
Seat belts
Using seat belts
Introduction
Fig. 86
Driver wearing seat belt
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
The physical principle of a frontal collision
95
Fastening and unfastening seat belts
96
Seat belts that are fastened correctly offer good protection in the event of an ac-
cident. They reduce the risk of an injury and increase the chance of survival in the
event of a major accident.
Correctly fastened seat belts hold occupants of the car in the correct seated posi-
tion » Fig. 86 .
The seat belts reduce the kinetic energy (energy of motion) to a considerable ex-
tent. They also prevent uncontrolled movements which, in turn, may well result in
severe injuries.
Occupants of a vehicle who have correctly fastened their seat belts have the ma-
jor benefit of the fact that the kinetic energy is absorbed as effectively as possi-
ble by the belts.
The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other passive safety measures,
such as the airbag system, also contribute to the kinetic energy being reduced as
effectively as possible. The energy produced is thus absorbed and there is less
risk of injury.
Particular safety aspects must be observed when transporting children in the ve-
hicle » page 103 , Transporting children safely .
WARNING■
Fasten your seat belt before each journey – even when driving in town! This
also applies to the passengers seated at the rear – risk of injury!■
Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of
ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child » page 96.
■
Maximum seat belt protection is only achieved if you are correctly seat-
ed » page 91 , Correct seated position .
■
The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the correct routing of the seat belt.■Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in
minor accidents.■
A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body is
moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an accident and is then sud-
denly held firm by the belt.
■
The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. specta-
cles, ball-point pens, bunches of keys etc.). Such objects can cause injury.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for handling the seat belts.■The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or twisted,
or chafe against any sharp edges.■
Make sure you do not catch the seat belt when closing the door.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the proper use of the seat belts.■Never use one seat belt to secure two persons (including children). The
seatbelt must not be placed over a child who is sitting on the lap of another
passenger.■
The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct
one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to pro-
tect and the risk of injury increases.
94Safety

WARNING (Continued)■The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked, otherwise the belt tongue
will not lock in place properly.■
Many layers of clothing and loose clothing (e. g. a winter coat over a jacket)
do not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the
seat belts.
■
It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e. g. for
shortening the belts for smaller persons).
■
The seat belts for the rear seats can only fulfil their function reliably when
the seat backrests are correctly locked into position » page 45, Folding the
rear seats forward .
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for proper maintenance of the seat belts.■The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belt webbing may im-
pair proper operation of the inertia reel » page 121, Seat belts .■
The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not attempt
to repair the seat belts yourself.
■
Check the condition of all the seat belts on a regular basis. If any damage to
the seat belts, seat belt connections, inertia reel or the lock is detected, the
relevant seat belt must be replaced by a specialist garage.
■
Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident and
were therefore stretched, must be replaced – this is best done by a specialist
garage. The anchorage points of the belts must also be inspected. The an-
chorage points for the belts should also be checked.
Note
The national legal requirements must be observed when using seat belts.
The physical principle of a frontal collisionFig. 87
Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear passenger without a fas-
tened seat belt
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 94.
As soon as the vehicle is moving, so-called kinetic energy (the energy of motion)
is produced both in terms of the car as well as in terms of the occupants.
The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends essentially on the speed at which
the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the vehicle including the occupants.
The greater the speed and weight increase, the greater the amount of energy
which has to be absorbed in the event of an accident.
The speed of the vehicle is the most important factor. Doubling the speed of the
vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy four times.
The idea that it is possible to support your body with your hands in a minor acci-dent is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces acting on the
body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed of 30-50 km/h, the forces that your body is ex-
posed to in the event of an accident can exceed a metric ton (1000 kg).
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg “increases” to 4.8 tons (4800 kg) at
50 km/h.
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt, are thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the car,
such as steering wheel, dash panel or windscreen » Fig. 87 –
. In certain circum-
stances you could even be thrown out of the vehicle, which could cause life threatening or even fatal injuries.
95Seat belts

