2013 Seat Exeo ST steering

256Wheels and tyres
Wheel balance
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various factors encoun-
tered in normal driving can cause them to become unbalanced, which re-
sults in steering vibration.
Unbalanced wheels should be rebalanced, as they otherwise cause exces-
sive wear on steering, suspension and tyres. A wheel must also be reba-
lanced when a new tyre is fitted.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment causes excessive tyre wear, impairing the safety
of the vehicle. If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the wheel
alignment checked by a Technical Service.
WARNING
There is a serious danger of accidents if a tyre bursts during driving!
● The tyres must be replaced at the latest when the tread wear indica-
tors are worn ⇒ page 255. Failure to do so could result in an accident.
Worn tyres do not grip well at high speeds on wet roads. There is also a
greater risk of aquaplaning.
● At continuously high speeds, a tyre with insufficient pressure flexes
more. This causes it to overheat. This can cause tread separation and tyre
blow-out. Risk of accident. Always observe the recommended tyre pres-
sures.
● If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the running gear
checked by a Technical Service.
● Keep chemicals such as oil, fuel and brake fluid away from tyres.
● Damaged wheels and tyres must be replaced immediately!
For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption. Run-flat tyres*
Run-flat tyres allow you to continue driving even with a
punctured tyre, in the majority of cases.
In vehicles that are factory-fitted with run-flat tyres 1)
the loss of tyre
pressure is indicated on the instrument panel.
Driving with run-flat tyres (emergency running)
– Leave the ESC/ASR on (Electronic Stability Control), or switch it
on ⇒  page 71.
– Continue driving carefully and slowly (80 km/h (50 mph) maxi-
mum).
– Avoid sudden manoeuvres and sharp turns.
– Avoid driving over obstacles (for example kerbs) or potholes.
– Pay attention if the ESC/ASR activates often, if smoke comes
from the tyres or there is a smell of rubber, the vehicle vibrates
or there are clattering noises. If any of these occur, stop the ve-
hicle.
The run-flat tyres have a tag on the side of the tyre, with the description:
“DSST”, “Eufonia”, “RFT”, “ROF”, “RSC”, “SSR” or “ZP”.
The sides of this type of tyre are reinforced. When the tyres lose air they are
supported on the sides (emergency driving).
The loss of pressure in the tyre is shown on the instrument panel. You can
then drive a maximum of 80 km (50 miles) and if the circumstances are fa-
vourable (for example, low load), even more. 
1)
Depending upon version and country.

299
If 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 295.
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 towline anchorages 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. 
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

300If 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.
Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
● Put the selector lever into position “N”.
● Do not drive faster than 50 km/h (30 mph).
● 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 driven wheels while the vehicle is being towed.
● If the vehicle has to be towed more than 50 km (30 miles), 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 towline anchorage should always be kept in the vehicle. Please refer
to the notes ⇒ page 299, Tow-starting. 
Front towing eyeFig. 247 Fitting the tow-
line anchorage to front of
the vehicle
Fitting the towline anchorage
– Take the towline anchorage from the on-board tool set.
– Remove the front cover by pressing down on the right hand
side.
– Bolt the anchorage to its limit to the left, in the direction of the
arrow ⇒ Fig. 247. 

306Technical specifications
Technical specifications
Engine specifications Checking fluid levels
From time to time, the levels of the different fluids in the ve-
hicle must be checked. Never fill with incorrect fluids, other-
wise serious damage to the engine may be caused.
Fig. 249 Diagram for the location of the various elements Vehicle battery
Engine oil filler cap
Brake fluid reservoir
Engine oil level dipstick
1
234
Coolant expansion tank
Windscreen washer fluid container
Hydraulic fluid reservoir for power steering
The checking and refilling of service fluids are carried out on the compo-
nents mentioned above. These operations are described in the ⇒ page 235.
Overview
You will find further explanations, instructions and restrictions on the tech-
nical specifications as of ⇒ page 302.
Note
The layout of parts may vary depending on the engine. 
567

