Lights and visibility
Rear interior lights and reading
lights* Fig. 66
Interior roof trim: rear interior lights
and reading lights. The switch
››› Fig. 66 C is used to select the
following positions:
Interior light switched off 0
In switch position ››› Fig. 66 1 , the interior
and reading lights are switched off.
Switching on the reading light
Turn the switch to position 2 (left reading
light) or to position 4 (right reading light).
Courtesy light position
Turn the control to position 3 . The interior
lighting is automatically switched on when
the vehicle is unlocked or the key removed
from the ignition. The light goes out approxi-
mately 20 seconds after the doors are closed. The interior lights are switched off
when the vehicle is locked or when the igni-
tion is switched on.
Interior lights or both reading lights
switched on
T urn the c
ontrol to position 5 .
Note
If not all the vehicle doors are closed, the in-
terior lights will be switched off after approx.
10 minutes, providing the ignition key has
been removed and the courtesy light position
selected. This prevents the battery from dis-
charging. Visibility
Sun visors Fig. 67
Sun visor on the driver side. The sun visors for the driver and the front
passenger can be pulled out of their mount-
ings in the centre of the vehicle and turned
towards the doors
››› Fig. 67 1 .
The vanity mirrors in the sun visors have cov-
ers. When you open the cover 2 , a lamp in
the roof lights up.
The light* in the roof lining will go out when
the vanity mirror cover is pushed back or the
sun visor is pushed back up. Note
The roof lighting will go out approximately
ten minutes after the ignition key has been
removed. This prevents the battery from dis-
charging. Sun blind*
3 Applies to the model: ALTEA XL/ALTEA FREETRACK
Fig. 68
Rear door blind.
» 83
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Transport and practical equipment
Luggage compartment Loading the luggage compartment All luggage and other loose objects must be
safely secured in the luggage compartment.
Unsecured objects which shift back and forth
could impair the driving safety or driving
characteristics of the vehicle by shifting the
centre of gravity.
– Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
– Place heavy objects as far forward as possi-
ble in the luggage compartment.
– Place the heavy objects first.
– Secure heavy objects to the fitted fastening
rings ›››
page 103 . WARNING
● Loose luggage and other objects in the lug-
gage compartment could cause serious inju-
ries.
● Always stow objects in the luggage com-
partment and secure them on the fastening
rings.
● Use suitable straps to secure heavy ob-
jects.
● During sudden manoeuvres or accidents,
loose objects can be thrown forward, injuring
vehicle occupants or passers-by. This in-
creased risk of injury will be further increased if a loose object is struck by an inflating air-
bag. If this happens, objects can be trans-
formed into “missiles”. Risk of fatal injury.
●
Please note that the centre of gravity may
shift when transporting heavy objects; this
may affect vehicle handling and lead to an ac-
cident. Therefore, it is essential to adjust
your speed and driving style accordingly, to
avoid accidents.
● Never exceed the allowed axle weights or
allowed maximum weight. If said weights are
exceeded, the driving characteristics of the
vehicle may change, leading to accidents, in-
juries and damage to the vehicle.
● Never leave your vehicle unattended, espe-
cially when the rear lid is open. Children
could climb into the luggage compartment,
closing the door behind them; they will be
trapped and run the risk of death.
● Never allow children to play in or around
the vehicle. Close and lock all the doors and
rear lid when you leave the vehicle. Before
you lock the vehicle, make sure that there are
no adults or children in the vehicle. CAUTION
Hard objects on the boot cover could chafe
against the wires of the heating element in
the rear window and cause damage. Note
● Air circulation in the vehicle helps reduce
fogging of the windows. Used air escapes through ventilation slits in the side trim of
the luggage compartment. Ensure that these
ventilation slits are never covered.
● Straps for securing the load to the fasten-
ing rings are commercially available. Rear shelf
3 Applies to the model: ALTEA
Fig. 103
Rear shelf. Fig. 104
Removing the storage compartment.
» 101Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Driving
●
If the handbrake is only partially released,
this will cause the rear brakes to overheat,
which can impair the function of the brake
system and could lead to an accident. This al-
so causes premature wear on the rear brake
pads. CAUTION
Always apply the handbrake before you leave
the vehicle. Put it in 1st gear as well. Parking
The handbrake should always be firmly ap-
plied when the vehicle is parked.
Always note the following points when park-
ing the vehicle:
– Use the brake pedal to stop the vehicle.
– Apply the handbrake.
– Put it in 1st gear.
– Switch the engine off and remove the key
from the ignition. Turn the steering wheel
slightly to engage the steering lock.
– Always take you keys with you when you
leave the vehicle ››› .Additional notes on parking the vehicle on
gradients:
Turn the steering wheel so that the vehicle
rolls against the kerb if it started to roll.
●
If the vehicle is parked facing downhill,
turn the front wheels so that they point to-
wards the kerb .
● If the vehicle is parked facing uphill, turn
the fr ont
wheels so that they point away from
the kerb
.
