2012 Seat Ibiza ST maintenance

176Driving and the environment
WARNING
● The diesel engine particulate filter may reach extremely high temper-
atures; the vehicle should be parked so that the exhaust pipe does not
come into contact with flammable materials underneath the vehicle. Oth-
erwise there is a risk of fire.
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 by the
diesel producer in accordance with standard EN 590 is authorised and will
not cause damage to the engine or the fuel system.
● Using diesel fuel with a high sulphur content may significantly reduce
the useful life of the diesel particulate filter. Your Technical Service will be
able to tell you which countries have diesel with a high sulphur content. 
Economical and environmentally friendly
driving
Economical and environmentally friendly driving
Fuel consumption, environmental pollution and wear to the engine, brakes
and tyres depends in large part on your driving style. By adopting an eco-
nomical driving style and anticipating the traffic situation ahead, you can
easily reduce fuel consumption by 10-15%. Some tips on how to help you
reduce pollution while saving money are listed below.
Drive anticipating the traffic situation
A vehicle uses most fuel when accelerating. When you anticipate the situa-
tion, you have to brake less often and, thus, accelerate less. If it is possible, let the vehicle roll with a
gear engaged, for example, if you see a red light
ahead. The braking effect achieved in this way helps to reduce the wear of
brakes and tyres; emissions and fuel consumption are reduced to zero (dis-
connection due to inertia).
Change gear early to save energy
An effective way of saving fuel is to change up quickly through the gears.
Running the engine at high rpm in the lower gears uses an unnecessary
amount of fuel.
Manual gearbox: Change from first to second gear as quickly as possible.
We recommend that, whenever possible, you change to a higher gear upon
reaching 2000 rpm. Follow the “recommended gear” indication that ap-
pears on the instrument panel ⇒ page 60.
Avoid driving at high speed
We advise you not to drive at the top speed permitted by the vehicle. Fuel
consumption, exhaust emissions and noise levels all increase very rapidly
at higher speeds. Driving at moderate speeds will help to save fuel.
Avoid idling
It is worthwhile switching off the engine when waiting in a traffic jam, at lev-
el crossings or at traffic lights with a long red phase. The fuel saved after
only 30 - 40 seconds is greater than the amount of fuel needed to restart
the engine.
The engine takes a long time to warm up when it is idling. Mechanical wear
and pollutant emissions are also especially high during this initial warm-up
phase. It is therefore best to drive off immediately after starting the engine.
Avoid running the engine at high speed.
Periodic maintenance
Periodic maintenance work guarantees that, before beginning a journey,
you will not consume more than the required amount of fuel. A well-serviced
engine gives you the benefit of improved fuel efficiency as well as maxi-
mum reliability and an enhanced resale value.
A badly serviced engine can consume up to 10% more fuel than necessary. 

178Driving and the environment
●Reduction of volatile compounds in plastics
● CFC-free refrigerant in air conditioner
Compliance with prohibited materials regulation : cadmium, lead, mercury,
chrome VI.
Manufacturing methods
● Use of recycled material for manufacturing plastic parts
● Solvent-free cavity sealing
● Solvent-free wax for protecting the vehicles in transit
● Solvent-free adhesives
● No CFCs used in production
● Surplus materials used extensively for energy conversion and building
materials
● Overall water consumption reduced
● Heat recovery systems
● The use of water-soluble paints 
Driving abroad Observations
To drive abroad, the following must be taken into consideration:
● For vehicles fitted with a catalytic converter ensure that unleaded petrol
is available for the journey. See the chapter “Refuelling”. Automobile organ-
isations will have information about service station networks selling unlea-
ded fuel.
● In some countries, it is possible that your vehicle model is not sold, and
therefore spare parts are not available or the Technical Services can only
carry out limited repairs. SEAT importers and distributors will gladly provide information about the
technical preparations that you vehicle requires and also about necessary
maintenance and repair possibilities.

Adhesive strips for headlights
If you have to drive a right-hand drive vehicle in a left-hand drive country, or
vice versa, the asymmetric dipped beam headlights will dazzle oncoming
traffic.
To prevent dazzling, you must apply stickers to certain parts of the head-
light lenses. Further information is available at your Technical Service.
In vehicles with adaptive headlights, the rotation system must previously be
disconnected. To do this, please go to a specialised workshop. 
Trailer towing What do you need to bear in mind when towing a trailer?
Your vehicle may be used to tow a trailer when fitted with the correct equip-
ment.
If the vehicle is supplied with a factory-fitted towing bracket it will already
have the necessary technical modifications and meet the statutory require-
ments for towing a trailer. If you wish to retrofit a towing bracket, consult
⇒ page 192.
Connectors
Your vehicle is fitted with a 12-pin connector for the electrical connection
between the trailer and the vehicle. 

181
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning General notes
Regular washing and care help maintain the value of your
vehicle.Vehicle maintenance
Regular care and washing help to maintain the value of the vehicle. This
may also be one of the requirements for acknowledging warranty claims in
the event of bodywork corrosion or paint defects.
The best way to protect your vehicle against the harmful effects of the envi-
ronment is through correct maintenance and frequent washing. The longer
substances such as insect remains, bird droppings, resinous tree sap, road
dirt, industrial deposits, tar, soot or road salt and other aggressive materi-
als remain on the vehicle, the more damage they do to the paintwork. High
temperatures (for instance in strong sunlight) further intensify the corrosive
effect.
After winter, a period when salt is put on the roads, it is important to have
the underside of the vehicle washed thoroughly.
Products for vehicle maintenance
Car-care products are available in your Technical Services. Keep the product
instructions until you have used them up.
WARNING
● Car-care products can be toxic. Because of this, they must always be
kept closed in their original container. Keep them out of the reach of chil-
dren. Failure to comply could result in poisoning.
● Always read and observe the instructions and warnings on the pack-
age before using car-care products. Improper use could cause health
problems or damage the vehicle. The use of certain products may pro-
duce noxious vapours; they should be used in well ventilated areas.
● Never use fuel, turpentine, engine oil, nail varnish remover or other
volatile fluids. These are toxic and highly flammable. Risk of fire and ex-
plosion.
● Before washing your vehicle, or carrying out any maintenance, switch
the engine off, apply the handbrake firmly and remove the key from the
ignition.
CAUTION
Never attempt to remove dirt, mud or dust if the surface of the vehicle is dry.
Never use a dry cloth or sponge for cleaning purposes. This could damage
the paintwork or the windows of your vehicle. Soak dirt, mud or dust with
plenty of water.
For the sake of the environment
● When purchasing products for your vehicle maintenance, select the
ones which are not harmful to the environment.
● The waste from car-care products should not be disposed of with ordina-
ry household waste. Observe the disposal information on the package. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

182Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
Care of the vehicle exterior
Automatic car washing tunnel
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 car wash, be sure to take the usual precautions such
as closing the windows and sunroof. There is nothing to note apart from
that.
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 brake system can reduce braking effectiveness.
Risk of accident.
CAUTION
Before putting the vehicle through the car washing tunnel, do not tighten
the aerial if it is folded because it can be damaged. 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. 

