2012 Seat Altea Freetrack battery

234Checking and refilling levels
Checking the electrolyte level
The electrolyte level should be checked regularly in high-
mileage vehicles, in hot countries and in older batteries.
– Open the engine bonnet and the battery cover ⇒ 
in Safety in-
structions on working in the engine compartment on page 219
⇒ 
in Warnings on handling the battery on page 233.
– Check the colour display in the "magic eye" on the top of the
battery.
– If there are air bubbles in the window, tap the window gently
until they disperse.
The position of the battery is shown in the corresponding engine compart-
ment diagram ⇒ page 278.
The “magic eye” indicator, located on the top of the battery changes colour,
depending on the charge state and electrolyte level of the battery.
There are two different colours:
● Black: correct charge status.
● Transparent/clear yellow: the battery must be replaced. Contact a spe-
cialist workshop. Charging and changing the vehicle battery
The battery is maintenance-free and is checked during the
inspection service. All work on the vehicle battery requires
specialist knowledge.
If you often drive short distances or if the vehicle is not driven for long peri-
ods, the battery should be checked by a specialised workshop between the
scheduled services.
If the battery has discharged and you have problems starting the vehicle,
the battery might be damaged. If this happens, we recommend you have
the vehicle battery checked by an Authorised Service Centre where it will be
re-charged or replaced.
Charging the battery
The vehicle battery should be charged by a specialised workshop only, as
batteries using special technology have been installed and they must be
charged in a controlled environment.
Replacing a vehicle battery
The battery has been developed to suit the conditions of its location and
has special safety features.
Genuine SEAT batteries fulfil the maintenance, performance and safety
specifications of your vehicle.
WARNING
● We recommend you use only maintenance-free or cycle free leak-proof
batteries which comply with standards T 825 06 and VW 7 50 73. This
standard applies as of 2001.
● Before starting any work on the batteries, you must read and observe
the warnings ⇒ 
in Warnings on handling the battery on page 233. 

268If and when
Sun visor light
Fig. 195 Removing sun
visor light
Fig. 196 Removing sun
visor light
– Carefully remove the lamp, using the flat side of the screwdriv-
er, as shown in the figure ⇒ fig. 196. –
Remove the bulb, moving it in the direction of the arrow and
outwards ⇒ fig. 196. 
Jump-starting
Jump leads
The jump lead must have a sufficient wire cross section. If the engine fails to start because of a discharged battery, the battery can
be connected to the battery of another vehicle to start the engine.
Jump leads
Jump leads must comply with standard DIN 72553 (see manufacturer's doc-
umentation). The wire cross section must be at least 25 mm 2
for petrol en-
gines and at least 35 mm 2
for diesel engines.
Note
● The vehicles must not touch each other, otherwise electricity could flow
as soon as the positive terminals are connected.
● The discharged battery must be properly connected to the vehicle elec-
trical system. 

269
If and when
How to jump start: description
Fig. 197 Diagram for
connecting jump leads if
the vehicle providing as-
sistance the current is
not fitted with the Start-
Stop system: flat battery A
and battery providing
current B.
Fig. 198 Diagram for
connecting jump leads if
the vehicle providing as-
sistance is fitted with the
Start-Stop system: flat
battery A
and battery
providing current B.
Jump lead terminal connections
1. Switch off the ignition of both vehicles ⇒ 
.2. Connect one end of the
red jump lead to the positive terminal
⇒ fig. 197 +
or ⇒ 
fig. 198 + of the vehicle with the flat bat-
tery A.
3. Connect the other end of the red jump lead to the positive ter-
minal +
in the vehicle providing assistance B.
4. On vehicles with no Start-Stop system , connect one end of the
black jump lead to the negative terminal -
in the vehicle pro-
viding assistance B ⇒ fig. 197.
5. On vehicles with the Start-Stop system , connect one end of the
black jump lead X
to a suitable ground terminal, to a solid
metal part bolted to the engine block or to the engine block it-
self ⇒ fig. 198.
6. Connect the other end of the black jump lead X
to a solid met-
al component bolted to the engine block or to the engine block
itself of the vehicle with the flat battery. Do not connect it to a
point near the battery A
.
7. Position the leads in such a way that they cannot come into contact with any moving parts in the engine compartment.
Starting
8. Start the engine of the vehicle with the boosting battery and let it run at idling speed.
9. Start the engine of the vehicle with the flat battery and wait one or two minutes until the engine is running.
Removing the jump leads
10. Before you remove the jump leads, switch off the headlights (if they are switched on). 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

270If and when
11. Turn on the heater blower and heated rear window in the vehi-
cle with the flat battery. This helps minimise voltage peaks
which are generated when the leads are disconnected.
12. When the engine is running, disconnect the leads in reverse order to the details given above.
Connect the battery clamps so they have good metal-to-metal contact with
the battery terminals.
If the engine fails to start, switch off the starter after about 10 seconds and
try again after about half a minute.
WARNING
● Please note the safety warnings referring to working in the engine
compartment ⇒ page 219, Working in the engine compartment.
● The battery providing assistance must have the same voltage as the
flat battery (12V) and approximately the same capacity (see imprint on
battery). Failure to comply could result in an explosion.
● Never use jump leads when one of the batteries is frozen. Danger of
explosion! Even after the battery has thawed, battery acid could leak and
cause chemical burns. If a battery freezes, it should be replaced.
● Keep sparks, flames and lighted cigarettes away from batteries, dan-
ger of explosion. Failure to comply could result in an explosion.
● Observe the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the jump
leads.
● Do not connect the negative cable from the other vehicle directly to
the negative terminal of the flat battery. The gas emitted from the battery
could be ignited by sparks. Danger of explosion.
● Do not attach the negative cable from the other vehicle to parts of the
fuel system or to the brake line.
WARNING (Continued)
● The non-insulated parts of the battery clamps must not be allowed to
touch. The jump lead attached to the positive battery terminal must not
touch metal parts of the vehicle, this can cause a short circuit.
● Position the leads in such a way that they cannot come into contact
with any moving parts in the engine compartment.
● Do not bend over the batteries. This could result in chemical burns.
Note
The vehicles must not touch each other, otherwise electricity could flow as
soon as the positive terminals are connected. 

278Technical 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. 202 Diagram for the
location of the various el-
ements
Coolant expansion tank
Windscreen washer fluid reservoir
Engine oil filler cap
Engine oil dipstick
Brake fluid reservoir
Vehicle battery (underneath the cover)
The checking and refilling of service fluids are carried out on the compo-
nents mentioned above. These operations are described in the ⇒ page 219.
1
23456
Overview
Further explanations, instructions and restrictions on the technical data are
contained as of
⇒ page 274 

Index
A
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Acoustic signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Acoustic warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Adjusting the seat belt height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
AFS (cornering lights) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Airbag covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Air conditioner General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Air conditioner automatic mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Air conditioner* 2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Air conditioning* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Air recirculation mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Manual air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Alarm system Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
All-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Alternator
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Anti-freeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Anti-theft wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Aquaplaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Ashtray* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Aspects to note before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ASR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror* Activating the anti-dazzle function . . . . . . 128
Deactivating anti-dazzle function . . . . . . . 128
Automatic car wash tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Automatic gearbox Kick-down feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Automatic gearbox / DSG automatic gearbox 175
Automatic lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Automatic windscreeen wiper/washer . . . . . . 124
Auxiliary audio connection: AUX-IN . . . . . . . . 148
B
Ball coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Battery
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Winter conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Biodiesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Brake pedal warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Worn brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187, 195
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Braking distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Bulb changes General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Bulb defect warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120, 168
285
Index

C
Car care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
CCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
CD changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Central lock button Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Automatic locking system for involuntaryunlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Automatic speed dependent locking and unlocking system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Emergency unlocking system . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Selective unlocking system* . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Unlocking system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Centre armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Cetane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Changing gear see Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Changing gear in tiptronic mode . . . . . . . . . . 178
Changing the bulbs Main headlight bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Tail lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Changing the main headlight bulbs Main beam lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Side lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Turn signal bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Changing the main headlight lamps dipped lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Changing the tail light bulbs
Position light, fog light and tail light on thetailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Changing the tail lights Luggage compartment lights . . . . . . . . . . 266
Turn signal, side and brake lights on thebody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Changing windscreen wiper blades . . . . . . . . 229
Chassis number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Checking battery electrolyte level . . . . . . . . . . 234
Checking engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Categorisation in groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Group 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Group 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Group 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Groups 0 and 0+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Child seats ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
on the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Top Tether system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Cigarette lighter* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Cleaning alloy wheel rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Cleaning chrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Cleaning engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Cleaning steel wheel rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Cleaning windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Climatronic
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Clothes hook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Cloth seat covers cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Compartment for on-board documentation . . 138
Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Control lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Controls electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Convenience closing Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Convenience opening Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Coolant loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Coolant temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Correct adjustment of front seat head re- straints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Correct adjustment of rear seat head restraints In-use and non-use positions . . . . . . . . . . . 14
286 Index

N
Number of seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
O Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
One-touch opening and closing Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Opening and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Outside temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 72
Overview Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
P Paintwork Polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Parking aid acoustic system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Passenger see Correct sitting position . . . . . . . 10, 11, 12
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Petrol additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Physical principles of a frontal collision . . . . . . 21
Plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Plastic parts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Pollution filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 205
R Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Radio navigation steering wheel controls Audio version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Audio + telephone version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Rain sensor* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Rear drink holder* Armrest* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Rear fog light Indicator lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Rear interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rear reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Rear shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Rear window automatic wiper/washer . . . . . . 127
Rear window wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Recommended gear display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Remote control key
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Synchronising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Removing and fitting the wheel . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Repairs Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacement keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Replacement of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Rev counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reverse gear Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Roll-back function Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Roof aerial* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Roof rack* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Roof storage compartment* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Rubber seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Run-flat tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Running in Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
S Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Safety equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safety instructions Coolant temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
290 Index