2015 SKODA OCTAVIA Owner's Manual

The coolant additive percentage in the coolant must be at least 40%.
The coolant additive may be increased to a maximum of 60%.
The correct mixing ratio of water and coolant additive is to be checked if nec-
essary by a specialist garage or is to be restored if necessary.
The description of the coolant is shown in the coolant expansion reservoir
» Fig. 207 on page 199 .WARNINGThe engine compartment of your car is a hazardous area. The following
warning instructions must be followed at all times when working in the en-
gine compartment » page 194.■
The coolant is harmful to health.
■
Avoid contact with the coolant.
■
Coolant vapours are harmful to health.
■
Never open the end cover of the coolant expansion reservoir while the
engine is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!
■
When opening the end cover of the coolant expansion reservoir, cover it
with a cloth to protect your face, hands and arms from hot steam or hot
coolant.
■
If any coolant splashes into your eyes, immediately rinse out your eyes
with clear water and contact a doctor as soon as possible.
■
Always keep the coolant in the original container, safe from people who
are not completely independent, especially children - there is a danger of
poisoning!
■
If coolant is swallowed, consult a doctor immediately.
■
Never spill operating fluids over the hot engine - risk of fire.
CAUTION
■ If for some reason it is not possible to top up the coolant under the current
circumstances,  do not continue driving! Switch off the engine and seek as-
sistance from a specialist garage.■
If the expansion tank is empty, do not top up with coolant. The system could
aerate - risk of engine damage, 
do not continue driving! Switch off the en-
gine and seek assistance from a specialist garage.
■
The amount of coolant additive in the coolant must never be allowed to be
less than 40 %.
■
Over 60 % of coolant additive in the coolant reduces the antifreeze protec-
tion and coolant effectiveness.
■
A coolant additive that does not comply with the correct specification can
significantly reduce the corrosion protection of the cooling system.
■ Any faults resulting from corrosion may cause a loss of coolant and can con-
sequently result in major engine damage.■
Do not fill the coolant above the mark
A
» Fig. 207 on page 199 .
■
If an error occurs, leading to the engine overheating, the help of a professio-
nal garage is to be sought - there is a risk of serious engine damage occurring.
■
Additional headlights and other attached components in front of the air inlet
impair the cooling efficiency of the coolant.
■
Never cover the radiator - there is a risk of the engine overheating.
Note
On vehicles that are fitted with an auxiliary heater (auxiliary heating and venti-
lation), the coolant capacity is approx. 1 l larger.
Checking the coolant level
Fig. 207
Coolant expansion reservoir
Read and observe and on page 199 first.
The coolant expansion bottle is located in the engine compartment.
Coolant expansion reservoir » Fig. 207
Mark for the maximum permissible coolant level
Mark for the lowest permissible coolant level
The coolant level should be kept between the marks
A
and
B
.
The coolant can be checked and topped up, if the following conditions are sat-
isfied.
The vehicle is on a horizontal surface.
The engine is turned off.
The engine is not heated.
The bonnet is open. 
AB199Inspecting and replenishing

Checking the level›Check the coolant level in the coolant expansion tank » Fig. 207.
If the engine is warm, the test result may be inaccurate. The level can also be
above the mark A
» Fig. 207 .
In the event of an insufficient coolant level, a warning light 
is displayed in
the instrument cluster, as well as the relevant notification » page 37. We still
recommend inspecting the coolant level directly at the reservoir from time to
time.
Loss of coolant
A loss of coolant is first and foremost an indication of a leak in the cooling sys-
tem. Do not merely top up the coolant. Have the cooling system checked by a
specialist garage.
Replenishing
Read and observe
and on page 199 first.
The coolant expansion tank must always contain a small amount of coolant» page 199, in section Introduction .
›
Place a cloth over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir and unscrew
the cap carefully .
›
Replenish the coolant.
›
Turn the cap until it clicks into place.
Do not use an alternative additive if the specified coolant is not available. In
this case, use just water and have the correct mixing ratio of water and cool-
ant additive restored by a specialist garage as soon as possible.
Only refill with new coolant.
Brake fluid
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Checking the brake fluid level
200
Specification
201
The brake fluid reservoir is located in the engine compartment » Fig. 208 on
page 200 .
WARNING■
The engine compartment of your car is a hazardous area. The following
warning instructions must be followed at all times when working in the en-
gine compartment » page 194.■
Do not use used brake fluid - the function of the brake system may be im-
paired – risk of accident!
CAUTION
■ Do not continue your journey if the fluid level has dropped below the “MIN”
marking » Fig. 208 on page 200 ,  do not continue driving - 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 services.■We recommend using brake fluids from the ŠKODA Original Accessories
range.
Checking the brake fluid level
Fig. 208
Brake fluid reservoir
Read and observe and on page 200 first.
The fluid can be checked if the following conditions are met.
The vehicle is on a horizontal surface.
The engine is turned off.
The bonnet is open.
Checking the level
›
Check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir » Fig. 208.
The level must be between the “MIN” and “MAX” markings. 
200General Maintenance

