Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Safety first! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Advice about driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Proper sitting position for occupants . . . . . . . . 6
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The reason why we should wear seat belts . . . 11
How to properly adjust your seatbelt . . . . . . . . 14
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Airbag overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Deactivating airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Transporting children safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Safety for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Digital instrument panel display . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Instrument panel menus* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Steering wheel controls* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Audio system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Radio navigation system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Boot hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Sliding/tilting sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Lights and visibility
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Windscreen wiper and rear window wiper
systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Rear vision mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Seats and head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Adjusting the seat and head restraints . . . . . . 88
Seat functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Transport and practical equipment . . . . . . . . . 93
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Multi-purpose mobile storage compartment* . 96
Ashtray*, cigarette lighter* and power sockets 98
First-aid kit, warning triangle, fire extinguisher 100
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Roof carrier/rack system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Power steering (servotronic*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
All-wheel drive* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Driving with LPG* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Journeys abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Braking and parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox* . 127
Run-in and economical driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Driver assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Braking and stability systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Start-Stop System* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Parking aid acoustic system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Cruise speed* (cruise control system - CCS) . . . 142
Towing bracket device
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Care and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Accessories and technical modifications . . . . . 147
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Care of the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Caring for the vehicle interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
LPG system (Liquefied petroleum gas)* . . . . . . 160
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . 163
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Windscreen washer reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Winter service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Vehicle tools, spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Tyre repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Towing and tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Emergency locking and unlocking . . . . . . . . . . 193
Changing the wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Changing the lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
3
Airbag system
The control unit analyses the collision trajec-
tory and activates the respective restraint
system.
If the deceleration rate is below the prede-
fined reference value in the control unit the
airbags will not be triggered, even though
the accident may cause extensive damage to
the car.
The following airbags are triggered in
serious head-on collisions
● Driver airbag.
● Front passenger front airbag.
The following airbags are triggered in
serious side-on collisions
● Front side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Rear side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Curtain airbag on the side of the accident.
In an accident with airbag activation:
● the interior lights switch on (if the interior
light switch is in the courtesy light position);
● the hazard warning lights switch on;
● all doors are unlocked;
● the fuel supply to the engine is cut. Control lamp for airbag and seat belt
tensioner
The control lamp monitors all airbags and
seat belt tensioners in the vehicle, including
control units and wiring connections.
Monitoring of airbag and belt tensioner
system
Both the airbag and belt tensioner systems
operation is constantly monitored electroni-
cally. Each time the ignition is switched on,
the control lamp
illuminates for several
seconds (self-diagnosis) and the instrument
panel display* shows AIRBAG/TENSIONER
.
The system must be checked when the
control lamp :
● does not light up when the ignition is
switched on,
● turns off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is switched on
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is switched on
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
moving.
In the event of a malfunction, the warning
lamp remains on continuously. In addition,
depending on the malfunction, a fault mes-
sage appears on the instrument panel dis-
play for approximately 10 seconds and a
short audible warning is given. In this event, you should have a specialised workshop
check the system immediately.
If any of the airbags are disabled by a Techni-
cal Service, the warning lamp flashes for sev-
eral more seconds after verification and will
turn off if there is no fault.
WARNING
● If there is a malfunction, the airbag and
belt tensioner system cannot properly per-
form its protective function.
● If a malfunction occurs, have the system
checked immediately by a specialised work-
shop. Otherwise, in the event of an accident,
the airbag system and belt tensioners may
not be triggered, or may not be triggered cor-
rectly. 19Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Operation
WARNING
● The risk of an accident increases if your ve-
hicle breaks down. Always use the hazard
warning lights and a warning triangle to draw
the attention of other road users to your sta-
tionary vehicle.
● Never park where the catalytic converter
could come into contact with inflammable
materials under the vehicle, for example dry
grass or spilt petrol. This could start a fire! Note
● The battery will run down if the hazard
warning lights are left on for a long time,
even if the ignition is switched off.
● The use of the hazard warning lights de-
scribed here is subject to the relevant statu-
tory requirements. Interior lights
Front interior lights and reading lights Fig. 64
Interior roof trim: front interior light-
ing option 1. Fig. 65
Interior roof trim: front interior light-
ing option 2. Switch
A
››› Fig. 64 o
›
›› Fig. 65 is used to se-
lect the following positions: Courtesy light position
Rocker switch in flat position (not activated).
The interior lighting is automatically switched
on when the vehicle is unlocked or the key re-
moved from the ignition. It 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 light switched on
Push the switch to the position
.
Turning off the interior light 0
Press the switch to position 0
››› Fig. 64 or
››› Fig. 65.
Swit
ching on the reading light
Press the corresponding button B
››› Fig. 64
or ››› Fig. 65 to switch on the reading light.
Sw it
ching the reading lights off
Press the corresponding button to switch the
reading light off. 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. 82
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
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
Lights and visibility
Switching off the anti-dazzle function
– Press button A
››› Fig. 72. Control lamp Bgoes off.
Switching on the anti-dazzle function
– Press button A
››› Fig. 72. The control
lamp lights up.
Anti-dazzle function
The anti-dazzle function is activated every
time the ignition is switched on. The green
warning lamp lights up in the rear vision mir-
ror housing.
When the anti-dazzle function is enabled, the
interior rear vision mirror will darken auto-
matically according to the amount of light it
r ec
eives. The anti-dazzle function is cancel-
led if reverse gear is engaged. Note
● The automatic anti-dazzle function will only
work properly if the sun blind* for the rear
window is retracted and there are no other
objects preventing light from reaching the in-
terior rear vision mirror.
● If you have to stick any type of sticker on
the windscreen, do not do so in front of the
sensors. Doing so could prevent the anti-daz-
zle function from working well or even from
working at all. Exterior mirrors
Fig. 73
Exterior mirror controls. The exterior mirrors can be adjusted using
the rotary knob in the centre console.
Basic setting of exterior mirrors
1. Turn knob
››› Fig. 73 to position L (left ex-
t erior mirr
or).
2. Turn the rotary knob to position the exteri- or mirror so that you have a good view to
the rear of the vehicle.
3. Turn the knob to position R (right exterior mirror
).
4. Swivel the rotary knob to position the ex- terior mirror so that you have a good view
to the rear of the vehicle ››› .
Heating the exterior mirrors* – Turn the knob forward ››› Fig. 73 so that the
he at
ed rear vision mirrors warm up and the heated windscreen* in the wiper blade rest
area is activated
››› page 84.
– Exterior mirror heating is not activated in
temperatures above approximately +20 °C
(+68 °F).
Folding in exterior mirrors*
– Turn the control ››› Fig. 73 to position to
fold in the exterior mirrors. You should al-
ways fold in the exterior mirrors if you are
driving through an automatic car wash.
This will help prevent damage.
Folding exterior mirrors with convenience
closing* – The exterior mirror will fold back automati-
cally with convenience closing (with the re-
mote or the key).
– To unfold it again, open the door and
switch on the ignition.
Folding exterior mirrors back out to the
extended position* – Turn the knob to another position to fold
the exterior mirrors back out ››› .
Synchronised mirror adjustment
1. Turn the control to the position L (
left ex-
t
erior mirror).
2. Turn the rotary knob to position the exteri- or mirror so that you have a good view to »
87
Technical 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
Fuses and bulbs
– Pull out the turn signal bulb holder using a
screw driver in the direction of the arrow
››› Fig. 187 .
– Fit the r
eplacement bulb by pressing it
down and rotating to the left.
– Installation involves all of the above steps
in reverse sequence.
Reverse light/rear fog light 3 Applies to the model: ALTEA
Fig. 188
Lamp on interior side of bumper. –
Rotate the bulb holder to the left and re-
move it in the direction of the arrow
››› Fig. 188.
– Replace the bulb by pressing on it and ro-
tating at the same time to the left Turn signal, side and brake lights on
the body 3 Applies to the model: ALTEA XL/ALTEA FREETRACK
Fig. 189
Lights on the vehicle body. Fig. 190
Lights on the vehicle body. –
Open the cover of the luggage compart-
ment side panel ››› Fig. 189 .
– Turn the b
ulb holder to the left ››› Fig. 190. –
Remove the blown bulb and change it for a
new one.
– To refit follow the steps in reverse order,
taking special care when fitting the bulb
holder.
203
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety