Table of Contents
Layout of this Owner's Manual
(explanations)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Instruments and warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Overview of the instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Engine revolutions counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Counter for distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Service reminder indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Shift recommendation for changing gears . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Multi-functional indicator (onboard computer) . . . . . . . 14
MAXI DOT display (information display) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Auto Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Unlocking and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Electric sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Lights and Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Interior lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Windshield wiper and wash system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Rear-view mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Seats and Stowage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Adjusting front seats electrically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Middle rear head restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Seat heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Net partition (Estate car) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The roof rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Cup holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Note holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Cigarette lighter, power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Heating and air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Description and information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Using the air conditioning system economically . . . . . 85
Operational problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Air conditioning system (manual air conditioning
system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Climatronic (automatic air conditioning) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Auxiliary heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation) . . 94
Starting-off and Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Setting steering wheel position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Shifting (manual gearbox) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Rear parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Front and rear parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Cruise control system (CCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
“(START-STOP)” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Automatic gearbox
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Information for driving with the 6-speed automatic
gearbox
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Information for driving with the automatic gearbox
DSG
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Selector lever lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Kickdown function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Dynamic shift programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Manual shifting on the multifunction steering wheel . 112
Emergency programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Selector lever-emergency unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Multifunction steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Mobile phones and two-way radio systems . . . . . . . . . . 115
Universal telephone preinstallation GSM II . . . . . . . . . . 116
Voice control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Universal telephone preinstallation GSM IIl . . . . . . . . . . 122
Voice control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Internet connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Music playback via Bluetooth ®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Multimedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Passive Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Basic information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Correct seated position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Why seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
The physical principle of a frontal collision . . . . . . . . . . 135
Important safety information regarding the use of
seat belts
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
How are seat belts correctly fastened? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Description of the airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 3
Table of Contents 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
Heating of the external mirror
–
Turn the rotary knob to position ⇒ fig. 41.
The exterior mirror heater only operates when the engine is running and up to an
outside temperature of +20 °C.
Adjusting left and right exterior mirrors simultaneously
– Turn the rotary knob to position . The movement of the mirror surface is iden-
tical to the movement of the rotary knob.
The adjustment of both mirrors simultaneously or each individual mirror is possi-
ble in the Information display ⇒
page 19 in the menu point Mirror adjust. (Mirror
adjust.).
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.
Switching off operating control
– Turn the rotary knob to position .
Folding in both exterior mirrors
– Turn the rotary knob to position .
Fold in the exterior mirrors using the remote control key
– If all the windows are closed, press the unlock button 3 on the radio remote
control ⇒ fig. 18 for approx. 2 seconds.
Tilting surface of front passenger exterior mirror
On vehicles fitted with a memory for the driver seat, the surface of the mirror tilts
down slightly when the rear gear is engaged and the rotary knob is in the posi-
tion ⇒ fig. 41 . This provides an aid in seeing the kerb of the pavement when park-
ing the car.
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.
Memory for exterior mirrors
On vehicles fitted with a memory for the driver seat, the relevant setting of the
exterior mirror is also stored automatically when the seat position is stored
⇒ page 61. WARNING
● Convex (curved outward) or a spherical exterior mirrors increase the vision
field. They do, however, make objects appear smaller in the mirror. These mir-
rors are only of limited use, therefore, for estimating distances to the follow-
ing vehicles.
● Use whenever possible the interior rear mirror, for estimating the distan-
ces to the following vehicles. Note
● If the exterior mirrors are folded in using the remote control of the vehicle key,
these are folded back into the driving position after opening the door or switching
on the ignition.
● If the exterior mirrors are folded in using the rotary knob ⇒
fig. 41, they can on-
ly be folded back into the driving position using the rotary knob.
● If the exterior mirrors were folded in using the remote control of the vehicle
key and if the rotary knob was in the fold-in position before switching on the igni-
tion, the mirrors remain in the fold-in position the next time the ignition is switch-
ed on. Folding back into the driving position is performed by actuating the rotary
knob in a different position from the fold-in position.
● 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.
Automatic dimming exterior mirror on the driver's side The exterior mirror on the driver's side is dimmed together with the interior mirror.
If the automatic dimming is switched on, the mirror dims automatically depending
on the light striking the mirror from the rear.
After the reverse gear is engaged, the mirror always moves back into the normal
(not dimmed) position. £58
Lights and Visibility
Rear seat armrest
Fig. 50 Rear seats: Armrest
– You can fold down the armrest at the loop to enhance occupant comfort
⇒ fig. 50 .
