Side airbagsFig. 145
Position of the airbag in the front seat / back
Fig. 146
Inflated airbags
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 170.
In the event of severe side collisions, the side airbag system provides additional
protection for the upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) of passengers in the ve- hicle.
The front side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the front seats » Fig. 145 -
.
The rear side airbags are located between the entrance area and the seat back-
rest » Fig. 145 -
.
When the side airbags are deployed, the head airbag and belt tensioner are also automatically deployed on the relevant side.
The load of the occupants is cushioned when plunging into the fully inflated air-
bag » Fig. 146 and the risk of injury to the entire upper body (chest, stomach and
pelvis) is reduced on the side facing the door.WARNINGInformation on correct seating position■Your head should never be positioned in the deployment area of the side
airbag. You might suffer severe injuries in the event of an accident. This ap- plies in particular to children who are transported without using a suitablechild safety seat » page 179, Child safety and side airbag .■
There must not be any further persons, animals as well as objects posi-
tioned between the occupants and the deployment area of the airbag. No ac-
cessories, such as cup holders, should be attached to the doors.
■
If children adopt an incorrect seated position when travelling, they may be
exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an accident. This can re-
sult in serious injuries » page 177, Child seat .
WARNINGThe airbag control unit operates using pressure sensors located in the front
doors. For this reason, no adjustments may be carried out to the doors or door
panels (e.g. installation of additional loudspeakers). Resulting damage can have a negative impact on the function of the airbag system. Any work on thefront doors and door panels must be carried out by a specialist garage. The
following instructions must be observed.■
Never drive with inner door panels removed.
■
Never drive if parts of the inner door panel have been removed and the re-
sulting openings have not been properly sealed.
■
Never drive if the loudspeakers in the doors have been removed, unless the
loudspeaker openings have been properly sealed.
■
Always make sure that the openings are covered or filled if additional loud-
speakers or other equipment parts have been installed in the inner door pan-
els.
■
Always have work carried out by a ŠKODA service partner or a professional
specialist garage.
173Airbag system
WARNINGInformation on the use of the airbag system■It is prohibited to manipulate individual parts of the airbag system, as this
might result in the airbag being deployed.■
Never install any airbag parts into the vehicle that have been removed from
old cars or have been recycled.
■
Never install damaged airbag parts in the vehicle. The airbags may then not
be deployed properly or even at all in the event of an accident.
■
No modifications of any kind must be made to parts of the airbag system.
WARNING■ A change to the vehicle's wheel suspension, including the use of non-ap-
proved wheels and tire combinations, can alter the functioning of the airbag system - risk of accident and fatal injury!■
Never make any changes to the front bumper or the bodywork.
WARNINGThe airbag control unit operates using pressure sensors located in the front
doors. For this reason, no adjustments may be carried out to the doors or door
panels (e.g. installation of additional loudspeakers). Resulting damage can have a negative impact on the function of the airbag system. Any work on thefront doors and door panels must be carried out by a specialist garage. The
following instructions must be observed.■
Never drive with inner door panels removed.
■
Never drive if parts of the inner door panel have been removed and the re-
sulting openings have not been properly sealed.
■
Never drive if the loudspeakers in the doors have been removed, unless the
loudspeaker openings have been properly sealed.
■
Always make sure that the openings are covered or filled if additional loud-
speakers or other equipment parts have been installed in the inner door pan-
els.
Washing your car
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Washing by hand
188
Automatic car wash systems
188
Washing with a high-pressure cleaner
188
The best way to protect your vehicle against harmful environmental influences is frequent washing.
How often the vehicle should be washed depends on factors such as:
› Frequency of use.
› Parking situation (garage, under trees etc.).
› Season.
› Weather conditions.
› Environmental influences.
The longer insect residues, bird droppings, tree sap, road and industrial dust, tar, soot particles, road salt and other aggressive deposits remain adhering to the paintwork of your vehicle, the more detrimental their destructive effect can be.
