2013 SKODA RAPID battery

The automatic start procedure takes place again. The warning symbol  goes
out.
Further information on automatic transmission Engine shut down takes place when the selector lever is in positions P, D , S and N
and in Tiptronic mode.
When the selector lever is in position P, the engine remains shut down even after
you release the brake pedal. Start the engine by pressing the gas pedal or by moving the selector lever into a different mode and releasing the brake pedal.
If the selector lever is moved into position R during the STOP phase , the engine
will re-start.
No automatic engine shutdown takes place when the vehicle is moving at low speed (e.g. during a traffic jam or when tuning) and remains stationary after
pressing the brake pedal lightly. Automatic engine shutdown takes place if you
press the brake pedal down with more force.
Operating conditions of the system
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 116.
The START-STOP system is very complex. Some of the procedures are hard to check without servicing.
No engine shut down is carried out
Before each STOP phase, the system checks whether certain conditions have
been met. No engine shut down takes place in the following situations.
› The engine has not reached the minimum temperature for the START STOP
mode.
› The temperature inside the vehicle has not reached the desired temperature
set in the air-conditioning system/heating.
› The external temperature is very low/high.
› The intensive windscreen heater (Climatronic) or windscreen heater/ventilation
is switched on with the maximum air temperature setting (manual air condition-
ing system).
› The parking aid is activated.
› The charge state of the vehicle battery is too low.
› The stationary vehicle is on a steep slope or a steep downhill section.
› The idling speed is too high.
› The steering angle is too large (manoeuvring).
› The selector lever position
R is selected (e.g. when parking).
The warning symbol  appears in the instrument cluster display.
The automatic start procedure takes place again
During the STOP phase, the engine fires up without any active driver intervention, e.g. in the following situations.
› The vehicle begins to roll, e.g. on a slope.
› The difference between the temperature setting of the air-conditioning sys-
tem/heating and the temperature of the interior is too large.
› The intensive windscreen heater (Climatronic) or windscreen heater/ventilation
is switched on with the maximum air temperature setting (manual air condition-
ing system).
› The brake pedal was pressed several times (the pressure in the braking system
is too low).
› The charge state of the vehicle battery is too low.
› The current consumption is too high.
Manually activating/deactivating the system
Fig. 103
Button for the START-STOP sys-
tem
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 116.
Activation/deactivation
›
Press the symbol button 
» Fig. 103 .
When start-stop mode is deactivated, the warning light in the button lights up.
Note
If the system is deactivated during the STOP phase, the automatic start proce-
dure takes place.
117Assist systems

WARNINGInjuries or scolding or risks of accident or fire may occur when working in the
engine compartment. For this reason, it is essential to comply with the warn- ing instructions outlined below and with the general applicable safety rules.
The engine compartment of your car is a hazardous area!WARNINGThe following instructions must be followed before starting work in the en-
gine compartment.■
Turn off the engine and withdraw the ignition key.
■
Firmly apply the handbrake.
■
If the vehicle is fitted with a manual gearbox, move the gearshift lever into
Neutral, or if the vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox, move the selec-
tor lever into position P.
■
Allow the engine to cool.
■
Never open the bonnet if you can see steam or coolant escaping from the
engine compartment – risk of scalding! Wait until no more steam or coolant is escaping.
WARNINGThe following instructions must be followed when working in the engine com-
partment.■
Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
■
Never touch the radiator fan while the engine is still warm. The fan might
suddenly start running!
■
Do not touch any hot engine parts – risk of burns!
■
The coolant additive and thus all of the coolant is harmful to your health.
■
Avoid contact with the coolant.
■
Coolant vapours are harmful to health.
■
Never open the end cover of the coolant expansion reservoir while the en-
gine is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!
■
When opening the end cover of the coolant expansion reservoir, cover it
with a cloth to protect your face, hands and arms from hot steam or hot cool-
ant.
■
If any coolant splashes into your eyes, immediately rinse out your eyes with
clear water and contact a doctor as soon as possible.
WARNING (Continued)■ Always store the coolant additive securely in its original container, and in
particular out of the reach of children – risk of poisoning!■
If coolant is swallowed, consult a doctor immediately.
■
Do not leave any items (e.g. cloths or tools) in the engine compartment.
■
Never spill fluids on the hot engine. Such fluids (e.g. the antifreeze con-
tained in the coolant) may ignite!
WARNINGThe following warning instructions must be observed at all times when work-
ing in the engine compartment while the engine is running.■
Pay particular attention to rotating engine parts (e.g. V-ribbed belt, genera-
tor, radiator fan) and the high-voltage ignition system – risk to life!
■
Never touch the electric wiring on the ignition system.
■
Avoid short circuits in the electrical system – particularly on the vehicle's
battery.
■
Always make sure that no jewellery, loose clothing or long hair can get
caught in rotating engine parts – risk to life! Always remove any jewellery, tie
back long hair and wear tight fitting clothing before completing any work.
WARNINGThe following warning instructions must be observed if work has to be carried
out on the fuel or electrical systems.■
Always disconnect the vehicle battery from the electrical system.
■
Do not smoke.
■
Never work near open flames.
■
Always have a functioning fire extinguisher nearby.
WARNING■ Read and observe the information and warning instructions on the fluid con-
tainers.■
Keep fluids in their original containers and keep securely out of the reach of
children! 
163Inspecting and replenishing

