Checking and refilling levels
Checking and refilling levels
Fuel Introduction You will find a factory-fitted sticker containing
information on the type of fuel for your vehi-
cle on the inside of the fuel tank flap.
WARNING
Refuelling or handling fuel carelessly can
cause an explosion or fire resulting in serious
burns and injuries.
● Fuel is a highly explosive, easily flammable
substance.
● Observe current safety instructions and lo-
cal regulations concerning the handling of
fuel. Types of fuel
The type of fuel to use when refilling will de-
pend on the vehicle's engine. You will find a
factory-fitted sticker containing information
on the type of fuel for your vehicle on the in-
side of the fuel tank flap.
SEAT recommends the use of sulphur-free or
low sulphur fuel to reduce consumption and
prevent engine damage.Possible
types of fuelAlternative namesFurther in-formation
91 a)
RONNormal petrol, normal
unleaded petrol
››› page 13795 a)
RONPremium unleaded
petrol (95 RON)
98 a)
RONPremium unleaded
petrol (98 RON)
a) RON = Regulation Octane Number
Petrol Petrol types
Vehicles with petrol engines must refuel us-
ing unleaded petrol according to European
norm EN 228
››› .
Petrol types are categorised according to
their octane number (e.g. 91, 95, 98 or 99
RON (RON = “Research Octane Number”).
You may use petrol with a high octane num-
ber than the one recommended for your en-
gine. However, this has no advantage in
terms of fuel consumption and engine power.
SEAT recommends refuelling with a low sul-
phur content or sulphur-free petrol to reduce
fuel consumption for petrol engines. Petrol additives
The quality of the fuel influences the behav-
iour, power and service life of the engine.
This is why the petrol you use should carry
suitable additives already included by the
petrol industry, free of metals. These addi-
tives will help to prevent corrosion, keep the
fuel system clean and prevent deposits from
building up in the engine.
If good-quality petrol with metal-free addi-
tives is not available or engine problems
arise, the necessary additives must be added
when refuelling
››› .
Not all petrol additives have been shown to
be effective. The use of unsuitable petrol ad-
ditives may cause significant damage to the
engine and the catalytic converter. Metal ad-
ditives should never be used. Metal additives
may also be contained in petrol additives for
improving anti-detonation ratings or octane
ratings ››› .
SEAT recommends “genuine Volkswagen
Group Fuel Additives for petrol engines”.
These additives can be bought at SEAT deal-
ers, where information on how to use them
can also be obtained. CAUTION
● Do not refuel if the filler indicates that the
fuel contains metal. LRP (lead replacement
petrol) fuels contain high concentrations of » 137
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Advice
metal additives. Using them may damage the
engine!
● Only use fuel with an octane rating that is
in line with the norm EN 228, otherwise sig-
nificant damage could be caused to the en-
gine and fuel system. Furthermore, it could
lead to a loss of performance with the conse-
quent engine fault.
● The use of unsuitable petrol additives could
seriously damage the engine and the catalyt-
ic converter.
● If, in exceptional circumstances, petrol with
a lower octane rating to that recommended is
used, only use moderate engine speeds and a
light throttle. Avoid using full throttle and
overloading the engine. Otherwise engine
damage may occur. Fill up with fuel of a suita-
ble octane rating as soon as possible.
● Just filling one full tank of leaded fuel or
with other metal additives would seriously
impair the efficiency of the catalytic convert-
er and could damage it. Natural gas
Natural gas, in addition to others, can be in
liquid form.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the result of
heavy cooling of natural gas. Therefore its
volume is considerably reduced compared
with compressed natural gas (CNG). In vehi-
cles with a natural gas engine, liquefied nat-
ural gas cannot be directly refilled, as the gas would expand excessively in the vehicle gas
tank.
Therefore, vehicles with a natural gas engine
must only be refuelled using compressed
natural gas
››› .
Natural gas quality and consumption
Natural gas is divided into the groups H and
L depending on its quality.
Gas type H has a superior heating power and
inferior nitrogen and carbon dioxide content
than type L. The higher the heating power of
the natural gas, the lower the consumption
will be.
