2015 SKODA FABIA battery

CAUTION■Do not continue your journey if the fluid level has dropped below the “MIN”
marking » Fig. 170 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. 170
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. 170.
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.
To ensure the optimal function of the system, only use brake fluid in accord-ance with standard VW 501 14 (this standard meets the requirements of
FMVSS 116 DOT4).
Note
We recommend using oils from the ŠKODA Original Accessories range.
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

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.
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. 171
Polyester cover of vehicle bat-
tery
Read and observe and on page 157 first.
The battery is located in the engine compartment. For some equipment var- iants, it is located underneath a polyester cover » Fig. 171.
›
Fold out the cover on the battery in the direction of the arrow.
The battery cover is installed in reverse order.
157Inspecting and replenishing

Checking the battery electrolyte levelFig. 172
Vehicle battery: Electrolyte level
indicator
Read and observe and on page 157 first.
On vehicles with a vehicle battery fitted with a colour indicator, the electrolyte
level can be determined by looking at the change in colour of this display.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason carefully
knock on the indicator before carrying out the check.
Check
Black colour - electrolyte level is correct.
Colourless or light yellow colour - electrolyte level too low, the battery must be
replaced.
For technical reasons, on vehicles with the description “AGM”, the electrolyte
level cannot be checked.
Vehicles with a START-STOP system are fitted with a system for checking the
energy level for 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.
NoteThe battery electrolyte level is also periodically checked by a specialist garage
as part of the Inspection Service.
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

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 you have the battery replaced by a specialist garage.
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 59Time 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 system automatically prevents the battery from discharg-ing when the battery is put under high levels of strain. 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.
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. 
159Inspecting and replenishing

If the tyre pressure is 1.3 bar or less› Do not continue to drive! You cannot properly seal the tyre using 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 vehicleFig. 187
Jump-starting: A – flat battery, B
– battery providing current
Fig. 188
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. 187 .
›
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. 188.
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. 
174Do-it-yourself

›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.
Towing vehicle
 Introduction
Fig. 189
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. 189 -
 .
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.
Vehicles with automatic transmission may be towed with a tow bar or a tow
rope, or with the front wheels raised. If the vehicle is raised at rear, the auto-
matic gearbox is damaged! If possible, the vehicle should be towed with the
engine running or at least with the ignition on.
Driver of the tow vehicle
›
Engage the clutch gently when starting off or depress the accelerator partic-
ularly gently if the vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
›
Only then, approach correctly when the rope is taut.
The maximum towing speed is 50 km/h.
Driver of the towed vehicle
›
Switch on the ignition so that the steering wheel is not locked and so that
the turn signal lights, windscreen wipers and windscreen washer system can
be used. 
175Emergency equipment, and self-help

›Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position
N if the
vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Please note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the
engine is running. If the engine is not running, significantly more physical force
is required to depress the brake pedal and steer the vehicle.
If using a tow rope, ensure that it is always kept taught.
General information for the towing process
Both drivers should be familiar with the potential issues of towing a vehicle.
Unskilled drivers should not attempt to tow another vehicle or to be towed.
The vehicle must be transported on a special breakdown vehicle or trailer if it
is not possible to tow the vehicle in the way described or if the towing dis-
tance is greater than 50 km.
If the gearbox no longer contains any oil because of a defect, your vehicle
must only be towed with the drive wheels raised clear of the ground or on a
special breakdown vehicle or trailer.
To protect both vehicles when tow-starting or towing, the tow rope should be
elastic. Thus one should only use plastic fibre rope or a rope made out of a
similarly elastic material.
Attach the tow rope or the tow bar to the towing eyes » page 176 or
» page 177 to the detachable ball head of the towing equipment » page 127 .WARNING■
Exercise increased caution when towing.■Spiral tow ropes must not be used for towing » Fig. 189 -  , the towing
eye may unscrew out of the vehicle - risk of accident.■
The tow rope should not be twisted - risk of accident.
CAUTION
■ Do not start engine by towing - there is a risk of damaging the engine parts.
The battery from another vehicle can be used as a jump-start aid » page 174,
Jump-starting .■
There is always a risk of excessive stresses and damage resulting at the
points to which you attach the tow rope or tow bar when you attempt to tow a
vehicle which is not standing on a paved road.
Note
We recommend using a tow rope from ŠKODA Original Accessories available
from a ŠKODA Partner.Front towing eyeFig. 190
Removing the cap / installing the towing eye
Read and observe
and on page 176 first.
Removing/installing the cap
›
Press on the fuel filler flap in the direction of the arrow
1
» Fig. 190 .
›
Remove the cap in the direction of the arrow
2
.
›
After unscrewing the cap of the towing eye, insert the cap in the region of
the arrow
1
and then press the opposite side of the cap.
The cap must engage firmly.
Removing/installing the towing eye
›
Manually screw the towing eye as far as it will go in the direction of the ar-
row
3
» Fig. 190 » .
For tightening purposes, we recommend, for example, using the wheel
wrench, towing eye from another vehicle or a similar object that can be pushed through the eye.
›
Unscrew the towing eye against the direction of the arrow
3
.
WARNINGThe towing eye must always be screwed in fully and firmly tightened, oth-
erwise the towing eye can tear when towing in or tow-starting.176Do-it-yourself

Rear towing eyeFig. 191
Rear towing eye
Read and observe and on page 176 first.
The rear towing eye is located below the rear bumper on the right » Fig. 191.
Vehicles with a tow hitch
Read and observe
and on page 176 first.
The removable towing ball may be fitted and used for towing on vehicles with
a factory fitted tow hitch » page 127, Hitch .
Towing the vehicle using the towing device is a viable alternative solution to
using the towing eye.
CAUTION
The detachable ball rod and/or the vehicle can be damaged if an unsuitable
tow bar is used.
Remote control
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Replacing the battery in the remote control key
177
Synchronising the remote control
178
The key has to be synchronised if the vehicle cannot be unlocked or locked
with the key after replacing the battery » page 178.
CAUTION■
We recommend having faulty rechargeable batteries replaced by a ŠKODA
service partner.■
The replacement battery must have the same specification as the original
battery.
■
Pay attention to the correct polarity when changing the battery.
Note
If a key has an affixed decorative cover, this will be destroyed when the bat-
tery is replaced. A replacement cover can be purchased from a ŠKODA Partner.
Replacing the battery in the remote control key
Fig. 192
Remote control key: Remove cover/take out battery
Read and observe
on page 177 first.
The battery change is carried out as follows.
›
Flip out the key.
›
Press off the battery cover
A
» Fig. 192 with your thumb or by using a flat
screwdriver in region
B
.
›
Open the battery in the direction of the arrow
1
.
›
Remove the discharged battery in the direction of arrow
2.›
Insert the new battery.
›
Insert the battery cover
A
and press it down until it clicks audibly into place.
177Emergency equipment, and self-help