2014 Seat Alhambra ignition

344If and when
WARNING (Continued)
● The non-insulated parts of the battery clamps must not be allowed to
touch. The jump lead attached to the positive battery terminal must not
touch metal parts of the vehicle, this can cause a short circuit.
● Position the leads in such a way that they cannot come into contact
with any moving parts in the engine compartment.
● Do not lean on the batteries. This could result in chemical burns.
Note
The vehicles must not touch each other, otherwise electricity could flow as
soon as the positive terminals are connected. 
Towing and tow starting Introduction
When towing, always respect legal requirements.
For technical reasons, it is not possible to tow a vehicle if the battery is flat.
Additional information and warnings:
● Electronic power control and exhaust gases purification system
⇒  page 232
WARNING
A vehicle with a flat battery should never be towed.
● Never remove the key from the ignition lock. The electronic steering
lock could engage. Then the vehicle will be uncontrollable. You may lose
control of the vehicle and there is a risk of serious accident.
WARNING
When towing the vehicle, the handling and braking efficiency change
considerably. Please observe the following instructions to minimise the
risk of serious accidents and injury:
● As the driver of the vehicle being towed:
– The brake must be depressed must harder as the brake servo does
not operate. Always remain aware to avoid collision with the towing
vehicle.
– More strength is required at the steering wheel as the power steer-
ing does not operate when the engine is switched off.
● As the driver of the towing vehicle:
– Accelerate gently and carefully.
– Avoid sudden braking and manoeuvres.
– Brake well in advance than usual and brake gently.
CAUTION
● Carefully fit and remove the towline anchorage and its cover to avoid
damage to the vehicle (for example, paintwork).
● When towing, fuel could enter the catalytic converter and cause dam-
age! 
Instructions for tow starting
In general, the vehicle should not be started by towing. Jump-starting is
much more preferable ⇒ page 341.
For technical reasons, the following vehicles can not be tow started:

345
If and when
● Vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
● Vehicles with an electronic parking brake, given that it is possible that
the brake will not be disengaged.
● If the vehicle battery is flat, it is possible that the engine control units do
not operate correctly.
However, if your vehicle must absolutely be tow-started (manual gearbox):
● Engage the 2nd or 3rd gear.
● Keep the clutch pressed down.
● Switch on the ignition and the hazard warning lights.
● Release the clutch when both vehicles are moving.
● As soon as the engine starts, press the clutch and move the gear lever
into neutral. This helps to prevent a collision with the towing vehicle.
CAUTION
When tow-starting, fuel could enter the catalytic converter and damage it. 
Towing instructions
Tow rope or tow bar
When towing, the tow bar is the safest and vehicle friendly way. You should
only use a tow rope if you do not have a tow bar.
A tow rope should be slightly elastic to avoid damage to both vehicles. It is
advisable to use a tow rope made of synthetic fibre or similarly elastic mate-
rial.
Only secure the tow rope or tow bar to the towline anchorage or specially
designed fitting.
Vehicles with a factory fitted towing device , can only be used for towing
with a tow bar, specially designed to fit on a tow hitch ball ⇒ page 237.Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
Note the following for a towed vehicle:
●
Make sure the gear selector lever is in the N position.
● Do not drive faster than 50 km/h (30 mph).
● Do not tow further than 50 km (30 miles).
● If a breakdown truck is used, the vehicle must be towed with the front
wheels raised. Note the following instructions for towing four all-wheel drive
vehicles.
Instructions for towing all-wheel drive vehicles
All-wheel drive vehicles can be towed using a toolbar or tow rope. If the ve-
hicle is towed with the front or rear axle raised, the engine must be turned
off to avoid transmission damage.
For vehicles with a double clutched DSG ®
(direct shift gearbox) the instruc-
tions for towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox apply ⇒ page 345.
Situations in which the vehicle should not be towed
In the following cases, the vehicle should not be towed but transported on a
trailer or special vehicle:
● If the vehicle gearbox does not contain lubricant due to a fault.
● If the vehicle battery is flat and, as a result, the electronic steering lock
and electronic parking brake cannot be disengaged if applied.
● If the vehicle to be towed has an automatic gearbox and the distance to
be covered is greater than 50 km (30 miles).
Note
The vehicle can only be towed if the electronic parking brake and steering
lock are deactivated. If the vehicle has no power supply or there is an elec-
tric system fault, the engine must be started using jump leads to deactivate
the electronic parking brake and electronic steering lock. 
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