183
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
WARNING
● Wash your vehicle with the ignition switched off.
● Protect your hands and arms from cuts on sharp metal edges when
cleaning the underbody, the inside of the wheel housings etc. Risk of in-
jury.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can reduce braking effective-
ness. Risk of accident.
CAUTION
● Never remove dirt, mud or dust if the vehicle surface is dry. Never use a
dry cloth or sponge for cleaning purposes. This could scratch the paintwork
or glass on your vehicle.
● Washing the vehicle in low temperatures: when washing the vehicle
with a hose, do not direct water into the lock cylinders or the gaps around
the doors, rear lid, or sunroof. Risk of freezing.
For the sake of the environment
To protect environment, the vehicle should be washed only in specially pro-
vided wash bays. This prevents toxic, oil-laden waste water entering the
sewerage system. In some places, washing vehicles outside wash bays is
prohibited.
Note
Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight. Washing the vehicle with a high pressure cleaner
Be particularly careful when using a high pressure cleaner!
– Always observe the instructions for the high-pressure cleaner,
particularly those concerning the pressure and the spraying
distance.
– Increase the spraying distance for soft materials and painted
bumpers.
– Do not use a high pressure cleaner to remove ice or snow from
windows ⇒ page 184.
– Never use concentrated jet nozzles (“rotating jets”) ⇒ 
.
– After washing, avoid sudden and sharp braking. “Dry” the
brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 173.
WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a concentrated jet (“rotating nozzle”). Even at
large spraying distances and short cleaning times, visible and invisible
damage can occur to the tyres. This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can reduce braking effective-
ness. Risk of accident.
CAUTION
● Do not use water hotter than 60°C. This could damage the vehicle.
● To avoid damage to the vehicle, keep a sufficient distance from sensitive
materials such as flexible hoses, plastic, soundproofing material, etc. This
is also important for bumpers painted in the colour of the bodywork. The
closer the nozzle is to the surface, the greater the wear on the material. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

184Vehicle 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 Technical Service.
Regular wax applications help to protect the paintwork from environmental
contaminants ⇒ page 181. It is also effective in protecting 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 Technical Service.
The vehicle must be waxed after polishing if the polish used does not con-
tain wax compounds to seal the paint ⇒ page 184, Vehicle paint mainte-
nance.
CAUTION
To prevent damage to the paintwork:
● Do not use polishes and hard wax on painted parts with a matt 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. 

185
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning
If possible, use a de-icing spray to remove ice. If you use an ice scraper,
push it in one direction only without swinging it.
Use window cleaner or a silicone remover to clean rubber, oil, grease and
silicone deposits off.
Wax deposits can be removed with a special cleaner available in your Tech-
nical Services. Wax deposits on the windscreen could cause the wiper
blades to judder. Adding a window cleaner that dissolves wax to the wind-
screen washer fluid prevents wiper blades from juddering, but wax deposits
are not removed.
CAUTION
● Never use warm or hot water to remove snow and ice from windows and
mirrors. This could cause the glass to crack!
● The heating element for the rear window is located on the inner side of
the window. To prevent damage, do not put stickers over the heating ele-
ments on the inside of the window. 
Cleaning windscreen wiper blades
Clean wiper blades improve visibility.
1. Use a soft cloth to remove dust and dirt from the windscreen wiper blades.
2. Use window cleaner to clean the windscreen wiper blades. Use a sponge or a cloth to remove stubborn dirt. Rubber seals maintenance
If rubber seals are well looked after, they will not freeze so
quickly.
1. Use a soft cloth to remove dust and dirt from the rubber seals.
2. Apply a specialist care product to the rubber seals.
The rubber strips on the doors, windows, bonnet and rear lid will remain
pliable and last longer if they are treated with a suitable care product (for
example silicone spray).
Caring for rubber seals will also prevent premature ageing and leaks. The
doors will be easier to open. If rubber seals are well looked after, they will
not freeze so quickly in winter. 
Door lock cylinders
The door lock cylinders can freeze up in winter.
To de-ice the lock cylinders you should only use spray with lubricating and
anti-corrosive properties. 
Cleaning chrome parts
1. Clean chrome parts with a damp cloth.
2. Polish chrome parts with a soft, dry cloth. If this does not provide satisfying results, use a specialist chrome cleaning
product. Chrome cleaning products will remove stains from the surface. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

186Vehicle 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 brake system can reduce braking effective-
ness. Risk of accident. Directly after washing, avoid sudden and sharp
braking. Dry the brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 173, Braking ca-
pacity and braking distance.

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 for maintaining the
rims. If the protective coating is damaged, e.g. by flying stones, the dam-
aged area should be repaired 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 brake system can reduce braking effective-
ness. Risk of accident. Directly after washing, avoid sudden and sharp
braking. Dry the brakes by braking several times ⇒ page 173, Braking ca-
pacity and braking distance.

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 Technical Service to carry out repair work
and additional anti-corrosion work. 