2012 Seat Alhambra oil dipstick

285
Checking and refilling levels
Checking the engine oil level and topping up
Fig. 170 Marked engine
oil dipstick.
Fig. 171 In the engine
compartment: Engine oil
filler cap. Preparations
●
Park the vehicle on flat ground so that the engine oil reading is correct.
● Stop the engine and wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into the
sump. When the engine has cooled down, immediately check the oil level
and top up if necessary.
● Open the bonnet  ⇒ page 279.
● The engine oil filler opening can be recognised by the symbol  on the
cap ⇒ fig. 171 and the dipstick by its coloured handle.
Checking the engine oil level
● Pull out the dipstick and wipe it on a clean cloth.
● Replace the dipstick, pushing it in as far as it will go. If the dipstick has a
mark, when you reintroduce it this mark should slot into the corresponding
groove located on the upper end of the tube.
● Remove the dipstick again and check the engine oil level ⇒ table on
page 285.
● After reading the oil level, replace the dipstick in the tube completely.
Engine oil topping up ranges
fig. 170Operations required depending on the engine oil topping
up level:
Area ADo not top up oil
⇒ .
Area BAdd approximately 0.5 L of oil (1/2 quarter of a gallon).
The oil level can be in the zone A, but never above A.
Area C:It is
essential to add oil (approximately 1 litre or quarter of
a gallon). Ensure that the level is around the centre of the
zone B
after adding oil.
Adding oil after checking the level
Only add engine oil in small quantities and in steps.

Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTechnical Specifications

286Checking and refilling levels
● Unscrew the cap from engine oil filler opening on the cylinder head
⇒  fig. 171. If you are not sure where the cap is, request help from a special-
ist.
● Only refill using engine oil expressly approved by SEAT and in small
quantities (not more than 0.5 l or 1/2 a quarter of a gallon at a time)
⇒  page 284.
● To avoid adding too much oil, each time you add a quantity, wait until
the oil has flowed into the crankcase so that it can be measured with the
dipstick.
● Check the oil level before adding any more oil. Do not top up with too
much engine oil ⇒ 
.
● When the oil level is in at least the ⇒ fig. 170 B zone, insert the dip-
stick into the tube fully to avoid engine oil escaping when the engine is run-
ning.
● After topping up the oil, ensure that the cap is screwed on to the filler
mouth correctly.
WARNING
Oil could catch fire if it comes into contact with hot engine components.
This could lead to a fire, explosion and severe injuries.
● Always ensure that after topping of oil, the engine oil filler cap is cor-
rectly tightened. This will avoid engine oil spilling onto hot engine parts
when the engine is running.
CAUTION
● If the oil level is above the area A do not start the engine. You should
obtain professional assistance. Otherwise catalytic converter and engine
damage may occur.
● When refilling or changing service liquids, ensure that you put the liq-
uids into the right tank. Making a mistake when refilling could cause seri-
ous malfunctions and damage the engine!
For the sake of the environment
The oil level must never be above area A. Otherwise oil can be drawn in
through the crankcase breather and escape into the atmosphere via the ex-
haust system. 
Engine oil consumption
The consumption of engine oil can be different from one engine to another
and can vary during the useful life of the engine.
Depending on driving style and the conditions of use, the consumption of
engine oil can reach 1 litre every 2000 km (one quarter of a gallon every
1200 miles); for new vehicles, this could be higher for the first 5000 km
(3000 miles). For this reason the engine oil level must be checked at regular
intervals, preferably when filling the tank and before a journey.
When the engine is working hard, for instance during sustained high-speed
motorway cruising in summer, when towing a trailer or climbing mountain
passes, the oil level should preferably be kept within area ⇒ fig. 170 A
.
Changing the engine oil
The engine oil must be changed regularly according to the specifications of
the Maintenance Programme.
Due to the problems linked with disposing of used oil and the need for suit-
able tools and special knowledge, always visit a Technical Service to have
the engine oil and filter changed. SEAT recommends visiting a Technical
Service.
Detailed information on the service intervals are shown in the Maintenance
Programme. 

352Technical specifications
Technical specifications
Checking fluid levels
From time to time, the levels of the different fluids in the ve-
hicle must be checked. Never fill with incorrect fluids, other-
wise serious damage to the engine may be caused.
Fig. 223 Diagram for the location of the various elements Coolant fluid deposit
Engine oil dipstick
Oil filler neck
Brake fluid reservoir
Vehicle battery (underneath a cover)
Windscreen washer fluid reservoir
The checking and refilling of service fluids are carried out on the compo-
nents mentioned above. These operations are described in ⇒ page 279.
Overview
Further explanations, instructions and restrictions on the technical data are
contained as of ⇒ page 348 
1
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G 12 plus-plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Refilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Engine fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Checking the oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Filler opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
ESC See "Assisted braking systems" . . . . . . . . 191
Event Data Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Exterior aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Automatically folding exterior mirrors . . . 112
Controlling function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Synchronised mirror adjustment . . . . . . . . 112
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Extinguisher Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
F
Fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Fault
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Park assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Parking sensor system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Rear assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Fault memory Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Faults Air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Panorama sliding sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Filling capacity AdBlue tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Refilling precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Filter pre-heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Fire extinguishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
First-aid kit Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
First aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Fitting Tow hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Fog light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Folding down rear seats Load space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Folding in exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Folding table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Folding the backrest of the front passenger
seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Four-wheel-drive Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Front airbags See "Airbag system" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Front passenger airbag Deactivating using the key switch . . . . . . . . 35
See "Airbag system" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Depending on the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Information on consumption . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Type of fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Fuel consumption Economic driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Why does fuel consumption increase? . . . 233
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Fuel tank flap Closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Function control Tow hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Fuse box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Identification using colours . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Identifying blown fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
375
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