Seat heaters Fig. 51 Regulator for heating the front seats/rear seats
You can electrically heat the seat backrests and the surfaces of the front seats
and the two outer rear seats.
–
You can switch on and regulate the seat heating of the driver or front passen-
ger seat by pressing the surface of the regulator at the point at which the
symbol is located
⇒
fig. 51 - left.
– You can switch on and adjust the heaters of the left or right rear seats by
pressing the regulator
⇒ fig. 51 - right.
– With one press, you can switch the heating to highest intensity - 3rd stage,
which is indicated by the lighting up of the three warning lights in the switch. –
With repeated pressing of the switch, the intensity of the heating is down-
regulated up to the switch-off. The intensity of the heating is indicated by the
number of illuminated warning lights in the switch.
– If you set the heating of the rear seats to the highest intensity - 3rd stage, it is
automatically switched over to the 2nd stage after 10
minutes (two warning
lights light up in the switch). WARNING
If, as an occupant, you have a subdued pain and/or temperature sensitivity,
e.g. through medication, paralysis or because of chronic illness (e.g. diabetes),
we recommend not to use the seat heating. This can lead to burns on the
back, the posterior and the legs which are difficult to heal. If the seat heating
is used, we recommend to make regular breaks in your journey when driving
long distances, so that in specific cases as mentioned above the body can re-
cuperate from the stress of the journey. Please consult your doctor, who can
evaluate your specific condition. CAUTION
● You should not kneel on the seats or otherwise apply pressure at specific
points in order to avoid damaging the heating elements of the seat heaters.
● Do not use the seat heating if the seats are not occupied by persons or if ob-
jects are fastened or stored on them, for example a child seat, a bag etc. A fault of
the heating elements in the seat heating can occur.
● Do not clean the seats moist ⇒ page 174. 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.
● If the on-board voltage drops, the seat heating is switched off automatically,
in order to provide sufficient electrical energy for the engine control ⇒
page 190,
Automatic consumer shut-off.
luggage compartment
Loading the luggage compartment Please observe the following in the interest of having good handling characteris-
tics of your vehicle: £66
Seats and Stowage
Luggage compartment cover (Octavia)
You can use the luggage compartment cover behind the head re-
straints for storing light and soft items.
Fig. 59 Removing the luggage compart-
ment cover
The luggage compartment cover can be removed as required if one must trans-
port bulky goods.
– Unhook the support straps 1
⇒ fig. 59 .
– Place the cover in the horizontal position.
– Pull the cover out of the holder 2 horizontally to the rear.
– Install again by pushing the luggage compartment cover forwards into the
holder 2 and hanging the support straps
1 on the boot lid.
You can stow the removed luggage compartment cover behind the rear seat back-
rest. 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
Please ensure that the heating elements of the rear window heater are not dam-
aged as a result of objects placed in this area. Note
Opening the tailgate also lifts up the luggage compartment cover. Foldable luggage compartment cover (Estate car)
Fig. 60 Luggage compartment: foldable luggage compartment cover/removing foldable lug-
gage compartment cover
Pulling out
– Pull the foldable luggage compartment cover in direction of arrow 1 as far as
the stop into the secured position ⇒ fig. 60 .
Folding
– Press the cover in the handle area in direction of arrow 2 , the cover rolls up
automatically.
Removing
– Have the completely rolled up luggage compartment cover removed to trans-
port bulky goods by pressing on the side of the cross rod in direction of arrow 3 and taking it out by moving it in direction of arrow
4 .
WARNING
No objects should be placed on the luggage compartment cover. 70
Seats and Stowage
Heating
Using the system The heating system delivers air into the interior of the vehicle and
warms it as required.
Fig. 93 Heating: Control elements
Setting temperature
–
Turn the control dial A
⇒ fig. 93 to the right in order to increase the tempera-
ture.
– Turn the control dial A to the left in order to increase the temperature.
Controlling blower
– Turn the blower switch B into one of the positions, 1 to 4, in order to switch
the blower on. –
Turn the blower switch B into position 0 in order to switch the blower off.
– If you wish to shut off the fresh air supply, use the button 1 - recirculated air
mode ⇒ page 88
.
Control for air distribution
– You can adjust the direction of the inlet air flow ⇒
page 86 using air distribu-
tion regulator C .
Rear window heater
– Press button 2 . Further information
⇒ page 52, Rear window heater
.
