
Operation
CAUTION
● In the event of driving through water, parts
of the vehicle can be seriously damaged,
such as the engine, gearbox, catalytic con-
verter, suspension or the electrical system.
● Oncoming vehicles that drive through wa-
ter can cause waves that exceed your vehi-
cle's permitted level for driving through wa-
ter.
● There may be pot-holes mud or rocks under
the water that can hinder or prevent driving
through water.
● Do not drive through salt water. The salt
can cause rust. All components that are ex-
posed to salt water must be rinsed immedi-
ately with fresh water. Note
After driving through water we recommend
that you contact a specialised service for an
inspection. Preventing damage to the vehicle
In order to prevent damage to the vehicle,
take special care:
● on roads that are in poor condition,
● when mounting kerbs,
● when approaching very steep ramps, etc., ●
with the parts of the vehicle situated on the
lower part of the vehicle, i.e. the spoiler, the
exhaust pipe.
This applies especially to vehicles with a very
low suspension (sport) and when the vehicle
is fully loaded. Driver assistance systems
Braking and stability systems Stability system (ESC) Fig. 95
ESC system: TCS switch. The ESC system increases control of the vehi-
cle in emergency situations, e.g. during a
sudden change in direction. Depending on
the driving conditions, it reduces the risk of
skidding and increases driving stability.
The system uses the steering wheel angle
and road speed to calculate the changes of
direction desired by the driver, and constant-
ly compares them with the actual behaviour
of the vehicle. When irregularities occur, for
example, if the vehicle begins to skid, the
ESC brakes the appropriate wheel automati-
cally.
108

Driver assistance systems
– Release the clutch pedal.
Automatic engine start up (Start phase)
– Press the clutch.
Switching the Start-Stop system on and off
The Start-Stop system can be switched on
and off by pressing the
››› Fig. 98 button.
The w arnin
g lamp in the button will light up
when the system is switched off.
If the vehicle is in Stop phase when the but-
ton is pressed, the engine will start immedi-
ately.
The Start-Stop system works under complex
driving conditions that are difficult to detect
without specialist technology. The set of nec-
essary conditions for the correct operating of
the Start-Stop system are indicated below.
Conditions for automatic engine shut down
(Stop phase)
● Selector lever in neutral.
● Clutch pedal not pressed.
● Driver with seat belt fastened.
● Driver door closed.
● The bonnet closed.
● Vehicle stationary.
● The factory-fitted towing bracket is not elec-
trically connected to a trailer. ●
Engine at operating temperature.
● Vehicle's battery sufficiently charged.
● Vehicle not on a very steep slope
● Engine speed below 1,200 rpm.
● Vehicle battery temperature is neither too
high nor too low.
● Sufficient brake system pressure.
● Difference between outside temperature
and set interior temperature not too great
● Vehicle speed since the last time the en-
gine started was above 3 km/h (2 mph).
● Particulate filter not being cleaned
››› page 37.
● Front
wheels not overly turned (steering
wheel turned less than three quarters of a
turn)
Conditions for engine start up (Start phase)
● Clutch pedal pressed.
● Max./min. temperature set.
● Windscreen defrost function switched on.
● High blower speed.
● Start-Stop button pressed.
Conditions for automatic engine start up
without driver involvement
● Vehicle moving at a speed of over 3 km/h
(2 mph). ●
Difference between outside temperature
and interior temperature is too great
● Vehicle's battery insufficiently charged.
● Insufficient brake system pressure.
If the driver seat belt is unfastened for more
than 30 seconds in Stop phase, the engine
must be started using the ignition key.
Please observe the messages on the general
instrument panel display.
Warnings on the instrument panel display
(valid for vehicles not fitted with an
informative display)FAULT: Start-StopFault in the Start-Stop sys-
tem
START-STOP IMPOSSIBLEEngine cannot be auto-
matically shut down
START-STOP ACTIVEAutomatic engine shut
down (Stop phase)
SWITCH OFF IGNITIONSwitch the ignition off
START MANUALLYStart the engine manually WARNING
● If the engine is switched off, neither the
brake servo nor the power steering will work.
● Do not move the vehicle when the engine is
switched off. » 113
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
●
Make sure you do not damage the paint-
work on the vehicle on removing snow and
ice from the windows and rear vision mirrors.
