ignition Seat Alhambra 2018 User Guide

The essentials
● Rel
e
ase the clutch.

››› in Manual gear change on page 194
››› page 193 Automatic gearbox*
Fig. 48
Automatic gearbox: selector lever po-
s ition
s. Parking lock
R
ev
er

se gear
Neutral (idling)
Drive (forward)
Tiptronic mode: pull the lever forwards
(+) to go up a gear or backwards ( –) to
go down a gear.
P
R
N
D/S
+/– 
››› in Automatic gearbox* on page 195
›››
page 194
››› page 36 Manual release of the selector lever
Fig. 49
Remove the lining from the area of
the g e
ar indic

ation Fig. 50
Manual release of gear selector lever If the vehicle power supply should ever fail
(e.
g. di
s

charged battery) and the vehicle has
to be pushed or towed, the selector lever
must first be moved to position N using the
manual release mechanism.
The emergency release mechanism is located
underneath the gearbox cover panel to the
right-hand side. To release the gear selector
lever mechanism, a suitable tool is required,
(e.g. a screwdriver).
Preparations
● Apply the parking brake. If the brake can-
not be activat
ed, the vehicle must be alterna-
tively secured so that it cannot move.
● Switch the ignition off.
To remo
ve the gearbox cover panel
● Pull the cover up around the dust guard on
the gear sel
ector lever ››› Fig. 49.36

The essentialsControl buttonElectronic manual air conditioning 
››› Fig. 51;
Climatronic  ››› Fig. 51.  
Buttons for the seat heating
››› page 147. 
Climatronic: depending on the vehicle equipment there may be a button for the windscreen heating on the air conditioner control panel. The wind-
screen heating only works when the engine is running and switches off automatically after a few minutes.

Press the button to switch on or off the cooling system.

Climatronic: accept the temperature selection for the driver and front passenger sides. When the  button light is lit, the temperature settings on
the driver side also apply to the passenger side. Press the button or adjust the temperature control for the passenger side in order to set a different
temperature. No lamp lights up on the button. 
Climatronic: automatic temperature, fan, and air distribution control. Press the button to switch on the function. The control lamp lights up on the button.

Climatronic: press the  button to adjust the air conditioner for the rear seats, from the front seats back. The lamp is lit on the  button if the
feature is activated. The settings for the rear seats will be displayed. Press the button again to switch the function off or do not touch any other button
for around 10 seconds. 
Climatronic: press the  button to use the heat that the engine produces. When the engine is still warm but the ignition switched off, the heat given
off by the engine can be used to keep the vehicle interior warm. The  button will light up when the function is switched on. The function will switch
off after around 30 minutes and if the battery level is low. 
a)Switch off.
Electronic manual air conditioning
: turn the fan switch to setting 0.
Climatronic: Press the
 button or adjust the fan manually to 0. The  button will light up when the device turns off.
a) Depending on the version of the model.
››› in Introduction on page 176
››› page 176 39

The essentials
Fluid Level control Fi l
lin
g capacities
Tank level
73 litres. 8 litre reserve
Capacity of the windscreen washer fluid con-
tainer
Versions without headlight
washer system3.5 litres
Versions with headlight washer
system6 litres Fuel
Fig. 52
Fuel tank flap with tank cap attached. Before r
efuelling, always turn off the engine,
the ignition, mo b

ile telephones, auxiliary
heating and keep them off during refuelling.
Opening the fuel tank cap
● The tank flap is at the rear of the vehicle on
the right.
● Pre

ss the rear of the tank flap to open it.
● Unscrew the tank cap anticlockwise and in-
sert it
in the hole in the tank flap hinge
›››  Fig. 236.
Closing the fuel tank cap ● Screw on the tank cap clockwise until it you
hear it c
lick into position.
● Press the tank flap until you hear it click in-
to pl
ace. The tank flap must be flush with the
body contour.

››› page 264
››› page 266 Oil
Fig. 53
Engine oil dipstick. Fig. 54
In the engine compartment: Engine
oi l
fi
ller cap. The level is measured using the dipstick loca-
t
ed in the en
gine c

ompartment
›››  page 274.
The oil should leave a mark between zones A and
C . It should never exceed zone
A .
● Zone A : Do not add oil.
40

