jump cable SKODA CITIGO 2013 1.G Owner's Manual

WARNING■It is prohibited to work with naked flames or lights.■It is prohibited to smoke or carry out any activities that produce sparks.■
Never use a damaged vehicle battery – risk of explosion!
■
Never charge a frozen or thawed vehicle battery – risk of explosion and
chemical burns!
■
Replace a frozen vehicle battery.
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with insufficient acid levels – risk of ex-
plosion and chemical burns.
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 a metal object
or cable) creates a short circuit - risk of melting the lead bars, and risk of ex-
plosion, battery fire and acid splashes.
■
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 engine,
the ignition and all of the electrical components and disconnect the negative
terminal ( ) of the battery.
CAUTION
Improper handling of the battery can lead to damage. We recommend having all
work on the vehicle battery carried out by a specialist garage.
CAUTION
■ The vehicle battery must only be disconnected if the ignition is switched off,
otherwise the vehicle's electrical system (electronic components) can be dam-
aged. When disconnecting the battery from the vehicle first disconnect the nega- tive terminal ( ) and only then the positive terminal ( ) of the battery.■
When connecting the battery to the electrical system, connect the positive ter-
minal ( ) first and then the negative terminal ( ) of the battery. Under no circum-
stances must the battery cables be connected incorrectly – risk of a cable fire.
■
Ensure that battery acid does not come into contact with the bodywork – risk of
damage to the paintwork.
■ Do not place the battery in direct daylight in order to protect the vehicle battery
housing from the effects of ultra-violet light.■
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery will
discharge. This is because certain electrical components consume electricity (e. g.
control units) also in idle state. The battery discharge can be prevented by discon-
necting the negative terminal ( ) of the battery or by ensuring the battery is con-
tinuously charged with very low charging current.
■
If the vehicle is frequently used for making short trips, the vehicle battery will
not have time to charge up sufficiently and may discharge.
For the sake of the environment
A vehicle battery that has been removed is a special type of hazardous waste.
These must be disposed of in accordance with national legal regulations.
Note
You should replace batteries older than 5 years.
Checking the battery electrolyte level
Fig. 110
Vehicle battery: Electrolyte level
indicator
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 134.
On vehicles with a vehicle battery fitted with a colour indicator, the so-called
magic eye » Fig. 110 , the electrolyte level can be determined by looking at the
change in colour. 
135Inspecting and replenishing

Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason carefully
knock on the indicator before carrying out the check.
› Black colour – electrolyte level is correct.
› Colourless or light yellow colour – electrolyte level too low, the battery must be
replaced.
Vehicles with a START-STOP system are fitted with a battery control unit for checking the energy level for the recurring engine start.
We recommend that you have the acid level checked regularly by a specialist ga-
rage, especially in the following cases.
› High external temperatures.
› Longer day trips.
› After each charge.
CAUTION
For technical reasons, on vehicles with the description “AGM”, the electrolyte lev-
el cannot be checked.
Note
The battery acid level is also checked regularly by a specialist garage as part of
the inspection service.
Operation in winter
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 134.
The vehicle battery only has a proportion of the starting power in lower tempera-
tures. A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures just be-
low 0 °C .
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked and, if necessary, re-
charged by a specialist garage before the start of the winter.

Charging
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 134.
A properly charged vehicle battery is essential for reliably starting the engine.
› Switch off the ignition and all of the electrical components.›Only when performing a “quick-charge”, disconnect both battery cables (first
“negative”, then “positive”).›
Attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals (red = “posi- tive”, black = “negative”).
›
Plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and switch on thedevice.
›
After charging has been successful: Switch off the charger and remove themains cable from the power socket.
›
Only then disconnect the charger's terminal clamps.
›
Reconnect the cables to the battery (first “positive”, then “negative”).
It is not necessary to disconnect the cables of the battery if you recharge the ve-
hicle battery using low amperages (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 lower) must be used until full charging is achieved.
It is necessary to disconnect both cables before charging the battery with high
amperages, known as “ rapid charging”.
The vent plugs of the vehicle battery should not be opened for charging.
WARNING“Quick-charging” the vehicle battery is dangerous and requires a special
charger and specialist knowledge.
CAUTION
On vehicles with the START/STOP system, 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 152, Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP
system .
Note
We therefore recommend that vehicle batteries be rapid charged by a specialist
garage.
136General Maintenance

