brake fluid Seat Ibiza SC 2011 User Guide

194Checking and refilling levels
WARNING
All work on the engine or in the engine compartment, e.g. checking and
refilling fluids, involves the danger of injury and scalding as well as the
risk of accident or fire.
● Never open the bonnet if you see steam, smoke or coolant escaping
from the engine compartment. Otherwise, there is a risk of sustaining
burns. Wait until no more steam or coolant is emitted, then allow the en-
gine to cool before carefully opening the bonnet.
● Switch off the engine and remove the key from the ignition.
● Apply the handbrake and move the gear lever to neutral or selector
lever to position P.
● Keep children away from the vehicle.
● Never touch hot engine parts. There is a risk of burns.
● Never spill liquids on a hot engine or on a hot exhaust gas system.
This is a fire hazard.
● Avoid causing short-circuits in the electrical system, particularly at
the points where the jump leads are attached ⇒ page 241. The battery
could explode.
● Never touch the radiator fan. It is temperature controlled and could
start automatically, even when the engine has been switched off and the
key removed from the ignition!
● Do not unscrew the cap on the expansion tank when the engine is
hot. If the coolant is hot, the cooling system will be pressurised!
● Protect face, hands and arms by covering the cap with a large, thick
cloth to protect against escaping coolant and steam.
● Always make sure you have not left any objects, such as cleaning
cloths and tools, in the engine compartment.
● If you have to work underneath the vehicle, you must use suitable
stands additionally to support the vehicle, there is a risk of accident!. A
hydraulic jack is insufficient for securing the vehicle and there is a risk of
injury.WARNING (Continued)
● If any work has to be performed when the engine is started or with
the engine running, there is an additional, potentially fatal, safety risk
from the rotating parts, such as the drive belts, alternator, radiator fan,
etc., and from the high-voltage ignition system. You should also observe
the following points:
–Never touch the electrical wiring of the ignition system.
– Ensure that jewellery, loose clothing and long hair do not get trap-
ped in rotating engine parts. Danger of death. Before starting any
work remove jewellery, tie back and cover hair, and wear tight-fitting
clothes.
– Never accelerate with a gear engaged without taking the necessary
precautions. The vehicle could move, even if the handbrake is ap-
plied. Danger of death.
● If work has to be carried out on the fuel system or on electrical com-
ponents, you must observe the following safety notes in addition to the
above warnings:
–Always disconnect the battery. The vehicle must be unlocked when
this is done, otherwise the alarm will be triggered.
– Do not smoke.
– Never work near naked flames.
– Always have a fire extinguisher on hand.
CAUTION
When topping up service fluids, make sure not to mistake them. Using the
wrong fluids could cause serious malfunctions and engine damage!
For the sake of the environment
Service fluids leaks are harmful to the environment. For this reason you
should make regular checks on the ground underneath your vehicle. If you
find spots of oil or other fluids, have your vehicle inspected in a specialised
workshop. 

205
Checking and refilling levels
Removing the wiper blade
– Lift the wiper arm away from the glass ⇒ fig. 130.
– Slide the blade adapter in the direction of the arrow and remove
the blade ⇒ fig. 130.
Fitting the wiper blade
– With one hand, hold the top end of the wiper arm.
– Place the blade as shown in the ⇒ fig. 131 and slide the adapt-
er along until it engages.
Check the condition of the wiper blade regularly. Change as required.
If the windscreen wiper scrapes, it should be replaced if damaged, or
cleaned if soiled.
If this is not sufficient, refer to a specialised workshop.
WARNING
Do not drive unless you have good visibility through all windows!
● Clean the windscreen wiper blades and all windows regularly.
● The wiper blades should be changed once or twice a year.
CAUTION
● A damaged or dirty window wiper could scratch the rear window.
● Never use fuel, nail varnish remover, paint thinner or similar products to
clean the window.
● Never move the windscreen wiper by hand. This could cause damage. Brake fluid
Checking the brake fluid level
The brake fluid is checked at the intervals given in the serv-
ice schedule.
Fig. 132 In the engine
compartment: Brake fluid
reservoir cover
– Read off the fluid level at the transparent brake fluid reservoir. It
should always be between the “MIN” and “MAX” marks.
The position of the brake fluid reservoir is shown in the corresponding en-
gine compartment illustration ⇒ page 250. The brake fluid reservoir has a
black and yellow cap.
The brake fluid level drops slightly when the vehicle is being used as the
brake pads are automatically adjusted as they wear.
However, if the level goes down noticeably in a short time, or drops below
the “MIN” mark, there may be a leak in the brake system. A display on the
instrument panel will warn you if the brake fluid level is too low ⇒ page 61.
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

206Checking and refilling levels
WARNING
Before opening the bonnet to check the brake fluid level, read and ob-
serve the warnings ⇒ page 193.