However, the heating power and the propor-
tion of nitrogen and carbon dioxide can fluc-
tuate within the quality groups. Therefore, ve-
hicle consumption can also vary when using
one type of gas only.
The engine management automatically
adapts to the natural gas used according to
its quality. Therefore, different quality gases
can be mixed in the tank, without the need
for comprehensive draining before applying a
different quality gas.
Natural gas and safety
If you can smell gas or suspect that there is a
leak ››› :
● Stop the vehicle immediately. ●
Switch the ignition off.
● Open the doors to appropriately ventilate
the vehicle.
● Immediately extinguish cigarettes.
● Move away from the vehicle or switch off
objects that may cause sparks or a fire.
● If you continue to smell gas, do not contin-
ue driving!
● Seek specialist assistance. Have the fault
repaired. WARNING
Failure to act when you can smell gas in the
vehicle or when refuelling can cause serious
injuries.
● Carry out the necessary operations.
● Leave the danger zone.
● If necessary, warn the emergency services. WARNING
The vehicle is not prepared to use liquefied
natural gas (LNG) and this fuel must not be
added under any circumstances. Liquefied
natural gas can cause the natural gas tank to
explode, resulting in serious injury. Note
The natural gas system must be subject to
regular inspections at a specialised work-
shop in accordance with the Maintenance
Programme. 138
Checking and refilling levels
Filling the tank Introduction The fuel tank flap is on the rear right of the
vehicle.
WARNING
Refuelling or handling fuel carelessly can
cause an explosion or fire resulting in serious
burns and injuries.
● Always make sure that you correctly close
the fuel cap to avoid evaporation and fuel
spillage.
● Fuels are highly explosive and inflammable
substances that can cause serious burns and
injuries.
● Fuel could leak out or be spilt if the engine
is not switched off or if the filler fuel nozzle is
not fully inserted into the tank filler neck
when refuelling. This could lead to a fire, ex-
plosion and severe injuries.
● When refuelling, turn off the engine and
turn off the ignition for safety reasons.
● Always turn off mobile telephones, radio
apparatus and other radio wave emitting
equipment before refuelling. Electromagnetic
waves could cause sparks and lead to a fire.
● Never enter the vehicle while refuelling. If it
is absolutely necessary to enter, close the
door and touch a metal surface before touch- ing the filler nozzle again. This will prevent
the generation of static electricity. Sparks
could cause a fire when refuelling.
●
Never handle fuel close to flames, sparks or
objects with slow combustion (e.g. ciga-
rettes).
● Avoid static electricity and electro-magnet-
ic radiation when refuelling.
● Observe the safety regulations of the serv-
ice station.
● Never spill fuel on the vehicle or in the lug-
gage compartment. WARNING
For safety reasons, SEAT does not recommend
carrying a spare fuel canister in the vehicle.
Fuel could be spilled and catch fire, above all
in case of an accident and this applies to a
full container as well as empty containers.
This could lead to explosions, fires and inju-
ries.
● Observe the following if you exceptionally
have to carry fuel in a canister:
–Never place a fuel container, to fill it, in-
side the vehicle or on the vehicle, for ex-
ample, in the luggage compartment. Fill-
ing in these circumstances could create
an electrostatic charge and spark that
could ignite fuel fumes.
– Always place the canister on the ground
to fill it. –
Insert the fuel nozzle into the neck of the
canister as far as possible.
– If you are using a metal fuel canister, the
nozzle must always touch the canister
while it is being filled to avoid static elec-
tricity.
– Follow the legal requirements for the use,
storage and transport of spare fuel canis- ters.
– Insure that the fuel container complies
with manufacturing standards, for exam-
ple, ANSI or ASTM F852-86. CAUTION
● Always remove any fuel spilled anywhere
on the vehicle to avoid damage to the wheel
housing, the tyre and vehicle paintwork.
● Refuelling a petrol engine with diesel can
cause serious engine and fuel system dam-
age; the resulting malfunctions are not cov-
ered by the SEAT warranty. If you refuel with
the wrong type of fuel, never start the engine.