The essentials
Replacing a blown fuse Fig. 60
Image of a blown fuse. Fig. 61
Removing or fitting a fuse Preparation
● Switch off the ignition, lights and all elec-
tric al
equipment
.
● Open the corresponding fuse box
›››
page 43 Identifying a blown fuse
A fuse i

s blown if its metal strip is ruptured
››› Fig. 60.
● Point a lamp at the fuse to see if it has
blown.
T

o replace a fuse
● If necessary, remove the plastic pincers
from the fu
se box cover.
● Small fuses: lock the pinc
er in from above
››› Fig. 61 A.
● Larger fuses : move the pinc
er sideways
over the fuse ››› Fig. 61 B.
● Remove the relevant fuse.
● Replace the blown fuse by one with an
identica
l amperage rating (same colour and
markings) and identical size.
● Replace the cover.
Bulbs Bul
bs (12 V) Full-LED headlights are designed to last the
lif
etime of
the c

ar and light bulbs cannot be
replaced. In case of headlight failure, go to
an authorised workshop to have it replaced.
Light source used for each function
Halogen headlights.Type
Dipped beam headlightsH7 LL
Main beam headlights/day-
time running lights (DRL)H15 (double element)
Side lightsW5W
Turn signalPY21W NA LL
AFS bi-xenon main head-
lightType
Daytime running lights (DRL)P21W SLL
Side lightsW5W
Turn signalPY21W NA LL
Dipped beam / Main beamXenon bulb. Visit an
authorised workshop
for replacement.
Front fog lightType
Fog lightsHB4
LED rear lightsType
Side/brake lightLED
Turn signalWY21W
Reverse lightsW16W 44

The essentials
Only secure the tow rope or tow bar to the
t o
wline anc
horage or specially designed fit-
ting.
Vehicles with a factory fitted towing device ,
can only be used for towing with a tow bar,
specially designed to fit on a tow hitch ball
›››  page 237.
Towing vehicles with an automatic gearbox
Note the following for a towed vehicle: ● Make sure the gear selector lever is in the N
position.
● Do not

drive faster than 50 km/h (30 mph).
● Do not tow further than 50 km (30 miles).
● If a breakdown truck is used, the vehicle
must
be towed with the front wheels raised.
Note the following instructions for towing
four all-wheel drive vehicles.
Instructions for towing all-wheel drive vehi-
cles
All-wheel drive vehicles can be towed using a
toolbar or tow rope. If the vehicle is towed
with the front or rear axle raised, the engine
must be turned off to avoid transmission
damage.
For vehicles with a double clutched DSG ®
(di-
rect shift gearbox) the instructions for towing
vehicles with an automatic gearbox apply
››› page 52. Situations in which a vehicle should not be
tow

ed
In the following cases, the vehicle should not
be towed but transported on a trailer or spe-
cial vehicle:
● If the vehicle gearbox does not contain lu-
bricant due t
o a fault.
● If the vehicle battery is flat and, as a result,
the electronic
steering lock and electronic
parking brake cannot be disengaged if ap-
plied.
● If the vehicle to be towed has an automatic
gearbo
x and the distance to be covered is
greater than 50 km (30 miles).

››› in Introduction on page 88
››› page 88 Tow-starting
In general, the vehicle should not be started
b
y
t

owing. Jump-starting is much more pref-
erable ›››
page 52.
For technical reasons, the following vehicles
can not be tow started:
● Vehicles with an automatic gearbox. ●
Vehicl
es with the Keyless Access locking
and ignition system, since the electronic
steering lock may not unlock.
● Vehicles with an electronic parking brake,
given that
it is possible that the brake will
not be disengaged.
● If the vehicle battery is flat, it is possible
that the en
gine control units do not operate
correctly.
However, if your vehicle must absolutely be
tow-started (manual gearbox):
● Put it into second or third gear.
● Keep the clutch pressed down.
● Switch on the ignition and the hazard warn-
ing lights.
● Rel

ease the clutch when both vehicles are
movin
g.
● As soon as the engine starts, press the
clutc
h and move the gear lever into neutral.
This helps to prevent a collision with the tow-
ing vehicle.
How to jump start
Jump lea
ds If the engine fails to start because of a dis-
c
h
ar

ged battery, the battery of another vehi-
cle can be used to start the engine. Before 52

The essentials
How to jump start: description Fig. 74
Diagram of connections for vehicles
w ithout

Start-Stop system. Fig. 75
Diagram of connections for vehicles
w ith
St

art-Stop system. Jump lead terminal connections
Swit
c

h off the ignition of both vehicles
››› .
1. Connect one end of the
re
d
jump lead to
the positive + terminal of the vehicle
w ith the fl
at
battery A
› ››
Fig. 74
.
C
onnect the other end of the red jump
lead to the positive terminal + in the
v ehic
l

e providing assistance B .
F or

vehicles without Start-Stop system:
connect one end of the black jump lead
to the negative terminal – of the vehi-
c l
e pr

oviding the current B
› ››
Fig. 74
.
F
or vehicles with Start-Stop system: con-
nect one end of the black jump lead X to a suitable ground terminal, to a solid
piec
e of
met