A slight drop in the fluid level results when driving due to normal wear-and-tear
and automatic adjustment of the brake pads.
There may be an indication of a leak in the brake system, however, if the fluid lev-
el drops significantly within a short time or if it drops below the “MIN” marking.
If the brake fluid level is too low, this is shown by the indicator light » page 16 ,
Braking system lighting up in the instrument cluster.
Changing
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 133.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture. Over time it therefore absorbs moisture from the
environment.
Excessive water in the brake fluid may be the cause of corrosion in the brake sys-
tem.
The water content lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid.
The brake fluid must comply with the following standards or specifications: › VW 50114;
› FMVSS 116 DOT4.
Vehicle battery
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Checking the battery electrolyte level
135
Operation in winter
136
Charging
136
Replace
137
Disconnecting and reconnecting
137
Automatic load deactivation
137Warning symbols on the vehicle batterySymbolImportanceAlways wear eye protection.Battery acid is severely caustic. Always wear gloves and eye protec-
tion.Keep fire, sparks, open flames and lit cigarettes well clear of the ve-
hicle battery.When charging the vehicle battery, a highly explosive gas mixture is
produced.Keep children away from the vehicle battery.WARNINGThere is risk of injuries, poisoning, chemical burns, explosions or fire when
working on the battery and on the electrical system. It is essential to comply
with the general applicable safety rules as well as the warning instructions
outlined below.■
Keep children away from the vehicle battery.
■
Do not tilt the battery otherwise battery electrolyte may flow out of the bat-
tery vent openings. Protect your eyes by wearing safety goggles or a face
shield – risk of blindness!
■
Always wear protective gloves, eye and skin protection when handling the
vehicle battery.
■
The battery acid is strongly corrosive and must, therefore, be handled with
the greatest of care.
■
Corrosive fumes in the air irritate the air passages and lead to conjunctivitis
and inflammation of the air passages in the lungs.
■
Battery acid corrodes dental enamel and, if it comes into contact with the
skin, causes deep wounds that take a long time to heal. Repeated contact
with diluted acids causes skin diseases (inflammations, ulcers, skin cracks).
■
If any battery acid comes into contact with your eyes, rinse the affected eye
immediately with clean water for several minutes and consult a doctor imme-
diately!
■
Splashes of acid on your skin or clothes should be neutralised as soon as
possible using soap suds and then rinsed with plenty of water. If you swallow
battery acid, consult a doctor immediately!
134General Maintenance

Wheels
Tyres and wheel rims
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Service life of tyres
139
New tyres
140
Unidirectional tyres
141
Spare wheel
141
Full wheel trim
142
Wheel bolts
142
Wheel bolts
143WARNING■ The national legal regulations must be observed for the use of tyres.■Observe the national legal regulations relating to the use of snow chains
and the maximum vehicle speed with snow chains.WARNINGThe following instructions for the use of tyres must be observed.■For the first 500 km, new tyres do not yet provide optimum grip, and appro-
priate care should therefore be taken when driving – risk of accident!■
Only use radial tyres of the same type, size (rolling circumference) and tread
pattern on all four wheels.
■
For reasons of driving safety, do not replace tyres individually.
■
Never exceed the maximum permissible load bearing capacity for fitted
tyres – risk of accident!
■
Never exceed the maximum permissible speed for fitted tyres – risk of acci-
dent!
■
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear impairs handling – risk of acci-
dent!
WARNING (Continued)■ Unusual vibrations or pulling of the vehicle to one side could be a sign of
tyre damage. If there is any doubt that a wheel is damaged, immediately re-
duce your speed and stop! If no external damage is evident, drive slowly and
carefully to the nearest specialist garage to have the vehicle checked.■
Only use tyres or wheel rims that have been approved by ŠKODA for your
model of vehicle. Failure to observe this instruction may impair the road safety
of your vehicle – risk of accident!
WARNINGObserve the following information regarding tyre damage and wear.■Never use tyres if you do not know anything about the condition and age.■
Never drive with damaged tyres – risk of accident!
■
Immediately replace damaged wheel rims or tyres.
■
You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the
wear indicators have been worn down.
■
Worn tyres impair necessary adhesion to the road surface, particularly at
high speeds on wet roads. This could lead to “aquaplaning” (uncontrolled ve- hicle movement – “swimming” on a wet road surface).
WARNINGObserve the following information regarding the tyre inflation pressure.■The tyre control display does not absolve the driver of the responsibility to
ensure the correct tyre inflation pressure. Check the tyre inflation pressure at
regular intervals.■
Insufficient or excessive inflation pressure impairs handling – risk of acci-
dent!
■
If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre will have to overcome a higher
rolling resistance. This will cause a significant increase in the temperature of
the tyre, especially at higher speeds. This can result in tread separation and a
tyre blowout.
138General Maintenance