›Take the bonnet support out of its holder 3
» Fig. 133 in the direction of the
arrow and secure the opened bonnet by inserting the end of the support into the opening 4
.
Closing
›
Lift the bonnet slightly and unhook the bonnet support. Insert the bonnet sup-
port into the designated holder
3
» Fig. 133 .
›
Let the bonnet drop into the lock carrier lock from a height of around 20 cm – do
not push it in .
WARNINGCheck that the bonnet is closed properly.
CAUTION
Never open the bonnet using the release lever » Fig. 132.
Engine compartment overview
Fig. 134
Principle sketch: Engine compartment
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn- ings
on page 162.
Coolant expansion reservoir
169
Windscreen washer fluid reservoir
165
Engine oil filler opening
168123Engine oil dipstick167Brake fluid reservoir170
Vehicle battery
171
Note
The location of the inspection points in the engine compartment of petrol and
diesel engines is practically identical.
Radiator fan
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 162.
The radiator fan is powered by an electric motor. Operation is controlled accord-
ing to the temperature of the coolant.
WARNINGAfter switching off the ignition, the fan may intermittently continue to oper-
ate for approx. 10 minutes.

Windscreen washer system
Fig. 135
Engine compartment: Wind-
screen washer fluid reservoir
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn- ings on page 162.
The windscreen washer fluid reservoir is located in the engine compartment and
contains the cleaning fluid for the windscreen or rear window and for the head-
lights. 
456165Inspecting and replenishing

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 indicated by the indicator light  » page 15 ,  Brake system lighting up in the instrument cluster.
Changing
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 170.
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:
Opening the cover
172
Checking the battery electrolyte level
173
Charging
173
Replacing
174
Disconnecting and reconnecting
174
Automatic load deactivation
174Warning symbols on the vehicle batterySymbolMeaningAlways 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, slin 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! 
171Inspecting and replenishing

