2011 SKODA OCTAVIA brakes

Head airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Deactivating an airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Transporting children safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
What you should know about transporting children! . 147
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Attaching a child seat using the “ISOFIX” system . . . . 152
Attaching child seat using the “Top Tether” system . . 153
Driving Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Electronic stability programme (ESP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Antilock brake system (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Uphill Start Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Electromechanical power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Tyre pressure monitoring system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Diesel particle filter (diesel engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Driving and the Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
The first 1 500 kilometres and afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Driving in an economical and environmentally
conscious manner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Environmental compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Motoring abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Avoiding damage to your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Driving through bodies of water on roads . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Technical requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
General Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Driving Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 General Maintenance
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the
vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Care of the exterior of vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Care of the interior of vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Biofuel Ethanol E85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Inspecting and Replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Windshield washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Wheels and Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Accessories, changes and replacement of parts . 197
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Breakdown assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Breakdown assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
First-aid box and Warning triangle (Octavia) . . . . . . . . . 198
First-aid box and warning triangle (Estate car) . . . . . . . 198
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Tyre repair kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Towing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Fuses and light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Electric fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Technical data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Used abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Identification details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Fuel consumption according to the ECE standards and
EU guidelines
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Engine oil specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine 1.2 l/77 kW TSI - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Engine 1.4 l/59 kW - EU4, EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Engine 1.4 l/90 kW TSI - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engine 1.6 l/75 kW - EU2, EU4, EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Engine 1.8 l/112 kW TSI - EU5, EU2 DDK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine 1.8 l/118 kW TSI - EU5, EU2 DDK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Engine 2.0 l/147 kW TSI - EU5, EU2 DDK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine 1.6 l/77 kW TDI CR - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Engine 1.9 l/77 kW TDI PD - EU4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Engine 2.0 l/81 kW TDI CR - EU4, EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Engine 2.0 l/103 kW TDI CR - EU4, EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Engine 2.0 l/125 kW TDI CR - EU5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Multi-purpose vehicles (AF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2394
Table of Contents

Seat belt warning light
The warning light
 comes on after the ignition is switched on as a reminder for
the driver to fasten the seat belt. The warning light only goes out if the driver has
fastened his seat belt.
If the seat belt has not been fastened by the driver, a permanent warning signal
sounds at vehicle speeds greater than 20 km/h and simultaneously the warning
light  flashes.
If the seat belt is not fastened by the driver during the next 90 seconds, the warn-
ing signal is deactivated and the warning light  lights up permanently.
For further information on the seat belts ⇒ page 135, Seat belts. 
Boot lid The warning light
 comes on when the ignition is switched on if the luggage
compartment door is open. If the boot lid opens while driving , the warning light
lights up and an audible signal sounds.
An audible signal sounds as an additional warning signal.
The warning light comes on even when the ignition is switched off. The warning
light lights up for a maximum of 5 minutes.
In vehicles with an information display, this warning light is replaced by a vehicle
symbol ⇒
 page 18 
Open door The warning light
 comes on, if one or several doors are opened. If one of the
doors opens while driving, the warning light lights  up and an audible signal
sounds.
The warning light comes on even when the ignition is switched off. The warning
light lights up for a maximum of 5 minutes.
In vehicles with an information display, this warning light is replaced by a vehicle
symbol ⇒ page 18 Windshield washer fluid level
 The warning light
 comes on when the ignition is switched on if there is insuffi-
cient fluid in the windshield washer system. Top up with liquid ⇒ page 190

.
The following text will be displayed in the information display: Top up wash fluid! (Top up washer fluid) 
Brake system  The warning light
 lights up when the brake fluid level is too low or there is a
fault in the ABS.
if the warning light flashes  and an audible signal sounds three times, stop and
check the brake fluid level ⇒  .
The following text will be displayed in the information display: Brake fluid: Owner's manual Car documentation!
If there is a fault in the ABS which also influences the function of the brake sys-
tem (e.g. distribution of brake pressure), the ABS warning light  comes on and at
the same time the brake system warning light starts flashing . Be aware that
not only the ABS but also another part of th brake system is defective ⇒  .
An audible signal sounds three times as an additional warning signal.
One should get used to high pedal forces, long braking distances and long free
play of the brake pedal when driving to the next specialist garage.
For further information on the brake system ⇒ page 157,

