2012 Seat Altea XL power steering

201
Intelligent technology
Note
● If the power steering should fail at any time or the engine is switched off
(for instance when being towed), the vehicle can still be steered. However,
more effort will be required to turn the steering wheel.
● If the system is leaking or malfunctioning, please take the vehicle to a
specialised workshop as soon as possible.
● The power steering system requires a special hydraulic fluid. The con-
tainer is located in the engine compartment (front left). The correct fluid lev-
el in the reservoir is important for the power steering to function properly.
The hydraulic fluid level is checked at the Inspection Service. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

268If and when
Fuses on left side of dash panel
Fuses
NumberConsumerAmps1Vacant 2Vacant 3Vacant 4Vacant 5Vacant 6Vacant 7Vacant 8Vacant 9Airbag510RSE input (roof screen)1011Vacant 12Left xenon headlight10
13Instrument panel (oil level)/Cable control unit
(BCM)/Heater/ABS, ESC (ESP)/Park Pilot/Gate-
way/Flow meter5
14Gearbox/Power steering/Brake light sensor/Trail-
er/ABS, ESC (ESP)/Haldex/Light switch10
15Heated windscreen / Instrument lighting / Diag-
nosis switchboard/Engine management/Addi-
tional heating/AFS headlights/Park Pilot10
16Right xenon headlight10
17Engine management / RSE system with START
STOP10
18Kombi / levers with START STOP519Navigation/ radio with START STOP15
20Park Pilot (parking aid)/Gear lever/ESC (ESP) con-
trol unit10
NumberConsumerAmps21Vacant 22Volumetric alarm sensor/ Alarm horn523Diagnosis / Rain sensor / Light switch1024Trailer hook pre-installation assistant1525Vacant 26Vacuum pump2027RSE supply (Ceiling display) without START STOP1028Rear window wiper motor2029Vacant 30Cigarette lighter / socket2031Vacant 32Vacant 33Heater4034Vacant 35Vacant 36Vacant 37Vacant 38Vacant 39Trailer control unit (coupling)15
40Trailer control unit (turn signals, brakes and left
side)20
41Trailer control unit (fog light, reverse light and
right side)20
42BCM wiring switchboard2043Trailer pre-installation4044Heated rear window2545Electric windows (front)3046Rear electric windows3047Engine (Fuel control unit, petrol relay)15

269
If and when
NumberConsumerAmps48Convenience controls2049Heating controls4050Heated seats3051Sunroof2052Headlight washer system2053Trailer hook pre-installation assistant2054Taxi (taximeter power supply)555Trailer hook pre-installation assistant2056Taxi (transmitter power supply)1557Telephone power supply with START STOP1058Central locking control unit30
Some of the electrical items listed in the table are only fitted on certain
models or are optional extras.
Please note that the above list, while correct at the time of printing, is sub-
ject to alterations. If discrepancies should occur, please refer to the sticker
on the inside of the fuse cover for the correct information for your model. 
Fuses layout, engine compartment, left part
Fuses
NumberConsumerAmps1Windscreen wipers202DQ200 gearbox303Cable control unit54ABS205AQ gearbox156Instrument panel/Steering column5
NumberConsumerAmps7Ignition key408Radio159Telephone/TomTom Navigator5
10Engine management5Engine management1011Vacant 12Electronic control unit5
13Petrol injection module supply15Diesel injection module supply3014Coil20
15Engine management5Pump relay1016Right lighting3017Horn1518Vacant 19Clean30
20Water pump10Pressure sensor pump for 1.8 engine2021 a)Lambda probe1522Brake pedal, speed sensor5
23a)Engine management5Engine management10Engine management1524AKF, gearbox valve1025a)ABS pump4026Left lighting30
27a)Engine management40Engine management5028Vacant

Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

282If and when
Towing and tow-starting
Tow-starting
The use of jump leads is preferable to tow-starting.
We recommend that you do not tow-start your vehicle. Jump-start-
ing is preferable ⇒ page 279.
However, if your vehicle has to be tow-started:
– Engage the 2nd or the 3rd gear.
– Keep the clutch pressed down.
– Switch the ignition on.
– Once both vehicles are moving, release the clutch.
– As soon as the engine starts, press the clutch and move the
gear lever into neutral. This helps to prevent driving into the
towing vehicle.
WARNING
The risk of accidents is high when tow-starting. The vehicle being towed
can easily collide with the towing vehicle.
CAUTION
When tow-starting, fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it. General notes
Please observe the following points if you use a tow-rope:
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
–
Drive slowly at first until the tow-rope is taut. Then accelerate
gradually.
– Begin and change gears cautiously. If you are driving an auto-
matic vehicle, accelerate gently.
– Remember that the brake servo and power steering are not
working in the vehicle you are towing. Brake sooner than nor-
mal and pressing the pedal gently.
Notes for the driver of the towed vehicle
– Ensure that the tow-rope remains taut at all times when towing.
Tow-rope or tow-bar
It is easier and safer to tow a vehicle with a tow-bar. You should only use a
tow-rope if you do not have a tow-bar.
A tow-rope should be slightly elastic to reduce the loading on both vehicles.
It is advisable to use a tow-rope made of synthetic fibre or similarly elastic
material.
Attach the tow-rope or the tow-bar only to the towing eyes provided or a
towing bracket.
Driving style
Towing requires some experience, especially when using a tow-rope. Both
drivers should be familiar with the technique required for towing. Inexper-
ienced drivers should not attempt to tow. 

283
If and when
Do not pull too hard with the towing vehicle and take care to avoid jerking
the tow-rope. When towing on an unpaved road, there is always a risk of
overloading and damaging the anchorage points.
The ignition of the vehicle being towed must be switched on to prevent the
steering wheel from locking and also to allow the use of the turn signals,
horn, windscreen wipers and washers.
As the brake servo does not work if the engine is not running, you must ap-
ply considerably more pressure to the brake pedal than you normally would.
As the power assisted steering does not work if the engine is not running,
you will need more strength to steer than you normally would.
● The vehicle must not be towed faster than 50 km/h.
● The vehicle must not be towed faster than 50 km/h.
Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
● Put the selector lever into position “N”.
● Do not drive faster than 50 km/h.
● Do not tow further than 50 km.
● If a breakdown vehicle is used, the vehicle must be towed with the front
wheels raised.
Note
● Observe legal requirements when towing or tow-starting.
● Switch on the hazard warning lights of both vehicles. However, observe
any regulations to the contrary.
● For technical reasons, vehicles with an automatic gearbox must not be
tow-started.
● If damage to your vehicle means that there is no lubricant in the gear-
box, you must raise the drive wheels while the vehicle is being towed.
● If the vehicle has to be towed more than 50 km, the front wheels should
be raised during towing, and towing should be carried out by a qualified
person. ●
The steering wheel is locked when the vehicle has no electrical power.
The vehicle must then be towed with the front wheels raised. Towing should
be carried out by a qualified person.
● The towing eye should always be kept in the vehicle. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

Correct sitting positionFront passenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Incorrect sitting position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cruise control warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Cruise control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Cruise control* Complete system deactivation . . . . . . . . . 192
Cruise speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
D Danger of fitting a child seat on the front pas- senger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Dash panel cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Daytime lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Activating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Deactivating front passenger airbag Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Deactivating the airbag Front passenger airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Diesel engine Winter driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Diesel engine particulate filter . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Differential lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Differential lock fault (EDL)
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Dipped beam headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Display (without warning or information texts) 61
Disposal Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Door lock cylinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Door release lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Doors Childproof locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Driver see Correct sitting position . . . . . . . 10, 11, 12
Driveshaft differential XDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Drive wheels traction control system . . . . . . . 195
Driving Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Economically / Environmentally friendly . 204
With a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Driving programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Driving with an automatic gearbox / DSG auto- matic gearbox* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Duplicate keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Dynamic cornering lights
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Dynamic headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . 119
E
Economical driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Electrical sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Electric power steering Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Electronic differential lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Electronic immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90, 172
Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Emergency braking warning . . . . . . . . . . 121, 194
Emergency manual locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Emergency opening Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Emission control system Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Engine Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Engine compartment Working in the engine compartment . . . . 230
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Engine fault Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
305
Index

Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
N
Number of seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
O
Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
One-touch opening and closing Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Opening and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Outside temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 73
Overview Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Indicator lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 79
P Paintwork Polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Parking lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Parking System Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Passenger
see Correct sitting position . . . . . . . 10, 11, 12
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Petrol additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Physical principles of a frontal collision . . . . . . 21
Plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Plastic parts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Pollution filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 212
R Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Changing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Radio navigation steering wheel controls Audio version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Audio + telephone version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Rain sensor* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Rear drink holder* Armrest* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Rear fog light Indicator lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Rear interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Rear reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Rear shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rear window automatic wiper/washer . . . . . . 130
Rear window wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Recommended gear display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Remote control key
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Synchronising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Removing and fitting the wheel . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Repairs Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacement keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Replacement of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Rev counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reverse gear Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Roll-back function Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Roof aerial* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Roof rack* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Roof storage compartment* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Rubber seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Run-flat tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Running in Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
308 Index