al in the engine block, or to
the engine block itself ››› Fig. 75.
Connect the other end of the black jump
lead X to a solid metal component bol-
t ed t
o the en

gine block or to the engine
block itself of the vehicle with the flat
battery. Do not connect it to a point near
the battery A .
P o
s

ition the leads in such a way that
they cannot come into contact with any
moving parts in the engine compart-
ment.
Starting Start the engine of the vehicle with the
boosting battery and let it run at idling
speed.
2.
3.
4a.
4b.
5.
6.
7.
Start the engine of the vehicle with the
flat b

attery and wait for 2 or 3 minutes
until the engine is running.
Removing the jump leads Before you remove the jump leads,
switch off the dipped beam headlights if
they are switched on.
Turn on the heater blower and heated
rear window in the vehicle with the flat
battery. This helps minimise voltage
peaks which are generated when the
leads are disconnected.
When the engine is running, disconnect
the leads in reverse order to the details
given above.
Make sure the battery clamps have sufficient
metal-to-metal contact with the battery termi-
nals.
If the engine fails to start after about 10 sec-
onds, switch off the starter and try again after
about 1 minute. WARNING
● Ple a

se note the safety warnings referring to
working in the engine compartment
›››  page 271.
● The battery providing assistance must have
the same v
oltage as the flat battery (12V) and
approximately the same capacity (see imprint
on battery). Failure to comply could result in
an explosion. 8.
9.
10.
11.
54

The essentials
●
Never u se jump l
eads when one of the bat-
teries is frozen. Danger of explosion! Even af-
ter the battery has thawed, battery acid could
leak and cause chemical burns. If a battery
freezes, it should be replaced.
● Keep sparks, flames and lighted cigarettes
awa
y from batteries, danger of explosion.
Failure to comply could result in an explo-
sion.
● Observe the instructions provided by the
manufact
urer of the jump leads.
● Do not connect the negative cable from the
other vehic
le directly to the negative terminal
of the flat battery. The gas emitted from the
battery could be ignited by sparks. Danger of
explosion.
● Never attach the negative cable to fuel sys-
tem component
s or the brake lines in the oth-
er vehicle.
● The non-insulated parts of the battery
clamp
s must not be allowed to touch. The
jump lead attached to the positive battery
terminal must not touch metal parts of the ve-
hicle, this can cause a short circuit.
● Position the leads in such a way that they
cannot c
ome into contact with any moving
parts in the engine compartment.
● Do not lean on the batteries. This could re-
sult
in chemical burns. Note
The vehicles must not touch each other, oth-
erw i

se electricity could flow as soon as the
positive terminals are connected. Changing windscreen wipers
Wind s

creen wipers service position Fig. 76
Wipers in service position. The wiper arms can be raised when the wip-
er
s
ar

e in service position ››› Fig. 76.
● Close the bonnet ›››

 page 271.
● Switch the ignition on and off.
● Press the windscreen wiper lever down-
ward
s briefly ››› page 27 4 .
B ef
or
e driving, always lower the wiper arms.
Using the windscreen wiper lever, the wind- screen wiper arms return to their initial posi-
tion.

››› page 88 Changing the front wiper blades
Fig. 77
Changing the front wiper blades Fig. 78
Changing the rear wiper blade » 55

Seat belts
Warning lamp Fig. 81
Warning lamp on the instrument pan-
el . Fig. 82
Example of seat belt status display for
the r ear se
ats (here, a 7-seat vehicle) on the
instrument panel above, the second row and,
below, the third row of seats. 
Lights up or flashes
Driver's seat belt not
fastened or front pas-
senger seat belt not
fastened if the front
passenger seat is occu-
pied.
Fasten seat belts!
Objects on the front
passenger seat.Remove any objects from the
front passenger seat and
store them safely.
Some control and warning lamps on the in-
strument
p

anel will come on to check certain
functions when the ignition is switched on.
They will switch off after a few seconds.
An audible warning will be heard for a maxi-
mum of 90 seconds if the seat belts are not
fastened as the car drives off and reaches a
speed of more than 25 km/h (15 mph) or if
the seat belts are unfastened while the vehi-
cle is in motion. The seat belt warning lamp
 will also flash.
The warning lamp  does not switch off until
the driver and front passenger fasten their
seat belts while the ignition is switched on.
Seat belt status display for rear seats
The seat belt status display on the instru-
ment panel informs the driver, when the igni-
tion is switched on, whether any passengers
in the rear seats have fastened their seat
belts. The  symbol indicates that the pas- senger in this seat has fastened “his or her”
seat
belt

