The essentials
Selecting reverse gear
● Engage reverse gear only when the vehicle
i s
s
topped.
● Keep the clutch pedal pushed all the way
down ››
› in Manual gear change on
p ag
e 143
.
● Place the gearbox lever into neutral and
push the l
ever downwards.
● Slide the gearbox lever to the right, and
then back
ward as shown on the lever.
● Release the clutch pedal to engage clutch.
››› in Manual gear change on page 143
››› page 143 Automatic gearbox
Fig. 36
Automatic gearbox diagram of gears Reverse gear
Neutr
al
(idlin
g)
Drive (forward)
R
N
D Tiptronic mode: pull the lever forwards
(+) to go up a g
ear or backwards ( –) to
go down a gear.
››› in Automatic gear change on
page 144
››› page 144 M
27
The essentials
● Rep
l
ace the cover again or close the fuse
box lid.
Bulbs Bul
bs (12 V)
Light source used for each function
Halogen headlights.Type
Daytime running light/side
lightW21/5W
Dipped beam headlightsH4 LL
Main beam headlightsH4 LL
Turn signalPY21W NA
Front fog lightType
Fog lights*HB4
Rear bulb lightType
Brake/side lightsP21/5W LL
Side lightsP21/5W LL
Turn signalPY21W NA LL
Retro fog lightP21W
Reverse lightsR10W Action in the event of a punc-
t
ur
e
Wh
at to do first ●
Park the vehicle on a horizontal surface
and in a saf e p
lace as far away from traffic as
possible.
● Apply the handbrake.
● Switch on the hazard warning lights.
● Manual gearbox: select the 1s
t gear.
● Automatic gearbox: move the sel
ector lever
to D or R.
● If you are towing a trailer, unhitch it from
your v
ehicle.
● Have the vehicle tool kit ›››
page 71
and the spare wheel* ready
››› page 207.
● Observe the applicable legislation for each
countr
y (reflective vest, warning triangles,
etc.).
● All occupants should leave the vehicle and
wait in a s
afe place (for instance behind the
roadside crash barrier). WARNING
● Alw a
ys observe the above steps and pro-
tect yourself and other road users.
● If you change the wheel on a slope, block
the wheel on the oppo
site side of the car with a stone or similar to prevent the vehicle from
mov
in
g. Repairing a tyre with the anti-punc-
tur
e k
it Fig. 48
Standard representation: contents of
the anti-p u
nct
ure kit. The anti-puncture kit is located under the
floor p
anel
in the lug
gage compartment.
Sealing the tyre
● Unscrew the tyre valve cap and insert. Use
the ›››
Fig. 48 1 tool to remove the insert.
Pl ac
e it
on a clean surface.
● Shake the tyre sealant bottle vigorously
›› ›
Fig. 48 10 .
» 35
Lights and visibility
●
Alw a
ys replace damaged or worn blades or
blades which do not clean the windscreen
correctly. CAUTION
In icy conditions, always check that the wiper
b la
des are not frozen to the glass before us-
ing the wipers for the first time. In cold
weather, it may help to leave the vehicle
parked with the wipers in service position
››› page 45. CAUTION
If the ignition is switched off while the wind-
sc r
een wipers are on, the windscreen wipers
carry on wiping at the same level when the
ignition is switched back on. Ice, snow and
other obstacles may damage the windscreen
wiper and the respective motor.
● If necessary, remove snow and ice from the
winds
creen wipers before starting your jour-
ney.
● Carefully lift the frozen windscreen wipers
from the gla
ss. SEAT recommends a de-icer
spray for this operation. Note
● The wind s
creen wipers will only work when
the ignition is switched on.
● The interval wipe speed varies according to
the vehic
le speed. The faster the vehicle is moving, the more often the windscreen is
cl
e
aned.
● The rear wiper is automatically switched on
when the winds
creen wiper is on and the car
is in reverse gear. Windscreen wiper functions
Windscreen wiper performance in different sit-
uations
If the vehicle is at a
standstillThe activated position provision-
ally changes to the previous posi-
tion.
For intermittent wip-
ersIntervals between wipes depend
on the vehicle's speed. The high-
er the vehicle speed the shorter
the intervals.
Note
The wiper will try to wipe away any obstacles
that ar
e on the windscreen. The wiper will
stop moving if the obstacle blocks its path.
Remove the obstacle and switch the wiper
back on again. Rain and light sensor
Fig. 114
Windscreen wiper lever: adjusting
the r ain sen
sor 1 .
Fig. 115
Rain sensor reference surface. When activated, the rain and light sensor au-
t
om
atic
ally controls the windscreen washer
intervals depending on the intensity of the
rainfall. »
109
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Operation
In the case of the Climatronic, the control
p anel
s
creen shows the functions that are
currently activated. WARNING
When visibility through the window display is
poor, the ri sk
of collisions and accidents
which may cause serious injury increases.
● To guarantee good visibility, keep all win-
dows
free of ice and snow and properly dem-
isted.
● Adjust the heating, air conditioning and the
heated r
ear window so that the windows do
not mist up.
● Drive off only when you have good visibility
through the windo
ws.
● Do not use the air recirculation for long pe-
riods of
time. When the cooling is switched
off and the air recirculation is on, the win-
dows can mist over very quickly and seriously
impair visibility.
● Switch the air recirculation off when you do
not need it. WARNING
Used air can quickly cause driver tiredness
and reduc e their att
ention span, which could
lead to collisions, accidents and serious in-
jury.
● Never switch off the fan for a long time or
leav
e the air recirculation on for too long, since no exterior air enters the interior during
that
time. CAUTION
If the air conditioning is not working, switch
it off immedi
ately, together with the de-
frost/demist function (in the case of manual
air conditioning) and have a specialised
workshop check it out. This may help to avoid
other possible damage. CAUTION
To avoid damaging the heated rear window,
nev er affi x
adhesives to the electric filaments
on the inside of it. Air recirculation
In air recirculation mode, no fresh air enters
the
v
ehic
le interior.
To switch on the air recirculation, turn the ad-
juster to the right or press the button.
To switch off the air recirculation, turn the ad-
juster to the left or press the button
again ››› .
WARNING
Used air can quickly cause driver tiredness
and reduc e their att
ention span, which could lead to collisions, accidents and serious in-
jury
.
● Nev
er use the air recirculation for too long,
since no e
xterior air enters the interior during
that time.
● When the cooling is switched off and the
air recir
culation is on, the windows can mist
over very quickly and seriously impair visibil-
ity.
● Switch the air recirculation off when you do
not need it. CAUTION
In vehicles with an air conditioner, do not
smoke when air r ec
irculation is switched on.
The smoke taken in could impregnate the
cooling vaporiser and the activated charcoal
cartridge of the dust and pollen filter, leading
to permanent unpleasant odours. Note
● Climatr onic:
When reverse gear is engaged,
the air recirculation switches on briefly to
prevent exhaust gas from entering the interi-
or.
● When the outside temperature is very high,
it is
recommendable to switch the air recircu-
lation on briefly to cool down the interior
faster. 130
Operation
Parking When parking your vehicle, all legal require-
ments shou
l
d be observed.
To park the vehicle
Complete operations only in the sequence
given. ● Park the vehicle on a suitable surface ›››
.
● Press and hold the brake pedal until the ve-
hicl e c
omes to a standstill.
● Apply the handbrake firmly ›››
page 139.
● For an automatic gearbox, move the selec-
tor lev
er to position N.
● Switch off the engine and release the brake
pedal.
● R
emove the key from the ignition.
● If necessary, turn the steering wheel slight-
ly to loc
k the steering.
● With a manual gearbox, engage 1st gear on
flat gr
ound and slopes, or even reverse gear
on hills, and release the clutch pedal.
● Ensure that all passengers leave the vehi-
cle, e
specially children.
● When leaving the vehicle, take all keys with
you.
● Loc
k the vehicle. Additional information for steep slopes and
hill
s
Before switching off the engine, rotate the
steering wheel so that if the vehicle should
move, it will be held by the kerb.
● On slopes, turn the front wheels so that
they are ag
ainst the edge of the kerb.
● Uphill, turn the wheels towards the centre
of the ro
ad. WARNING
The components of the exhaust system reach
ver y
high temperatures. This could cause a
fire and considerable damage.
● Always park your vehicle so that no part of
the exhau
st system can come in contact with
flammable materials (such as wood,
leaves,dried grass, or spilled fuel). CAUTION
● Spec i
al care should be taken when parking
in areas with high kerbs or fixed barriers. Ob-
jects protruding from the ground may dam-
age the bumper or other parts of the vehicle
during manoeuvres. To avoid damage, stop
before the wheels touch the barrier or kerb.
● Special attention is required when driving
through entranc
es, over ramps, kerbs or oth-
er objects. The vehicle underbody, bumpers,
mudguards and running gear, and the engine
and exhaust system could be damaged as
you drive over these objects. Information on the brakes
For the first 200 to 300 km, the new brak
e
p
ads have not yet reached their maximum
braking capacity, and need to be “run in”
first ››› . The slightly reduced braking effect
can be c ompen
sated for by increasing pres-
sure on the brake pedal. While running in,
the full braking distance or emergency brak-
ing distance is larger then when the brake
pads have been run in. While running in,
avoid full power braking or situations requir-
ing braking performance. For example, in
heavy traffic.
The rate of wear of the brake pads depends
to a great extent on the conditions in which
the vehicle is used and the way the vehicle is
driven. If the vehicle is used frequently in city
traffic or for short trips or driven sport style,
visit a specialised workshop regularly, more
frequently than advised in the Maintenance
Programme, to have the brake pads checked.
If you drive with wet brakes, for example, af-
ter crossing areas of water, in heavy rainfall
or even after washing the car, the effect of
the brakes is lessened as the brake discs are
wet or even frozen (in winter). At higher
speed, “dry” the brakes as quickly as possi-
ble by braking gently several times. Only do
this without endangering vehicles behind
you or any other road users ››› .
A l ay
er of salt on the discs and brake pads
will reduce the effectiveness of the brakes
140
Operation
braking distance or even result in the total
fai
lur
e of the brake system.
● Reduce speed or change down a gear when
faced w
ith steep and long slopes. This allows
you to use the engine braking effect and to
reduce the strain on the brake system. Other-
wise, the brakes may overheat and fail. Only
use the brakes to reduce speed or to stop. Note
Make use, when having the front brake pads
c hec k
ed, and have the rear pads checked al-
so. The thickness of the brake pads should be
checked visually and regularly, by looking
through the openings in the wheel rims or
from underneath the vehicle. If necessary, re-
move the wheels to check them thoroughly.
SEAT recommends taking your car in for tech-
nical service. Changing gear
Intr oduction When reverse gear is engaged and the igni-
tion i
s
sw
itched on the following takes place:
● Reverse lights light up.
● The rear wiper blade performs one move-
ment when the wind
screen wiper is activa-
ted. ●
If nece
ssary, connect the parking distance
warning system. WARNING
Rapid acceleration can cause loss of traction
and skid din
g, especially on slippery ground.
This could cause loss of control of the vehicle
resulting in an accident and considerable
damage.
● Use rapid acceleration only when visibility,
weather
, road conditions and traffic permit. WARNING
Do not allow the brakes to “rub” for a pro-
long ed period of
time, or brake frequently or
for long periods of time. Continuous braking
heats up the brakes. This could significantly
reduce braking power, increase braking dis-
tance or even result in the total failure of the
brake system. Control and warning lamps
It lights up red
Fault in the auto-
matic gearbox.
Do not drive on!
Seek professional advice. Failure to
do so could result in considerable
damage to the transmission
››› page 146.
It lights up yellow
In the automatic
gearbox the
gears can en-
gage incorrectly.Switch the ignition on and off.
When the control lamp does not
light up, find the nearest special-
ised workshop and have the auto-
matic gearbox checked.
The automatic
gearbox over-
heats temporari-
ly.Let the transmission cool with the
gearbox lever in the position .
When the control lamp does not
light up, find the nearest special-
ised workshop and have the auto-
matic gearbox checked.
It lights up
Place the automatic
gearbox lever in the
position
and do not
press the brake pedal.
Press the brake pedal to select
a gear range.
Together with the yel-
low control lamp for
the temperature of the
transmission
: the
automatic gearbox
overheats.
Press brake pedal and let the
transmission cool. Avoid
pressing the accelerator. When
the control lamp does not light
up, find the nearest special-
ised workshop and have the
automatic gearbox checked.
Together with the turn
signal display in the
instrument panel dis-
play: the automatic
gearbox lever is not in
the position
, indica-
tion to start the en-
gine.
Move the gearbox lever to the
position and start the en-
gine. 142
Driving
Flashes
An automatic gearbox
in the vehicle does
not guarantee that the
vehicle will not roll
away.Apply the handbrake.