Brakes. WARNING
● Pay attention to the following instructions ⇒
 page 181, Working in the en-
gine compartment before checking the brake fluid level and opening the bon-
net.
● If the brake system warning light  does not go out a few seconds after
switching on the ignition or comes on when driving, stop immediately and
check the brake fluid in the reservoir ⇒

 page 186. If the fluid level has drop-
ped below the MIN marking, do not drive any further - risk of accident! Contact
a Škoda dealer to obtain professional assistance. 28
Instruments and warning lights

CAUTION
Always use matching plugs to avoid damaging the power socket. Note
● Connecting electrical components when the engine is not running will drain
the battery of the vehicle - risk of battery draining!
● Further information ⇒ page 197, Accessories, changes and replacement of
parts . 
Power socket in the luggage compartment (Estate car) Fig. 74 Luggage compartment: Power
socket
– Open the cover of the power socket ⇒
 fig. 74.
– Connect the plug of the electrical appliance to the socket.
You can only use the power socket for the connection of approved electrical ac-
cessories with a power uptake up to 120 watts. The vehicle battery will be dis-
charged in the process if the engine is stationary.
The same remarks apply here as for ⇒ page 76, Cigarette lighter, power sockets

.
Further information ⇒ page 197, Accessories, changes and replacement of parts. 
Storage compartments Overview You will find the following storage facilities in your vehicle: Storage compartment on the front passenger side ⇒ page 78
Storage compartment on the driver's side ⇒ page 78
Storage compartment on the dash panel ⇒ 
page 79 Stowage compartment in front centre console ⇒ 
page 79 Storage net on the front centre console ⇒ 
page 79 Stowage compartment for spectacles ⇒ page 80
Storage compartment in the front doors ⇒ page 80
Stowage compartment below front passenger seat ⇒ page 80
Front seat armrest with storage compartment ⇒ page 80
Rear armrest with storage compartment ⇒ 
page 81 Stowage compartment in rear centre console ⇒ 
page 81 Seat backrest with opening for skis ⇒ 
page 82 Removable through-loading bag ⇒ 
page 82 Side compartment ⇒ 
page 83 Stowage compartment behind the rear seats (Estate
car) ⇒ 
page 83 Clothes hooks ⇒ 
page 83 WARNING
● Please do not place anything on top of the dash panel. Such objects might
slide or fall down when driving (when accelerating or cornering) and may dis-
tract you from concentrating on the traffic situation - risk of accident!
● Ensure that when driving no objects from the centre console of from other
storage possibilities may get into the footwell of the driver. You would then
no longer be able to apply the brakes, operate the clutch or accelerator - risk
of accident! 77
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

The handbrake warning light
 lights up when the handbrake is applied, provided
the ignition is on.
A warning signal sounds and the following text appears in the Information display
if you have inadvertently driven off with the handbrake applied:
Release parking brake! (Release parking brake!)
The handbrake warning is activated if you drive at a speed of more than 6 km/h
for more than 3 seconds. WARNING
● Please note that the handbrake must be fully released. A handbrake which
is only partially released can result in the rear brakes overheating which will
have a negative effect on the operation of the brake system - risk of accident!
In addition this can result in premature wear of the rear brake pads.
● Never leave children unattended in the vehicle. The children might, for ex-
ample, release the handbrake or take the vehicle out of gear. The vehicle
might then move off - risk of accident! CAUTION
After the car has come to a stop, always first of all apply the handbrake firmly be-
fore then additionally engaging a gear (manual gearbox) or moving the selector
lever into position P (automatic gearbox). 
Rear parking aid The parking aid provides a warning of obstacles behind the vehicle.
Fig. 102 Parking aid: Detection range of
rear sensorsThe audible parking aid determines the distance from the rear bumper to an ob-
stacle behind the car with the aid of ultrasound sensors. The tones of the parking
aid can be adapted in the menu of the Information display
⇒
 page 19. The sensors
are integrated in the rear bumper.
Range of sensors
The clearance warning begins at a distance of about 160 cm from the obstacle
(area A ⇒
 
