2012 Seat Mii maintenance

Foreword
This Instruction Manual and its corresponding supplements should be read carefully to familiarise yourself
with your vehicle.
Besides the regular care and maintenance of the vehicle, its correct handling will help preserve its value.
For safety reasons, note the information concerning accessories, modifications and parts changes.
If selling the vehicle, give all of the onboard documentation to the new owner, as it should be kept with the
vehicle.

Table of Contents
Manual structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vehicle diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Exterior views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Side view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Front view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Rear view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Vehicle interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Driver door overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overview of the driver side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Overview of centre console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Detail of the passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Symbols on the roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Control and warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
SEAT information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Prior to a journey... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Before starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tips for driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Unlocking and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Vehicle key set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Central locking* and locking system . . . . . . . . . . 33
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Opening and closing the sliding/tilting electric
panoramic sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
48
Adjusting the seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Seat functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Child seats (accessories) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Sun blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Window wash/wipe system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Rear vision mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Transporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Driving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Loading luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Roof carrier system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Trailer coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Practical equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Drink holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Ashtray and Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Electrical power socket* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
While driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Starting, changing gears, parking . . . . . . . . . . 119
Stopping and starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Changing gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Braking, stopping and parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Ecological driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Driver assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Parking distance warning system* . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Cruise control* (Cruise control system - CCS) . . . 152 Safety Assist* (City Safety Assist function) . . . . . 155
Hill hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Hill-start aid* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Air control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning system . .164
At the filling station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Care, cleaning and maintenance . 180
In the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 180
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Vehicle care and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Care and cleaning the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . 197
Caring for and cleaning the vehicle interior . . . . 205
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Accessories, replacements, repairs and
modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Notes for the user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Engine management and exhaust gas
purification system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
If and when . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Practical information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Frequently asked questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
In case of emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Emergency locking and unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Vehicle tool kit* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
3
Table of Contents

17
Instrument panel
Instruments Introduction
Additional information and warnings:
● Indicator lamps ⇒ page 15
● Gear engaged display (automatic gearbox) ⇒ page 124
● Instructions for inspection intervals ⇒ Booklet Maintenance Programme
WARNING
Any distraction may lead to an accident, with the risk of injury.
● Do not handle the instrument panel controls when driving.

Vehicle diagramPrior to a journey...While drivingCare, cleaning and mainte-
nanceIf and whenTechnical Data

21
Instrument panel
WARNING
Although the outside temperature is above freezing, some roads and
bridges may be frozen.
● At an outside temperature of above +4 °C (+39 °F), even when the
“ice crystal” is not visible, there may still be ice on the road.
● Never rely totally on the outside temperature indicator!
CAUTION
Failure to heed the warning lamps when they appear may result in faults in
the vehicle.
Note
Different versions of the instrument panel are available and therefore the
versions and instructions on the display may vary.
Note
When several warnings are active at the same time, the symbols are shown
successively for a few seconds. The symbols will stay on until the fault is
rectified. 
Service interval display
The inspection display appears on the instrument panel display ⇒ Fig. 9
or ⇒ Fig. 10 2.
SEAT makes a difference between services with engine oil change (Mainte-
nance Service) and services without engine oil change (Inspection Service).
The service interval display only gives information for service dates which
involve an engine oil change. The dates of the remaining services (for exam-
ple, the next Inspection Service or change of brake fluid) are listed on the
label attached to the door strut, or even in the Maintenance Programme. The set service intervals have been specified with
the service dependent on
time/distance travelled.
Inspection reminder
If the inspection period is due to expire shortly, Inspection reminder ap-
pears when starting the ignition abbreviated to  and a warning in km. The
number of kilometres shown is the maximum number that may be driven
until the next service.
Service due
After the service date, an audible warning is given when the ignition is
switched on and the abbreviation  displayed on the screen flashes for a
few seconds.
Note
The service message disappears after a few seconds, when the engine is
started or when OK
is pressed on the windscreen wiper lever.
Note
In vehicles in which the battery has been disconnected for a long period of
time, it is not possible to calculate the date of the next service. Therefore
the service interval display may not be correct. In this case, please check
the maximum permitted service intervals ⇒ Booklet Maintenance Pro-
gramme. 
Vehicle diagramPrior to a journey...While drivingCare, cleaning and mainte-
nanceIf and whenTechnical Data