High temperatures, such as those caused by intensive sun's rays, accentuate this
caustic effect.
It is essential to also thoroughly clean the underside of the vehicle at the end of
the winter.
WARNING■ When washing your vehicle in the winter: Water and ice in the braking sys-
tem can affect the braking efficiency – risk of accident!■
Only wash the vehicle when the ignition is switched off – risk of accident!
CAUTION
Do not wash your vehicle in bright sunlight – risk of paint damage.
For the sake of the environment
Only wash the vehicle at washing bays intended for this purpose.
187Vehicle care
Full wheel trimFirst read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 212.
Extracting
›
Hook the clamp found in the vehicle tool kit » page 220 into the reinforced edge
of the wheel trim.
›
Push the wheel wrench through the clamp, support on the tyre and pull off the
wheel trim.
Install
›
Press the wheel trim onto the wheel rim at the designated valve opening.
›
Then press the trim into the wheel rim until its entire circumference locks cor- rectly in place.
CAUTION
■ Use the pressure of your hand only, do not strike the full wheel trim. Avoid
heavy impacts when the trim has not yet been inserted into the wheel rim. This
could cause damage to the guide and centring elements of the trim.■
When using the anti-theft wheel bolt, ensure that it is in the hole in the valve
area » page 224 , Securing wheels against theft .
■
If wheel trims are retrofitted it must be ensured that an adequate flow of air is
assured to cool the brake system.
Wheel bolts
Fig. 169
Remove the capFirst read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 212.
Pulling off
›
Push the extraction pliers » page 220 sufficiently far onto the cap until the inner
catches of the pliers are positioned at the collar of the cap.
›
Remove the cover in the direction of the arrow » Fig. 169.
Installing
›
Push the caps onto the wheel bolts up to the stop.
The wheel bolt caps are housed in a plastic box in the spare wheel or in the stor-
age space for the spare wheel.
Wheel bolts
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 212.
Wheels and wheel bolts are matched to each other in terms of design. Each time
you fit other wheels rims, e.g. light alloy wheel rims or wheels with winter tyres,
you must also use the matching wheel bolts with the correct length and dome
shape. This is a prerequisite for ensuring that wheels are attached correctly.
Winter operation
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Winter tyres
218
Snow chains
218
217Wheels
Loosening/tightening wheel boltsFig. 174
Changing a wheel: Loosening
the wheel bolts
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 221.
Loosening
›
Push the wheel wrench onto the wheel bolt up to the stop 1)
.
›
Grasp the end of the wrench and turn the bolt about one turn in the direction of
the arrow » Fig. 174.
Tightening
›
Push the wheel wrench onto the wheel bolt up to the stop 1)
.
›
Grasp the end of the wrench and turn the bolt against the direction of the ar-
row » Fig. 174 , until it is tight.
WARNINGUndo the wheel bolts only a little (about one turn) as long as the vehicle has
not yet been jacked up. Otherwise the wheel could come off and fall down – risk of injury!
Note
If it proves difficult to undo the bolts, carefully apply pressure to the end of the
wrench with your foodt. Keep hold of the vehicle when doing so, and make sure
you keep your footing.
Raising the vehicleFig. 175
Jacking points for positioning
lifting jack
Fig. 176
Attach lifting jack
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 221.
Position the lifting jack below the jacking point closest to the faulty wheel » Fig. 175 . The jacking point is located directly below the engraving in the
lower sill.
›
Position the lifting jack below the jacking point with the crank and move it up
until its claw is positioned below the vertical web of the lower sill.
›
Align the lifting jack so that its claw grasps the web » Fig. 176 -
.
›
Support the base plate of the lifting jack with its entire surface resting on level
ground and ensure that the lever is positioned vertically to the point at which the claw grasps the web » Fig. 176 -
.
›
Continue turning up the jack until the wheel is just about lifted off the ground.
1)
Use the appropriate adapter for undoing and tightening the anti-theft wheel bolts
» page 224.
223Emergency equipment and self-help