fig. 102). The interval between the warning signals becomes shorter as
the clearance is reduced.
A continuous tone sounds from a distance of approx. 30 cm (area B ) - danger
area. You should not reverse any further after this signal sounds! If the vehicle is
equipped with a factory-fitted towing device, the indication threshold of the dan-
ger area starts -

continuous tone - 5 cm further behind the vehicle. The vehicle
can be extended through an installed detachable towing device.
On factory-fitted radio navigation systems and car stereos, the distance to the ob-
struction can also be shown graphically in the display. On vehicles with a factory-
fitted towing device, the rear sensors are deactivated when towing a trailer. The
driver is informed about this by a graphic display (vehicle towing a trailer) in the
radio or the radio navigation display. In some factory fitted radios or radio naviga-
tion systems, you can configure the system to reduce the playback volume when
the parking aid is active, see the owner's manual for the radio or radio navigation
system. This makes it easier to hear the parking aid.
Activating
The parking aid is activated automatically when reverse gear is engaged and the
ignition is turned on. This is confirmed by a brief audible signal.
Deactivating
The parking aid is deactivated by removing the reverse gear. £102
Starting-off and Driving

How are seat belts correctly fastened?
Fastening three-point seat belts Fasten your seat belt before starting!
Fig. 119 Routing of belt webbing over the shoulders and the lap belt/Routing of belt webbing
for an expectant mother
–
Correctly adjust the front seat and the head restraint before fastening your
seat belt ⇒
 page 132, Correct seated position.
– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the tongue of the lock over your chest and pel-
vis ⇒  .
– Insert the tongue of the lock into the seat belt buckle belonging to the seat
until it is heard to lock in place.
– Pull on the seat belt to check that it has also reliably engaged in the lock.
Each three-point seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel. This inertia reel offers
you complete freedom of movement if the belt is unreeled slowly. If the brakes
are applied suddenly, the inertia reel will block. The belts also block when the car
accelerates, when driving downhill and when cornering.
Expectant mothers must also wear the seat belt ⇒  . WARNING
● The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across your neck but
must run approximately over the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against
the chest. The lap part of the belt must run across the hip and must never be
routed across the stomach. It must always fit snugly ⇒

 fig. 119 - left. Adjust the
belt webbing as required.
● The lap part of the belt should be positioned as low as possible at the pel-
vis of an expectant mother in order to avoid exerting any pressure on the low-
er abdomen ⇒ fig. 119 - right.
● Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in
minor accidents.
● A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body is
moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an accident and is then sud-
denly held firm by the belt.
● Only insert the lock tongue into the lock which is the correct one for your
seat. This will affect the protection which the belt offers and increase the risk
of an injury. 
Seat belt height adjuster on the front seats Fig. 120 Front seat: Seat belt height ad-
juster
The seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the routing of the
front three-point seat belt in the area of the shoulder to match your body size.
– Press and move the height adjuster in the desired direction up or down
⇒ fig. 120 .
– Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has
correctly locked in place. £ 137
Seat belts Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