Replacing fuses›Press the button 1 » Fig. 124 .›
Push the lid in the direction of the arrow.
›2
Remove the bracket.
›
Place the bracket on the respective fuse and pull this out.
›
Insert a new fuse.
›
Replace the bracket at the original position.
›
Fold the cover upwards against the direction of the arrow.
›
Close the cover until it clicks into place.
Fuse assignment on the underside of the dash panel
No.Power consumer1Telephone, radiator fan, instrument cluster, engine control unit2Diagnostic port, air compressor, bar with buttons, control unit for air
conditioning3Clutch pedal switch, brake pedal switch4Switch illumination, number plate light5Steering column switch, central control unit6Headlamp beam adjustment, exterior mirror adjustment7-8Automated transmission9Airbag, bar with buttons10Park Assist11Headlights12The rear fog light13Headlights14Rear window wiper15Light switch16Steering force assistance17Windscreen washer18Reverse light switch19Injection valves, coolant pump20ABS/ESP21Parking lights,22Daytime running lights23Headlights24FlasherNo.Power consumer25Windscreen Wiper and Washer System26Not assigned27Interior lighting28Diagnostic connector29Central control unit30Exterior mirror heater31Radiator fan, lambda probe32Blinking light, brake light, daytime running lights, rear light33Main beam34Main beam35Fuel pump36Cigarette lighter, 12-volt power socket37Air blower for heating and air conditioning38Radio39Panoramic sliding roof, horn40Engine control unit41Central locking system42Ignition module43Seat heaters44Fuel pump45Light switch46Rear window heater47Windows48Horn49Windscreen wipers50Fog lights, headlight51Power windows
155Fuses and light bulbs

Fuses in the engine compartmentFig. 125
Distribution board cover/fuses
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 154.
The fuses are located underneath a cover next to the vehicle battery » Fig. 125.
Replacing fuses
›
Press the locking keys of cover
A
together simultaneously.
›
Push out the cover in the direction of the arrow.
›
Replace the appropriate fuse.
›
Insert the cover in the direction counter to the arrow.
›
Close the cover until it clicks into place.
Fuse assignment in engine compartment
No.Power consumerS1ABS/ESPS2Radiator fanS3Control unit for radiator fan, ignitionS4ABS/ESPS5Central control unit, battery managementS6Ignition lock, starter
Fuses in the dash panelFig. 126
Distribution board cover/fuses
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 154.
On vehicles with the START-STOPsystem, the fuses are on the left side of the
dash panel behind a cover.
Replacing fuses
›
Insert a suitable flat object, such as a screwdriver, into the gap in the arrow area » Fig. 126 .
›
Carefully pry off the cover and remove it.
›
Replace the appropriate fuse.
›
Close the cover until it clicks into place.
Fuse layout on the panel side
No.Power consumer1ABS/ESP2Instrument cluster3Radio, diagnosis4DC-DC voltage converter, starter relay, bar with buttons5Not assigned6Not assigned7Not assigned8Not assigned9Headlights10Headlights 156Do-it-yourself