Flashes
In the instrument pan-
el display, in addition
to the control lamp re-
questing the brake
pedal to be pressed
: indicated for start-
ing the engine.
Move the gearbox lever to the
position and start the en-
gine.
On the instrument
panel display: Whilst
driving in a forward di-
rection, try to move
the automatic gearbox
lever to the position
.
Stop the vehicle and move the
gearbox lever to the position in order to subsequently
change to the position .
On the instrument
panel display: The au-
tomatic gearbox lever
was placed in the po-
sition
or , but the
brake pedal was not
pressed.
Press the brake pedal, move
the gearbox lever to the posi-
tion
, and subsequently to
the required position or . When switching on the ignition some warn-
in
g and indic
ation l
amps light up for a short
time to check the operations. They will switch
off after a few seconds. Manual gear change
Fig. 147
Gear shift pattern of a 5-speed man-
ual g
e
arbox Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 26
Shifting down a gear
Shifting down a gear while driving must be
carried out gear by gear, i.e. to the gear im-
mediately preceding the current gear and at
an engine speed that is not excessive ››› .
At high s
peed
s, or high engine speeds, skip-
ping one or various gears when shifting
down a gear can cause damage to the clutch
and the gearbox, even if the clutch is not en-
gaged during the process ››› .
WARNING
When the engine is running, the vehicle will
st ar
t to move as soon as a gear is engaged
and the clutch released. ●
Never en g
age the reverse gear when a vehi-
cle is moving forward. WARNING
As a consequence of shifting down a gear in-
c orr ectly
, you may lose control of the vehicle
and cause an accident with serious conse-
quences. CAUTION
If, at high speeds or high engine speeds, the
ge ar l
ever is shifted down to a gear that is too
low, serious damage can be caused to the
clutch and gearbox. This may also happen if
you press the clutch pedal and it does not en-
gage. CAUTION
To prevent damage and avoid premature
we ar
, please observe the following:
● While driving, do not leave your hand rest-
ing on the ge
ar stick. The pressure applied by
your hand is transmitted to the gearbox se-
lector forks.
● Always ensure that the vehicle is complete-
ly st
opped before engaging the reverse gear.
● When changing gear, always make sure the
clutc
h pedal is pushed right to the floor.
● Never hold the vehicle “on the clutch” on
hill
s with the engine on. 143
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Operation
Automatic gear change Fig. 148
Automatic gearbox diagram of gears Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 27
Move the selector lever to the N position to:
● Starting up the engine
● Remove the key from the ignition switch
● Engage the steering wheel lock
Move the sel
ector lever to the D or R position
to:
● Park the vehicle
● Repair a puncture
● Changing a wheel
To mov
e the gear selector lever from the posi-
tion N to D or to R, first press and hold the
brake pedal. In the instrument panel display, with the igni-
tion switc
hed on, the selected gear range or
the gear engaged in the gearbox is shown.
- Reverse gear
Reverse gear is selected. Engage only when
the vehicle is stopped.
- Neutral
The gearbox is in neutral. No movement is
transmitted to the wheels and the engine
does not act as a brake.
- Standard driving position
The gears are changed (up and down) auto-
matically. The gear shifts are determined by
the engine load, your individual driving style
and the speed of the vehicle.
- Tiptronic driving position (manual shift
programme)
All gears can be changed (up and down)
manually ››› page 145. This is possible as
long as the system is not changing gear auto-
matically due to a traffic situation. WARNING
Placing the selector lever in an incorrect posi-
tion ma y
cause loss of control of the vehicle
and a serious accident.
● Do not press the accelerator when engag-
ing a ran
ge of gears. ●
With the en gine ru
nning and a gear range
selected, the vehicle will move when the ac-
celerator is pressed.
● Never engage reverse gear while driving.
● Unintentional movements of the vehicle
coul
d cause serious injury.
● As a driver, you should never leave your ve-
hicle if
the engine is running and a gear range
is engaged. If you have to leave your vehicle
while the engine is running, you must always
apply the handbrake and put the selector lev-
er in position N.
● Never engage the R gear range when the
vehicl
e is moving.
● Never leave the vehicle without applying
the handbrak
e. With the engine running the
vehicle moves downhill regardless of the gear
range selected. Note
If, while driving, the selector lever is acciden-
ta l
ly placed in position N, lift your foot off the
accelerator. Wait until the engine is running
at idle speed before selecting a new gear
range. 144