WARNING
It is also not possible for the ESP to overcome the physical limits of the vehi-
cle. Even if a vehicle fitted with ESP you should still always adapt your style of
driving to the condition of the road surface and the traffic situation. This par-
ticularly applies when driving on slippery and wet roads. The increased safety
offered must not tempt you to take greater risks than otherwise - risk of an
accident! Note
● All four wheels must be fitted with the same tyres in order to achieve prob-
lem-free operation of the ESP. Differing rolling circumferences of the tyres can
lead to an undesirable reduction in the engine output.
● Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or another combi-
nation of tyres and wheels) can influence the function of the ESP ⇒
 page 197, Ac-
cessories, changes and replacement of parts. 
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL and XDL) The electronic differential lock prevents an individual wheel from
slipping.
General
The EDL makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, acceler-
ate and climb a steep hill when the conditions of the road surface are unfavoura-
ble.
Operating principle
The EDL is activated automatically, that is without any action on the part of the
driver. It monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of the ABS sen-
sors. Should only
one drive wheel begin spinning on a slippery surface there will
be an appreciable difference in the speed of the driven wheels. The EDL function
brakes the slipping wheel and the differential transmits a greater driving force to
the other driven wheel. This control process is also accompanied by noises.
Overheating of the brakes
The EDL switches off automatically if unusually severe stresses exist in order to
avoid excessive heat generation in the disc brake on the wheel which is being
braked. The vehicle can continue to be driven and has the same characteristics as
a vehicle not fitted with EDL. The EDL switches on again automatically as soon as the brake has cooled down.
XDL function (only for Octavia RS)
The XDL function is an extension to the electronic differential lock. The XDL func-
tion does not respond to traction, but to the relief of the inner front wheel during
fast cornering. An active brake intervention on the brake of the inner wheel pre-
vents it from spinning. Thus, the traction is improved and the vehicle continues to
follow the desired track.
WARNING
● Carefully depress the accelerator when accelerating on uniformly slippery
road surfaces, such as ice and snow. The driven wheels might still spin despite
the EDL and affect the stability of the vehicle - risk of an accident!
● You should always adapt your style of driving to the condition of road sur-
face and to the traffic situation even when your vehicle is fitted with EDL. The
increased safety offered must not tempt you to take greater risks than other-
wise - risk of an accident! Note
● If the ABS or ESP warning light comes on, this may also indicate a fault in the
EDL. Have the vehicle inspected by your specialist garage as soon as you can.
● Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or another combi-
nation of tyres and wheels) can influence the function of the EDL ⇒

 page 197, Ac-
cessories, changes and replacement of parts.  155
Intelligent Technology Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Traction control system (TCS)
The traction control system prevents the driven wheels from spin-
ning when accelerating.
Fig. 139 TCS switch
General
The TCS makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, acceler-
ate and climb a steep hill when the conditions of the road surface are unfavoura-
ble.
Operating principle
The TCS switches on automatically when the engine is started and then conducts
a self-test. The system monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of
the ABS sensors. If the wheels are spinning, the force transmitted to the road sur-
face is automatically adapted by reducing the engine speed. The system operates
at all speeds.
The TCS operates in combination with the ABS ⇒ page 158, Antilock brake system
(ABS)
. The TCS will not function if a fault exists in the ABS system.
The TCS warning light lights up in the instrument cluster when there is a fault on
the TCS 
⇒  page 26.
During an intervention of the system, the TCS warning light flashes  in the in-
strument cluster ⇒ page 26.
Switching off
You can also switch off the TCS system by pressing the ⇒ fig. 139 button, or, in ve-
hicles with ESP, by pressing the ⇒ fig. 138 button. The TCS warning light lights up
in the instrument cluster when the TCS is switched off . The TCS should normally always be switched on. It may be good practice in certain
exceptional cases, such as when you wish to have wheel slip, to switch off the
system.
Examples:
● when driving with snow chains,
● when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface,
● when it is necessary to rock a car free when it has become stuck.
then you should switch on the TCS again. WARNING
You should always adjust your style of driving to the conditions of the road
surface and the traffic situation. The increased safety offered must not tempt
you to take greater risks than otherwise - risk of an accident! Note
● All four wheels must be fitted with the same tyres in order to achieve prob-
lem-free operation of the TCS. Differing rolling circumferences of the tyres can
lead to an undesirable reduction in the engine output.
● Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or another combi-
nation of tyres and wheels) can influence the function of the TCS ⇒