A slight drop in the fluid level results when driving due to normal wear-and-
tear and 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 
being shown on
the display of the instrument cluster as well as the corresponding message
» page 32 .
Specification
Read and observe
and on page 200 first.
To ensure the optimal functioning of the braking system, only use a brake fluid
meeting the standard VW 501 14 (this standard meets the requirements of
FMVSS 116 DOT4).
Note
We recommend using brake fluids from the ŠKODA Original Accessories range.
Vehicle battery
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Opening the cover
202
Checking the battery electrolyte level
202
Charging
203
Replacing
203
Disconnecting and reconnecting
203
Automatic load deactivation
204
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 batterySymbolMeaning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!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.
The general applicable safety rules and the following warnings must be ob-
served without exception.■
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 safety glasses or a face shield – risk of blindness!
■
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 after con-
tact with the skin which take a long time to heal.
■
If any battery electrolyte comes into contact with your eyes, rinse the rel-
evant eye immediately with clear water for several minutes - consult a doc-
tor 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.
■
If you swallow battery acid, seek immediate medical assistance! 
201Inspecting and replenishing

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 – risk of explosion!
■
Never charge a frozen or thawed vehicle battery – risk of explosion 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 – 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.
Opening the cover
Fig. 209
Polyester cover of vehicle bat-
tery
Read and observe and on page 201 first.
The battery is located in the engine compartment. For some equipment var- iants, it is located underneath a polyester cover » Fig. 209.
›
Fold out the cover on the battery in the direction of the arrow.
The battery cover is installed in reverse order.
Checking the battery electrolyte level
Fig. 210
Vehicle battery: Electrolyte level
indicator
Read and observe and on page 201 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 the START STOP system are fitted with a battery control unit for
checking the energy level for recurring engine starts.
We recommend that you have the acid level checked regularly by a specialist
garage, especially in the following cases. ▶ High external temperatures.
▶ Longer day trips.
▶ After each charge. 

202General Maintenance

Winter time
The vehicle battery only has a proportion of the starting power in lower tem-
peratures. A discharged vehicle battery may already 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 acid level is also checked regularly by a specialist garage as part of
the inspection service.
Charging
Read and observe
and on page 201 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 on the
device.
›
After charging has been successful: Switch off the charger and remove the
mains cable from the power socket.
›
Only then disconnect the charger's terminal clamps.
›
Reconnect the cables to the battery (first of all “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 instructions of the charger manufacturer .
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.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 components 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), do not connect the pole terminal of the charger directly to the negative
terminal of the vehicle battery, but rather only to the engine earth » page 219,
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle .
Replacing
Read and observe
and on page 201 first.
The new vehicle battery must have the same capacity, voltage, current and
size as the original battery. Suitable vehicle battery types can be purchased
from a specialist garage.
We recommend you have the battery replaced by a specialist garage.
Disconnecting and reconnecting
Read and observe
and on page 201 first.
Disconnecting
›
Switch off the ignition. 
203Inspecting and replenishing

›Firstly disconnect the battery's negative terminal
, followed by the positive
terminal .
Connecting›
Firstly connect the battery's positive terminal 
, followed by the negative
terminal 
.
After disconnecting and re-connecting the vehicle battery, the following func- tions or devices are partially or completely inoperative.
Function / deviceOperating measureElectrical power windows» page 64Panorama sliding/tilting roof» page 66Sun screen» page 66Time 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 201 first.
The vehicle's electrical system automatically prevents the battery from dis-
charging when the battery is being heavily used. This manifests itself by 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 in case of emergency shut off com-
pletely.
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.204General Maintenance