● Secure the vehicle as usual by applying the
handbrake firmly and putting it in 1st gear. WARNING
● Take measures to reduce the risk of injury
when you leave your vehicle unattended.
● Never park where the hot exhaust system
could ignite inflammable materials, such as
dry grass, low bushes, spilt fuel etc.
● Never allow vehicle occupants to remain in
the vehicle when it is locked. They would be
unable to open the vehicle from the inside,
and could become trapped in the vehicle in
an emergency. In the event of an emergency,
locked doors will delay assistance to vehicle
occupants.
● Never leave children alone in the vehicle.
They could set the vehicle in motion, for ex-
ample, by releasing the handbrake or the
gearbox lever. ●
Depending on weather conditions, it may
become extremely hot or cold inside the vehi-
cle. This can be fatal. Hill driving assistant*
This function is only included in vehicles with
ESC.
The hill driving assistant helps the driver to
move off and upward on a hill without rolling
backward.
The system maintains brake pressure for ap-
proximately 2 seconds after the driver takes
his foot off the brake pedal to prevent the ve-
hicle from rolling backward when starting off.
During these 2 seconds, the driver has
enough time to release the clutch pedal and
accelerate without the vehicle moving and
without having to use the handbrake, making
starting off easier, more comfortable and saf-
er.
These are the basic operation conditions:
● being on a ramp or hill/slope,
● closed doors,
● vehicle completely stationary,
● engine running and foot on the brake,
● besides having a gear engaged or being in
neutral for manual gear change and with the
selector lever at position S,
D
or R for an au-
tomatic gearbox. »
125
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Advice
●
Washing the vehicle in low temperatures:
when washing the vehicle with a hose, do not
direct water into the lock cylinders or the
gaps around the doors, rear lid, or sunroof.
Risk of freezing. For the sake of the environment
To protect the environment, the vehicle
should be washed only in specially provided
wash bays, to prevent toxic, oil-laden waste
water from entering the sewer system. In
some places, washing vehicles outside wash
bays is prohibited. Note
Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight. Washing the vehicle with a high
pressure cleaner
Be particularly careful when using a high
pressure cleaner!
– Always observe the instructions for the
high-pressure cleaner, particularly those
concerning the pressure and the spraying
di s
tance.
– Increase the spraying distance for soft ma-
terials and painted bumpers. –
Do not use a high pressure cleaner to re-
move ice or snow from windows
››› page 151.
– Never u
se concentrated jet nozzles (“rotat-
ing jets”) ››› .
– After washing, avoid sudden and sharp
braking. “Dry” the brakes by braking sever-
al times ››› page 123 . WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a concentrated jet
(“rotating nozzle”). Even at large spraying
distances and short cleaning times, damage
can occur to the tyres. This may cause an ac-
cident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can
reduce braking effectiveness. Risk of acci-
dent. CAUTION
● Do not use water hotter than +60 °C
(+140 °F). This could damage the vehicle.
● To avoid damage to the vehicle, keep a suf-
ficient distance from sensitive materials such
as flexible hoses, plastic, soundproofing ma-
terial, etc. This also applies to bumpers pain-
ted in the colour of the bodywork. The closer
the nozzle is to the surface, the greater the
wear on the material. Vehicle paint maintenance
Regular waxing protects the paintwork.
You need to apply wax to your vehicle if water
does not form small drops and run off the
paintwork when it is
clean.
Good quality har
d wax products are available
at your Technical Service.
Regular wax applications help to protects the
paintwork from environmental contaminants.
››› page 148. It also protects against minor
sc
ratches.
Even if a wax solution is used regularly in the
vehicle washing tunnel, it is advisable to pro-
tect the paint with a hard wax coating at least
twice a year.
Polishing the paintwork Polishing is only necessary if the paint has
lost its shine, and the gloss cannot be
brought back by applying wax. Polishing
products can be purchased in your Technical
Service.
The vehicle must be waxed after polishing if
the polish used does not contain wax com-
pounds to seal the paint
›››
page 150, Vehicle
paint maintenance .
150
Advice
Caring for rubber seals will also prevent pre-
mature ageing and leaks. The doors will be
easier to open. If rubber seals are well looked
after, they will not freeze so quickly in winter.
Door lock cylinder The door lock cylinders can freeze up in win-
ter.
To de-ice the lock cylinders you should only
use spray with lubricating and anti-corrosive
properties.
Cleaning chrome parts 1. Clean chrome parts with a damp cloth.
2. Polish chrome parts with a soft, dry cloth.
If this does not provide satisfying results, use
a specialist
chrome cleaning product.
Chrome cleaning products will remove stains
from the surface. CAUTION
To prevent scratching chrome surfaces:
● Never use an abrasive cleaning product on
chrome.
● Do not clean or polish chrome parts in a
sandy or dusty environment. Steel wheel rims
–
Clean steel wheel rims regularly using a
separate sponge.
