2014 SKODA FABIA battery

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Opening and closing the bonnetFig. 156
Opening the bonnet
Read and observe
and on page 150 first.
Open flap
›
Open the front door.
›
Pull the release lever under the dash panel in the direction of the arrow
1
» Fig. 156 .
Before opening the bonnet, ensure that the arms of the windscreen wipers
are correctly in place against the windscreen, otherwise the paintwork on the
flap could be damaged.
›
Push the release lever in the direction of arrow
2
.
The bonnet is then unlocked.
›
Grasp the bonnet catch and lift in the direction of arrow
3
.
›
Remove the lid prop in the direction of arrow
4
from the holder.
›
Secure the open flap inserting the end of the post into the opening in the di-
rection of arrow
5
.
Close the flap
›
Lift the bonnet.
›
Decouple the bonnet support and press into the holder designed to hold it.
›
Let the bonnet drop into the lock carrier lock from a height of around 20 cm –
do not push it in .
WARNING■
Check that the bonnet is closed properly.■If you notice that the lock is not properly engaged while driving, stop the
vehicle immediately and close the bonnet – there is the risk of an accident.■
Make sure that when closing the bonnet, no body parts are crushed -
there is danger of injury!
CAUTION
Never open the bonnet by the locking lever » Fig. 156.
Engine compartment overview
Fig. 157
Principle sketch: Engine compartment
Read and observe
and on page 150 first.
Arrangement in the engine compartment » Fig. 157
Windscreen washer fluid reservoir
152
Coolant expansion reservoir
155
Engine oil dipstick
153
Engine oil filler opening
154
Brake fluid reservoir
156
Battery (below a cover)
156
Note
The location of the inspection points in the engine compartment of petrol and
diesel engines is practically identical.ABCDEF151Inspecting and replenishing

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine CAUTION■Do not continue your journey if the fluid level has dropped below the “MIN”
marking » Fig. 161 on page 156 ,  - there is a risk of an accident! Seek help
from a specialist garage.■
Brake fluid damages the paintwork of the vehicle.
Note
■ The brake fluid is changed as part of a prescribed inspection service.■We recommend using oils from the ŠKODA Original Accessories range.
Level check
Fig. 161
Brake fluid reservoir
Read and observe and on page 155 first.
The fluid can be checked if the following conditions are met.
The vehicle is standing on a horizontal surface.
The engine is turned off.
The bonnet is open.
Check the status
›
Check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir » Fig. 161.
The level must be between the “MIN” and “MAX” markings.
A slight drop in the fluid level results in operation due to normal wear and tear
and the automatic adjustment of the brake pads.
There may be an indication of a leak in the brake system, however, if the fluid level drops significantly within a short time or if it drops below the “MIN” mark-
ing.
Too low brake fluid level is indicated by the warning light 
illuminating in the
instrument cluster as well as the relevant notification being displayed
» page 32 , 
Brake system .
Specification
Read and observe
and on page 155 first.
The brake fluid must comply with the following standards or specifications:› VW 50114;
› FMVSS 116 DOT4.
Vehicle battery

Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Open cover
157
Checking the battery electrolyte level
158
Charging
158
Replacing
159
Disconnecting or reconnecting
159
Automatic load deactivation
159
The vehicle battery represents a power source for the motor to start and for
the supply of electrical consumers in the car.
Warning symbols on the vehicle battery
SymbolMeaningAlways wear eye protection.Battery acid is severely caustic. Always wear gloves and eye pro-
tection.Keep fire, sparks, open flames and lit cigarettes well clear of the
vehicle battery.When charging the vehicle battery, a highly explosive gas mixture
is produced.Keep children away from the vehicle battery. 156General Maintenance

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine WARNINGThere is a risk of injuries, poisoning, chemical burns, explosions or fire
when carrying out any work on the battery and on the electrical system. It
is essential to comply with the generally applicable rules of safety as well
as the warning instructions outlined below.■
Keep the vehicle battery away from people who are not completely inde-
pendent, especially children.
■
Do not tilt the battery otherwise battery electrolyte may flow out of the
battery vent openings.
■
Protect your eyes by wearing safety glasses or a face shield – there is a
risk of being blinded.
■
Always wear protective gloves, eye and skin protection when handling
the vehicle battery.
■
The battery acid is strongly corrosive and must, therefore, be handled
with the greatest of care.
■
Corrosive fumes in the air irritate the air passages and lead to conjunctivi-
tis and inflammation of the air passages in the lungs.
■
Battery acid corrodes dental enamel and creates deep wounds on contact
with the skin which take a long time to heal.
■
If any battery electrolyte comes into contact with your eyes, rinse the
eyes immediately with clear water for several minutes - consult a doctor
immediately.
■
Splashes of acid on your skin or clothes should be neutralised as soon as
possible using soap suds and then rinsed with plenty of water.
■
Seek immediate medical assistance if you swallow battery acid.
WARNING■ The use of open flames and light should be avoided.■Smoking and radio triggering activities should be avoided.■
Never use a damaged vehicle battery – there is a risk of explosion.
■
Never charge a frozen or thawed vehicle battery – there is a risk of explo-
sion and caustic burns.
■
Replace a frozen vehicle battery.
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with an electrolyte level that is too low
– risk of explosion and caustic burns.
CAUTION
■ Improper handling of the vehicle battery may cause damage.■Ensure that battery acid does not come into contact with the bodywork –
there is a risk of damage to the paintwork.■ If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery will
discharge. Prevent the battery from discharging by disconnecting the battery's
negative terminal 
or continuously charging the battery with a very low
charging current.■
Do not place the battery in direct daylight in order to protect the vehicle bat-
tery housing from the effects of ultra-violet light.
■
If the vehicle is frequently used for making short trips, the vehicle battery
will not have time to charge up sufficiently and may discharge.
For the sake of the environment
A vehicle battery that has been removed is a special type of hazardous waste.
These must be disposed of in accordance with national legal regulations.
Note
■ We recommend having all work on the vehicle battery carried out by a spe-
cialist garage.■
You should replace batteries older than 5 years.
Open cover
Fig. 162
Polyester cover of vehicle bat-
tery
Read and observe and on page 157 first.
The battery is located in the engine compartment - in some models, under-
neath a polyester cover » Fig. 162.
›
Fold out the cover on the battery in the direction of the arrow.
The battery cover is installed in reverse order.
157Inspecting and replenishing

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Checking the battery electrolyte levelFig. 163
Vehicle battery: Electrolyte level
indicator
Read and observe and on page 157 first.
On vehicles with a vehicle battery fitted with a colour indicator, » Fig. 163 the
colouring of the display can indicate the acidic level.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason carefully knock on the indicator before carrying out the check.
› Black colour - electrolyte level is correct.
› Colourless or light yellow colour - electrolyte level too low, the battery must
be replaced.
Vehicles with a START-STOP system are fitted with a battery control unit for
checking the energy level for the recurring engine start.
We recommend you have the electrolyte level checked by a specialist garage from time to time, especially in the following cases.
› High external temperatures.
› Longer day trips.
› After each charge.
Winter time
The vehicle battery only has some of its starting power at low temperatures. A
discharged vehicle battery may freeze at temperatures just below 0 °C .
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked and, if necessary,
recharged by a specialist garage before the start of the winter.
Note
■ The battery electrolyte level is also periodically checked by a specialist ga-
rage as part of the Inspection Service.■
For technical reasons, on vehicles with the description “AGM”, the electrolyte
level cannot be checked.
Charging
Read and observe
and on page 157 first.
A properly charged vehicle battery is essential for reliably starting the engine.A charging operation can be performed if the following conditions are satis-
fied.
The engine is turned off.
The ignition is switched off.
All consumers are turned off.
The bonnet is open.
“Fast charging” with high currents
›
Disconnect both battery cables (first of all “negative”, then “positive”).
›
Attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals (red =
“positive”, black = “negative”).
›
Plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and switch the
charger on.
›
Once charging is complete: Switch off the charger and remove the mains ca-
ble from the power socket.
›
Only then disconnect the charger's terminal clamps.
›
Reconnect the cables to the battery (first “positive”, then “negative”).
Charging with low voltages
It is not necessary to disconnect the cables from the battery if you recharge
the vehicle battery, for example from a mini-charger.
Refer to the charger manufacturer's instructions .
A charging current of 0.1 multiple of the total vehicle battery capacity (or low-
er) must be used until full charging is achieved.
The vent plugs of the vehicle battery should not be opened for charging. 
158General Maintenance

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine WARNING■When you charge a battery, hydrogen is released, and a highly explosive
gas mixture is also produced. An explosion can be caused through sparkling
over during unclamping or loosening of the cable plug while the ignition is
on.■
Creating a bridge between the poles on the battery (e.g. with metal ob-
jects - cables) creates a short circuit - risk of damage to the battery, explo-
sion and burning of the battery, jets of acid spurting out.
■
Avoid creating sparks when working with cables and electrical devices.
Strong sparking represents a risk of injury.
■
Before carrying out any work on the electrical system, switch off the en-
gine, the ignition and all electrical consumers and disconnect the negative
terminal 
.
■
“Quick-charging” the vehicle battery is dangerous and requires a special
charger and specialist knowledge.
■
We therefore recommend that vehicle batteries be “rapidly charged” by a
specialist garage.
CAUTION
On vehicles with the START/STOP system or additional heating (auxiliary heat-
ing), the pole terminal of the charger must not be connected directly to the
negative terminal of the vehicle battery, but only to the engine earth
» page 174 .
Replacing
Read and observe
and on page 157 first.
The new vehicle battery must have the same capacity, voltage, current and thesame size as the original battery. Suitable vehicle battery types can be pur-
chased from a specialist garage.
We recommend that the battery is replaced by a specialist garage, where the
new vehicle battery will be installed properly and the original battery will be
disposed of in accordance with national regulations.
Disconnecting or reconnecting
Read and observe
and on page 157 first.
Disconnecting
›
Switch off the ignition.
›First, disconnect the negative terminal
 first, then the positive  terminal
of the battery.
Connecting›
First, connect the positive 
first, then the negative 
battery terminal.
After disconnecting and re-connecting the vehicle battery, the following func-
tions or devices are partially or completely inoperative.
Function / deviceOperating measureElectric windows» page 59RadioEnter code » operating instruc-
tions for the Infotainment dis-
play radioTime settings» page 31
CAUTION
■ Disconnect the vehicle battery only with the ignition turned off - there is a
risk of damaging the electrical system of the vehicle.■
Under no circumstances must the battery cables be connected incorrectly –
risk of a cable fire.
Note
■ After disconnecting and re-connecting the vehicle battery, we recommend
having the vehicle checked by a specialist to ensure that the full functionality
of all electrical systems is guaranteed.■
The data of the multi-function display will be reset.
Automatic load deactivation
Read and observe
and on page 157 first.
The vehicle voltage control unit automatically prevents the battery from dis-
charging when the battery is subjected to heavy loads. This may be noticed
from the following.
› The idling speed is raised to allow the generator to deliver more electricity to
the electrical system.
› Where appropriate large convenience consumers, e.g. seat heaters, rear win-
dow heaters, have their power limited or shut off completely if necessary. 
159Inspecting and replenishing

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine CAUTION■Despite such intervention by the vehicle electric system management, the
vehicle battery may be drained. For example, when the ignition is switched on
a long time with the engine turned off or the side or parking lights are turned
on during longer parking.■
Consumers which are supplied via a 12 V socket can cause the vehicle battery
to discharge when the ignition is switched off.
Note
Driving comfort is not disrupted by any shutting off of consumers. Often the
driver is not aware of it having taken place.Wheels
Tyres and rims
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Notes on using wheels
161
Tyre pressure
161
Tyre wear
162
Tyre wear indicator and wheels exchange
162
Tyre damage
163
Unidirectional tyres
163
Spare wheel
163
Spare wheel
163
Tyre label
164
Only use those tyres or wheel rims which have been approved by ŠKODA for
your model of vehicle.
WARNINGNational legal requirements must be observed for the use of tyres.WARNINGFor safety reasons, do no replace tyres individually.
For the sake of the environment
Old and unserviceable tyres are a polluting hazardous waste. These must be disposed of in accordance with national legislation.
Note
■ We recommend that any work on the wheels or tyres is carried out by a spe-
cialist garage.■
We recommend that you use wheel rims, tyres, full wheel trims and snow
chains from ŠKODA Original Accessories.
160General Maintenance