This applies to even the smallest amount of
the wrong fuel. Seek specialist assistance.
With the engine running, the composition of
the wrong fuel could significantly damage the
fuel system and the engine itself. For the sake of the environment
Fuels can contaminate the environment. Col-
lect any spilt service fluids and allow a pro-
fessional to dispose of them. 139Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Checking and refilling levelsFlashes for about 10
secondsState of the barsPossible cause ››› Solution
and the segments
remaining a)Reserve zone (four small segments)The fuel tank is almost empty.
The reserve tank is being used
››› page 203.Refuel as soon as possible ››› .
–The vehicle is running in natural gas operating mode.–
a)
This only applies to vehicles with the fuel gauge on the dash panel display.
Several warning and control lamps light up
for a few seconds when the ignition is switch-
ed on, signalling that the function is being
verified. They will switch off after a few sec-
onds.
In natural gas engines
The warning lamp lights up when both fuel
type
s (petrol and natural gas) have reached
reserve level.
The warning lamp lights up when the vehi-
cl
e is running in natural gas operating mode.
The warning lamp switches off when the
natural gas is exhausted. The engine
changes to operate with petrol.
Problem:
if the vehicle is left parked for a
long time just after refuelling, the gas level
indicator does not accurately indicate the
same level shown after refuelling when the
vehicle is started up again. This is not due to
a leak in the system, but to a drop in pres-
sure in the gas tank for technical reasons af- ter a cooling phase immediately after refuel-
ling. WARNING
Driving with insufficient fuel reserve could re-
sult in the vehicle breaking down in traffic
and a serious accident.
● If the fuel level is too low then the fuel sup-
ply to the engine can become irregular espe-
cially on slopes.
● If the engine “is choked” or stalls due to
lack of or irregularity of the fuel supply, the
power steering as well as all of the driver as-
sistance systems including braking assis-
tance will stop working.
● Always refuel when there is only one quar-
ter of the fuel tank left to avoid running out of
fuel. CAUTION
● Always pay attention to any lit control
lamps and to the corresponding descriptions and instructions to avoid damage to the vehi-
cle.
● Never run the fuel tank completely dry. An
irregular fuel supply may lead to ignition
faults and unburnt fuel could enter the ex-
haust system. This could damage the catalyt-
ic converter. Note
The arrow next to the fuel pump symbol on
the instrument panel ››› Fig. 101 indicates the
s ide of
the vehicle on which the tank flap is
located. 141
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Advice
Refuelling with petrol Fig. 103
Open tank flap with tank cap attach-
ed to the holder Before refuelling, always turn off the engine,
the ignition, mobile telephones, auxiliary
heating and keep them off during refuelling.
Opening the fuel tank cap
● The tank flap is at the rear of the vehicle on
the right.
● Pull the rear zone of the fuel tank flap to
open.
● Unfold the key shaft if necessary
››› page 43 .
● Inser
t the vehicle key into the lock cylinder
of the fuel tank plug and turn the key in an
anticlockwise direction.
● Take out the fuel tank plug by turning it in
an anticlockwise direction and rest it on the
upper part of the fuel tank flap ››› Fig. 103. Ref
uelling
The correct petrol type for the vehicle is loca-
ted on a sticker inside the fuel tank flap
››› page 137.
● If the aut
omatic filler nozzle is operated
correctly, it will switch itself off as soon as
the fuel tank is full ››› .
● Do not continue to refuel if it is turned off!
Otherwise, this will fill the expansion cham-
ber and fuel may leak out if the ambient con-
ditions are warm.
Closing the fuel tank cap
● Screw on the fuel tank filler plug in a clock-
wise direction until it is fully inserted with a
click.
● Insert the vehicle key into the lock cylinder
of the fuel tank plug, turn the key in a clock-
wise direction and remove the key.
