2013 Seat Altea XL roof rack

Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Instructions to follow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Ball coupling of towing bracket* . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Driving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fitting a towing bracket* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning . . . . . . . . . 212
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Care of the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Vehicle interior maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Accessories, replacement of parts and
modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Accessories and spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Roof aerial* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Mobile phones and two-way radios . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
LPG system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 233
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Washer fluid and windscreen wiper blades . . . . 242
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
If and when . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Vehicle tools, tyre repair kit and spare wheel . . . 259
Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Tyre repair kit (Tyre Mobility System)* . . . . . . . . . 266
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Bulb change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Towing and tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Technical Specifications
. . . . . . . . . . . 288
Description of specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Information on fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Petrol engine 1.4 63 kW (85 PS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Petrol engine 1.6 75 kW (102 PS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Petrol engine 1.2 77 kW (105 PS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Petrol engine 1.4 92 kW (125 PS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Petrol engine 1.8 118 kW (160 PS) . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Diesel engine 1.6 TDI CR 66 kW (90 PS) with/
without DPF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Diesel engine 1.6 TDI CR 77 kW (105 PS) with/
without DPF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Diesel engine 1.6 TDI CR 77 kW (105 PS)
Start-Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Diesel engine 2.0 TDI CR 103 kW (140 PS) . . . . . 302
Diesel engine 2.0 TDI CR 103 kW (140 PS) 4-
wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Dimensions and capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
4Table of Contents

155
Seats and storage
CAUTION
● Before closing the rear lid, ensure that the rear shelf is correctly fitted.
● An overloaded luggage compartment could mean that the rear shelf is
not correctly seated and it may be bent or damaged.
● If the luggage compartment is overloaded, remove the tray.
Note
● Ensure that, when placing items of clothing on the luggage compart-
ment cover, rear visibility is not reduced. 
Partition net*
The net partition prevents loose objects in the luggage com-
partment from being thrown forward into the passenger
compartment (e.g. under sudden braking).
Fig. 125 Partition net
Fig. 126 Fastening rings
for the separation net
– Pull the net from underneath between the backrest and the fold-
ing tray and fit it to the slots in the roof, first the right then the
left ⇒ Fig. 125.
– Hook the belts into the front fastening rings to tense the net
⇒ Fig. 126. 
Roof rack*
Please observe the following points if you intend to carry loads on the roof:
● For safety reasons, only luggage racks and accessories supplied by SEAT
Official Services should be used.
● It is essential that you follow the assembly instructions included with
the bars exactly, being especially careful to position the front and rear lug-
gage compartment cover bars on the special housings on the longitudinal
bars. You must also respect their position according to the direction of trav-
el indicated in the assembly manual. Not following these instructions may
cause marks on the longitudinal bars. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

156Seats and storage
● Distribute the load evenly. A maximum load of 40 kg only is permitted
for each roof rack system support bar, the load must be distributed evenly
along the entire length. However, the maximum load permitted for the en-
tire roof (including the support system) of 75 kg must not be exceeded nor
should the total weight of the vehicle be exceeded. See the Technical Data
section.
● When transporting heavy or large objects on the roof, any change in the
normal vehicle behaviour due to a change in the centre of gravity or an in-
creased wind resistance must be taken into account. For this reason, a suit-
able speed and driving style must be used.
● For those vehicles fitted with a sunroof*, ensure that it does not interfere
with the load on the roof rack system when opened. 

205
Driving and the environment
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 62.
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. Avoid short journeys
To reduce the consumption and emission of polluting exhaust gases, the
engine and the exhaust gas filtration systems should reach the optimum
operating temperature.
With the engine cold, fuel consumption is proportionally higher. The engine
does not warm up and fuel consumption does not normalise until having
driven approximately
four kilometres (2.5 miles). This is why we recommend
avoiding short trips whenever possible.
Maintain the correct tyre pressures
Bear in mind that keeping the tyres at an adequate pressure saves fuel. If
the tyre pressure is just one bar too low, fuel consumption can increase by
as much as 5%. Due to the greater rolling resistance, under-inflation also
increases tyre wear and impairs handling.
The tyre pressures should always be checked when the tyres are cold.
Do not use winter tyres all year round as they increase fuel consumption by
up to 10%.
Avoid unnecessary weight
Given that every kilo of extra weight will increase the fuel consumption, it is
advisable to always check the luggage compartment to make sure that no
unnecessary loads are being transported.
A roof rack is often left in place for the sake of convenience, even when it is
no longer needed. At a speed of 100-120 km/h (60-75 mph) your vehicle
will use about 12% more fuel as a result of the extra wind resistance caused
by the roof rack even when it is not in use.
Save electricity
The engine activates the alternator, which produces electricity. With the
need for electricity, fuel consumption is also increased. Because of this, al-
ways turn off electrical components when you do not need them. Examples
of components that use a lot of electricity are: the fan at high speeds, the
rear window heating or the seat heaters*. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

213
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 brake system can reduce braking effectiveness.
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. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Multifunction display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
N
Number of seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
O
Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
One-touch opening and closing Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Opening and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Outside temperature indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Overview control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Petrol additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Physical principles of a frontal collision . . . . . . 21
Plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Plastic parts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Pollen filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Pollution filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 212
RRadio 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
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 115
Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Rear interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Emergency opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Remote control key Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Synchronising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Removing and fitting the wheel . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Repairs Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Replacement keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Replacement of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Rev counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reverse gear Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Roll-back function Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Roof aerial* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Roof rack* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Roof storage compartment* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
310 Index

Switcheselectric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
T Tail lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Tank Fuel level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Reserve indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Tank capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
The danger of not using the seat belt . . . . . . . . 22
Tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Top Tether system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Towing bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Towing bracket, fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Towline anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Traction control system control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Trailer Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Trailer turn signals control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Trailer weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 122
Tyre Mobility-System (Tyre repair kit) . . . . . . . 260 Tyre Mobility System (Tyre repair kit) . . . . . . . 266
Tyre pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Tyre pressure control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Tyre pressure monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Tyre repair kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260, 266
Tyres and wheels Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Tyres tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Tyres useful life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Tyres with directional tread pattern . . . . . . . . 250
U Underbody protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Unlocking and locking Personalisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Upholstery Treating your upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
V
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Vehicle data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Vehicle identification data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Vehicle identification number . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Vehicle maintenance electrically adjustable seats . . . . . . . . . . . 220
heated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
natural leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
non-electrically adjustable seats . . . . . . . 220
seats with airbag components . . . . . . . . . 220 seats without airbag components . . . . . . 220
synthetic leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Treating your upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
trim fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
unheated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Vehicle modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Vehicle paintwork Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . 212
Vehicle tools Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Vehicle washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Ventilation slits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Volumetric sensor* Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Deactivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
W
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Warning messages Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 80
Yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66, 80
Warning messages in the display . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Warning symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Warning triangle and first-aid kit . . . . . . . . . . 152
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Washing by hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Washing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Washing with high pressure cleaners . . . . . . . 214
Water Warning message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
312 Index