2012 Seat Altea XL oil additives

230Checking and refilling levels
Biodiesel*
CAUTION
● Your vehicle is not designed to use biodiesel fuel. Never, under any cir-
cumstances refuel with biodiesel. The use of biodiesel fuel could damage
the engine and the fuel system. The addition of biodiesel to diesel fuel by
the diesel manufacturer in accordance with standard EN 590 or DIN 51628
is authorised and will not cause damage to the engine or the fuel system.
● The diesel engine has been designed to be used exclusively with diesel
fuel conforming to standard EN 590. Never refuel or use petrol, kerosene,
fuel oil or any other type of fuel. If you accidentally fill up the vehicle with
the wrong type of fuel, do not start the engine. Seek assistance from speci-
alised personnel. The composition of these fuels may severely damage the
fuel system and the engine. 
Winter driving
Diesel can thicken in winter.
Winter-grade diesel
When using “summer-grade diesel fuel”, difficulties may be experienced at
temperatures below 0 °C because the fuel thickens due to wax separation.
Therefore, “winter-grade diesel fuel” is available in some countries during
the cold months. It can be used at temperatures as low as -22 °C.
In countries with different climatic conditions the diesel fuel generally sold
has different temperature characteristics. Check with an Authorised Service
Centre or filling stations in the country concerned regarding the type of die-
sel fuels available.
Filter pre-heater
Your vehicle is fitted with a fuel filter glow plug system, making it well
equipped for operation in winter. This ensures that the fuel system remains operational to approx. -24 °C, provided you use winter-grade diesel which is
safe to -15 °C.
However, if the fuel has waxed to such an extent that the engine will not
start at temperatures of under -24 °C, simply place the vehicle in a warm
place for a while.
CAUTION
Do not mix fuel additives (thinners or similar products) with diesel fuel. 
Working in the engine compartment Safety instructions on working in the engine compartment
Any work carried out in the engine compartment or on the
engine must be carried out cautiously.
Before starting any work on the engine or in the engine compart-
ment:
1. Switch off the engine and remove the key from the ignition.
2. Apply the handbrake.
3. Move the gear lever to neutral or the selector lever to position P.
4. Wait for the engine to cool down.
5. Keep children away from the vehicle.
6. Raise the bonnet ⇒ page 232. 

234Checking and refilling levels
Because this oil is essential for extending the service intervals, it must only
be used observing the following indications:
● Avoid mixing it with oil for fixed service intervals.
● Only in exceptional circumstances, if the engine oil level is too low
⇒  page 235 and LongLife oil is not available, it is permitted to top up
(once) with oil for fixed service intervals ⇒  page 234 (up to a maximum of
0.5 litres).
Fixed service intervals*
If your vehicle does not have the “LongLife service interval” or it has been
disabled (by request), you may use oils for fixed service intervals, which al-
so appear in ⇒  page 234, Oil properties. In this case, your vehicle must be
serviced after a fixed interval of 1 year / 15 000 km (whatever comes first)
⇒  Booklet Maintenance Programme.
● In exceptional circumstances, if the engine oil level is too low
⇒  page 235 and you cannot obtain the oil specified for your vehicle, you
can put in a small quantity of oil conforming to the specification ACEA A2 or
ACEA A3 (petrol engines) or ACEA B3 or ACEA B4 (diesel engines) (up to 0.5
l).
Vehicles with diesel particulate filter*
The “Maintenance Programme” states whether your vehicle is fitted with a
diesel particulate filter.
Only VW 507 00 engine oil, with reduced ash formation, may be used in die-
sel engines equipped with particulate filter. Using other types of oil will
cause a higher soot concentration and reduce the life of the DPF. Therefore:
● Avoid mixing this oil with other engine oils.
● Only in exceptional circumstances, if the engine oil level is too low
⇒  page 235 and you cannot obtain the oil specified for your vehicle, you
can use a small quantity of oil (once) conforming to the VW 506 00,
VW 506 01, VW 505 00, VW 505 01 or ACEA B3 / ACEA B4 specification. (up
to 0.5 l). Oil properties
Engine typeSpecificationPetrol without flexible service in-
tervalVW 502 00/ VW 504 00
Petrol with flexible service interval
(LongLife)VW 504 00
Diesel. Engines without Particu-
late filter (DPF)VW 505 01 / VW 506 01 / VW 507 00
Diesel. Engines with particulate
filter (DPF)
With or without flexible service in-
terval (with or without LongLife)
a)VW 507 00
a)
Only use recommended oils, otherwise you may damage the engine.
Engine oil additives
No type of additive should be mixed with the engine oil. The deterioration
caused by these additives is not covered by the warranty.
Note
Before a long trip, we recommend finding an engine oil that conforms to the
corresponding VW specifications and keeping it in the vehicle. This way, the
correct engine oil will always be available for a top-up if needed. 

237
Checking and refilling levels
WARNING
Only change the oil yourself if you have the specialist knowledge re-
quired!
● Before opening the bonnet, read and observe the warnings
⇒ page 230, Safety instructions on working in the engine compartment.
● Wait for the engine to cool down. Hot oil may cause burn injuries.
● Wear eye protection to avoid injuries caused by splashes of oil.
● When removing the oil drain plug with your fingers, keep your arm
horizontal to help prevent oil from running down your arm.
● Wash your skin thoroughly if it comes into contact with engine oil.
● Engine oil is poisonous! Used oil must be stored in a safe place out of
the reach of children.
CAUTION
No additives should be used with engine oil. This could result in engine
damage. Any damage caused by the use of such additives would not be
covered by the factory warranty.
For the sake of the environment
● Because of the disposal problems, the necessary special tools and spe-
cialist knowledge required, we recommend that you have the engine oil and
filter changed by an Authorised Service Centre.
● Never pour oil down drains or into the ground.
● Use a suitable container when draining the used oil. It must be large
enough to hold all the engine oil. Coolant
Coolant specifications
Coolant is a mixture of water and at least 40% coolant addi-
tive. The cooling system must be filled with a mixture of water and at least 40 %
of our coolant additive G12+ or an additive with the specification TT-VW 774
F (it is dyed purple). This mixture provides the necessary freeze protection
down to -25 °C and protects the alloy parts of the cooling system against
corrosion. It also prevents scaling and raises the boiling point of the cool-
ant.
The concentration of coolant must always be at least 40% - even if freeze
protection is not required.
If greater freeze protection is required in very cold climates, the proportion
of the antifreeze additive G12+ can be increased. However, the percentage
of coolant additives should not exceed 60%, as this would reduce the
freeze protection. It would also reduce the cooling effect. A mixture with
60% additive will give antifreeze protection to approx. -40 °C.
WARNING
● The coolant additive is toxic. There is a toxic risk. Always keep the
coolant additive in the original container which should be stored out of
the reach of children. The same applies to coolant which you have
drained off.
● The coolant additive G12+ must be added in sufficient quantities to
provide anti-freeze protection at the coldest ambient temperatures that
can be expected. At extremely cold outside temperatures, the coolant
could freeze, causing the vehicle to breakdown. As the heater would not
work either, there is a risk of freezing to death. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

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