Auxiliary heating (parking heating)
– Press the button 3 in order to directly switch on/off the auxiliary heating
(auxiliary heating and ventilation). Further information ⇒
page 94, Auxiliary
heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation).
All controls apart from the control dial B can be set to any desired intermediate
position.
The blower should always be on to prevent the windows from misting up. Note
If the air distribution is positioned towards the windows, the total amount of air is
used to defrost the windows and thus no air will be fed to the footwell. This can
lead to restriction of the heating comfort.
Set heating Recommended basic settings of heating controls for:
£ 87
Heating and air conditioning system Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
The cooling only operates if button
AC ⇒
fig. 94 1 is pressed, and the following
conditions are met:
● engine running,
● outside temperature above approx. +2 °C and
● blower switch switched on (positions 1 to 4).
Air at a temperature of about 5 °C may flow out of the vents under certain circum-
stances when the cooling system is operating. Lengthy and uneven distribution of
the air flow out of the vents and large differences in temperature, for example
when getting out of the vehicle, can result in chills in sensitive persons. Note
● We recommend that you have the air conditioning system cleaned by a spe-
cialist garage once every year.
Using the system Fig. 94 The air conditioning system: Control elements
Setting temperature
–
Turn the control dial A
⇒
fig. 94 to the right in order to increase the tempera-
ture.
– Turn the control dial A to the left in order to increase the temperature.
Controlling blower
– Turn the blower switch B into one of the positions, 1 to 4, in order to switch
the blower on. –
Turn the blower switch B into position 0 in order to switch the blower off.
– If you wish to shut off the fresh air supply, use the button
4 - recirculated
air mode ⇒
page 90.
Control for air distribution
– You can adjust the direction of the inlet air flow ⇒
page 86 using air distribu-
tion regulator C .
switching cooling on and off
– Press the button AC
1 ⇒
fig. 94 . The warning light lights up in the button.
– When you again press the switch AC , the cooling system is switched off. The
warning light in the button goes out.
Rear window heater
– Press button
2 . Further information
⇒
page 52, Rear window heater.
Auxiliary heating (parking heating)
– Press the button
3 in order to directly switch on/off the auxiliary heating
(auxiliary heating and ventilation. Further information ⇒ page 94
, Auxiliary
heating (auxiliary heating and ventilation). Note
● The whole heat output will be needed to defrost the windscreen and side win-
dows. No warm air will be fed to the footwell. This can lead to restriction of the
heating comfort.
● The warning light AC lights after activation, even if not all of the conditions for
the function of the cooling system have been met. As a result, the readiness for
cooling is signalled when all conditions are satisfied ⇒
page 88, Description of the
air conditioning system. 89
Heating and air conditioning system Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data
WARNING
You should not leave recirculated air mode on over a longer period of time, as
“stale ” air may result in fatigue in the driver and occupants, divert your atten-
tion and also cause the windows to mist up. The risk of having an accident in-
creases. Switch recirculated air mode off as soon as the windows begin mist-
ing up.
Climatronic (automatic air conditioning) Description The Climatronic system is an automatic heating, fresh air and cool-
ing system which provides optimal comfort for the occupants of the
car.
The Climatronic maintains fully automatically a convenience temperature. This is
achieved by automatically varying the temperature of the outflowing air, the
blower stages and the air distribution. The system also takes into account sun-
light which eliminates the need to alter the settings manually. The automatic
mode
⇒
page 92 ensures maximum well-being of the occupants at all times of
the year.
Description of Climatronic system
The cooling operates only if the following conditions are met:
● engine running,
● outside temperature above approx. +2 °C,
● AC switched on.
The AC compressor is switched off at a high coolant temperature in order to pro-
vide cooling at a high load of the engine.
Recommended setting for all periods of the year:
● Set the desired temperature, we recommend 22 °C.
● Press the button AUTO
⇒ fig. 95 .
● Move the air outlet vents 3 and 4 so that the air flow is directed slightly up-
wards. Note
● We recommend that you have Climatronic cleaned by a specialist garage once
every year.
● On vehicles equipped with a factory-fitted radio or radio navigation system,
the information of the Climatronic is also shown on the display. This function can
be switched off, see operating instructions of the radio or the radio navigation
system.
Overview of the control elements The controls enable a separate setting of the temperature for the
left and right side.
Fig. 95 Climatronic: Control elements
The buttons
Defrost windscreen intensively Air flow to the windows
Air flow to head
Air flow in the footwell
Recirculated air mode
with air quality sensor
Rear window heater £
1 2
3
4
5
6 91
Heating and air conditioning system Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data