Changing the brake fluid
The Maintenance Programme indicates the brake fluid
change intervals. We recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by an Authorised
Service Centre.
Before opening the bonnet, please read and follow the warnings ⇒ 
in
Safety instructions on working in the engine compartment on page 193 in
section “Safety notes for working in the engine compartment”.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture. In the course of time, it will absorb water from
the ambient air. If the water content in the brake fluid is too high, the brake
system could corrode. This also considerably reduces the boiling point of
the brake fluid. Heavy use of the brakes may then cause a vapour lock
which could impair the braking effect.
It is important that you use only brake fluid compliant with US standard
FMVSS 116 DOT 4. We recommend the use of Genuine SEAT brake fluid.
WARNING
Brake fluid is poisonous. Old brake fluid impairs the braking effect.
● Before opening the bonnet to check the brake fluid level, read and ob-
serve the warnings ⇒ page 193.
WARNING (Continued)
● Brake fluid should be stored in the closed original container in a safe
place out of reach of children. There is a toxic risk.
● Complete the brake fluid change according to the Maintenance Pro-
gramme. Heavy use of the brakes may cause a vapour lock if the brake
fluid is left in the system for too long. This would seriously affect the effi-
ciency of the brakes and the safety of the vehicle. This may cause an ac-
cident.
CAUTION
Brake fluid could damage the paintwork. Wipe off any brake fluid from the
paintwork immediately.
For the sake of the environment
The brake pads and fluid must be collected and disposed of according the
applicable regulations. The SEAT Technical Service network has the neces-
sary equipment and qualified personnel for collecting and disposing of this
waste material. 

211
Checking and refilling levels
Wear indicators
The original tyres on your vehicle have 1.6 mm high “tread wear indicators”
⇒ fig. 133, running across the tread. Depending on the make, there will be
6 to 8 of them evenly spaced around the tyre. Markings on the tyre sidewall
(for instance the letters “TWI” or other symbols) indicate the positions of
the tread wear indicators. The minimum tread depth required by law is
1.6 mm (measured in the tread grooves next to the tread wear indicators).
Worn tyres must be replaced. Different figures may apply in export countries
⇒ 
.
Tyre pressure
Incorrect tyre pressure causes premature wear and could cause tyre blow-
out. For this reason, the tyre pressure should be checked at least once per
month ⇒ page 210.
Driving style
Fast cornering, heavy acceleration and hard braking all increase tyre wear.
Changing wheels around
If the front tyres are worn considerably more than the rear ones it is advisa-
ble to change them around as shown ⇒ fig. 134. All the tyres will then last
for about the same time.
Wheel balance
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various factors encoun-
tered in normal driving can cause them to become unbalanced, which re-
sults in steering vibration.
Unbalanced wheels should be rebalanced, as they otherwise cause exces-
sive wear on steering, suspension and tyres. A wheel must also be reba-
lanced when a new tyre is fitted.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment causes excessive tyre wear, impairing the safety
of the vehicle. If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the wheel
alignment checked by an Authorised Service Centre.
WARNING
There is a serious danger of accidents if a tyre bursts during driving!
● The tyres must be replaced at the latest when the tread wear indica-
tors are worn ⇒ page 211. Failure to do so could result in an accident.
Worn tyres do not grip well at high speeds on wet roads. There is also a
greater risk of aquaplaning.
● At continuously high speeds, a tyre with insufficient pressure flexes
more. This causes it to overheat. This can cause tread separation and tyre
blow-out. Risk of accident. Always observe the recommended tyre pres-
sures.
● If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the running gear
checked by an Authorised Service Centre.
● Keep chemicals such as oil, fuel and brake fluid away from tyres.
● Damaged wheels and tyres must be replaced immediately!
For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption. 
New tyres and wheels
New tyres and wheels have to be run in.
The tyres and wheel rims are an essential part of the vehicle's design. The
tyres and rims approved by SEAT are specially matched to the characteris-
tics of the vehicle and make a major contribution to good road holding and
safe handling ⇒ 
.
Tyres should be replaced at least in pairs and not individually (i.e. both front
tyres or both rear tyres together). A knowledge of tyre designations makes it
easier to choose the correct tyres. Radial tyres have the tyre designations
marked on the sidewall, for example: 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

250Technical specifications
Technical specifications
Checking fluid levels
From time to time, the levels of the different fluids in the ve-
hicle must be checked. Never fill with incorrect fluids, other-
wise serious damage to the engine may be caused.
Fig. 174 Diagram for the
location of the various el-
ements
Fig. 175 For vehicles
with the battery in the
luggage compartment.
Coolant expansion tank
Engine oil dipstick
Engine oil filler cap
Brake fluid reservoir
Vehicle battery
Windscreen washer fluid container
The checking and refilling of service fluids are carried out on the compo-
nents mentioned above. These operations are described in the ⇒ page 193.
Overview
You will find further explanations, instructions and restrictions on the tech-
nical specifications as of ⇒ page 246.
Note
The layout of parts may vary depending on the engine. 
1
23456

Index
A
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Acoustic signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Acoustic warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Adaptive headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
AFS headlight bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Airbag covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Air conditioner Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Air conditioning* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Air outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Air recirculation Semi-automatic air conditioning . . . . . . . . 130
Air recirculation mode Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Alarm system Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Alternator Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Anti-freeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Anti-lock brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Anti-theft wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Aquaplaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Aspects to note before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror Deactivating the anti-dazzle function . . . . 107
Automatic anti-dazzle interior mirror* Activating the anti-dazzle function . . . . . . 107
Automatic car washing tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Kick-down feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Automatic lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Automatic windscreeen wiper/washer . . . . . . 103
Auxiliary audio input connection: AUX . . . . . . 122
AUX input connection/USB* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
B
Ball coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Battery Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Winter conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Biodiesel fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Brake pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Brake servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161, 166
Brake system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Braking distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Bulb change double headlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Single headlight bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Bulb changes General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Bulb defect Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Buzzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101, 136
C
Car care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Car phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
CCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
267
Index