● Press the tank flap until you hear it click in-
to place. The tank flap must be flush with the
body contour. WARNING
Do not continue refilling once the fuel nozzle
has switched itself off. The fuel tank may be
filled too much. As a result, fuel may spurt
out and spill. This could lead to a fire, explo-
sion and severe injuries. CAUTION
● Always remove any fuel spilled anywhere
on the vehicle to avoid damage to the wheel
housing, the tyre and vehicle paintwork. For the sake of the environment
Fuels can contaminate the environment. Col-
lect any spilt service fluids and allow a pro-
fessional to dispose of them. Refuelling with natural gas
Fig. 104
Tank flap open: gas filler mouth 1 ,
filler mouth retainer 2 Before
refuelling, the engine and the igni-
tion, mo b
ile telephone and heating must be
switched off separately ››› .
It is also essential to carefully read the in-
structions for the natural gas pump.
142
Checking and refilling levels
The vehicle is only prepared for refuelling
with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) ››› . Re-
fuelling with another type of natural gas is
not allowed, e.g. Liquefied Nature Gas (LNG)
or hydromethane.
Opening the fuel tank cap
The natural gas filler mouth is behind the fuel
tank cap, next to the petrol filler mouth.
● Unlock the vehicle with the key or with the
central locking button situated on the driv-
er door ›
›
› page 48.
● Press on the rear area of the flap and open
it.
Refuelling
Problem:
If the ambient temperature is very
high, the natural gas pump protection
against overheating disconnects this auto-
matically.
● Remove the plug from the gas filler mouth
››› Fig. 104
1 .
● Connect the pump filling nozzle to the gas
filler mouth.
● The fuel tank will be full when the pump
c ompr
essor automatically cuts the supply.
● If you wish to finish refuelling in advance,
press the button on the pump to stop the
flow. Closing the fuel tank cap
●
Check that the gas filler mouth retainer 2 is not trapped with the filler nozzle. If neces-
sary, place it in the filler mouth again.
●
Insert the plug in the filler mouth.
● Close the tank flap. Make sure you hear it
click into place. WARNING
Natural gas is a highly explosive, easily flam-
mable substance. Incorrect handling of the
natural gas can cause accidents serious
burns and other injuries.
● Before refuelling with natural gas, the fill-
ing mouth must be correctly engaged. If you
can smell gas, stop refuelling immediately. WARNING
The vehicle is not prepared to use liquefied
natural gas (LNG) and this fuel must not be
added under any circumstances. Liquefied
natural gas can cause the natural gas tank to
explode, resulting in serious injury. Note
● The filling nozzles of natural gas pumps
can differ in the way they are operated. If you
are unacquainted with the pump, it is advisa-
ble that a member of staff of the service sta-
tion performs the refuelling operation. ●
Noises heard when refuelling are normal
and do not indicate the presence of a fault in
the system.
● The vehicle natural gas system is prepared
both for refuelling with a small compressor
(slow refuel) and a large compressor (fast re-
fuel) in natural gas service stations. Bonnet
Working in the engine compartment Before working in the engine compartment,
make sure that the vehicle is parked on hori-
zontal and firm ground.
The engine compartment of the vehicle is a
hazardous area. Never work on the engine or
in the engine compartment if you are not fa-
miliar with the operations to be carried out,
the applicable safety standards and especial-
ly if you do not have the necessary instru-
ments, liquids and tools
››› ! If required,
have any work carried out by a specialised
workshop. Negligent work can cause serious
injury. WARNING
If the vehicle moves unexpectedly, this could
cause serious injury. » 143
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Advice
●
Never work under the vehicle if it has not
been immobilized. If you must work under-
neath the vehicle with the wheels in contact
with the ground then it should be parked on
flat ground, the wheels should be prevented
from moving and the key should be removed
from the ignition.
● If you have to work underneath the vehicle,
you must use suitable stands additionally to
support the vehicle, there is a risk of acci-
dent!. The jack is not intended for this kind of
work and its failure could lead to severe inju-
ries.
● Disconnect the Start-Stop system. WARNING
The engine compartment is a dangerous area
capable of causing serious injury.
● For all type of work, always take the utmost
precautions, work carefully and note the gen-
eral safety standards in force. Never take per-
sonal risks.
