
The essentials
Front brake pads worn.
›››
page
154
it lights up:
Fault in the ESC, or dis-
connection caused by the system.
flashes: ESC or ASR activated.
ASR manually deactivated.
ABS faulty or does not work.
Rear fog light switched on.›››
page
18
lights up or flashes:
fault in the
emission control system.››› page
164
it lights up:
pre-heating of diesel
engine.
››› page
165
flashes: fault in the diesel engine
management.
fault in the petrol engine manage-
ment.›››
page
165
lights up or flashes:
fault in the
steering system.››› page
150
Tyre pressure too low, or fault in
the tyre pressure monitoring sys-
tem.›››
page
219
Fuel tank almost empty.›››
page
98
Fault in airbag system and seat
belt tensioners.›››
page
66 Other warning lamps
Left or right turn signal.›››
page
19
Hazard warning lights on.››› page
121
Trailer turn signals›››
page
184
it lights up:
Press the foot brake!
flashes: the selector lever locking
button has not engaged.››› page
157
it lights up:
cruise control activated
or speed limiter switched on and
active.
››› page
31
flashes: the speed set by the
speed limiter has been exceeded.
Main beam on or flasher on.›››
page
19 On the instrument panel display
Fig. 41
On the instrument panel display: door
open.
Do not continue driving!
With the corresponding indica-
tion: door(s), rear lid or bonnet
open or not properly closed.››› page
25
Ignition: Do not carry on driv-
ing! Engine coolant level too low,
coolant temperature too high
››› page
208
Flashing: Fault in the engine
coolant system.
Do not continue driving!
Engine oil pressure too low.››› page
205» 33

Operation
●
It i s
recommended that you close the win-
dows when driving at more than 60 km/h
(37 mph)
● Do not drive with your foot resting on the
clutc
h pedal,, as the pressure can make the
plate spin, more fuel will be used and it can
burn the clutch plate lining, causing a serious
fault.
● Do not hold the vehicle on a hill with the
clutc
h, use the foot brake or hand brake, us-
ing the latter to start. The fuel consumption
will be lower and you will prevent the clutch
plate from being damaged.
● On descents, use the engine brake, chang-
ing to the g
ear that is more suitable for the
slope. Fuel consumption will be “zero” and
the brakes will not suffer. Engine management and ex-
h
au
s
t gas purification system
Introduction WARNING
● Bec au
se of the high temperatures which
can occur in the exhaust purification system
(catalytic converter or diesel particulate fil-
ter), do not park the vehicle where the ex-
haust can come into contact with flammable
materials under the car (e.g. on grass or at
the forest edge). Fire hazard! ●
Do not ap p
ly wax underneath the vehicle
around the area of the exhaust system: Fire
hazard! Note
While the control lamps , , or r
e-
m ain lit, ther
e may be engine problems, fuel
consumption may increase and the engine
may lose power. Catalytic converter
An exhaust gas emission control system (cat-
alytic
c
on
verter) that functions perfectly is vi-
tally important for vehicle operation that re-
spects the environment.
Please observe the following indications:
● Refuel only using unleaded petrol in petrol
engine v
ehicles ››› page 200.
● Do not add too much oil to the engine
›››
page 207, Checking engine oil level .
● Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
If y
ou are required to drive in a country where
unleaded fuel is not available, when return-
ing to a country where using a catalytic con-
verter is obligatory, the catalytic converter
must be replaced. CAUTION
● Never c omp
letely empty the tank! An irreg-
ular fuel supply can cause ignition faults,
which can result in damage to a substantial
amount of engine parts and the exhaust sys-
tem.
● Refuelling just once with leaded petrol dis-
able
s the exhaust system! Particulate filter (diesel
en
gines) The diesel engine particulate filter eliminates
mo
s
t
of the soot from the exhaust gas sys-
tem. Under normal driving conditions, the fil-
ter cleans itself. The diesel particulate filter is
cleaned automatically without need for indi-
cation by the warning lamp . This may be
noticed because the engine idle speed in-
creases and an odour may be detected.
If automatic filter purification cannot be car-
ried out (because only short trips are taken,
for example), soot will accumulate on the fil-
ter and the Diesel particulate filter warning
lamp will switch on.
Facilitate the automatic filter cleaning proc-
ess by driving in the following manner: drive
for approximately 15 minutes at a minimum
speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) in 4th or 5th gear
(automatic gearbox: gear S). Maintain the en-
gine speed at approximately 2,000 rpm. The
164

Advice
For the sake of the environment
● The pac k
aging of the product used to care
for your vehicle is hazardous waste. It must
be disposed of according to current local law.
● Only wash the car in special wash bays. Note
● Remo v
e stains from fresh ball-pen and oth-
er inks, lipstick, shoe cream and similar
stains on the fabric (leather), upholstery and
fabric trim as soon as possible.
● We recommend that you visit an authorised
SEAT de
aler to clean and care for the interior
of your vehicle, due to the problems that may
arise when cleaning and caring for the interi-
or of your vehicle and to the utensils and
knowledge required. Washing the vehicle
The best protection of the vehicle from the
h
armf
u
l influences of the environment in-
volves frequent washing and waxing. The fre-
quency with which the vehicle is washed de-
pends on many different factors, such as:
● Frequency of use
● Type of parking (garage, underneath trees,
etc.)
● Time of
year
● Weather conditions ●
Envir
onmental conditions
The longer substances such as insects, bird
droppings, resinous tree sap, road dirt, in-
dustrial deposits, tar, soot or road salt and
other aggressive materials remain on the
paintwork, the more damage they do. High
temperatures (for instance in strong sunlight)
further intensify the corrosive effect.
After the winter season, it is important to
have the underside of the vehicle washed
thoroughly.
car washes Your vehicle can be washed in an automatic
c
ar w
a
sh.
Before going through an automatic car wash,
be sure to take the usual precautions such as
closing the windows, etc.
If the vehicle has special accessories such as
spoilers or a roof rack or two-way radio aerial,
etc., it is advisable to consult the car wash
operator beforehand.
The windscreen wiper rubbers must be de-
greased after going after the car wash and
waxing. Washing by hand When washing the car by hand, use plenty of
wat
er t
o soften the dirt first and rinse off as
well as possible.
Then clean the vehicle with a sponge, glove
or brush. Start on the roof and work down.
Use only slight pressure when cleaning the
painted surfaces of the vehicle. A car sham-
poo should only be used for very persistent
dirt.
Rinse the sponge or glove thoroughly and of-
ten.
Wheels, sills and underside should be
cleaned last. Use a second sponge for this.
After washing, rinse the vehicle thoroughly
and then dry with a chamois.
Washing with high-pressure cleaners When cleaning the vehicle with a high-pres-
s
ur
e c
leaner, always follow the operating in-
structions for the equipment. This particular-
ly applies to the operating pressure and the
distance of the spray from the surface of the
vehicle. Do not hold the spray nozzle too
close to the parking aid system sensors and
soft materials, such as rubber hoses or insu-
lating material.
194

Advice
performed by a technical service or special-
i sed w
ork
shop.
The correct oil specifications for your engine
are listed in the ›››
page 40.
Service intervals
Service intervals can be flexible (LongLife
service) or fixed (dependent on time/dis-
tance travelled).
If the PR code that appears on the back of the
Maintenance Programme booklet is PR QI6,
this means that your vehicle has the LongLife
service programmed. If it lists the codes QI1,
QI2, QI3, QI4 or QI7, the interval service is
dependent on time/distance travelled.
Flexible service intervals (LongLife service
intervals*)
Special oils and processes have been devel-
oped which, depending on the characteris-
tics and individual driving profiles, enable
the extension of the oil change service (Long-
Life service intervals).
Because this oil is essential for extending the
service intervals, it must only be used ob-
serving the following indications:
● Avoid mixing it with oil for fixed service in-
terv
als.
● Only in exceptional circumstances, if the
engine oi l
level is too low ››› page 207 and
LongLife oil is not available, it is permitted to top up (once) with oil for
fixed ser
vice inter-
vals ›››
page 40 (up to a maximum of 0.5
litres).
Fixed service intervals*
If your vehicle does not have the “LongLife
service interval” or it has been disabled (by
request), you may use oils for fixed service
intervals, which also appear in
››› page 40. In this case, your vehicle
must be serviced after a fixed interval of 1
year/15,000 km (10,000 miles)(whatever
comes first) ››› Booklet Maintenance Pro-
gramme.
● In exceptional circumstances, if the engine
oil l
evel is too low ››› page 207 and you can-
not obtain the oil specified for your vehicle,
you can add a small quantity of oil conform-
ing to the specification ACEA A2 or ACEA A3
(petrol engines) or ACEA B3 or ACEA B4 (die-
sel engines) (up to 0.5 l).
Vehicles with diesel particulate filter*
The Maintenance Programme states whether
your vehicle is fitted with a diesel particulate
filter.
Only VW 507 00 engine oil, with reduced ash
formation, may be used in diesel engines
equipped with particulate filter. Using other
types of oil will cause a higher soot concen-
tration and reduce the life of the DPF. There-
fore: ●
Avoid mi
xing this oil with other engine oils.
● Only in exceptional circumstances, if the
engine oil
level is too low ››› page 207 and
you cannot obtain the oil specified for your
vehicle, you can use a small quantity of oil
(once) conforming to the VW 506 00,
VW 506 01, VW 505 00, VW 505 01 or
ACEA B3/ACEA B4 specification. (up to 0.5 l). Note
Before a long trip, we recommend finding an
engine oi l
that conforms to the correspond-
ing VW specifications and recommend keep-
ing it in the vehicle. This way, the correct en-
gine oil will always be available for a top-up if
needed. Control lamp
The control lamp
fla
she
s red (oil pressure
low)
The informative display indicates:
Oil pressure. Switch off the en-
gine! Instruction Manual!
Stop the vehicle, switch off the engine and
check the engine oil level ›››
page 207
If the symbol flashes although the oil level is
correct, do not drive on . Do not even run
the engine at idle speed!
Go to a technical service.
206