WARNING■A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures just below
0 °C. If the battery is frozen, do not jump start with the battery of another ve- hicle – there is a risk of explosion.■
Pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the engine
compartment » page 127, Engine compartment .
■
The non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps must never touch each other
– there is a 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 – there
is a risk of short circuit.
■
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 started.
■
Route the jump-start cables so that they cannot be caught by any rotating
parts in the engine compartment.
■
Do not bend over the battery – there is a risk of caustic burns.
■
The vent screws of the battery cells must be tightened firmly.
■
Keep any sources of ignition (naked flame, lit cigarettes, etc.) away from the
battery – there is a risk of explosion.
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with insufficient acid levels – risk of ex-
plosion and chemical burns.
CAUTION
■ There must not be any contact between the two vehicles otherwise current
may flow as soon as the negative terminals are connected.■
The discharged battery must be properly connected to the system of the vehi-
cle.
■
We recommend you buy jump-start cables from a car battery specialist.

Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicleFig. 121
Jump-starting: A – flat battery, B
– battery providing current
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 150.
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. Jump-start cables are required for
this purpose.
The jump-start cables must be attached in the following sequence.
›
Attach clamp
1
to the positive terminal of the discharged battery
A
» Fig. 121 .
›
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 engine
block or to the engine block itself.
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.
›
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.
›
Disconnect the cables in exactly the reverse order
to the one described above.
Both batteries must have a rated voltage of 12 V. The capacity (Ah) of the battery
supplying the power must not be significantly less than the capacity of the dis-
charged battery in your vehicle.
Jump-start cables
Only use jump-start cables which have an adequately large cross-section and in-
sulated terminal clamps. Observe the instructions of the jumper lead manufactur-
er.
Positive cable – colour coding in the majority of cases is red. 
151Emergency equipment and self-help

Negative cable – colour coding in the majority of cases is black.
Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP system
Fig. 122
Engine earth: START-STOP sys-
tem
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn- ings on page 150.
On vehicles with the START-STOP system, the jump-start cable must only be con-
nected to the engine earthing point » Fig. 122.

Towing the vehicle

Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Front towing eye
153
Vehicles with manual transmission may be towed in with a tow bar or a tow rope
or with the front or rear wheels raised.
Vehicles with automatic transmission may be towed in with a tow bar or a tow
rope or with the front wheels raised. If the vehicle is raised at rear, the automatic
gearbox is damaged!
A tow bar is the safest way of towing a vehicle and also minimises any shocks.
Only use a tow rope if a suitable tow bar is not available.
When towing, the following guidelines must be observed.
Driver of the tow vehicle›Release the clutch particularly gently when starting off or depress the accelera-
tor particularly gently if the vehicle is fitted with an automated transmission.›
On vehicles with a manual transmission, only push down on the accelerator pedal once the rope is taught.
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, horn, windscreen wipers and windscreen washer system can
be used.
›
Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position N if the ve-
hicle is fitted with an automated transmission.
Please note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the en-
gine is running. If the engine is not running, significantly more physical force is re-
quired to depress the brake pedal and steer the vehicle.
If using a tow rope, ensure that it is always kept taught.
CAUTION
■ Do not tow start the engine – there is a risk of damaging the engine and the
catalytic converter. The battery from another vehicle can be used as a jump-start
aid » page 150 , Jump-starting .■
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.
■
The vehicle must be transported on a special breakdown vehicle or trailer if it is
not possible to tow in the vehicle in the way described or if the towing distance is greater than 50 km.
■
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 simi-
larly elastic material.
■
While towing, take care to avoid impermissibly high tensile forces or jerky loads.
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.
■
Attach the tow rope or the tow bar only to the towing eye » page 153 . 
152Do-it-yourself