2013 SKODA OCTAVIA ECU

CAUTION■If the lever is held firm and not pushed downwards as far as it can go, it will go
back up after the ball rod is removed and will not latch into the ready position.
The ball rod then needs to be brought into this position before the next time it is installed.■
Stow the ball head in the ready position with the key inserted in the box. When
doing so, make the side opposite to the inserted key face downwards – there is a
risk of damaging the key.
■
Do not use excessive force when handling the operating lever (e.g. do not climb
on it)!
Note
■ We recommend putting the protective cover onto the ball head before removing
the tow bar.■
Remove any dirt from the ball rod before stowing it away in the box with the
vehicle tool kit.

Use and care
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 169.
Seal the mounting recess with the cap to prevent any ingress of dirt.
Always check the ball head before hitching a trailer. Use a suitable lubricating grease where necessary.
Include the protective cap when stowing away the ball rod to protect the boot
from getting contaminated.
In the event of dirt, clean the surfaces of the mounting recess and treat with a
suitable preservative.
CAUTION
Apply lubricating grease to the upper part of the mounting recess. Make sure you
do not remove any grease.
Trailer
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Loading a trailer
172
Driving with a trailer
173
Trailer stabilisation
174
Anti-theft alarm system
174WARNINGAlways drive particularly carefully with the trailer.

Loading a trailer
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 172.
The vehicle/trailer combination must be balanced. whereby the maximum permis-
sible drawbar load must be utilised. If the drawbar load is too low, it jeopardises the performance of the vehicle/trailer combination.
Distribution of the load
Distribute the load in the trailer in such a way that heavy items are located as close to the axle as possible. Secure the items from slipping.
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trail-
er is laden. Drive at a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this
combination.
Tyre pressure
Correct the tyre inflation pressure on your vehicle for a “full load” » page 229,
Service life of tyres .
Trailer load
The permissible trailer load must not be exceeded under any circumstan-
ces » page 263 , Technical data .
The trailer loads specified apply only to altitudes up to 1000 metres above mean
sea level. 
172Driving

›Secure all items of luggage
» page 91, Luggage compartment .
› Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedals.
› Adjust the mirrors, the front seat and head restraint to your body size.
› Advise your passengers to adjust the head restraints to their body size.
› Protect children in suitable child seats with correctly fastened seat
belts » page 193 , Transporting children safely .
› Adopt the correct seated position
» page 177, Correct seated position . Tell your
passengers to assume the correct seated position.
› Correctly fasten the seat belt. Also inform passengers to fasten the seat belt
correctly » page 180 , Using seat belts .

What influences driving safety?
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 176.
The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety
is effected, you place yourself and the oncoming traffic at risk.
The following guidelines must therefore be observed. › Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
passengers or mobile phone calls.
› Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication, alco-
hol or drugs.
› Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
› Always adjust the driving speed to the road, traffic and weather conditions.
› Take regular breaks on long journeys – at least every two hours.

Correct seated position

Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Correct seated position for the driver
178
Correct seated position for the front passenger
178
Correct seated position for the passengers in the rear seats
178
Examples of an incorrect seated position
179WARNINGGeneral information■At all times, the front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to match
the person's body size and the seat belt must be attached properly to provide
the most effective levels of protection to passengers.■
If the occupant adopts an incorrect seated position, he is exposed to life-
threatening injuries, in case he is hit by a deployed airbag.
■
If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is
increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
■
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system –
risk of injury!
WARNINGInformation for the driver■Always assume the correct seated position before setting off and do not
change this position while driving. Also advise your passengers to adopt the
correct seated position and not to change this position while the car is mov-
ing.■
Maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel, and a dis-
tance of at least 10 cm between the legs and the dash panel at the height of
the knee airbag. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you – hazard!
■
When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel in
the 12 o'clock position or in any other way (e.g. in the middle or inner edge of the steering wheel). In such cases, you could severely injure the arms, handsand head when the driver airbag is deployed.
■
Ensure that there are no objects in the driver's footwell as they may get
caught behind the pedals when driving or applying the braking. You would
then no longer be able to operate the clutch, brake or accelerate. 
177Passive Safety

WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the proper use of the seat belts.■Never use one seat belt to secure two people (including children). The seat-
belt must not be placed over a child who is sitting on the lap of another pas-
senger.■
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.
■
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 78.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for proper use 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 211.■
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 for the belts should also be checked.
Note
The national legal requirements must be observed when using seat belts.
The physical principle of a head-on collisionFig. 160
Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear seat passenger without a
fastened seat belt
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 180.
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 opinion that it is possible to support your body in a minor accident with your
hands, 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 km/h to 50 km/h, the forces that your body is exposed to in the event of an accident can exceed a metric ton (1000 kg).
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg “increases” at 50 km/h to 4.8 tons
(4800 kg).
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt are thrown forward and strike parts of the vehicle interior in an uncontrolled manner, such as the steering wheel, dash panel or windscreen » Fig. 160 - 
. In certain
circumstances you could even be thrown out of the vehicle, which could cause life
threatening or even fatal injuries. 
181Seat belts

Transporting children safely
Child seat
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Use of a child seat on the front passenger seat
194
Child safety and side airbag
195
Classification of child seats
195
Use of child seats fastened with a seat belt
195
Children are generally safer on the rear seats than on the front passenger seat.
In contrast to adults, the muscles and bone structure of children are not yet fully developed. Thus children are exposed to increased risk of injury.
Children should be transported in accordance with the relevant statutory provi-sions.
Child seats that comply with the ECE-R 44 standard must be used. The ECE-R
standard stands for: Economic Commission for Europe – Regulation.
Child seats that comply with the ECE-R 44 standard have a test seal that cannot
be removed: a large E within a circle with the test number below.
WARNING■ The national legal requirements must be observed when using child seats.■One should never carry children, and also not babies! - on one's lap.■
Never leave children unattended in the vehicle. Certain outside climatic con-
ditions can cause life-threatening temperatures in the vehicle.
■
The child must be secured in the vehicle during the entire travelling time!
Otherwise, in the event of an accident, the child would be thrown through the
vehicle and as a result may suffer fatal injuries, and also injure other occu-
pants.
WARNING (Continued)■ Children are exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent if they lean forward or adopt an incorrect seated position when the vehi-
cle is moving. This particularly applies to children who are transported on the
front passenger seat as they can suffer severe, or even fatal injuries if the air-
bag system is deployed!■
Pay particular attention to the information provided by the manufacturer of
the child safety seat regarding the correct routing of the belt. Seat belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in minor
accidents.
■
Safety belts must be checked to ensure that they are running properly. One
should also ensure that the belt is not damaged by sharp-edged fittings.
■
It is essential to switch off the front passenger airbag if using a child seat in
which the child is carried with its back facing the direction of travel on the front passenger seat. Further information » page 194, Use of a child seat on
the front passenger seat .
CAUTION
■
When installing a child seat in which the child faces forward, adjust the head re-
straints so that they are as high as possible.■
If the head restraints still prevent the child seat from being installed, even in
the highest position, you will need to remove them » page 73. After removing the
child seat, re-install the head restraints.
Note
We recommend that you use child seats from ŠKODA Original Accessories. These child seats were developed and also tested for use in ŠKODAvehicles. They meetthe ECE-R 44 standard.
193Transporting children safely