 page 197, Ac-
cessories, changes and replacement of parts. 
Active driver-steering recommendation (DSR) This function indicates to the driver in critical situations a steering recommenda-
tion in order to stabilise the vehicle. The active driver-steering recommendation is
activated, for example, on the right and left vehicle side when braking sharply on
different road surfaces. WARNING
Even with this function the vehicle cannot steer itself! The driver is further-
more responsible for the steering of the vehicle! 156
Intelligent Technology

Brakes
What has a negative effect on braking efficiency?
Wear-and-tear
Wear-and-tear to the brake pads is greatly dependent on the operating conditions
of the vehicle and your style of driving. Particularly if you drive a great deal in
towns and over short distances or if you adopt a sporty style of driving, it may be
necessary to have the thickness of the brake pads inspected at a specialist garage
between the service inspections.
Wet roads or road salt
There may be a certain delay before the brakes take full effect under certain con-
ditions such as when driving through water, during heavy rain showers or after
the vehicle has been washed in an automatic vehicle wash, since the brake discs
and brake pads may be moist or even have a coating of ice on them in winter. You
should dry the brakes as soon as possible by applying and releasing the brakes
several times.
There also may be a certain delay before the full braking efficiency is available
when driving on roads which have been treated with road salt if you have not
used the brakes for some considerable time beforehand. The layer of salt on the
brake discs and brake pads must first be rubbed off when you apply the brakes.
Corrosion
Corrosion on the brake discs and dirt on the bake pads occur if the vehicle has
been parked for a long period and if you do not make much use of the braking sys-
tem.
We recommend cleaning the brake discs by firmly applying the brakes at a fairly
high speed if you do not make much use of the braking system or if surface corro-
sion is present ⇒  .
Faults in the brake surface
If you notice that the braking distance has suddenly become longer and that the
brake pedal can be depressed further, it is possible that a brake circuit of the dual-
circuit brake system has failed. Drive, in such cases, to the nearest specialist ga-
rage without delay in order to have the problem rectified. Drive at a reduced
speed while on your way to the dealer and adapt your style of driving to the high-
er brake pedal pressure required. Low brake fluid level
An insufficient level of brake fluid may result in problems in the brake system. The
level of the brake fluid is monitored electronically
⇒ page 28, Brake system . WARNING
● Only apply the brakes for the purpose of drying and cleaning the brake
discs if the traffic conditions permit this. Do not place any other road users in
jeopardy.
● When retrospectively mounting a front spoiler, solid wheel hubs etc. one
must ensure that the air supply to the front wheel brakes is not reduced oth-
erwise the braking system could run too hot.
● Allow for the fact that new brake pads do not achieve their full braking ef-
ficiency until approximately 200 kilometres. New brake pads must be first
“run in
” before they develop their optimal friction force. You can, however,
compensate for this slightly reduced braking force by increasing the pressure
on the brake pedal. This guideline also applies to any new brake pads installed
at a future date. CAUTION
● Never allow the brakes to rub by applying slight pressure if you do not wish to
brake the vehicle. This causes the brakes to overheat and can also result in a lon-
ger braking distance and excessive wear.
● Before negotiating a steep downhill section, please reduce your speed, shift
down into the next lower gear (manual gearbox) or select a lower driving stage
(automatic gearbox). This enables you to make full use of the braking power of
the vehicle and reduces the strain on the brakes. Any additional braking should be
done intermittently, not continuously. Note
The brake light flashes automatically in case of an emergency braking at speeds
greater than 60 km/h or with the intervention of the ABS, which lasts longer than
1.5 seconds. After the speed was reduced below 10 km/h or the vehicle was stop-
ped, the brake light stops flashing and the hazard warning light system switches
on. The hazard warning light system is switched off automatically after accelerat-
ing or driving off again.  157
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