● Never work on the engine or in the engine
compartment if you are not familiar with the
necessary operations. If you are not sure
about procedures then visit a specialised
workshop to carry out the necessary work.
Working incorrectly can cause serious inju-
ries.
● Never open the bonnet if you see steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart-
ment. This may cause serious burns. Always
wait until you cannot see or hear the sound of steam or coolant coming from the engine
compartment.
●
Always allow the engine to cool down be-
fore opening the bonnet.
● Contact with hot elements of the engine
and the exhaust system can cause burns.
● Once the engine has cooled, follow the in-
structions below before opening the bonnet:
– Engage the handbrake and place the gear
selector lever in N or the gear stick in
neutral.
– Remove the key from the ignition.
– Keep children away from the engine com-
partment and never leave them unsuper-
vised.
● When the engine is warm or hot, the cool-
ing system is pressurised. Do not unscrew
the cap on the expansion tank when the en-
gine is hot. Otherwise, coolant may spray out
under pressure causing burns and serious in-
jury.
– After cooling, carefully and slowly un-
screw the cap anticlockwise, gently
pressing down on it.
– Always protect your face, hands and arms
from hot coolant and steam using a large,
thick cloth.
● When refilling liquids, avoid spilling them
on parts of the engine and the exhaust sys-
tem. Spilled liquids could cause a fire. WARNING
The high voltages of the electrical system can
give electric shocks as well as causing burns
and serious injury and possibly even death!
● Never cause short circuits in the electrical
system. The battery could explode.
● To minimise the risk of electric shock and
serious consequences while the engine is
running or starting the engine, note the fol-
lowing:
– Never touch the electrical wiring of the
ignition system. WARNING
In the engine compartment, there are rotat-
ing parts that could cause serious injury.
● Never place your hands directly on or near
the radiator fan. Touching the rotor blades
could seriously harm you. The ventilator
works according to the engine temperature
and could start suddenly even when the igni-
tion is turned off and the key is removed.
● If any work has to be performed when the
engine is started or with the engine running,
there is an additional, potentially fatal, safety
risk from rotating parts, such as the drive
belts, alternator, radiator fan, etc., as well as
from the high-voltage ignition system. Al-
ways work with the utmost caution.
– Always make sure that no parts of your
body, jewellery, ties, loose clothing and
long hair can be trapped by the rotating 144
Checking and refilling levels
parts of the engine. Before any work, re-
move ties and jewellery (necklaces, etc),
tie long hair back and tie all items of
loose clothing to your body to make sure
that they cannot be trapped by engine
components.
– Take extreme caution when operating the
accelerator and remain attentive. The ve-
hicle could move, even if the handbrake
is applied.
● Always make sure you have not left any ob-
jects, such as cleaning cloths and tools, in
the engine compartment. If any object is left
in the engine compartment, this could cause
malfunctions, engine faults and even a fire. WARNING
Refill liquids and certain materials can catch
fire easily in the engine compartment, caus-
ing a fire and serious injury!
● Never smoke.
● Never work close to places exposed to
flames or sparks.
● Never pour service fluids over the engine.
These fluid may ignite hot engine parts and
cause injuries.
● If it is necessary to work on the fuel system
or the electrical system, please follow the in-
structions below:
–Always disconnect the vehicle battery.
– Never work close to heaters, heat sources
or places exposed to flames or sparks. ●
Always keep a recently serviced and per-
fectly working fire extinguisher close by.
● Never cover the engine with additional in-
sulating materials such as a blanket. Risk of
fire! CAUTION
When refilling or changing service liquids,
ensure that you put the liquids into the right
tank. Making a mistake when refilling could
cause serious malfunctions and damage the
engine! For the sake of the environment
Service fluids leaks are harmful to the envi-
ronment. For this reason you should make
regular checks on the ground underneath
your vehicle. Take the vehicle to a specialised
workshop to be checked if you see stains, oil
or other fluids on the ground. Collect any
spilt service fluids and allow a professional to
dispose of them. Opening and closing the bonnet
Fig. 105
A: Release lever in the footwell on
the driver side B: Release lever on the bonnet » 145Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety