
Checking and refilling levels
recommends you have the battery replaced
by a technical service.
Use only maintenance-free genuine batteries
conforming to TL 825 06 and VW 7 50 73
Standards. These standards must be dated
April 2008 or later.
Vehicles fitted with the Start-Stop system are
equipped with a special battery. Therefore,
this battery must only be replaced by another
with the same specifications.
Disconnecting the vehicle's battery
If you must disconnect the battery from the
electrical system, please note the following:
● Switch off the ignition and all electrical
equipment.
● The vehicle must be unlocked before dis-
connecting the battery, otherwise the alarm
will be triggered.
● First disconnect the negative cable and
then the positive ››› .
Connecting the vehicle's battery
● Before reconnecting the battery, switch off
the engine and all electrical devices.
● First reconnect the positive cable and then
the negative ››› .
Different control lamps may light up after
connecting the battery and switching the ig-
nition on. They will be turned off after a short trip at a speed of between 15-20 km/h
(10-12 mph). If the warning indicators remain
lit, please visit a specialised workshop to
have the vehicle checked.
If the battery has been disconnected for a
long time, it is possible that the next service
date is not displayed or calculated correctly
››› page 36 . Respect the maximum service in-
t er
vals permitted ››› Booklet Maintenance
Programme.
Autom
atic device disconnection
The intelligent vehicle electrical system auto-
matically implements a range of measures to
prevent the battery from discharging when
high demands are made on it:
● The idling speed is increased so that the al-
ternator provides more electricity.
● Where necessary, the power to the most
powerful devices is reduced or even com-
pletely disconnected.
● On starting the engine, the power supply
from the 12-volt power sockets and the ciga-
rette lighter may be interrupted for a short
time.
The on-board management program cannot
always prevent the battery from running flat.
For example, if the ignition is left on for a
long period with the engine off or if the side
lights or parking lights are left on while the
vehicle is stationary. Why the battery runs flat:
●
When stationary for a long time without
starting the engine, particularly if the ignition
is switched on.
● Use of electrical devices with the engine
switched off. WARNING
Incorrectly securing the battery or using the
wrong battery can cause short-circuits, fire
and serious injuries.
● Always use only maintenance-free batter-
ies, protected to prevent a leak, and whose
properties, specifications and size corre-
spond to the standard battery. WARNING
A highly explosive mixture of gases is re-
leased when the battery is under charge.
● The batteries should be charged in a well-
ventilated room only.
● Never charge a frozen or recently thawed
battery. A flat battery can also freeze at tem-
peratures close to 0 °C (+32 °F).
● Always replace a battery which has frozen.
● Battery cables not correctly connected may
cause a short circuit. Reconnect first the posi-
tive cable and then the negative cable. » 157
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
CAUTION
● Never disconnect the battery if the ignition
is switched on or if the engine is running.
This could damage the electrical system or
electronic components.
● Never plug accessories that supply current,
such as solar panels or a battery charger, to
the 12-volt power socket or the cigarette
lighter. This could damage the vehicle's elec-
trical system. For the sake of the environment
Dispose of the battery in an environment-
friendly manner. Batteries contain toxic sub-
stances such as sulphuric acid and lead. For the sake of the environment
Battery acid can contaminate the environ-
ment. Collect any spilt service fluids and dis-
pose of them correctly. Wheels and tyres
Wheels Introduction SEAT recommend that all work on tyres and
wheels is carried out by a specialised work-
shop. These workshops have the necessary
special tools and replacement parts, trained
personnel and facilities for disposing of the
old tyres while respecting the environment.
SEAT recommends taking your car in for tech-
nical service.
WARNING
The vehicle cannot be totally controlled or
braked if the tyres (new or used) are worn or
damaged.
● Incorrect use of wheels and tyres could
make driving more dangerous and result in
serious accidents and damage.
● All four wheels must be fitted with radial
tyres of the same type, size (rolling circumfer-
ence) and the same tread pattern.
● New tyres do not give maximum grip and
will not have reached their maximum braking
capacity to start with, and therefore need
running in. To prevent accidents and major
damage, extreme caution should be taken for
the first 600 km. ●
Check tyre pressures regularly and ensure
they are maintained at the pressures indica-
ted. If the tyre pressure is too low, they could
overheat, resulting in tread detachment or
even burst tyres.
● Never drive on damaged (punctured, cut,
cracked or dented) or worn tyres. Driving on
damaged or worn tyres could result in burst
tyres, serious accidents or damage. Worn or
damaged tyres must be replaced immediate-
ly.
● Never exceed the maximum permitted
speed or loads specified for the type of tyre
fitted on your vehicle.
● The effectiveness of driver and brake assist
systems also depends on the grip of the
tyres.
● If you notice unusual vibration or if the ve-
hicle pulls to one side when driving, stop the
car immediately and check the tyres and
wheels for damage.
● To minimise the risk of losing control of the
vehicle or causing a serious accident, never
undo the bolted joints of beadlock wheels.
● Never mount used tyres or wheels if you are
not sure of their previous history. They may
be damaged, although the damage is not im-
mediately visible.
● Old tyres, even if they have never been
used, may lose air or burst unexpectedly
while driving, especially at high speeds, re-
sulting in serious accident and injury. If tyres
are over six years old, they should only be
used in an emergency and with extreme cau-
tion. 158

Wheels and tyres
The tyre pressure control lamp lights up
If the ty
re pressure of a wheel is much lower
than the value set by the driver, then the tyre
pressure control lamp ››› will light up.
WARNING
● When the tyre pressure control lamp lights
up, reduce speed immediately and avoid any
sudden turning or braking manoeuvre. Stop
when possible, and check the tyre pressure
and status.
● The driver is responsible for maintaining
correct tyre pressures. For this reason, tyre
pressure must be regularly checked.
● Under certain circumstances (e.g. when
driving in a sporty manner, in winter condi-
tions or on a dirt track) the tyre control lamp
may light up belatedly or may function incor-
rectly. Note
If the battery is disconnected, the yellow
warning lamp lights up after turning the
ignition on.
This should turn off after a brief
journey. Spare wheel or temporary spare
wheel*
Fig. 118
In the luggage compartment: hand
controlled wheel for securing the spare wheel Removing the spare wheel
● Open the rear lid and lift the luggage com-
partment shelf ››› page 73 .
● If nec
essary, remove the boot variable floor
››› page 73.
● Lift
up the carpet from the recess and re-
move it from the luggage compartment.
● If necessary, take out the vehicle tool kit
with the container.
● Completely remove the hand controlled
wheel from the centre of the spare wheel
››› Fig. 118 by turning it in an anticlockwise
direction, and t
ake out the spare wheel. Storing the replaced wheel
● Pull back the carpet.
● With the wheel rim facing downwards, sit-
uate the replaced wheel in the spare wheel
well so that the wheel rim central hole coin-
cides with the opening.
● Turn the hand controlled wheel with the
shank screwed clockwise until the replaced
wheel is secured.
● If necessary, store the vehicle tool in the
container, inside the boot.
● Replace the carpet on the boot floor.
● Lower the rear shelf.
● Close the rear lid.
If the spare wheel is different to the rest of
the vehicle tyres
If the spare tyre is not the same as the tyres
that are mounted on the vehicle - for example
with winter tyres or the temporary spare
wheel - you should only use the spare tyre for
a short period of time and drive with extra
care ››› .
Refit the normal road wheel as soon as possi-
ble.
Please observe driving advice:
● Do not drive faster than 80 km/h (50 mph).
● Avoid heavy acceleration, hard braking and
fast cornering. »
165
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
drawing attention to your vehicle. This meth-
od must comply with traffic legislation. WARNING
A faulty vehicle in traffic represents a risk of
accident for the driver and for other road
users.
● Stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible.
Park the vehicle a safe distance from sur-
rounding traffic to lock all the doors in case of
an emergency. Turn on the hazard warning
lights to warn other road users.
● Never leave children or disabled people
alone in the vehicle if the doors are to be
locked. In case of an emergency, passengers
will be trapped inside the vehicle. Individuals
locked in the vehicle can be exposed to very
high or very low temperatures. WARNING
The components of the exhaust system reach
very high temperatures. This could cause a
fire and considerable damage.
● Always park your vehicle so that no part of
the exhaust system can come in contact with
flammable materials (such as dried grass or
fuel). Note
● The vehicle battery will discharge and run
down if the hazard warning lights remain on
for too long (even with the ignition turned
off). ●
For some vehicles, the brake lights will
blink when braking suddenly at speeds of ap-
proximately 80 km/h (50 mph) to alert vehi-
cles to the rear. If braking continues, the haz-
ard warning lights system will automatically
be turned on at a speed of less than approxi-
mately 10 km/h (6 mph). The brake lights re-
main lit. Upon accelerating, the hazard warn-
ing lights will be automatically turned off. Vehicle tool kit*
Introduction When securing the vehicle in case of a break-
down, please note the legal requirements for
each country.
Vehicle tool kit
For vehicles with a factory-fitted spare wheel
or temporary spare wheel, in addition to win-
ter wheels, the luggage compartment may
contain additional vehicle tools
››› page 172. WARNING
When the vehicle tool kit, tire mobility set
and spare wheel are loose in the interior they
can be violently thrown in case of a sudden
manoeuvre or braking and especially in acci-
dents, causing serious injury.
● Ensure that the vehicle tool kit, the tire mo-
bility set and the spare wheel or temporary spare wheel are safely secured in the luggage
compartment.
WARNING
Unsuitable or damaged vehicle tools can
cause injury or accidents.
● Never work with inappropriate or damaged
tools. Location
Fig. 122
In the luggage compartment: Raised
carpet. The vehicle tool kit, spare wheel, temporary
spare wheel and the tire mobility set are stor-
ed in the luggage compartment under the
carpeted floor panel
›››
Fig. 122 .
● If nec
essary, remove the boot variable floor
››› page 73.
172

Emergencies
WARNING
When inflating the wheel, the air compressor
and the inflator tube may become hot.
● Protect hands and skin from hot parts.
● Do not place the hot flexible inflator tube or
hot air compressor on flammable material.
● Allow them to cool before storing the de-
vice.
● If it is not possible to inflate the tyre to at
least 2.0 bars (29 psi / 200 kPa), the tyre is
too badly damaged. The sealant is not in a
good condition to seal the tyre. Do not con-
tinue driving. Seek specialist assistance. CAUTION
Switch off the air compressor after a maxi-
mum of 8 operational minutes to avoid over-
heating! Before switching on the air compres-
sor again, let it cool for several minutes. Check after 10 minutes of driving
Screw in the inflator tube
›››
Fig. 132 5 again and check the pressure on the gauge
6 .
1.3 bar (19 psi / 130 kPa) and lower:
● Stop the vehicle! The tyre cannot be sealed
sufficiently with the tyre mobility set.
● You should obtain professional assistance
››› . 1.4 bar (20 psi / 140 kPa) and higher:
●
Set the tyre pressure to the correct value
again ››› page 158 .
● Car
efully resume your journey until you
reach the nearest specialised workshop with-
out exceeding 80 km/h (50 mph).
● Have the damaged tyre replaced. WARNING
Driving with an unsealed tyre is dangerous
and can cause accidents and serious injury.
● Do not continue driving if the tyre pressure
is 1.3 bar (19 psi / 130 kPa) and lower.
● Seek specialist assistance. Starting assistance
Introduction If the engine fails to start because of a dis-
charged battery, the battery of another vehi-
cle can be used to start the engine. Before
starting, check the magic eye on the battery
››› page 154 .
F or s
tarting assistance, jump lead cables con-
forming to the standard DIN 72553 are re-
quired (see the cable manufacturer instruc-
tions). The cable section in vehicles with pet-
rol engine must be at least 25 mm 2
. WARNING
Incorrect use of jump leads and incorrectly
jump starting could cause the battery to ex-
plode resulting in serious injury. Please ob-
serve the following rules to minimise the risk
of a battery explosion:
● The battery providing current must have
the same voltage (12V) and approximately
the same capacity (see markings on battery)
as the flat battery.
● Never charge a frozen or recently thawed
battery. A flat battery can also freeze at tem-
peratures close to 0 °C (+32 °F).
● If a battery is frozen and/or has been frozen
then it must be replaced.
● A highly explosive mixture of gases is re-
leased when the battery is being charged. Al-
ways keep lit cigarettes, flames, sparks and
fire far from the battery. Never use a mobile
telephone when connecting and removing the
jump leads.
● Charge the battery only in well ventilated
areas given that when the battery is charged
by outside assistance, it creates a mix of
highly explosive gases.
● Jump leads should never enter into contact
with moving parts in the engine compart-
ment.
● Never switch the positive and negative
poles or connect the jump leads incorrectly.
● Note the instruction manual provided by
the manufacturer of the jump leads. » 181
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
CAUTION
To avoid considerable damage to the vehicle
electrical system, note the following careful-
ly: ● If the jump leads are incorrectly connected,
this could result in a short circuit.
● The vehicles must not touch each other,
otherwise electricity could flow as soon as
the positive terminals are connected. How to jump start: description
Fig. 133
Diagram of connections for vehicles
without Start-Stop system. Fig. 134
Diagram of connections for vehicles
with Start-Stop system. Jump lead terminal connections
1. Switch off the ignition of both vehicles
››› .
2. Connect one end of the red jump lead to
the po s
itive + terminal of the vehicle
with the flat battery A
››› Fig. 133 .
3. C
onnect the other end of the red
jump
lead to the positive terminal + in the ve-
hicle providing assistance B .