● Do not remove the snow or ice dirty with
thick particles, e.g. gravel, sand or road salt,
from windows and mirrors. Risk of damage to
the glass and mirror surfaces. Radio reception and aerial
In vehicles factory-fitted with an audio or
navigation system, the aerial may be instal-
led in different places:
● inside the rear window next to the heating
elements,
● on the roof of the vehicle.
Headlights Use soap and clean, hot water to clean the
front headlights.
CAUTION
● Never rub the headlights to dry them and
do not use sharp objects to clean the plastic
glass material. These could damage the pro-
tective paint and cause the headlights to
crack. ●
Do not use aggressive cleaning products or
chemical solvents to clean the glass. This
could damage the headlights. Care of rubber seals
The weatherstrips on doors and windows will
remain pliable and last longer if they are oc-
casionally treated with a suitable rubber care
product. This will prevent premature ageing
and leaks. If they are properly cared for, the
seals will be less likely to freeze up in the
winter.
Door lock cylinder Special products must be used to defrost
lock cylinders.
Note
● Make sure, when washing the vehicle, that
the least amount of water possible enters the
lock cylinders.
● We recommend the use of products from
the selection of SEAT Original Accessories to
care for the door lock cylinder. Wheels
Wheel trims
If you wash the vehicle regularly, you should
also thoroughly wash the wheel trim. Regu-
larly remove any brake dust and road salt
from the wheels, otherwise the wheel materi-
al could be damaged. Repair any damage to
the wheel paintwork immediately.
Alloy wheels
After thorough washing, treat the wheels
with a protective product for alloy wheels. Do
not use abrasive products to care for the
wheels.
WARNING
Moisture, ice and road salt may affect braking
efficiency. Risk of accident! CAUTION
Heavy dirt on the wheels could lead to their
misalignment. This could result in vibrations
being transmitted to the steering wheel that
under certain conditions may cause prema-
ture steering wear. This dirt must be re-
moved. Note
We recommend you leave paint damage re-
pairs to a SEAT Authorised Service. 126

Advice
Removing stains
Remove fresh water-based
stains such as cof-
f
ee, tea, juices, blood, etc. with an absorbent
cloth or kitchen roll. Use the special deter-
gent to clean dried-on stains.
Remove fresh
fat-based stains such as but-
ter
, mayonnaise, chocolate, etc. with an ab-
sorbent cloth or paper towel or use the spe-
cial detergent if the stain has not yet soaked
through the surface.
Use a grease-dissolving product to treat
dried-in, fat-based stains.
Treat less common stains such as ball-pen
and other inks, felt-tip pens, nail polish,
emulsion paint, shoe cream etc. with a spe-
cial leather stain remover.
Leather care
The leather should be treated regularly
(about twice a year) with a leather-care prod-
uct.
Apply the protective product very sparingly.
Dry the leather with a soft, dry cloth. CAUTION
● Avoid exposing leather to direct sunlight
for long periods so that it does not lose its
colour. If the car is left for a prolonged period
outdoors, cover the leather so that it does
not lose its colour. ●
Sharp-edged objects on clothing, such as
zips, rivets or belts can leave permanent
scratches and rough marks on the surface of
the leather.
● Use of a mechanical steering wheel lock
can damage the leather surface of the steer-
ing wheel. Note
● Use a suitable impregnating cream with ul-
tra-violet protection at regular intervals and
after cleaning. The cream will nourish and
moisturise the leather, keep it supple and
able to breathe. In addition, it will also help
to protect the surface of the leather.
● Clean the leather every 2 to 3 months and
remove fresh dirt as necessary.
● Preserve the colour of the leather. A special
coloured cream for leather will renew the col-
our of more heavily worn areas as required.
● Leather is a natural material with specific
properties. During vehicle use, the appear-
ance of parts of the leather covers may
change; folds or wrinkles may appear as a re-
sult of their use. Seat belts
Keep the seat belts clean!
Wash soiled seat belts with mild, soapy wa-
ter, removing any heavier dirt with a soft
brush.Check the condition of all seat belts at regu-
lar intervals.
Very soiled belts may not retract properly.
WARNING
● The seat belts should never be removed
from the vehicle for cleaning.
● Never clean using chemical products, as
chemical detergents destroy the fabric. En-
sure that the seat belts do not come into con-
tact with corrosive fluids such as acids, etc.