Wheels
Tyres and wheel rims
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Notes on using wheels
205
Tyre pressure
205
Tyre wear
206
Tyre wear indicator and wheel replacement
207
Tyre damage
207
Unidirectional tyres
207
Spare wheel
207
Spare wheel
208
Tyre label
208
Only use those tyres or wheel rims which have been approved by ŠKODA for
your model of vehicle.
WARNINGFor safety reasons, do no replace tyres individually.
Note
■ We recommend that any work on the wheels or tyres be 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.
Notes on using wheels
Read and observe
on page 205 first.
During the first 500 km, new tyres do not offer optimum grip and appropriate
care should therefore be taken when driving.
Always fit the tyres with the deeper tread depth to the front wheels.
Tyre storage
Mark them previously used tyres so that you are able to fit them on again to
run in the same direction.
Always store wheels or tyres in a cool, dry and, where possible, dark place.
Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.
Tyre age
Tyres age losing their original characteristics, even if they are not used. The
service life of the tyres is 6 years. Therefore, we recommend not using tyres
that are more than 6 years old.
Wheel bolts
Wheels and wheel bolts are matched to each other in terms of design. We rec-
ommend that you use wheel rims and wheel bolts from ŠKODA Original Acces-
sories.WARNINGNever use tyres if you do not know anything about the condition and age.
Tyre pressure
Fig. 211
Label with a table of tyre sizes and tyre pressure value / inflate
tyres
Read and observe
on page 205 first.
The prescribed tyre inflation is on the sticker with pictograms
A
» Fig. 211 (for
some countries, the pictograms are replaced with a text).
Tyre pressure is always to match the load .
Inflation pressure for half load
Inflation pressure for environmentally-friendly operation
As a result of pressure level adaption to this value, the fuel consumption
and pollutant emissions may fall slightly.
Inflation pressure for full load 
BCD205Wheels

Tyre diameter in inches
These details are intended only as information for the specified tyre pres-
sure and does not list approved tyre sizes for your vehicle.
The approved tyre sizes for your vehicle are listed in the vehicle's technical
documentation (COC document) and this also states the declaration of
conformity.
The approved tyre diameter for your vehicle is also provided with the vehi-
cle data » page 236 .
Tyre pressure value on the front axle
Tyre pressure value on the rear axle
Checking the tyre pressures
Check the tyre pressure, including that of the emergency or spare wheel, at
least once a month and also before setting off on a long journey.
Always check the inflation pressure when the tyres are cold. Do not reduce the
higher pressure on warm tyres.
In vehicles with tyre pressure monitoring, tyre pressure values must be saved
each time the pressures are changed » page 165.WARNING■
Having the correct tyre inflation pressure is always the driver's responsi-
bility.■
Too low or too high inflation pressure impairs handling.
■
If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre must perform a greater rolling
resistance. At higher speeds the tyre will warm up as a result of this. This
can result in tread separation and a tyre blow-out.
■
In the event of very fast pressure loss, e.g. in the event of sudden tyre
damage, an attempt should be made to bring the vehicle carefully to a stop
without sudden steering movements and without any hard braking.
For the sake of the environment
Tyres which are insufficiently inflated increase your fuel consumption.
Note
The declaration of conformity (COC document) can be obtained from a ŠKODA 1)
partner.EFGTyre wear
Read and observe
on page 205 first.
The tyre wear depends on the tyre pressure, the driving style and other condi-
tions.
Attention to the following notes may affect tyre wear.
Driving style
Fast cornering, sharp acceleration and braking increase the wear of your tyres.
Wheel balance
The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. When driving, there are a wide
range of influences which may result in an imbalance. This may become appa-
rent by a “vibration” in the steering. If this is the case, have the wheels
checked by a specialist garage.
Have the wheels rebalanced after replacing or repairing the tyres.
Setting the vehicle geometry
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear leads to excess wear on the
tyres and impairs driving safety. In the event of prominent tyre wear, we rec-
ommend that you have the setting of the vehicle geometry checked at a spe-
cialist garage.
WARNING■ An incorrect wheel alignment at the front or rear impairs handling.■Unusual vibrations or pulling of the vehicle to one side could be a sign of
tyre damage. If there is any doubt that a wheel is damaged, immediately re-
duce your speed and stop! If no external tyre damage is evident, drive slow-
ly and carefully to the nearest specialist garage to have the vehicle
checked.1)
Only valid for some countries and some models.
206General Maintenance