4. For vehicles without Start-Stop system:
connect one end of the black jump lead to
the negative terminal – of the vehicle
providing the current B
››› Fig. 133 .
– For
vehicles with Start-Stop system: con-
nect one end of the black jump lead X to a
suitable ground terminal, to a solid piece of
metal in the engine block, or to the engine
block itself ››› Fig. 134 . 5.
C
onnect the other end of the
black jump
lead X to a solid metal component bolted
to the engine block or to the engine block
itself of the vehicle with the flat battery.
Do not connect it to a point near the bat-
tery A .
6. Position the leads in such a way that they cannot come into contact with any moving
parts in the engine compartment.
Starting
7. Start the engine of the vehicle with the boosting battery and let it run at idling
speed.
8. Start the engine of the vehicle with the flat battery and wait 2 or 3 minutes until the
engine is “running”.
Removing the jump leads
9. Before you remove the jump leads, switch off the dipped beam headlights (if they
are switched on).
10. Turn on the heater blower and heated rear
w indo
w in the vehicle with the flat battery.
This helps minimise voltage peaks which
are generated when the leads are discon-
nected.
11.When the engine is running, disconnect the leads in reverse order to the details
given above.
182

Emergencies
Connect the battery clamps so they have
good metal-to-metal contact with the battery
terminals.
If the engine fails to start, switch off the start-
er after about 10 seconds and try again after
about 1 minute. WARNING
● Please note the safety warnings referring to
working in the engine compartment
››› page 143.
● The b att
ery providing assistance must have
the same voltage as the flat battery (12V) and
approximately the same capacity (see imprint
on battery). Failure to comply could result in
an explosion.
● Never use jump leads when one of the bat-
teries is frozen. Danger of explosion! Even af-
ter the battery has thawed, battery acid could
leak and cause chemical burns. If a battery
freezes, it should be replaced.
● Keep sparks, flames and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries, danger of explosion.
Failure to comply could result in an explo-
sion.
● Observe the instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the jump leads.
● Do not connect the negative cable from the
other vehicle directly to the negative terminal
of the flat battery. The gas emitted from the
battery could be ignited by sparks. Danger of
explosion. ●
Do not attach the negative cable from the
other vehicle to parts of the fuel system or to
the brake line.
● 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 ve-
hicle, 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 re-
sult in chemical burns. Note
The vehicles must not touch each other, oth-
erwise electricity could flow as soon as the
positive terminals are connected. Towing and tow starting
Introduction When towing or tow starting, respect the le-
gal requirements.
For technical reasons, it is not possible to
tow a vehicle if the battery is flat. WARNING
A vehicle with a flat battery should never be
towed.
● Never remove the key from the ignition
lock. Otherwise, the steering wheel lock
could suddenly lock. The vehicle would not
be controlled and a serious accident could
ensue. 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 in-
jury:
● As the driver of the vehicle being towed:
– The brake must be depressed must hard-
er 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 steering does not op-
erate 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.
» 183
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
CAUTION
● Carefully fit and remove the towline anchor-
age and its cover to avoid damage to the ve-
hicle (e.g. paintwork).
● When towing, fuel could enter the catalytic
converter and cause damage! Note
Fitting a towline anchorage to the rear bump-
er is not possible. The vehicle is not suitable
for towing other vehicles. Instructions for tow starting
In general, the vehicle should not be started
by towing. Jump-starting is much more pref-
erable
›
› ›
page 181.
For technical reasons, the following vehicles
can
not be tow started:
● Vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
● If the vehicle battery is flat, it is possible
that the engine control unit does not operate
correctly.
However, if your vehicle must absolutely be
tow-started (manual gearbox):
● Put it into second or third gear.
● Keep the clutch pressed down. ●
Switch on the ignition and the hazard warn-
ing 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 tow-
ing vehicle. CAUTION
When tow-starting, fuel could enter the cata-
lytic converter and damage it. Notes on towing
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 sim-
ilarly elastic material.
Only secure the tow rope or tow bar to the
towline anchorage or specially designed fit-
ting.
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)
when towing a vehicle.
● 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.
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 spe-
cial vehicle:
● If the vehicle gearbox does not contain lu-
bricant due to a fault.
● If the battery is flat and the steering cannot
be unlocked as a result, the electronic steer-
ing lock and electronic parking brake cannot
be disengaged.
● 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 steering
lock electronic gearbox lock is deactivated. If
the vehicle has no power supply or there is
an electric system fault, the engine must be
started using jump leads to deactivate the
steering column electronic gearbox lock. 184