● If you find any damage to the belt webbing,
belt fittings, the belt retractor or the buckle,
the belt in question must be replaced by an
Official Service.
● Make sure that the inertia reel seat belts
are completely dry before allowing them to
retract. 128

Wheels and tyres
indicators is given on the tyre sidewalls by
the letters “TWI”, triangular symbols or other
symbols.
The useful life of the tyres depends primarily
on the following factors:
Tyre pressure values
Under-inflation or over-inflation will consider-
ably reduce the useful life of the tyres and
impair the vehicle's handling. Therefore,
check the tyre pressure, including the spare
wheel, at least once a month and before any
long journey.
Inflation pressures for summer tyres are lis-
ted on a sticker inside the fuel tank flap. The
pressures for winter tyres are 0.2 bar (2.9
psi/20 kPa) above the summer values.
Always check the pressure when the tyre is
cold. Do not reduce over-pressure in warm
tyres. The tyre pressures must be altered to
suit notable changes in the load being car-
ried.
Driving style
Fast cornering, heavy acceleration and hard
braking all increase tyre wear.
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced.
Various factors encountered when driving
can cause them to become unbalanced, which results in vibration of the steering
wheel.
The wheel must be rebalanced if a new tyre is
fitted or if a tyre is repaired.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect front or rear wheel alignment cau-
ses excessive tyre wear, frequently on one
side, and also impairs vehicle safety. If tyre
wear is very irregular, contact an Official
Service.
Tyre damage
To avoid damage to tyres and wheels, only
drive over kerbs or similar obstacles slowly
and at a right angle if possible.
Check tyres and wheels regularly for damage
(punctures, cracks, blisters, deformities,
etc.). Remove any foreign objects embedded
in outside of the treads.
Unusual vibration or the car pulling to one
side may indicate that one of the tyres is
damaged.
Reduce speed immediately and
s t
op if you suspect that damage may have
occurred! Check the tyres for damage (blis-
ter
s, cracks, etc.). If no external damage is
visible, drive slowly and carefully to the near-
est Official Service and have the vehicle in-
spected. Interchanging tyres
Fig. 118
Interchanging tyres. Changing wheels around
If the wear is visibly greater on the front tyres,
they should be exchanged for the rear tyres
as shown in the diagram
››› Fig. 118 . All the
ty r
es will then last for about the same time.
To ensure that the wear is equal on all tyres
and maintain their optimum useful life, they
should be changed around every 10 000 km.
Storing tyres
When you remove the tyres, mark them in or-
der to maintain the same direction of rotation
when they are installed again.
When removed, the wheels and/or tyres
should be stored in a cool, dry and preferably
dark location. Store tyres in a vertical posi-
tion, if they are not fitted on wheel rims.
145
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
● The temporary spare wheel is fitted
● One wheel on the axle has been changed
Basic system settings
Should the tyre pressure change or if one or
more wheels are changed or the position of
the wheel on the vehicle is changed, e.g.
changing round the front and rear wheels, or
where a warning lamp lights up when driv-
ing, the system must be adjusted as follows:
● Inflate all tyres to the prescribed pressures
››› page 144 .
● Sw it
ch the ignition on.
● Hold the
››› Fig. 120 button down for
at least 2 seconds. The warning lamp will
light up when the button is pressed . The
system memory is also deleted and a new
calibration process will begin, which is indi-
cated by an audible warning and the warning
lamp switching off.
● If the warning lamp remains lit and does
not switch off, not even once the basic set-
ting process is complete, this indicates a
fault in the system. Contact an Official Serv-
ice.
The warning lamp lights up
If the pressure on at least one tyre is signifi-
cantly lower than the pressure set by the driv-
er, the warning lamp ››› will light up.The warning lamp flashes
If the warning lamp flashes, there is a fault in
the system. Contact a specialised service to
have it fixed.
WARNING
● If the warning lamp lights up, slow down
immediately and avoid any severe braking or
steering manoeuvres. Stop and check the
tyres and their pressure as soon as possible.
● Under certain conditions (e.g. sporty driv-
ing style, driving on loose surfaces or in win-
ter) the warning lamp may take a while to
light up or m
ay remain switched off.
● Despite the tyre pressure monitoring sys-
tem, the driver remains responsible for main-
taining the correct tyre pressure. You must
therefore check the tyre pressure often. Note
● The tyre pressure monitoring system is not
a replacement for regularly checking the tyre
pressure, as it is unable to recognise an even
drop in pressure.