Index
Numbers and Symbols
230 V socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
A
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Faulty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Airbag Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Airbag covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Air conditioner 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Air distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Air outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Air purity sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Air recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Air recirculation (automatic) . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Blower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Defrosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
ECON Mode (economy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Economical use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Key settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Solar-powered blower/sunroof . . . . . . . . . 171
Temperature selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Air duct Fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276, 283
Removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276, 282
Air purity sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Alternator Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Ambient lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Anti-lock brake system How it works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Interior monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Antifreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Aquaplaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Armrest Storage compartment in front armrest . . . 144
Armrests Adjusting the front armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Ashtray Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
ASR Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
How the system works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Athermic windscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Auto-check system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Automatic car wash tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Automatic gearbox
Dynamic gear control programme . . . . . . . 192
Kick-down feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
multitronic® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Paddle levers (tiptronic mode) . . . . . . . . . 194
Safety interlock for ignition key . . . . . . . . . 174
Selector lever lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Steering wheel with paddle levers . . . . . . 194
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
tiptronic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Automatic headlight control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Auxiliary heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Battery voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Disconnection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Long periods of non-use . . . . . . . . . . 247, 248
Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247, 248
Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Winter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247, 248
Bicycle rack Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Biodiesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
315
Index

Luggage compartment coverRemoving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
M
Main beam headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117, 124
Maintenance Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Maintenance and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Mirrors Activating stored settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Automatic exterior mirror adjustment . . . . 140
Heated exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Storing settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Vanity mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Mobile phones and two-way radios . . . . . . . . 231
multitronic® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
N
Net partition Removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Number of seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
O
Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Oil consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Onboard computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Outside temperature display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Overview
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
P
Paddle levers tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Paintwork Polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 multitronic® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking aid SEAT Parking System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
SEAT Parking System plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Parking aid acoustic system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Passenger see Correct sitting position . . . . . . . 10, 11, 12
Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Petrol additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Photosensor faulty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Physical principles of a frontal collision . . . . . . 20
Plastic parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Plastic parts cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Power socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 218 Q
Quartz clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
R Radiator fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Radio display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Rain sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Rain sensor faulty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Reading lights Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Rear drink holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Rear fog light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Rear lid Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Rear seat bench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Rear side window sun blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Rear view mirrors Anti-dazzle interior mirror with automaticadjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Anti-dazzle setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Interior mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Rear window sun blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Rear window wiper Intermittent wipe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Rear window automatic wash and wipe . . 131
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
320 Index

Emergency activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260, 305
Solar-powered blower/sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Solar sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Spare keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Spare wheel Steel rim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Speed warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 85
Speed warning function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Start-Stop Activating and deactivating . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Steam jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Steering Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Manual steering wheel adjustment . . . . . 173
Steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Switches on the driver door Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Symbols Red symbols in central display . . . . . . . . . . 80
Yellow symbols on central display . . . . . . . 82
T Technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
The danger of not using the seat belt . . . . . . . . 21 The environment
Heated rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Leaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Warming up the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Tightening torque of wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . 305
tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
tiptronic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208, 299 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Notes on towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208, 209
Removable towing bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Technical requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Towing bracket, fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Towing eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Towline anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Tow starting General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Traction control system How the system works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Traction control system (ASR) control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Trailer weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Trip recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Turn signal lamps Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Trailer turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Tyre mobility system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Tyre Mobility System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Tyre pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69, 93, 251
Loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Tyre pressure monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Tyre pressure monitoring system . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Tyre repair kit Tyre Mobility System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Tyres and wheels Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Tyres tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Tyres useful life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Tyres with directional tread pattern . . . . . . . . 251
U Underbody protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Upholstery Treating your upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
V
Vehicle care Treating your upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Vehicle data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Vehicle identification data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Vehicle identification number . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Vehicle keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Vehicle maintenance electrically adjustable seats . . . . . . . . . . . 226
heated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
natural leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
322 Index