WARNING■It is prohibited to work with naked flames or lights.■It is prohibited to smoke or carry out any activities that produce sparks.■
Never use a damaged vehicle battery – risk of explosion!
■
Never charge a frozen or thawed vehicle battery – risk of explosion and
chemical burns!
■
Replace a frozen vehicle battery.
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with insufficient acid levels – risk of ex-
plosion and chemical burns.
WARNING■ When you charge a battery, hydrogen is released, and a highly explosive gas
mixture is also produced. An explosion can be caused through sparkling over during unclamping or loosening of the cable plug while the ignition is on.■
Creating a bridge between the poles on the battery (e.g. with a metal object
or cable) creates a short circuit - risk of melting the lead bars, and risk of ex-
plosion, battery fire and acid splashes.
■
Avoid creating sparks when working with cables and electrical devices.
Strong sparking represents a risk of injury.
■
Before carrying out any work on the electrical system, switch off the engine,
the ignition and all electrical components and disconnect the negative termi-
nal (-) on the battery.
CAUTION
Improper handling of the battery can lead to damage. We recommend having all
work on the vehicle battery carried out by a specialist garage.
CAUTION
■ The vehicle battery must only be disconnected if the ignition is switched off,
otherwise the vehicle's electrical system (electronic components) can be dam-
aged. When disconnecting the battery from the electrical system, first of all dis-
connect the negative terminal (-) of the battery, followed by the positive terminal
(+).■
When connecting the battery to the electrical system, first of all connect the
positive terminal (+) of the battery, followed by the negative terminal (-). Under no
circumstances must the battery cables be connected incorrectly – risk of a cable fire.
■ Ensure that battery acid does not come into contact with the bodywork – risk of
damage to the paintwork.■
Do not place the battery in direct daylight in order to protect the vehicle battery
housing from the effects of ultra-violet light.
■
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery will
discharge. This is because certain electrical components consume electricity (e. g.
control units) also in idle state. Prevent the battery from discharging by discon- necting the battery's negative terminal (-) or continuously charging the battery
with a very low charging current.
■
If the vehicle is frequently used for making short trips, the vehicle battery will
not have time to charge up sufficiently and may discharge.
For the sake of the environment
A vehicle battery that has been removed is a special type of hazardous waste.
These must be disposed of in accordance with national legal regulations.
Note
You should replace batteries older than 5 years.
Opening the cover
Fig. 139
Vehicle battery: Open up the
cover
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn- ings on page 171.
The battery is located in the engine compartment.
›
Open the battery cover in the direction of the arrow » Fig. 139.
The installation of the battery cover on the positive terminal side takes place in the reverse order.

172General Maintenance

Checking the battery electrolyte levelFig. 140
Vehicle battery: Electrolyte level
indicator
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 171.
On vehicles with a vehicle battery fitted with a colour indicator, the so-called
magic eye » Fig. 140, the electrolyte level can be determined by looking at the
change in colour.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason carefully
knock on the indicator before carrying out the check.
› Black colour – electrolyte level is correct.
› Colourless or light yellow colour – electrolyte level too low, the battery must be
replaced.
Vehicles with a START-STOP system are fitted with a battery control unit for checking the energy level for the recurring engine start.
We recommend that you have the acid level checked regularly by a specialist ga-
rage, especially in the following cases.
› High external temperatures.
› Longer day trips.
› After each charge.
Winter time
The vehicle battery only has a proportion of the starting power in lower tempera-
tures. A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures just be-
low 0 °C .
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked and, if necessary, re-
charged by a specialist garage before the start of the winter.
CAUTIONFor technical reasons, on vehicles with the description “AGM”, the electrolyte lev- el cannot be checked.
Note
The battery acid level is also checked regularly by a specialist garage as part of
the inspection service.
Charging
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 171.
A properly charged vehicle battery is essential for reliably starting the engine.
›
Switch off the ignition and all of the electrical components.
›
Only when performing a “quick-charge”, disconnect both battery cables (first
“negative”, then “positive”).
›
Attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals (red = “posi- tive”, black = “negative”).
›
Plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and switch on the
device.
›
After charging has been successful: Switch off the charger and remove themains cable from the power socket.
›
Only then disconnect the charger's terminal clamps.
›
Reconnect the cables to the battery (first “positive”, then “negative”).
It is not necessary to disconnect the cables of the battery if you recharge the ve-
hicle battery using low amperages (for example from a mini-charger). Refer to the
instructions of the charger manufacturer .
A charging current of 0.1 multiple of the total vehicle battery capacity (or lower) must be used until full charging is achieved.
It is necessary to disconnect both cables before charging the battery with high
amperages, known as “ rapid charging”.
The vent plugs of the vehicle battery should not be opened for charging. 
173Inspecting and replenishing

WARNING“Quick-charging” the vehicle battery is dangerous and requires a special
charger and specialist knowledge.
CAUTION
On vehicles with the START/STOP system, the pole terminal of the charger must
not be connected directly to the negative terminal of the vehicle battery, but only
to the engine earth » page 191, Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP
system .
Note
We therefore recommend that vehicle batteries be rapid charged by a specialist
garage.
Replacing
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 171.
When replacing a battery, the new vehicle battery must have the same capacity,
voltage, amperage and be the same size. Suitable vehicle battery types can be
purchased from a specialist garage.
We recommend having the battery replaced by a specialist garage, where the
new vehicle battery will be installed properly and the original battery will be dis-
posed of in accordance with national regulations.