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ›Remove the tyre inflation hose 7 from the tyre valve.
Once a tyre pressure of 2.0 – 2.5 bar is reached, the journey may be continued
at a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).WARNING■ If you cannot inflate the tyre to at least 2.0 bar, this means the damage
sustained was too serious. The sealing agent cannot be used to seal the
tyre. 
Do not continue to drive! Seek help from a specialist garage.■
The tyre inflation hose and air compressor may get hot while the tyre is
being inflated – there is a risk of injury.
CAUTION
Switch off the air compressor after running 8 minutes at the most – risk of
overheating. Allow the air compressor to cool a few minutes before switching
it on again.
Notes for driving with tyre repaired
Read and observe
on page 172 first.
The filling pressure of the repaired tyre is a 10-minute test drive.
If the tyre pressure is 1.3 bar or less
›
 Do not continue to drive! You cannot properly seal with tyre with the
breakdown kit.
If the tyre pressure is 1.3 bar or more
›
Correct the tyre pressure back to the correct value.
›
Continue driving carefully to the nearest specialist garage at a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
WARNING■ A tyre filled with sealant has the same driving characteristics as a stand-
ard tyre.■
Do not drive faster than 80 km/h (50 mph).
■
Avoid accelerating at full throttle, sharp braking and fast cornering.
Jump-starting
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle
174
The battery of another vehicle can be used to jump-start your vehicle if the en-
gine will not start because the battery is flat.
WARNING■ Pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the en-
gine compartment » page 149.■
A discharged vehicle battery can freeze at temperatures just below 0 °C.
If the battery is frozen, do not jump start with the battery of another vehi-
cle – risk of explosion.
■
Keep any sources of ignition (naked flame, smouldering cigarettes, etc.)
away from the battery – risk of explosion!
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with an electrolyte level that is too low
– risk of explosion and caustic burns.
■
The vent screws of the battery cells must be tightened firmly.
Note
We recommend you buy jump-start cables from a car battery specialist.
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle
Fig. 178
Jump-starting: A – flat battery, B
– battery providing current 
174Do-it-yourself

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Fig. 179
Engine earth: START-STOP sys-
tem
Read and observe on page 174 first.
The starting process using the battery of another vehicle requires the use of
jumper cables.
The jump-start cables must be attached in the following sequence.
›
Attach clamp
1
to the positive terminal of the discharged battery
A
» Fig. 178 .
›
Attach clamp
2
to the positive terminal of the battery supplying power
B
.
›
Attach clamp
3
to the negative terminal of the battery supplying power
B
.
›
Attach the clamp
4
to a solid metal component firmly connected to the en-
gine block or to the engine block itself.
The jump-start cable must only be connected to the engine earthing point on
vehicles with the START-STOP system » Fig. 179.
Starting engine
›
Start the engine on the vehicle providing the power and allow it to idle.
›
Start the engine of the vehicle with the discharged battery.
›
If the engine does not start, halt the attempt to start the engine after 10 sec-
onds and wait for 30 seconds before repeating the process.
›
Detach the jumper cables in the exact reverse order that they were attached.
Both batteries must have a rated voltage of 12 V. The capacity (Ah) of the bat-
tery supplying the power must not be significantly less than the capacity of
the discharged battery in your vehicle.
Jump-start cables
Only use jump-start cables which have an adequately large cross-section and
insulated terminal clamps. Obey the instructions of the jump start cable manu-
facturer.
Positive cable - colour coding in the majority of cases is red.
Negative cable - colour coding in the majority of cases is black.
WARNING■
Do not clamp the jump-start cable to the negative terminal of the dis-
charged battery. There is the risk of detonating gas seeping out the battery
being ignited by the strong spark which results from the engine being star-
ted.■
The non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps must never touch each
other – risk of short circuit.
■
The jump-start cable connected to the positive terminal of the battery
must not come into contact with electrically conducting parts of the vehicle
– risk of short circuit.
■
Route the jump-start cables so that they cannot be caught by any rotat-
ing parts in the engine compartment.
■
There must not be any contact between the two vehicles otherwise cur-
rent may flow as soon as the negative terminals are connected.
Towing the vehicle
 Introduction
Fig. 180
Braided tow ropes/spiral tow rope
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Front towing eye
176
Rear towing eye
177
Vehicles with a tow hitch
177
A braided tow rope must be used for towing » Fig. 180 - 
.
The following guidelines must be observed when towing.
Vehicles with manual transmission may be towed with a tow bar or a tow rope
or with the front or rear wheels raised. 
175Emergency equipment, and self-help