
Lights and visibility
correct use of lights in all situations. “Auto-
matic headlight control” is merely a system
to support the driver. Where necessary,
switch on the lights manually using the light
switch.
Fog lights with cornering function*
3 Applies to the model: ALTEA / ALTEA XL
When the t urn s
ignal is switched on to turn or
on very tight bends, the right or left fog light
automatically comes on to function as a cor-
nering light. The cornering light only oper-
at e
s if the dipped beam lights are on. WARNING
Read and observe the relevant warnings ››› in Adaptive headlights* (for driving round
bends) on page 80 Hazard warning lights
Fig. 63
Dash panel: switch for hazard warn-
ing lights. The hazard warning lights are used to draw
the attention of other road users to your vehi-
cle in emergencies.
If your vehicle breaks down:
1. Park your vehicle at a safe distance from
moving traffic.
2. Press the button to switch on the hazard warning lights ››› .
3. Switch the ignition off.
4. Apply the handbrake.
5. For a manual gearbox, engage 1st gear; for an automatic gearbox, move the gear
lever to P
.
6.
Use the warning triangle to draw the atten-
tion of other road users to your vehicle. 7. Always take the vehicle key with you when
you leave the vehicle.
Switch on the hazard warning lights to warn
other road users, for example:
● reaching the tail end of a traffic jam,
● there is an emergency
● your vehicle breaks down due to a techni-
cal fault,
● you are towing another vehicle or your vehi-
cle is being towed.
All turn signals flash simultaneously when
the hazard warning lights are switched on.
The two turn signal turn signal lamps
and the turn signal lamp in the switch will
flash at the same time. The hazard warning
lights also work when the ignition is switch-
ed off.
Emergency braking warning
If the vehicle brakes suddenly and continu-
ously at a speed of more than 80 km/h (50
mph), the brake light flashes several times
per second to warn the vehicles driving be-
hind. If you continue braking, the hazard
warning lights will come on automatically
when the vehicle comes to a standstill. They
switch off automatically when the vehicle
starts to move again. »
81
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Operation
Switching on automatic wipe – Press the lever fully forwards to position 7›››
Fig. 71 . The rear wash function will start
immedi at
ely and the wiper will start a few
seconds later. The rear window wash sys-
tem will function as long as you hold the
lever in this position.
– Release the lever. The wiper then wipes for
approximately 4 seconds, and then in inter-
vals again.
– Release the lever. The washer system stops
and the wipers function. WARNING
● Worn and dirty wiper blades reduce visibili-
ty and safety levels while driving.
● Always note the corresponding warnings
on ››› page 194. CAUTION
In icy conditions, always check that the wiper
blade is not frozen to the glass before using
the wiper for the first time. If you switch on
the wiper when the wiper blade is frozen to
the glass, this could damage both the wiper
blade and the wiper motor. Note
● The windscreen wiper will only function
when the ignition is switched on and the rear
lid is closed. ●
In reverse gear, with the windscreen wipers
switched on, the rear windscreen wiper will
make one wipe. Headlight washer*
The headlight washers clean the headlight
lenses.
The headlight washers are activated auto-
matically when the windscreen washer is
used and the window wiper lever is pulled to-
wards the steering wheel for at least 1.5 sec-
onds – provided the dipped beam headlights
or main beams are switched on. Clean off
stubborn dirt (insects, etc.) from the head-
lights at regular intervals, for instance, when
filling the fuel tank.
Note
● To ensure that the headlight washers work
properly in winter, keep the nozzle holders in
the bumper free of snow and remove any ice
with a de-icer spray.
● To remove water, the windscreen wipers
will be activated from time to time, the head-
light washers will be activated every three cy-
cles. Rear vision mirrors
Interior rear vision mirror It is dangerous to drive if you cannot see
clearly through the rear window.
Manual anti-dazzle function for interior rear
vision mirror
In the basic mirror position, the lever at the
bottom edge of the rear vision mirror should
be at the front. Pull the lever to the back to
select the anti-dazzle function.
Automatic anti-dazzle interior rear
vision mirror* Fig. 72
Automatic anti-dazzle interior rear vi-
sion mirror. 86

Operation
button while driving slowly and with low ac-
celeration. This procedure can be repeated
several times while driving carefully until all
the LPG left in the tank has been used up.
● Vehicles that display information or warn-
ing messages on the dash panel may show
information related to LPG operation.