Use of a child seat on the front passenger seat
Never use a rearward-facing child restraint system on a seat which is protected by an active airbag installed in front of it. This could cause serious injury to the child, even death.Fig. 171
Sticker on the B column on the
front passenger side.
Fig. 172
Front passenger sun visor / label
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 193.
For safety reasons, we recommend that you install child seats on the rear seats
whenever possible.
The following advice must be heeded when using a child seat in which the child is
carried on the front passenger seat.
› It is essential to switch off the front passenger airbag if using a child seat in
which the child is carried with its back facing the direction of travel »
.
› If possible, adjust the front passenger seat backrest so that it is as vertical, so
as to ensure secure contact between the passenger seat backrest and the back of the child seat.
› If possible, move the front passenger seat backwards so that there is no con-
tact between the front passenger seat and the child seat behind it.
› With child safety seats in groups 2 or 3, make sure that the loop-around fittings
attached to the child seat headrest is positioned in front of or at the same
height as the loop-around fittings on the B pillar on the passenger side.
› Set the height-adjustable front passenger seat as high up as possible.
› Set the front passenger seat belt as high up as possible.
› Place and fasten the child seat on the seat and the child in the child seat ac-
cording to the specifications in the manufacturer's user manual of the child seat.WARNING■ It is essential to switch off the front passenger airbag if using a child seat in
which the child is carried with its back facing the direction of travel on the
front passenger seat » page 190, Deactivating airbags .■
Never use a rear-facing child seat on the front passenger seat if the passen-
ger airbag is activated. This child safety seat is positioned in the deployment
area of the front passenger airbag. The airbag may cause the child severe, or
even fatal injuries, in the event of it being deployed.
■
This fact is also indicated by the label that can be found in one of the follow-
ing locations. ■ On the B-column on the front passenger side » Fig. 171. The sticker is visi-
ble upon opening the front passenger door. ■ On the front passenger's sun visor. In some countries, the sticker is loca-
ted on the front seat passenger's sun visor » Fig. 172.
■
With child safety seats in groups 2 or 3, make sure that the loop-around fit-
tings attached to the child seat headrest is positioned in front of or at the
same height as the loop-around fittings on the B pillar on the passenger side.
■
Once the child seat, in which the child is transported with the back to the
direction of travel, is no longer used in the passenger seat, the front passen-
ger airbag should be switched on again.

194Safety

Child safety and side airbagFig. 173
Incorrect seated position of a child who is not properly secured –
risk from the side airbag/Child properly protected by safety seat
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 193.
The child must not be positioned in the deployment area of the side air- bag » Fig. 173 - 
.
There must be sufficient room between the child and the deployment area of the
side airbag to ensure that the airbag can provide as much protection as possi-
ble » Fig. 173 - 
.
WARNING■
Children must never be seated with their head in the deployment area of
the side airbag – risk of injury!■
Do not place any objects within the deployment area of the side airbags –
risk of injury!

Classification of child seats
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 193.
Classification of child seats according to the ECE-R 44 standard.
GroupWeight of the childApproximate age0up to 10 kgup to 9 months0+up to 13 kgup to 18 months19-18 kgup to 4 years215-25 kgup to 7 years322-36 kgover 7 years

Use of child seats fastened with a seat belt
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 193.
Overview of the usefulness of child seats fastened with a seat belt on each of the
seats in accordance with the ECE-R 16 standard.
GroupFront passenger seatRear seatsexternalRear seat Centre0
up to 10 kgUUU0+
up to 13 kgUUU1
9-18 kgUUU2
15-25 kgUUU3
22-36 kgUUU
Child seat category “Universal” - a child seat designed for fastening on the
seat with the seat belt.

U195Transporting children safely

›Place the filler cap onto the fuel filler neck and turn it clockwise until it securely
engages.›
Close the fuel filler flap until it clicks into place.
Check that the fuel filler flap is closed properly.
Incorrect refuelling guard on vehicles with diesel enginesThe fuel filler tube on vehicles with diesel engines has been fitted with a incor-rect refuelling guard » Fig. 179. This guard means it is only possible to refuel with
the diesel pump nozzle.
If the diesel pump nozzle does not sit directly in the fuel filler tube, move it to and fro with slight pressure to insert it correctly.
CAUTION
■ The fuel tank is full just as soon as the pump nozzle switches off for the first
time, provided the nozzle has been operated properly. Do not continue filling the fuel tank otherwise the expansion volume is filled up.■
Be careful when filling diesel fuel from the spare canister – danger of contami-
nating the body.
■
The diameter of the diesel pump nozzle can be identical to that of the petrol
pump nozzle in some countries. When driving in these countries, the incorrect fu-
elling protection should be removed by a specialist company.
Note
The fuel tank has a capacity of about 50 litres, containing a reserve of approx.
7 litres .
Unleaded petrol
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 212.
Your vehicle can only be operated with unleaded petrol in compliance with the
EN 228 1)
standard.
All petrol engines can be operated using petrol that contains at most 10% bioe-
thanol (E10).
Required fuel - unleaded petrol 95/91 or 92 or 93 RON
Use unleaded fuel with the octane rating 95 RON. Unleaded petrol with the oc-
tane ratings 91, 92 or 93 RON can also be used, but may result in a slight loss in
performance.
Prescribed fuel – unleaded petrol min. 95 RON
Use unleaded fuel with the octane rating 95 RON or higher.
In case of necessity, you can refuel with petrol with the octane ratings 91, 92 or
93 RON, if petrol with the octane rating 95 RON is not available »
.
Prescribed fuel – unleaded petrol 98/(95) RON Use unleaded fuel with the octane rating 98 RON or higher. Unleaded petrol
95 RON can also be used but results in a slight loss in performance.
In case of necessity, you can refuel with petrol with the octane ratings 91, 92 or
93 RON, if unleaded fuel with octane rating 98 RON or 95 RON is not availa-
ble »
.
Fuel additives
Unleaded petrol in accordance with the EN 228 standard 1)
meets all the condi-
tions for a smooth-running engine. We therefore recommend that no fuel addi-
tives are used. This can result in considerable damage to parts of the engine or
the exhaust system.
CAUTION
■ Even filling the tank with leaded petrol that does not meet the standards once
can lead to serious damage to parts of the exhaust system!■
If a fuel other than unleaded fuel which complies to the above mentioned
standards (e.g. leaded petrol) is used by mistake, do not start the engine or
switch on the ignition! Extensive damage to engine parts can occur! We recom-
mend that you have the fuel system cleaned by a specialist garage. 
1)
In Germany also DIN 51626-1 or E10 for unleaded petrol with octane number 91 or 95 or DIN 51626-2
or E5 for unleaded petrol with octane number 95 and 98.
213Inspecting and replenishing

CAUTION■If, in an emergency, the vehicle has to be refuelled with petrol of a lower octane
number than the one prescribed, the journey must only be continued at medium
engine speeds and a low engine load. Driving at high engine revs or a high engine
load can severely damage the engine! Refuel using petrol of the prescribed oc-
tane number as soon as possible.■
Engine parts can be damaged if petrol with a lower octane number than the one
prescribed is used.
■
Even in the event of an emergency, petrol of a lower octane number than 91
RON must not be used, otherwise the engine can be severely damaged!
CAUTION
■ In no case may fuel additives with metal components be used, especially not
with manganese and iron content. LRP(lead replacement petrol) fuels with metal-
lic components may not be used. There is a risk of causing considerable damage
to parts of the engine or exhaust system!■
Fuels with metallic content may not be used. There is a risk of causing consider-
able damage to parts of the engine or exhaust system!
Note
■ Unleaded petrol that has a higher octane number than that required by the en-
gine can be used without limitations.■
On vehicles with prescribed unleaded petrol 95/91, 92 or 93 RON, the use of
petrol with a higher octane number than 95 RON does not result in a noticeable
power increase or a lower fuel consumption.
■
On vehicles using prescribed unleaded petrol of min. 95 RON, the use of petrol
with a higher octane number than 95 RON can increase the power and reduce
fuel consumption.

Diesel fuel
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 212.
Your vehicle can only be operated with diesel fuel that meets the EN 5901)
stand-
ard.
All diesel engines can be operated using diesel fuel with at most 7% biodiesel
(B7) 2)
.
On the Indian market, your vehicle will only be able to run on diesel fuel compli-
ant with standard IS 1460/Bharat IV. If diesel fuel which complies with this stand-
ard is not available, you can refuel with diesel fuel according to standard IS 1460/
Bharat III in case of emergency.
Operation in winter – Winter-grade diesel fuel
In the cold season, only use “winter-grade diesel fuel” which will still operate properly even at a temperature of -20 °C.
It is often the case in countries with different climatic conditions that diesel fuelsavailable have a different temperature characteristic. The ŠKODA Partners and
filling stations in the relevant country will be able to provide you with information
regarding the diesel fuels available.
Preheating fuel
The vehicle is fitted with a fuel filter preheating system. This secures operation of a vehicle using diesel fuel down to an environmental temperature of -24 ℃.
Diesel fuel additives
Additives, so-called “flow improvers ” (petrol and similar agents) should not be mixed with the diesel fuel. This can cause serious damage to engine or exhaust
system parts. 

1)
In Germany also DIN 51628, in Austria ÖNORM C 1590, in Russia GOST R 52368-2005 / EN 590:2004.
2)
In Germany according to the DIN 52638 standard, in Austria ÖNORM C 1590, in France EN 590.
214General Maintenance