No.Power consumer11Starter12DC-DC voltage converter, ABS, instrument cluster, radio
Bulbs
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Headlights
157
Replacing the bulb for the side turn signal lights
158
Replacing the bulb for the fog light
158
Replacing the bulb for the licence plate light
159
Tail light
159
Some manual skills are required to change a bulb. For this reason, we recommend
having bulbs replaced by a specialist garage or seeking other expert help in the
event of any uncertainties.
› Switch off the ignition and all of the lights before replacing a bulb.
› Faulty bulbs must only be replaced with the same type of bulbs. The designa-
tion is located on the light socket or the glass bulb.
› A stowage compartment for replacement bulbs is located in a plastic box in the
spare wheel or underneath the floor covering in the luggage compartment.
WARNING■ Always read and observe the warnings before completing any work in the
engine compartment » page 127, Engine compartment .■
Accidents can be caused if the road in front of the vehicle is not sufficiently
illuminated and the vehicle cannot or can only be seen with difficulty by other
road users.
■
The H4 bulb is pressurised and may explode during a bulb replacement - risk
of injury! We therefore recommended wearing gloves and safety glasses when changing a bulb.
CAUTIONDo not take hold of the glass bulb with naked fingers (even the smallest amountof dirt reduces the working life of the light bulb). Use a clean cloth, napkin, or sim-
ilar.
Note
■ This Owner's Manual only describes the replacement of bulbs where it is possi-
ble to replace the bulbs on your own without any complications arising. Other bulbs must be replaced by a specialist garage.■
We recommend that a box of replacement bulbs always be carried in the vehi-
cle. Replacement bulbs can be purchased from ŠKODAOriginal Accessories.
■
We recommend having the headlight settings checked by a specialist garage af-
ter replacing a bulb in the main or low beam.
■
In the case of a defective CD player, visit a specialist garage.
Headlights
Fig. 127
Left headlight - engine compartment: Arrangement/lamp removal
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn- ings
on page 157.
Open the bonnet before replacing the bulb in the front headlight » page 128,
Opening and closing the bonnet .
Bulb arrangement in the front headlight
A
- Front turn signal light » Fig. 127
B
- Low beam and main beam
157Fuses and light bulbs

Index
Numbers and Symbols
12-volt power socket
52
A
Abroad Driving abroad
79
Unleaded petrol79
ABS81
Warning light19
Accessories110
Adjusting Exterior mirrors
41
Interior mirror40
Seat43
Steering wheel66
Adjusting the seats91
Aerial114
Air-conditioning system Air outlet vents
57
Airbag98
Deactivating101
Deactivating the front passenger airbag102
Deployment98
Front airbag99
Modifications and damage to the airbag system112
Side airbag Head-Thorax100
Airbag system98
Air conditioning system59
Control elements60
Recirculated air mode61
Air outlet vents57
Antilock Braking System81
Artificial leather120
Ash tray51
Assist systems80
ABS19, 81
City Safe Drive86
Cruise Control System83
EDS81
ESC18, 80
Parking aid81
START-STOP85
TC81
Traction Control System (TCS)19
Visual parking system82
Automated transmission71
Lever control71
Automatic gearbox Operational faults
73
Tiptronic72
Automatic load deactivation137
Automatic transmission Kick-down
72
Starting-off and driving72
Avoiding damage to the vehicle Driving through water
78
Avoiding damage to your vehicle78
B
Bag hooks
47
Belts94
Belt tensioners97
Bonnet Closing
128
Opening128
Boot Class N1 vehicles
47
Boot lid Automatic locking
29
Brake assist80
Brake booster69
Brake fluid133
Changing134
Checking133
Brakes Brake assist systems80
Brake booster69
Brake fluid133
Handbrake70
Running in74
Warning lights16
Braking Information on braking
69
Breakdown kit149
Bulbs In the tail light
159
Replacing157
Button in the driver's door Electrical power windows
30
C
Car computer see multifunction display
13
Carrier49
Cavity protection117
Central locking button27
Central locking system25
lock26
unlock26
Changing Brake fluid
134
Engine oil131
Fuses on the underside of the dash panel154
Wheels145
Changing a wheel Follow-up work
146
Preliminary work145
Remove and attaching a wheel146
Charging a vehicle battery136
Checking Battery electrolyte level
135
Brake fluid133
Coolant132
Engine oil131
164Index