26Before starting the engine
Check list (Continued)
¥ Correctly fasten your seat belt before starting to drive and keep it se-
curely fastened throughout the journey. This applies to all
passengers in the vehicle
⇒ page 57.
¥ Never carry more passengers than the number of available seats and
seat belts in your vehicle.
¥ Never drive with impaired faculties (for example, due to medication,
alcohol or drugs).
¥ Do not allow yourself to be distracted from the traffic, for example, to
reset or switch on a menu, by other passengers or to answer a phone
call.
¥ Always try to adapt the speed of the vehicle and your style of driving
to the condition of the ground or the road and to weather and traffic
conditions.
¥ Observe the highway code and speed limits.
¥ On long journeys, rest at regular intervals (at least every 2 hours).
¥ If carrying animals, make sure they are correctly restrained in accord-
ance with their weight and size.
WARNING
Always observe traffic regulations and speed limits and try to anticipate
traffic movements. Correctly anticipating traffic situations may mean the
difference between arriving safe and sound at your destination or having
a serious accident.
Note
Regular servicing of your vehicle not only helps to keep it in good working
order but also helps to ensure road safety. Therefore, please ensure the ve-
hicle is taken for service as indicated in the Maintenance Programme. If the
vehicle is subjected to hard use, it may require certain maintenance work
before the next service date. Hard use may involve frequent driving in traffic
jams or driving in dusty areas. For further information, please refer to a SEAT
dealership or a specialised workshop. 
Driving abroad
Check list
In some countries, certain safety regulations and requirements are in force
relating to exhaust gas emissions, which differ from the technical character-
istics of the vehicle. Before travelling abroad, SEAT recommends you con-
sult a SEAT dealership about the legal requirements and the following
points:
¥ Does the vehicle need technical modifications for driving abroad, for
example, adjustment of the headlamps?
¥ Does the vehicle have all the tools, diagnostics equipment and
spare parts required for inspections and repairs?
¥ Are there any SEAT dealers in the destination country?
¥ For petrol vehicles: Is unleaded petrol available at the right octane
rating?
¥ Are a suitable engine oil (
⇒ page 185) and other engine fluids com-
plying with SEAT specifications available in the destination country?
¥ Does the Portable Navigation System (supplied by SEAT) function
⇒ 
page 222 in the destination country with the available navigation
information?
¥ Are special tyres required in the destination country?


137
Starting, changing gears, parking
To park the vehicle
Complete operations only in the sequence given.
● Park the vehicle on a suitable surface ⇒ 
.
● Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle comes to a standstill.
● Apply the handbrake firmly ⇒ page 136.
● For an automatic gearbox, move the selector lever to position P.
● Switch off the engine and release the brake pedal.
● Remove the key from the ignition.
● If necessary, turn the steering wheel slightly to lock the steering.
● With a manual gearbox, engage the 1st gear on flat ground and slopes,
or even the reverse gear on hills, and release the clutch pedal.
● Ensure that all passengers leave the vehicle, especially children.
● When leaving the vehicle, take all keys with you.
● Locking the vehicle.
Additional information for steep slopes and hills
Before switching off the engine, rotate the steering wheel so that if the vehi-
cle should move then it will be held by the kerb.
● On slopes, turn the front wheels so that they are against the edge of the
kerb.
● Uphill, turn the wheels towards the centre of the road.
WARNING
The components of the exhaust system reach very high temperatures.
This could cause a fire and considerable damage.
● Always park your vehicle so that no part of the exhaust system can
come in contact with flammable materials (such as wood, leaves, spilled
fuel, dried grass, etc).
CAUTION
● Special care should be taken when parking in areas with high kerbs or
fixed barriers. Objects protruding from the ground may damage the bumper
or other parts of the vehicle during manoeuvres. To avoid damage, stop be-
fore the wheels touched the barrier or kerb.
● Special attention is required when driving through entrances, over
ramps, kerbs or other objects. The vehicle underbody, bumpers, mudguards
and running gear, and the engine and exhaust system could be damaged as
you drive over these objects. 
Information about the brakes
For the first 200 to 300 km (120 to 190 mph), the new brake pads have not
yet reached their maximum braking capacity, and need to be “run in” first
⇒ 
. The slightly reduced braking effect can be compensated for by in-
creasing pressure on the brake pedal. While running in, the full braking dis-
tance or emergency braking distance is larger then when the brake pads
have been run in. While running in, avoid full power braking or situations
requiring braking performance. For example, in heavy traffic.
The rate of wear of the brake pads depends to a great extent on the condi-
tions in which the vehicle is used and the way the vehicle is driven. If the
vehicle is used frequently in city traffic or for short trips or driven sport style,
visit a Specialised workshop regularly more frequently than advised in the
Maintenance Programme to have the brake pads checked.
If you drive with wet brakes, for example, after crossing areas of water, in
heavy rainfall or even after washing the vehicle, the effect of the brakes is
lessened as the brake discs are wet or even frozen (in winter). At higher
speed, “dry” the brakes as quickly as possible by braking gently several
times. Only do this without endangering vehicles behind you or any other
road users ⇒ 
. 
Vehicle diagramPrior to a journey...While drivingCare, cleaning and mainte-
nanceIf and whenTechnical Data