Use an industrial cleaner to remove brake
dust. Any damage to the paint on steel wheel
rims should be repaired before starting to
rust. WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a cylindrical jet. Even
at large spraying distances and short clean-
ing times, damage can occur to the tyres.
This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can
reduce braking effectiveness. Risk of acci-
dent. Directly after washing, avoid sudden
and sharp braking. “Dry” the brakes by brak-
ing several times ››› page 123. Alloy wheel rims
Every two weeks
– Wash salt and brake dust from alloy
wheels.
– Use an acid free detergent to clean the
wheel rims.
Every 3 months
– Apply a hard wax compound to the wheels. Alloy wheels require regular attention to pre-
serve their appearance. If road salt and brake
dust are not often removed, the aluminium
finish will be impaired.
Always use an acid-free detergent for alloy
wheel rims.
Car polish or other abrasive agents should
not be used for maintaining the rims. If the
protective coating is damaged, e.g. by flying
stones, the damaged area should be re-
paired immediately.
WARNING
● Never wash tyres with a cylindrical jet. Even
at large spraying distances and short clean-
ing times, damage can occur to the tyres.
This may cause an accident.
● Water, ice and salt on the brake system can
reduce braking effectiveness. Risk of acci-
dent. Directly after washing, avoid sudden
and sharp braking. “Dry” the brakes by brak-
ing several times ››› page 123. Underbody protection
The vehicle underbody is coated to protect it
from chemical and mechanical damage.
The protective coating can be damaged when
driving. We recommend that you check the
protective coating under the body and on the
152
Emergencies
– Bolt the anchorage to its limit to the left, in
the dir ection of
the arrow ››› Fig. 165.
Re
ar towline anchorage
– Take the towline anchorage from the on-
board tool set.
– Remove the cover by pressing down on its
right-hand side.
– Bolt the anchorage to its limit to the left
, in
the direction of the arrow ››› Fig. 166.
Aft
er use, unscrew the towline anchorage
and put it back in the vehicle tool kit. Replace
the cover on the bumper. The towline anchor-
age should always be kept in the vehicle. Emergency locking and
unlocking
Emergency manual locking Fig. 167
Emergency door locking. This permits mechanical locking of the doors
in case of central locking system failure.
Locking the driver door manually
Insert the key in the door lock cylinder and
rotate in a clockwise direction for the left
hand side door and anticlockwise for the
right hand side door.
Once the door has been closed it can no lon-
ger be opened from the outside.
Manual (emergency) locking of the
remaining doors
Open the door and remove the cap
A ›››
Fig. 167 printed with a lock image. This w
i
ll expose a circular element with a groove
in the centre. Insert the key into the groove
and rotate the element clockwise for the right
hand side doors and anticlockwise for the
left hand side doors.
Replace the cap and close the door. Once the
door has been locked it can no longer be
opened from the outside.
Unlocking the manually (emergency) locked
driver door
Insert the key in the door lock cylinder and
rotate anticlockwise for the left hand side
doors and clockwise for the right hand side
doors.
The door lock is released and the door may
be opened using the exterior door handle.
Unlocking the remaining manually
(emergency) locked doors
First the driver door must be unlocked to gain
entry to the vehicle. Operate the internal door
handle for the required door. If the childproof
lock is activated on the rear doors, when the
interior door release lever is operated the
door is unlocked but does not open. The door
must be opened from the outside. Note
Once the vehicle is open, if you wish to lock it
manually, repeat the previous instructions. 193
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Index
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Dipped beam headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Display (without warning or information texts) . . 47
Disposal Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Door lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Door lock cylinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Door lock handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Door release lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Doors Childproof locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Drawer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Driver see Correct sitting position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 8
Driv e
shaft differential
XDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Drive wheel traction control system (ASR) . . . . . 137
Driving Economically/with Respect for the Environ-ment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
journeys abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
steering lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
With a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Driving abroad Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Driving Economically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Driving programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Driving safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Driving with automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Driving with Respect for the Environment . . . . . 132
Duplicate keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Dust filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Dynamic headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 E
EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Electric power steering Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Electronic differential lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Electronic immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 121
Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Emergency braking warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 81, 136
Emergency manual locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Emergency opening Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Emission control system control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Engine Running in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . 163
Engine coolant G 12 plus-plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
G 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine coolant fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine fault Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Engine management control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Checking engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Engine oil pressure
control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 49
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Environmental friendliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Environmental tip Avoiding pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
ESC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45, 134 see also Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . 134
Examp
le of menu use
Open the Configuration menu with the steer- ing wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Program a speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
To activate and deactivate the speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Example of the use of the menus Open the Configuration menu with the MFIlever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Examples of menu use Open the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Open the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
To close the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Exhaust gas emission control system . . . . . . . . . 131
F Fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
First-aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Flexible service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Fog lights with cornering function . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Folding table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Folding the seat backrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
225