››› Fig. 82.
The seat belt status is displayed for around
30 seconds when a seat belt in the rear seats
is fastened or unfastened. You can switch off
this display by pressing the 0.0 / SET button.
The se at
belt

status flashes for a maximum of
30 seconds when a seat belt in the rear seats
is unfastened while the vehicle is in motion.
An audible warning will also be heard if the
vehicle is travelling at over 25 km/h
(15 mph).
The rear seat display can be enabled or disa-
bled by a technical service centre.
The protective function of seat belts Fig. 83
Drivers with properly worn seat belts
w i
l

l not be thrown forward in the event of sud-
den braking » 63
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Airbag system
The airbag system operation is monitored
el ectr
onic
ally. The airbag control lamp will il-
luminate for a few seconds every time the ig-
nition is switched on (self-diagnosis).
There is a fault in the system if the  control
lamp:
● does not light up when the ignition is
switc
hed on,
● turns off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is sw
itched on,
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is sw
itched on,
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
movin
g.
The airbag system is not triggered if:
● the ignition is switched off
● there is a minor frontal collision
● there is a minor side collision
● there is a rear-end collision
● the vehicle turns over. WARNING
● The seat belt

s and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 58.
● If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the sy
stem checked immediately by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise there is a danger that during a collision, the system
ma
y

fail to trigger, or not trigger correctly. Airbag activation
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within
thous
andths

of a second, to provide addi-
tional protection in the event of an accident.
The airbag system is only ready to function
when the ignition is on.
In special accidents instances, several air-
bags may activate at the same time.
In the event of minor head-on and side colli-
sions, rear-end collisions, overturning or roll-
over of the vehicle, airbags do not activate.
Activation factors
The conditions that lead to the airbag system
activating in each situation cannot be gener-
alised. Some factors play an important role,
such as the properties of the object the vehi-
cle hits (hard/soft), angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
Deceleration trajectory is key for airbag acti-
vation.
The control unit analyses the collision trajec-
tory and activates the respective restraint
system.
If the deceleration rate is below the prede-
fined reference value in the control unit the airbags will not be triggered, even though
the acc
ident

may cause extensive damage to
the car.
The following airbags are triggered in seri-
ous head-on collisions:
● Driver airbag.
● Front passenger front airbag
● Knee airbag for the driver.
The fol
lowing airbags are triggered in seri-
ous side-on collisions:
● Front side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Re

ar side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Cur

tain (head) airbag on the side of the ac-
cident.
In an ac

cident with airbag activation:
● the interior lights switch on (if the interior
light swit
ch is in the courtesy light position);
● the hazard warning lights switch on;
● all doors are unlocked;
● the fuel supply to the engine is cut.
71
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Airbag system
●
Gre at
forces must not be exerted on the
seat backrest bolsters because the side air-
bags might not deploy correctly, might not
deploy at all or might deploy unexpectedly.
● Any damage to the original seat upholstery
or around the se
ams of the side airbag units
must be repaired immediately by a special-
ised workshop. Curtain airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›

 page 21. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of

a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the
head-pr
otection airbags free.
● Do not fix objects to the cover or in the de-
ployment
area of the curtain airbag.
● Vehicle occupants of the front and outer
rear se
ats must never carry any other people,
pets or objects in the deployment space be-
tween them and the airbags.
● The built-in coat hooks should be used only
for lightweight
clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
● Do not mount accessories on the doors. ●
Do not fit c

urtains to the windows other
than those expressly approved for use in the
vehicle.
● Only turn the sun blinds towards the win-
dows
if there is no object, e.g. pens or garage
remote controls, secured to the sun blind. Deactivating airbags
Contr o

l lamp Fig. 90
Control lamp for disabling the front
p a
s

senger front airbag on the dash panel 
It lights up on the combi-in-
strument
Fault in airbag
system and seat
belt tensioners.Have the system checked immedi-
ately by a specialised workshop.  
It lights up on the dash panel
Fault in the air-
bag system.Have the system checked immedi-
ately by a specialised workshop.
Front passenger
front airbag disa-
bled.Check whether the airbag should
remain disabled
Several warning and control lamps light up
for a f
ew sec

onds when the ignition is switch-
ed on, signalling that the function is being
verified. They will switch off after a few sec-
onds.
If the front passenger airbag is deactivated,
the lamp      does not re-
main lit, or if it is lit together with the control
lamp  on the instrument panel, there may
be a fault in the airbag system ››› .
WARNING
In the event of a fault in the airbag system,
the airbag m a

y not trigger correctly, may fail
to trigger or may even trigger unexpectedly,
leading to severe or fatal injuries.
● Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately b
y a specialised workshop.
● Never mount a child seat in the front pas-
senger se
at ››› page 79 or remove the
mounted child seat! The front passenger front
airbag may deploy during an accident in spite
of the fault. » 73
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety