2012 Seat Altea technical specifications

211
Trailer towing
WARNING
The towing brackets should be fitted at a specialised workshop.
● If the towing bracket is incorrectly installed, there is serious danger
of accident.
● For your own safety, please observe the instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the towing bracket.
CAUTION
● If the power socket is incorrectly installed, this could cause damage to
the vehicle's electrical system.
Note
For the sports model (FR), fitting of a trailer bracket is not recommended
due to the design of the bumpers. 
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Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
Care of the vehicle exterior Automatic car wash tunnel
The vehicle can normally be washed without problem in an
automatic car wash.
The vehicle paintwork is so durable that the vehicle can normally be washed
without problems in an automatic car wash tunnel. However, the paintwork
wear depends to a large extent on the kind of the car wash tunnel, the
brushes used, its water filtering and the type of cleaning and preservative
products.
Before going through a vehicle wash, be sure to take the usual precautions
such as closing the windows and sunroof.
If the vehicle has special accessories such as spoilers or a roof rack or two-
way radio aerial, etc., it is advisable to consult the car wash tunnel operator.
After washing, the brakes could take some time to respond as the brake
discs and pads could be wet, or even frozen in winter. Dry the brakes by
braking several times.
WARNING
Water, ice and salt on the brakes can reduce braking efficiency. Risk of
accident.
CAUTION
If an automatic car wash tunnel is used, before entering the tunnel, put the
aerial down parallel to the roof and do not tighten to avoid damage. Washing by hand
Vehicle washing
–
First soften the dirt and rinse it off with water.
– Clean your vehicle from top to bottom with a soft sponge, a
glove or a brush. Use very light pressure.
– Rinse the sponge or glove often with clean water.
– Special car shampoo should only be used for very stubborn dirt.
– Leave the wheels, sill panels etc. until last, using a different
sponge or glove.
– Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with water.
– Dry the vehicle surface gently with a chamois leather.
– In cold temperature, dry the rubber seals and their surfaces to
prevent them from freezing. Apply silicone spray to the rubber
seals.
After washing the vehicle
– After washing, avoid sudden and sharp braking. Dry the brakes
by braking several times ⇒ page 202, Braking capacity and
braking distance. 
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215
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
Vehicle paint maintenance
Regular waxing protects the paintwork. You need to apply wax to your vehicle if water does not form small drops
and run off the paintwork when it is clean.
Good quality hard wax products are available at your Authorised Service
Centre.
Regular wax applications help to protects the paintwork from environmental
contaminants. ⇒ page 212. It also protects against minor scratches.
Even if a wax solution is used regularly in the vehicle washing tunnel, it is
advisable to protect the paint with a hard wax coating at least twice a year. 
Polishing the paintwork
Polishing brings back gloss to the paintwork. Polishing is only necessary if the paint has lost its shine, and the gloss can-
not be brought back by applying wax. Polishing products can be purchased
in your Authorised Service Centre.
The vehicle must be waxed after polishing if the polish used does not con-
tain wax compounds to seal the paint ⇒ page 215, Vehicle paint mainte-
nance.
CAUTION
To prevent damage to the paintwork:
● Do not use polishes and hard wax on painted parts with a matte finish
or on plastic parts.
● Do not polish your vehicle in a sandy or dusty environment. Caring for plastic parts
Solvents damage plastic parts.
If normal washing fails to clean plastic parts, clean them with approved
sol-
vent-free plastic cleaning and care products.
CAUTION
● The use of liquid air freshener directly over the air vents of the vehicle
may damage the plastic parts if the liquid is accidentally spilled.
● Cleaning products which contain solvents will damage the material. 
Cleaning windows and exterior mirrors
Cleaning windows
– Moisten the windows with commercially available, alcohol
based glass cleaner.
– Dry the windows with a clean chamois leather or a lint-free
cloth.
Removing snow
– Use a small brush to remove snow from the windows and mir-
rors.
Removing ice
– Use a de-icer spray.
Use a clean cloth or chamois leather to dry the windows. The chamois leath-
ers used on painted surfaces are not suitable to clean windows because
they are soiled with wax deposits which could smear the windows. 
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Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
CAUTION
To prevent scratching chrome surfaces:
● Never use an abrasive cleaning product on chrome.
● Do not clean or polish chrome parts in a sandy or dusty environment. 
Steel wheel rims
– Clean steel wheel rims regularly using a separate sponge.
Use an industrial cleaner to remove brake dust. Any damage to the paint on
steel wheel rims should be repaired before starting to rust.
WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a cylindrical jet. Even at large spraying distan-
ces and short cleaning times, visible and invisible damage can occur to
the tyres. This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brakes can reduce braking efficiency. Risk
of accident. Directly after washing, avoid sudden and sharp braking.
“Dry” the brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 202.

Alloy wheel rims
Every two weeks
– Wash salt and brake dust from alloy wheels.
– Use an acid free detergent to clean the wheel rims. Every three months
–
Apply a hard wax compound to the wheels.
Alloy wheels require regular attention to preserve their appearance. If road
salt and brake dust are not often removed, the aluminium finish will be im-
paired.
Always use an acid-free detergent for alloy wheel rims.
Car polish or other abrasive agents should not be used. If the protective
coating is damaged, e.g. by flying stones, the damaged area should be re-
paired immediately.
WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a cylindrical jet. Even at large spraying distan-
ces and short cleaning times, visible and invisible damage can occur to
the tyres. This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brakes can reduce braking efficiency. Risk
of accident. Directly after washing, avoid sudden and sharp braking.
“Dry” the brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 202.

Underbody protection
The vehicle underbody is coated to protect it from chemical
and mechanical damage.
The protective coating can be damaged when driving. We recommend you
to check the protective coating under the body and on the running gear, and
reinstated if necessary, before and after the winter season.
We recommend you to go to your Authorised Service Centre to carry out re-
pair work and additional anti-corrosion work. 
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Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
WARNING
Never clean the dash panel and the airbag module surface with cleaners
containing solvents. Solvents cause the surface to become porous. If the
airbag triggered, plastic parts could become detached and cause inju-
ries.
CAUTION
Cleaning products which contain solvents will damage the material. 
Wooden trim cleaning*
– Clean the wooden trim with a water-moistened clean cloth.
– If this does not provide satisfactory results, use a gentle soap
solution.
CAUTION
Cleaning products which contain solvents will damage the material. 
Cloth seat covers and fabric trim cleaning
Cloth seat covers and fabric trim on the doors, headlining etc. can be
cleaned with a special interior cleaner or with dry foam and a soft brush. Cleaning the radio and climate controls
To clean the radio and/or climate controls, use a soft damp cloth. For more
resistant dirt, a neutral soap solution may be used.

Leather cleaning*
Normal cleaning
– Moisten a cotton or woollen cloth with water and wipe over the
leather surfaces.
Cleaning stubborn stains
– More stubborn dirt can be removed using a mild soap solution
(pure liquid soap; two tablespoons diluted in one litre of water)
and a cloth.
– Do not let the water soak through the leather or soak into the
seams.
– Then wipe off with a soft, dry cloth.
Leather maintenance
– The leather should be treated twice a year with a special leath-
er-care product, available in your Authorised Service Centre.
– Apply these products very sparingly.
– Then wipe off with a soft, dry cloth.
SEAT does everything possible to preserve the genuine qualities of this nat-
ural product. Due to the natural properties of the specially selected hides
employed, the finished leather has a certain sensitivity to grease and dirt, 
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221
Accessories, parts replacement and modifications
Accessories, parts replacement and modifications Accessories and spare parts
Always consult an Authorised Service Centre before purchas-
ing accessories and parts.Your vehicle is designed to offer a high standard of active and passive safe-
ty.
Before purchasing accessories and parts, and before making technical
changes to your vehicle, we recommend you to consult your Authorised
Service Centre.
SEAT dealerships will be happy to provide you with the latest information
about the use, legal requirements and recommendations from the manufac-
turer regarding accessories and parts.
We recommend you use only SEAT Approved Accessories®
and SEAT Ap-
proved Spare Parts ®
. This way, SEAT can guarantee that the product in
question is suitable, reliable and safe. SEAT Authorised Service Centres
have the necessary experience and facilities to ensure that parts are correct-
ly and professionally installed.
Despite a continuous observation of the market, SEAT is not able to assess
the reliability, safety and suitability of those parts SEAT has not approved.
For this reason, SEAT cannot assume responsibility for any non-genuine
parts used, even if these parts have been approved by an official testing
agency or are covered by an official approval certificate.
Any equipment subsequently installed which has a direct effect on the driv-
er's control of the vehicle (e.g. cruise control system or electronically-con-
trolled suspension) must be approved by SEAT and bear the e mark (the Eu-
ropean Union's authorisation symbol). If any
additional electrical components are fitted which do not serve to con-
trol the vehicle itself (e.g. refrigerator box, laptop or ventilator fan), these
must bear the CE mark (European Union manufacturer conformity declara-
tion).
WARNING
Accessories, for example telephone holders or cup holders, should never
be fitted on the covers, or within the working range, of the airbags. Oth-
erwise, there is a danger of injury if the airbag is triggered in an accident.

Technical modifications
Modifications must always be carried out according to our
specifications.
Unauthorised modifications to the electronic components or software in the
vehicle may cause malfunctions. Due to the way the electronic components
are linked together in networks, other indirect systems may be affected by
the faults. This can seriously impair safety, lead to excessive wear of compo-
nents, and also invalidate your vehicle registration documents.
SEAT Authorised Service Centres cannot be held liable for any damage
caused by modifications and/or work incorrectly performed.
For this reason, we recommend having all work performed by a SEAT Author-
ised Technical Service using Genuine SEAT®
Spare Parts. 
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223
Checking and refilling levels
Checking and refilling levels Refuelling
The tank flap is released manually. The tank holds approxi-
mately 55 litres.
Fig. 157 Tank flap open
Unscrewing the tank cap
– Lift the lid.
– Hold the cap firmly with one hand, then insert the key into the
lock and rotate 180° to the left.
– Unscrew the cap, turning it anti-clockwise.
Closing the tank cap
– Screw the tank cap to the right, until the point of feeling a
“click”. –
Turn the key in the lock, without releasing the cap, clockwise
through 180°.
– Remove the key and close the flap until it clicks into place. The
tank cap is secured with an anti-loss attachment
The tank flap is at the rear of the vehicle on the right.
If the automatic filler nozzle is operated correctly, it will switch itself off as
soon as the tank is “full”. Never attempt to fill beyond this point, as this will
fill the expansion chamber. Fuel may leak out if ambient conditions are
warm.
The correct fuel grade for your vehicle is given on a sticker on the inside of
the fuel tank flap. Here you will find further information on fuel. 
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225
Checking and refilling levels
LPG system*
Refuelling with LPG
The LPG filler neck is behind the fuel cap, next to the petrol filler neck.
Fig. 158 Fuel tank open with LPG filler neck and adapt-
er.
Fig. 159 LPG tank in
spare wheel well Refuelling with LPG
–
Befores refuelling, stop the engine and switch off the ignition.
– Open the tank flap.
– Before refuelling, please read the instructions on the pump.
– Unscrew the cap of the gas filler neck 1
.
– Screw the required adapter 2
on the gas filler neck 1.
– Refuel as indicated in the instructions on the pump.
– Unscrew the adapter 2
. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications