the intervals are also controlled depending
on speed.
The rain sensor automatically regulates the break between the individual wiper
strokes depending on the intensity of the rain.
The rear window will be wiped again if the front window wipers are on when re-
verse gear is selected.
Top up with wash liquid ⇒ page 190
.
Winter position
If the windscreen wipers are in rest position, they cannot be folded out from the
windscreen. For this reason we recommend adjusting the windscreen wipers in
winter so that they can be folded out from the windscreen easily.
You can set this rest position as follows:
● Switch on the windscreen wipers.
● Switch off the ignition. The windscreen wipers remain in the position in which
they were when switching off the ignition.
You can also use the service position ⇒

 page 56 as a winter position. WARNING
● Properly maintained windscreen wiper blades are essential for clear visibil-
ity and safe driving ⇒

 page 56.
● Do not use the windscreen washer system at low temperatures, without
heating the windscreen beforehand. Otherwise the window cleaner could
freeze on the windscreen and restrict the view to the front.
● The rain sensor only operates as a support. The driver is not released from
the responsibility to set the function of the windscreen wipers manually de-
pending on the visibility conditions. £1)
On vehicles which do not have a contact switch for the bonnet, the windshield wiper and wash sys-
tem operates also when the bonnet is opened. 54
Lights and Visibility

Seats and Stowage
Front seats
Basic information The front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be matched
to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger.
Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for:
● safely and quickly reaching the controls,
● a relaxed, fatigue-free body position,
● achieving the maximum protection offered by the seat belts and the airbag
system. WARNING
● Never transport more occupants than the maximum seating in the vehicle.
● Each occupant must correctly fasten the seat belt belonging to the seat.
Children must be fastened ⇒
 page 147, Transporting children safely with a
suitable restraint system.
● The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be
correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your
occupants.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven - never
place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces
of the seats. This is particularly important for the front seat passenger. You
will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the
brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer
fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!
● It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a distance of
at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel. Not maintaining this
minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to proper-
ly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints must always
also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant. WARNING (Continued)
● Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get be-
hind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre. You would then no
longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or accelerate.
● Do not transport any objects on the front passenger seat except objects
(e.g. child safety seat) provided for this purpose - risk of accident! 
Adjusting the front seats Fig. 42 Controls at seat
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever 1
⇒
 fig. 42 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
– Relieve any pressure on the seat backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the
handwheel 3 to adjust the angle of the backrest.
Adjusting lumbar support
– Turn the wheel 4 until you have set the most comfortable curvature of the
seat upholstery in the area of your spine. £60
Seats and Stowage

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 front seats electrically
Adjusting seats Fig. 43 Side view: Controls for adjusting the seat/seat setting switch
Adopt the correct seated position before setting ⇒ page 60
.
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Press the switch A
⇒
 fig. 43 forwards or backwards 1 .
Set the height of the seat cushion
– Press the switch A upwards or downwards. Adjust the angle of the seat cushion
–
Press the switch A at the front in the direction of arrow
2 or at the back in
the direction of arrow 3 .
Adjusting the seat backrest
– Press the switch B in the direction of the desired setting.
Adjusting lumbar support
– Press the switch C at the front in order to enlarge the curvature of the lum-
bar support.
– Press the switch C rear in order to reduce the curvature of the lumbar sup-
port.
– Press the switch C top in order to adjust the curvature of the lumbar support
higher.
– Press the switch C bottom in order to adjust the curvature of the lumbar sup-
port lower.
Switch A is operated in order to move the seat up/down and forward/back, while
switch B is operated in order to move the seat backrest forward or back.
WARNING
● Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
● Caution when adjusting the seat! You may suffer injuries or bruises as a re-
sult of adjusting the seat without paying proper attention.
● In view of the fact that the seats can also be adjusted when the ignition is
switched off (even when ignition key withdrawn), you should never leave chil-
dren unattended in the car.
● 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! Note
If the movement of the seat is inadvertently interrupted during an adjustment,
once again press the switch in the appropriate direction and continue with the ad-
justment of the seat to the end.  61
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Storing setting
Fig. 44 Driver seat: Memory buttons
and SET button
Storing seat and exterior mirror settings for driving forward
– Switch on the ignition.
– Adjust the seat ⇒  page 61.
– Adjust both exterior mirrors ⇒
 page 57.
– Press button SET A
⇒  fig. 44 .
– Press one of the memory buttons B within 10 seconds after pressing the but-
ton SET - an acknowledgement signal confirms that the seat setting is stored..
Storing exterior mirror setting for reversing
– Switch on the ignition.
– Turn the exterior mirror control to position  ⇒
 page 57.
– Engage reverse gear.
– Move the right exterior mirror into the desired position ⇒
 page 57.
– Take the vehicle out of gear. The set position of the exterior mirror is stored.
Station keys
Memory for the seat offers the possibility to store the individual driver seat and
external mirror position. An individual position can be allocated to each of the
three memory buttons B
⇒  fig. 44 , that is three in total. After pressing the corre-
sponding memory button B , the seat and the exterior mirror are automatically
moved into the positions which have been allocated to this button ⇒

 page 62. Emergency Off
You can interrupt the setting operation at any time, if you operate any button of
the driver seat. Note
● When storing settings with the memory buttons, we recommend that you be-
gin with the front button and assign a memory button to each additional driver.
● Each new setting stored with the same button erases the previous setting.
● Each time you store the seat and exterior mirror settings for driving forward
you also have to re-store the individual setting of the exterior mirror on the pas-
senger side for reversing. 
Assigning the remote control key to the memory buttons After storing the settings of the seat and exterior mirrors, you have 10 seconds in
order to assign the remote control to the appropriate memory button.
– Withdraw the ignition key.
– Press the unlock button ⇒
 page 36, after the successful assignment an audible
signal will sound. The setting is stored with the memory button which you
have selected.
If you wish to be able to retrieve the settings which are stored in the memory by
also using the remote control, you have to assign the remote control to a memory
button in each case.
If you wish, you can obtain an additional remote control key from an authorised
ŠKODA Service partner and then assign the remote control key to another memo-
ry button. Note
● If the remote control had previously been assigned to another memory button,
this setting is then erased by the new assignment.
● If you assign the remote control to a memory button which has already been
assigned to a remote control, the old assignment is also replaced by a new assign-
ment in this case. £62
Seats and Stowage

●
The assignment of the radio remote control to a memory button is retained,
however, after reassigning the seats and exterior mirrors.
● After the successful assignment, the turn signal lights flash and an audible
signal will sound as a confirmation. The setting is stored with the memory button
which you have selected. 
Retrieving settings of the seat and mirrors You can retrieve the stored settings either with the memory but-
tons or with the remote control.
Retrieving settings with memory buttons
– In order to retrieve the stored setting, you have two possibilities:
– By pressing briefly: briefly press the desired memory button B
⇒ fig. 44 . The
seat and exterior mirror are moved automatically into the stored positions (this
applies only if the ignition is switched on and the speed is less than 5 km/h).
– Memory keying : Press and hold the desired memory button B pressed long
enough until the seat and the exterior mirror are moved into the stored posi-
tions.
Retrieving settings with remote control
– If the driver door is closed and the ignition is switched off, briefly press the un-
lock button of the remote control ⇒ page 36
and then open the driver door.
– The seat and exterior mirrors now move automatically into the stored posi-
tions.
Retrieving setting of exterior mirror for reversing
– Turn the rotary knob for the exterior mirror setting into the position 
⇒  page 57 before engaging the reverse gear.
The mirror returns into its initial position, after the rotary knob is moved out of the
position  and put into another position or if the speed is more than 15 km/h.
Emergency Off
You can interrupt the setting operation at any time, if you operate any button of
the driver seat. Note
If the inclination angle of the seat backrest is more than 102° in relation to the
seat cushion, the backrest remains in this position, after reaching this angle, when
retrieving the setting by briefly pressing the memory button. Once the stored an-
gle is reached, it is necessary to press the memory button and hold it pressed until
the seat is in the stored position. 
Head restraints Fig. 45 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.
Adjusting the height of a head restraint
–
Grasp the side of the head restraint with both hands and push it in upward di-
rection as desired ⇒ fig. 45 - left.
– Move the head restraint downwards if required by pressing and holding the
safety button with one hand ⇒ fig. 45 - right and by pressing with the other
hand the head restraint downwards.
Removing and installing a head restraint
– Pull the head restraint up out of the seat backrest as far as the stop (on the
rear head restraints fold forward the seat backrest).
– Press the locking button in the direction of arrow ⇒
 fig. 45 - right and pull the
head restraint out.
– To re-insert the head restraint, push it down into the seat backrest far enough
until you hear the locking button engage. £ 63
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

The position of the front and rear outer head restraints is adjustable in height.
The middle rear head restraint is adjustable in two positions.
The head restraints must be adjusted to match the size of the seat occupant. Cor-
rectly adjusted head restraints together with the seat belts offer effective protec-
tion for the occupants ⇒ page 132,
Correct seated position.WARNING
● The head restraints must be correctly adjusted in order to offer effective
protection for the occupants in the event of an accident.
● Do not drive under any circumstance with removed head restraints - risk of
injury!
● If the rear seats are occupied, the rear head restraint must not be in the
lower position. 
Middle rear head restraint Fig. 46 Rear seats: middle head re-
straint
IIn certain countries national legal provisions also require the equipment of the
rear seat with fixing eyes for child seat using the
“Top Tether” system
⇒  page 153, Attaching child seat using the “Top Tether” system. For vehicles,
which are equipped with such fixing eyes, a deviating sequence for removing the
middle head restraint must be observed.
Removing and installing the rear middle head restraint
– Pull the head restraint out of the seat backrest as far as the stop.
– Press the locking button in the direction of arrow A , press simultaneously the
locking button into the opening B using a flat screwdriver with a width of
maximum 5 mm and pull out the head restraint. –
To re-insert the head restraint, push it down into the seat backrest far enough
until you hear the locking button engage. WARNING
● The head restraints must be correctly adjusted in order to offer effective
protection for the occupants in the event of an accident.
● Do not drive under any circumstance with removed head restraints - risk of
injury!
● If the rear seats are occupied, the rear head restraint must not be in the
lower position. 
Rear seats Folding the rear seats forwards Fig. 47 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. The rear seats can be folded forward individ-
ually 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 and fold forwards in direction
of arrow 2
⇒  fig. 47 . £64
Seats and Stowage