347
If and when
● Screw in the towline anchorage into its position anticlockwise as far as
it will go ⇒ 
. Use a suitable tool to firmly tighten the towline anchorage in
its location.
● After towing, remove the towline anchorage by turning it clockwise and
put the cover back in place.
CAUTION
● The towline anchorage must always be completely and firmly tightened.
Otherwise, it could be released while towing and tow-starting.
● Vehicles with a factory fitted towing bracket, can only be used for towing
with a tow bar, specially designed to fit on a tow hitch ball. Otherwise, the
tow hitch ball and the vehicle may be damaged. Otherwise, a tow rope
should be used. 
Towing advice
Towing requires some experience, especially when using a tow rope. Both
drivers should be familiar with the technique required for towing. For this
reason, inexperienced drivers should abstain.
While driving, avoid excessive traction forces and jerking. When towing on
an unpaved road, there is always a risk of overloading and damaging the
anchorage points.
If the vehicle is towed, with the hazard warning lights on and the ignition
switched on, the turn signal may be used to indicate changes of direction.
Simply operate the turn signal lever as usual. Meanwhile, the hazard warn-
ing lights will go off. When the turn signal lever is returned to the rest posi-
tion, the hazard warning lights will be turned on automatically. Notes for the driver of the towed vehicle
●
Leave the ignition on to avoid locking the steering wheel, to release the
electronic parking brake and to activate the turn signals, the horn as well as
the window wipers and window washers.
● As the power assisted steering does not work if the engine is not run-
ning, you will need more strength to steer than normally.
● The brake must be depressed must harder as the brake servo does not
operate. Avoid hitting the towing vehicle.
● Note the instructions and information contained in the Instruction Man-
ual for the vehicle to be towed.
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
● Accelerate gently and carefully. Avoid sudden manoeuvres.
● Brake well in advance than usual and brake gently.
● Note the instructions and information contained in the Instruction Man-
ual for the vehicle to be towed. 
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

Anti-theft bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Anti-theft locking bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Anti-theft wheel locking bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Anti-tow system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Anti-trap functionElectric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Panoramic sliding sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Sun blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Antifreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Armrests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
ASR See "Brake assist systems" . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
See "Brake assist" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Turning on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Electronic differential lock system (EDL andXDS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . 191
Assist systems Anti-lock brake system (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . 191
Auto Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Braking assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Lane Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Lane Assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Optical parking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Park Assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Parking sensor system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Rear Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Rear assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Sign Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Start-Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Start assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Traction control system (ASR) . . . . . . . . . . 193
Traction control when accelerating (ASR) . 192
Tyre monitoring indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Auto Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Automatic belt retainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Automatic car wash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Switching Auto Hold off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Switching the start assist off . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Automatic consumer disconnection . . . . . . . . 295
Automatic dipped beam control . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Changing gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
DSG automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Kickdown system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Launch-Control programme . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Manually unlocking the gear selector lever . .323
Please also see "Changing gears" . . . . . . 176
Safety interlock for ignition key . . . . . . . . . 174
See "Automatic gearbox" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
AUX-IN connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Auxiliary heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165, 273 Automatic off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Operating instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Remote control range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Remote control: Replacing the battery . . . 166
Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Switching on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Things to note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165, 168
Auxiliary heater remote control Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Axle loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
B
BAS See "Brake assist systems" . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Battery Discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Discharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
See Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Battery acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Before starting out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Belt height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Belt tensioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Service and disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Belt tension limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Bicycle carrier Installing a bicycle carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Maximum load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Bonnet Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Bottle holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
362 Index

Data storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Driving through water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ecological . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Economic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Fuel level to low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Parking downhill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Parking uphill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Undercarriage guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Driving abroad Check list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Driving in winter Fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Snow chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Windscreen washer reservoir . . . . . . . . . . 249
Winter tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Driving through water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Driving tips For a loaded vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Technical requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
DSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
DSG automatic gearbox See "Automatic gearbox" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 DSG Automatic gearbox
Malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Dynamic headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . 102 Dynamic headlight range control . . . . . . . 102
E
Ecological driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Economic driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
EDL See "Brake assist systems" . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Electrical components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154, 317
Electrical consumers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155, 168
Electric child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Electric devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Electric sliding doors Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Rollback anti-trap function . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Anti-trap function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Automatic one-touch operation . . . . . . . . . 90
Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Convenience closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Convenience opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
One-touch opening/closing . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Electronic differential lock system (EDL and XDS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Electronic immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Electronic parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . 191 Emergencies
Fire extinguishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
First aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Hazard warning triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Emergency brake indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Emergency braking function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Emergency locking and unlocking . . . . . . . . . 318 Driver door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Manually unlocking the gear selector lever . .323
Panoramic sliding sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Passenger side door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Sliding doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Engine Noises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Running-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Engine and ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172, 175 12 Volt power sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Pre-heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Unauthorised vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Water box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Checking the level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Filler neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
G 12 plus-plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
366 Index

Preparation before replacing . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
G General instrument panel Turn signal and headlight lever . . . . . . . . . . 97
General overview of the engine compartment 352
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Glove compartment lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
H Handbrake See "Parking brake" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Hazard warning triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Headlamp range adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Headlight adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Headlight lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Headlights Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Dipped beam headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Headlight control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Headlight washers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Side light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Turning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Head restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Heated rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Heated seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Heated windscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
High pressure cleaning equipment . . . . . . . . . 248
Hitch ball
Electric release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
I
Ignition See "Engine and ignition" . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Safety interlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Unauthorised vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Operating fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
In case of a breakdown Securing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
In case of an emergency Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
In case of a breakdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Protecting yourself and securing the vehi-cle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
In case of emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Indication on display Sign Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Indicator Vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Information on consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Initial operations Changing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 63
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57, 58, 63
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Integrated child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Seat belt routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Setting up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Interior monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
ISOFIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
J Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
K
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Assigning a key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Changing the battery (vehicle key) . . . . . . . 74
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Spare key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Vehicle key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Key switch Deactivating the front passenger front air-bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Kickdown system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Knee airbag See "Airbag system" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
368 Index