Disconnecting and reconnecting
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 171.
On disconnecting and reconnecting the vehicle battery, the following functions
are initially deactivated or are no longer able to operate fault-free:
OperationOperating measureEnter the radio/navigation system code num-
ber» User manual of the radio
or » user manual of the naviga-
tion systemSetting the clock» page 13Data in the multifunction display are deleted.» page 25
Note
We recommend having the vehicle checked by a specialist garage in order to en-
sure full functionality of all electrical systems.
Automatic load deactivation
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 171.
The vehicle voltage control unit automatically prevents the battery from discharg-
ing when the battery is put under high levels of strain. This manifests itself by the
following.
› The idling speed is raised to allow the generator to deliver more electricity to
the electrical system.
› Where necessary, large convenience consumers such as seat heaters and rear
window heaters have their power limited or are shut off completely in the event
of an emergency.
CAUTION
■ Despite such intervention by the vehicle electric system management, the vehi-
cle battery may be drained. For example, when the ignition is switched on a long
time with the engine turned off or the side or parking lights are turned on during longer parking.■
Consumers that are supplied via a 12-V power socket can cause the vehicle bat-
tery to discharge when the ignition is switched off.
Note
Driving comfort is not impaired by consumers being deactivated. The driver is of-
ten not aware of it having taken place.
174General Maintenance

›Hold the bottle 10 with the bottom facing upwards and fill all of the sealing
agent from the tyre inflator bottle into the tyre.›
Remove the empty tyre inflator bottle from the valve.
›
Screw the valve core back into the tyre valve using the valve remover
1
.
Inflating
›
Screw the air compressor tyre inflation hose
5
» Fig. 154 on page 188 firmly on-
to the tyre valve.
›
Check that the air release valve
7
is closed.
›
Start the engine and run it in idle.
›
Plug the connector
9
into 12 Volt socket » page 60, 12-volt power outlet .
›
Switch on the air compressor with the ON and OFF switch
8
.
›
Allow the air compressor to run until a pressure of 2.0 - 2.5 bar is achieved. Max-
imum run time of 8 minutes » !
›
Switch off the air compressor.
›
If you cannot reach an air pressure of 2.0 – 2.5 bar, unscrew the tyre inflation
hose
5
from the tyre valve.
›
Drive the vehicle 10 metres forwards or backwards to allow the sealing agent to
“distribute” in the tyre.
›
Firmly screw the tyre inflation hose
5
back onto the tyre valve and repeat the
inflation process.
›
If you cannot reach the required tyre inflation pressure here either, this means
the tyre has sustained too much damage. You cannot seal with tyre with the breakdown kit »
.
›
Switch off the air compressor.
›
Remove the tyre inflation hose
5
from the tyre valve.
Once a tyre inflation pressure of 2.0 – 2.5 bar is achieved, continue the journey at
a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
Check the tyre inflation pressure after driving for 10 minutes » page 189.
WARNING■
The tyre inflation hose and air compressor may get hot as the tyre is being
inflated – there is a risk of injury.■
Do not place the hot tyre inflation hose or hot air compressor on flammable
materials – there is a risk of fire.
■
If you cannot inflate the tyre to at least 2.0 bar, this means the damage sus-
tained was too serious. The sealing agent cannot be used to seal the tyre. 
Do not drive the vehicle. Seek help from a specialist garage.
CAUTIONSwitch off the air compressor after running 8 minutes at the latest – there is a
risk of overheating. Allow the air compressor to cool a few minutes before switch- ing it on again.
Check after 10 minutes' driving
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 187.
Check the tyre inflation pressure after driving for 10 minutes!
If the tyre pressure is 1.3 bar or less
›
 Do not drive the vehicle! You cannot properly seal with tyre with the break-
down kit.
If the tyre pressure is 1.3 bar or more
›
Adjust the tyre inflation pressure to the correct value (see inside of fuel filler cap).
›
Continue driving carefully to the nearest specialist garage at a maximum speed
of 80 km/h (50 mph).

Jump-starting
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle
190
Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP system
191WARNING■ A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures just below
0 °C. If the battery is frozen, do not jump start with the battery of another ve- hicle – there is a risk of explosion.■
Pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the engine
compartment » page 162. 
189Emergency equipment and self-help