● The tyre pressure monitoring system is un-
able to warn of a sudden drop in tyre pres-
sure, e.g. a puncture. In this case, try to stop
the vehicle carefully with no severe braking
or steering manoeuvres.
● To ensure the tyre pressure monitoring sys-
tem works correctly, the basic setting must
be performed every 10 000 km (6000 miles)
or once a year. Winter service
Winter tyres Winter tyres will significantly improve han-
dling of the vehicle in winter road conditions.
The design of summer tyres (width, rubber
compound, tread pattern) gives less grip at
temperatures below +7 °C (45 °F), on ice and
snow. This applies particularly to vehicles
equipped with wide section tyres or high
s
peed ty
res (code letters H or V on the side-
wall).
In order to preserve the performance of the
vehicle as much as possible, winter tyres
must be fitted on all four wheels, the mini-
mum depth of the tread must be 4 mm and
the maximum age must be 4 years.
You can use winter tyres of a lower speed rat-
ing if the maximum speed limit of these tyres
will not be exceeded, even if the maximum
speed limit for the vehicle is higher. For the sake of the environment
Summer tyres should be fitted again in time,
as they give better handling on roads free of
snow and ice and at temperatures over +7 °C
(45 °F). Summer tyres have a shorter braking
distance, produce less rolling noise and do
not wear as quickly. They also reduce fuel
consumption. 148

Emergencies
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 the vehicle
Introduction Vehicles with manual gearbox can be towed
using a towbar or towrope. They can also be
towed with either the front or rear wheels lif-
ted off the road.
Vehicles with automatic gearbox can be tow-
ed using a towbar or towrope. They can also
be towed with the front wheels lifted off the
road. If the vehicle is towed with the rear
wheels lifted off the road the automatic gear-
box will be damaged!
It is safer to tow a vehicle with a
towbar. A
towrope should only be used if you do not
h av
e a towbar.
Follow the instructions below when towing a
vehicle:
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
– Engage the clutch very gently when starting
to move or on vehicles with automatic gear-
box press the accelerator carefully. –
On vehicles with a manual gearbox, the
towrope must be taut before driving off.
Maximum towing speed is 50 km/h (31
mph).
Note
s for the driver of the towed vehicle
– The ignition should be switched on so that
the steering wheel lock is not engaged and
the turn signals, horn and windscreen wip-
ers and washers can be used.
– Put the gear lever in neutral or move the se-
lector lever to position N (automatic gear-
bo
x).
The brake servo and power steering only
work when the engine is running. Considera-
bly more effort is required on the brake pedal
and steering wheel when the engine is
switched off.
Ensure the towrope remains taut at all times
when towing. CAUTION
● Do not tow-start the engine. Risk of engine
damage! In vehicles with a catalytic convert-
er, fuel that has not been burned could reach
the catalytic converter and catch fire in it.
This could damage and destroy the catalytic
converter. You may use the battery from an-
other vehicle to help you start your engine
››› page 158.
» 159
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
Note
● One component may have more than one
fuse.
● Several components may run on a single
fuse. Fuses on the dash panel
Fig. 138
Bottom of the dash panel: fuse cov-
er. Fig. 139
Diagram of the fuse box to the
left/right of the steering wheel Only replace fuses with a fuse of the same
amperage (same colour and markings) and
size.
Identifying fuses situated below the driver-
side dash panel by coloursColourAmp rating
Purple3
Light brown5
Brown7.5
Red10
Blue15
Yellow20
White or trans-
parent25
ColourAmp rating
Green30
Orange40 Opening and closing the fuse box
●
Carefully tilt the cover in the direction indi-
cated by the arrow and remove it ››› Fig. 138.
● After changing the fuse, replace the cover
on the dash panel in the direction opposite
that is indicated by the arrow so that the cov-
er tabs fit into the slots on the dash panel.
Subsequently, press down on the cover to
close. CAUTION
● Always carefully remove the fuse box cov-
ers and refit them correctly to avoid problems
with your vehicle.
● Protect the fuse boxes when open to avoid
the entry of dust or humidity. Dirt and humid-
ity inside fuse boxes can cause damage to
the electrical system. Note
In the vehicle, there are more fuses than
those indicated in this chapter. These should
only be changed by a specialised workshop. 164