
›Insert the lock tongue into the belt buckle
» Fig. 5 – that is part of the seat
until it clicks into place.›
Pull on the belt to check that it has engaged correctly in the lock.
A plastic knob in the belt webbing holds the belt tongue in a position which is
easy to get hold of.
It is important that the belt is properly routed to ensure seat belts offer the
maximum protection.
The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across the neck but must
roughly run over the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the chest.
The lap part of the belt must run across the pelvis, must not be positioned
across the stomach and must always fit snugly » Fig. 6 –
.
Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child.
On expectant mothers, the lap part of the belt must be positioned as low as possible on the pelvis to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower abdo-
men » Fig. 6 –
.
Releasing
Release the seat belt only when the vehicle is stationary.
›
Press the red button in the belt buckle » Fig. 5 –
, the lock tongue pops
out.
›
Manually guide the belt back so that it is easier to fully roll up the webbing,
the seat belt does not twist.
CAUTION
When releasing the seatbelt ensure that the tongue of the lock does not dam-
age the door trim or other parts of the interior.
Inertia reels and belt tensioners
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Inertia reels
14
Belt tensioners
14
Inertia reels
Each seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel.
When pulling slowly on the seat belt, the belt can move freely. When pulling
sharply on the seat belt, the movement is locked by the inertia reel.
The belts also lock when full braking, when the car accelerates, when driving
downhill and when cornering.WARNINGIf the seat belt does not lock when pulling sharply on it, have it inspected
immediately by a specialist garage.
Belt tensioners
Safety for the driver and front passenger wearing their seat belts is enhanced
by the belt tensioners fitted to the inertia reels of the front three-point seat
belts.
The three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a frontal
collision of a certain severity. The belt tensioners can also be deployed if the
seat belts are not fastened.
The seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a collision of a cer-
tain severity.
Belt tensioners are not activated in the event of minor frontal collisions, side
and rear-end collisions, in the case of a rollover and also not in accidents in
which no major forces are produced from the front.
WARNING■ Any work on the belt tensioner system including removal and installation
of system components because of other repair work, must only be carried
out by a specialist garage.■
The protective function of the system is only adequate for a single acci-
dent. If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to re-
place the entire system.
Note
■ Smoke is generated when the belt tensioners are deployed. This is not an in-
dication of a fire in the vehicle.■
When disposing of the vehicle or parts of the belt tensioner system, it is im-
portant to comply with national legal requirements. ŠKODA service partners
are familiar with these regulations and will be able to provide you with de-
tailed information.
14Safety

Wheel balance
The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. When driving, however, there are a
range of factors that may result in an imbalance. This may become apparent by
a “vibration” in the steering. If this is the case, have the wheels checked by a
specialist garage.
Have the wheels likewise rebalanced after replacing the tyres.
Setting the vehicle geometry
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear leads to excess wear on the
tyres and impairs driving safety. With a distinct tyre wear pattern, we recom-
mend that you check the setting of the vehicle geometry in a specialist work-
shop.WARNING■ An incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear impairs handling.■Unusual vibrations or pulling of the vehicle to one side could be a sign of
tyre damage. If there is any doubt that a wheel is damaged, immediately re-
duce your speed and stop! If no external tyre damage is evident, drive slow-
ly and carefully to the nearest specialist garage to have the vehicle
checked.
Tyre wear indicator and wheel replacement
Fig. 105
Principle sketch: Replace tire tread with wear indicators / wheels
Read and observe
on page 117 first.
Wear indicators
The base of the tread of the tyres contains has a 1.6 mm high wear indica- tor » Fig. 105 -
. In some countries, different tyre wear rates may apply.
Markings on the walls of the tyres through the letters “TWI”, triangular sym-
bols or other symbols identify the position of the wear indicators.
Replacement of wheels
For uniform wear on all tyres, we recommend that you change the wheels ev-
ery 10 000 km according to the scheme » Fig. 105-
. You will then obtain ap-
proximately the same life for all the tyres.
After a wheel has been replaced, the tyre pressure has to be adjusted.
In vehicles with tyre pressure monitoring, save tyre pressure values » page 92.WARNING■
You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the
wear indicators have been worn down.■
Worn tyres impair necessary adhesion to the road surface, particularly at
high speeds on wet roads. This could lead to “aquaplaning” (uncontrolled vehicle movement – “swimming” on a wet road surface).
Tyre damage
Read and observe
on page 117 first.
We recommend checking your tyres and wheel rims for damage (punctures,
cuts, splits and bulges, etc.) on a regular basis. Remove foreign bodies (e.g.
small stones) from the tyre tread immediately.
Drive over kerbs and other such obstacles slowly and at right angles wherever
possible in order to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.
Immediately replace damaged wheel rims or tyres.
WARNINGNever drive with damaged tyres – risk of accident.
CAUTION
The tyres must be protected from contact with substances such as oil, grease
and fuel, which could damage them. If the tyres come into contact with these
substances, then we recommend you have this checked out in a specialist
workshop.119Wheels

›The temporary spare wheel is inflated to the maximum inflation pressure for
the vehicle » page 118.
› Only use this temporary spare wheel to reach the nearest specialist garage,
since it is not intended for permanent use.WARNING■ Never drive with more than one temporary spare wheel mounted!■Only use the temporary spare wheel when absolutely necessary.■
Avoid accelerating at full throttle, sharp braking and fast cornering.
■
The snow chains cannot be used on the temporary spare wheel.
■
Observe the instructions on the warning sign of the temporary spare
wheel.
Changing a wheel
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Preliminary work
124
Full wheel trim
124
Wheel bolts
125
Changing a wheel
125
Follow-up work
125
Loosening/tightening wheel bolts
126
Raising the vehicle
126
Anti-theft wheel bolts
127
For your own safety and the safety of the passengers, the following instruc-
tions must be observed before changing a wheel on the road.
Switch on the hazard warning lights system.
The warning triangle must be set up at the prescribed distance - observe
the national legal provisions when doing so.
Park the vehicle as far away as possible from the flow of traffic.
Choose a location with a flat, solid surface.
Have all the occupants get out. The passengers should not stand on the
road (instead they should remain behind a crash barrier, for instance) while
the wheel is being changed.
The following instructions must be followed if the vehicle is subsequently fit-
ted with tyres or rims that differ from the factory-fitted ones » page 120, Ex-
planation of the tyre labelling .
The national legal requirements must be observed when changing a wheel.
Preliminary work
Before changing the wheel, the following work must be carried out.
›
Switch off the engine.
›
Select first gear or place the selector lever for automatic gearbox in the D or
R position .
›
Firmly apply the handbrake.
›
Remove the vehicle tool kit » page 122 and the spare wheel » page 123 from
the boot.
Full wheel trim
Before removing the wheel bolts, remove the wheel cover.
Pulling off
›
Hook the clamp found in the vehicle tool kit » page 122 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.
Installing
›
Press the wheel trim onto the wheel rim at the designated valve open-
ing » .
›
Then press the trim into the wheel rim until its entire circumference locks
correctly in place.
CAUTION
■ Use the pressure of your hand only, do not strike the full wheel trim. The
cover could be damaged.■
When using the anti-theft wheel bolt, ensure that it is in the hole in the
valve area.
■
If wheel trims are fitted, an adequate flow of air must be assured in order to
cool the brake system.
Note
We recommend that you use wheel trims from ŠKODA Original Accessories.124Do-it-yourself