● The notification LPG mode not possible may
be displayed. Journeys abroad
To drive abroad, the following must be taken
into consideration:
● For vehicles fitted with a catalytic converter
ensure that unleaded petrol is available for
the journey. See the chapter “Refuelling”. Au-
tomobile organisations will have information
about service station networks selling unlea-
ded fuel.
● In some countries, your vehicle model may
not be available, and therefore some spare
parts may not available or technical services
can only carry out limited repairs.
SEAT importers and distributors will gladly
provide information about the technical prep-
aration that your vehicle requires and also
about necessary maintenance and repair
possibilities. Adhesive strips for headlights
If you have to drive a right-hand drive vehicle
in a left-hand drive country, or vice versa, the
asymmetric dipped beam headlights will daz-
zle oncoming traffic.
To prevent dazzling, you must apply stickers
to certain parts of the headlight lenses. Fur-
ther information is available at any Technical
Service.
In vehicles with adaptive headlights, the ro-
tation system must previously be disconnec-
ted. To do this, please go to a specialised
workshop.
Ignition lock
Ignition key positions Fig. 122
Ignition key positions. Ignition switched off, steering lock
0 In this position
››› Fig. 122, the ignition and
the engine are OFF and the steering may be
locked.
For the Steering lock
to operate without the
ignition k
ey, turn the steering wheel until it
locks with an audible sound. You should al-
ways lock the steering wheel when you leave
your vehicle. This will help prevent vehicle
theft ››› .
Switching the ignition or the glow plug
system on 1 Turn the ignition key to this position and re-
lease it. If the key cannot be turned or it is
difficult to turn from position
0 to position
1 , move the steering wheel from one side to
the other to release it.
Starting 2 The engine is started when the key is in this
position. Electrical devices with high power
consumption are switched off temporarily at
the same time.
Each time that the vehicle is restarted, the ig-
nition key must be turned to position
0 . The
repetitive start prevention lock of the igni-
tion prevents possible damage to the starter
motor if the engine is already running.
120

Checking and refilling levels
WARNING
Any work carried out in the engine compart-
ment or on the engine must be carried out
cautiously.
● When working in the engine compartment,
always observe the safety warnings
››› page 163.
● When the engine is warm or hot, the cool-
ing system is pressurised! Do not unscrew
the cap on the coolant expansion tank when
the engine is hot. This is a burn injury risk. CAUTION
● When mixed with other additives the colour
of G12 will change to brown. If this occurs
you should have the coolant changed imme-
diately. Failure to do so will result in engine
damage!
● If a lot of coolant fluid has been lost, wait
for the engine to cool. This avoids damaging
the en gine. Lar
ge coolant losses are an indi-
cation of leaks in the cooling system. See a
specialised workshop immediately and have
the cooling system checked. Otherwise, there
is a risk of engine damage. Windscreen washer reservoir
Topping up washer fluid Fig. 150
In the engine compartment: Cap of
windscreen washer fluid reservoir The
windscreen washer
and the
headlight
washers are supplied with fluid from the
windscreen washer fluid container in the en-
gine compartment. The container holds ap-
prox. 3 litres; in vehicles with headlight
washers* it holds approx. 5.5 litres.
The reservoir is located on the right-hand
side of the engine compartment.
Plain water is not enough to clean the wind-
screen and headlights. We recommend that
you always add a product to the windscreen
washer fluid. Approved windscreen cleaning
products exist on the market with high deter-
gent and anti-freeze properties, these may be
added all-year-round. Please follow the dilu-
tion instructions on the packaging. WARNING
Any work carried out in the engine compart-
ment or on the engine must be carried out
cautiously.
● When working in the engine compartment,
always observe the safety warnings
››› page 163. CAUTION
● Never put radiator anti-freeze or other addi-
tives into the windscreen washer fluid.
● Always use approved windscreen cleansing
products diluted as per instructions. If you
use other washer fluids or soap solutions,
the tiny holes in the fan-shaped nozzles
could become blocked. 171
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
How to jump start: description Fig. 163
Diagram of connections for vehicles
without Start-Stop system. Fig. 164
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. 163 .
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 – in the vehicle
providing assistance B
››› Fig. 163 .
– For
vehicles with Start-Stop system: Con-
nect one end of the black jump lead X to a
suitable ground terminal, a solid piece of
metal in the engine block, or to the engine
block itself ››› Fig. 164.
5. Connect 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 vehicle's engine with the boost- ing 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 window 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 l e
ads in reverse order to the details
given above.
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 a minute. WARNING
● Please note the safety warnings referring to
working in the engine compartment
››› page 163, Working in the engine compart-
ment.
● The b att
ery providing assistance must have
the same voltage as the flat battery (12 V)
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 190

Fuses and bulbs
the following spare bulbs, which are essen-
tial for road safety, should be kept in the ve-
hicle.
Main headlights - H7
- H1
- W5W - PY21W
Xenon headlights 1)
/adaptive*
- D1S 2)
- P21W SLL
- W5W - PY21W
Front fog light - H3
Dipped beam
Main beam
Position
Turn signal
Dipped and full beam
Daylight
Position
Turn signals
Front fog light Upper tail light (ALTEA)
- P21W3)
- R10W
Lower tail light (ALTEA) - P21W- P21W
Fixed tail light (ALTEA XL / ALTEA FREETRACK) - P21W3)
- P21W
Mobile tail light (ALTEA XL / ALTEA
FREETRACK) - P21W- P21W
- W5W
Stop/Position
Turn signal
Fog light
Reverse light
Stop/Position
Turn signal
Fog light (driver side)
Reverse (passenger side)
Position Side turn signal
- W5W
Number plate light - C5W Note
● Depending on weather conditions (cold or
wet), the headlights, the fog lights, the tail
lights and the turn signals may be temporari-
ly misted. This has no influence on the useful
life of the lighting system. By switching on
the lights, the area through which the beam
of light is projected will quickly be demisted.
However, the edges may continue to be mis-
ted.
● Please check at regular intervals that all
lighting (especially the exterior lighting) on
your vehicle is functioning properly. This is » Side turn signal
Number plate light
1)
On this type of headlight, the bulb changes must
be made by the technical service, given that complex
elements must be removed from the vehicle and the
incorporated automatic control system must be re-
set.
2) The Xenon bulbs discharge 2.5 times the light flux
and have an average lifespan of 5 times more than
that of halogen bulbs, this means that, except due to
unusual circumstances, there is no need to change
the bulbs for the whole life of the vehicle.
3) Electronically controlled single filament bulb for
Stop/side bulbs. If the bulb blows it will not work in
either position or Stop. 199Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Advice
not only in the interest of your own safety,
but also that of all other road users.
● Due to difficulty of access to some of the
bulbs, any replacement work should be done
by a technical service. However, the following
is a description of how to change the lamps
except for the fog lights* and interior lamps. Main headlight bulbs
Fig. 176
Main headlight bulbs. Turn signal
Dipped beam headlights
Main beam headlights
Side light
A B
C
D Turn signal bulbs
Fig. 177
Turn signal bulb. –
Raise the bonnet.
– Rotate the bulb holder ››› Fig. 177 A to the
left and pull.
– Remove the bulb by pressing on the bulb
holder and turn it anti-clockwise at the
same time.
– Installation involves all of the above steps
in reverse sequence. Dipped lights Fig. 178
Dipped beam headlights. Fig. 179
Dipped beam headlights. –
Raise the bonnet.
– Move the loops ››› Fig. 178 1 in the direc-
tion of the arrow and remove the cover.
– Remove connector ››› Fig. 179 2 from the
bulb.
200

Index
Index
A
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Acoustic warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Adjusting the seat belt height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
AFS (cornering lights) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Airbag covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Airbags description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 20 activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
functioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
head-protection airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Air conditioner 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Air conditioner automatic mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Air recirculation mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Manual air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Alarm system Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
All-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Alternator Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Interior monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Tow-away protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Anti-theft wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Antifreeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Aquaplaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Aspects to note before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
ASR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Audible warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Automatic anti-dazzle interior rear vision mirror Activating the anti-dazzle function . . . . . . . . . . 86
Deactivating the anti-dazzle function . . . . . . . . 86
Automatic car wash tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Automatic gearbox Kick-down feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox . . . 127
Automatic lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Automatic windscreen wiping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Automatic wipe with rain sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Auxiliary audio input: AUX-IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
B Ball coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Winter conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Belt tightening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Biodiesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Boot hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Emergency opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Emergency opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Brake pedal Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Worn brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123, 138
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Bulb defect Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 120
C
Car care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Car care products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
CCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
CD changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Central lock button Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Automatic locking system for involuntary un-locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Automatic speed-dependent locking and un- locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
223