142Starting, changing gears, parking
recommends the use of brake fluid in accordance with the VW 501 14
standard. If this brake fluid is not available or another brake fluid is used for
different reasons, use a brake fluid that complies with the United States
standard FMVSS 116 DOT 4 or the German standard DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4
⇒ 
.
Brake fluids conforming to the standard VW 501 14, fulfil the American re-
quirements of the FMVSS 116 DOT 4 standard and the German
DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4 standard. However, fluids that comply with the Amer-
ican FMVSS 116 DOT 4 standard or the German DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4
standard do not necessarily comply with the VW 501 14 standard. Always
check the information on the brake fluid container and ensure that you are
using suitable brake fluid.
A suitable brake fluid can be obtained from SEAT dealerships.
Brake fluid level
The level of the brake fluid should always be between the MIN and MAX
marks, or above the MIN mark ⇒ 
.
It is not always possible to check the level of the brake fluid, as in some
models the engine components make it difficult to see the brake fluid reser-
voir. If you cannot read the exact brake fluid level, consult a specialist.
The brake fluid level drops slightly when the vehicle is being used due to
wear of the brake pads and the automatic readjustment of the brake.
Changing the brake fluid
The brake fluid should be changed in accordance with the instructions giv-
en in the Maintenance Programme. Have the brake fluid changed by a Spe-
cialised workshop. SEAT recommends visiting a Technical Service. This
means that only brake fluid complying with the required specifications will
be used.
WARNING
If the brake fluid level is low or unsuitable/old brake fluid is used, the
brake system may fail or braking power will be reduced.
● Check the brake system and the brake fluid level regularly!
● The brake fluid should be changed regularly in accordance with the
instructions given in the Maintenance Programme.
● When the brake fluid is used and brakes are subjected to extreme
braking forces, bubbles of vapour form in the brake system. These bub-
bles of water vapour can significantly reduce braking power, notably in-
creasing braking distance, and could even result in the total failure of the
brake system.
● Always ensure that you use suitable brake fluid. Only used brake fluid
that conforms to the VW 501 14 standard, FMVSS 116 DOT 4 standard or
even the DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4 standard. Other types of brake fluid
could affect brake operation and reduce braking power. Do not use a
brake fluid if the container does not specify compliance with the
VW 501 14, FMVSS 116 DOT 4 or DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4 standards.
● The replacement brake fluid must be new.
WARNING
Brake fluid is poisonous.
● To reduce the risk of poisoning, do not keep brake fluid in drinks bot-
tles/containers or similar. Other people could drink from these recipients
even if the contents are clearly marked.
● Always keep brake fluid in the original container; keep it correctly
sealed and out of reach of children.
CAUTION
Brake fluid could damage the paintwork. Wipe off any brake fluid from the
paintwork immediately. 

164Air control
Air control
Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning
system Introduction
Dust and pollen filter
The dust and pollen filter with its activated charcoal cartridge serves as a
barrier against impurities in the interior ambient air.
For the air conditioner to work with maximum efficiency, the dust and pollen
filter must be replaced at the intervals specified in the Maintenance Pro-
gramme.
If the filter loses efficiency prematurely due to use in areas with very high
levels of air pollution, the filter must be changed more frequently than sta-
ted in the Service Schedule.
Additional information and warnings:
● SEAT information system ⇒  page 22
● Windscreen wash system ⇒  page 91
● Caring for and cleaning the vehicle exterior ⇒ page 197
WARNING
Reduced visibility through the windows increases the risk of serious acci-
dents.
● Ensure that all windows are free of ice and snow and that they are not
fogged up preventing a clear view of everything outside.
WARNING (Continued)
● The maximum heat output required to defrost windows as quickly as
possible is only available when the engine has reached its normal run-
ning temperature. Only drive when you have good visibility.
● Always ensure that you use the heating system, ventilation, air condi-
tioner and the heated rear window to maintain good visibility.
● Never leave the air recirculation on for a long period of time. If the
cooling system mode is switched off and air recirculation mode switched
on, the windows can mist over very quickly, considerably limiting visibili-
ty.
● Switch air recirculation mode off when it is not required.
WARNING
Stuffy or used air will increase fatigue and reduce driver concentration
possibly resulting in a serious accident.
● Never leave the air fan turned off or use the air recirculation for long
periods of time; the air inside the interior will not be refreshed.
CAUTION
● Switch the air conditioner off if you think it may be broken. This will
avoid additional damage. Have the air conditioner checked by a Specialised
workshop.
● Repairs to the climate air conditioner specialist knowledge and special
tools. SEAT recommends visiting a Technical Service. 