head lights SKODA OCTAVIA 2008 2.G / (1Z) User Guide

Lights and Visibility
66
Note
•If you have switched on the right or left turn signal light and you switch off the
ignition, the parking light is not automatically switched on.
•Use only in accordance with the legal requirements the described lighting and
signal systems.
Interior lighting
Vehicle interior lighting front and rear*
The same principles apply for the lighti ng of the front and rear part of the
vehicle.
Switching the interior light on
– Press the switch to the left, the symbol
 ⇒ fig. 63 appears.
Switching the interior light off
– Press the switch into the middle position O.
– On the version without reading lights press the switch to the right, the symbol O appears. Door contact setting
– Press the switch to the right, the symbol
 appears.
– On the version without reading lights press the switch into the middle position
.
Reading lights*
– Press on one of the switches in order to switch the right or left reading light on or off.
The interior light comes on as soon as yo u unlock the car or open a door or when
the ignition key has been removed. The light goes out again about 30 seconds after
all the doors have been closed. The interior lighting is switched off when you lock
the car or switch the ignition on. This on ly applies when the switch for the corre-
sponding interior lights is stan ding n the door contact setting.
The interior lighting goes off after about 10 minutes when a door has been left open
in order to avoid discharging the battery of the vehicle.
If the switch is in the position
 (permanent lights), the interior lighting goes off at
the latest after 10 minutes in order to avoid discharging the battery of the vehicle.
Note
We recommend having these bulbs re placed by a specialist garage.
Lighting of the storage compartment on front passenger side*
– When opening the flap of the storage compartment on the front
passenger side the lighting in the storage compartment comes on.
– The light switches on automatically when the parking light is switched
on and goes out when the flap is closed.
Fig. 63 Detail of the head-
liner: Front and rear interior
lighting
AA
AA
AA
AA
AA
AB
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Lights and Visibility
68
Note
•The position and the shape of the switch can differ depending on equipment
installed in the vehicle.
•If the on-board voltage drop s, the rear window heater is switched off automat-
ically, in order to provide sufficient electrical energy for the engine control.
Sun visors
You can pull the sun visor for the driver or front passenger out of the fixture and
swivel it toward the door in the direction of the arrow ⇒fig. 66 . The vanity mirrors* in the sun visors are provided with covers. Push the cover in
direction of arrow .
On vehicles which are equipped with doub
le sun visor*, you can also unfold the
auxiliary visor after swivelling the sun visor⇒ fig. 67.
WARNING
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-
ment area of the head airbags if any obje cts, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head
airbag is deployed.
Sun screen*
Fig. 66 Sun visor: swivelling
out
Fig. 67 Double sun visor
A1
A2
Fig. 68 Unroll the sun screen
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Lights and Visibility71
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
WARNING
•Properly maintained windscreen wiper blades are essential for clear visi-
bility and safe driving ⇒page 71.
•Do not use the windscreen washer sy stem at low temperatures, without
heating the windscreen beforehand. Otherwise the window cleaner could
freeze on the windscreen and re strict the view to the front.
•The rain sensor only operates as a support. The driver is not released
from the responsibility to set the function of the windscreen wipers manu-
ally depending on the visibility conditions.
Caution
In frosty weather, please first of all check whether the windscreen wiper blades are
not frozen to the windscreen before swit ching them on. Switching on windscreen
wipers when the blades are frozen to the windscreen may result in damage both to
the blades and the motor of the windscreen wipers!
Note
•If the slower or the faster wiper setting is switched on ⇒page 69, fig. 70
and the vehicle speed decreases to below 4 km/h, the lower wiper step is switched
on automatically. At a speed increase of more than 8 km/h the previous wiper
setting is esta blished again.
•If there is an obstacle on the windscre en, the wiper will try to push away the
obstacle. If the obstacle continues to block the wiper, th e wiper stops after 5 cycles,
in order to avoid a damage to the wiper. Remove the obstacle and and switch on
the wiper again.
Headlight cleaning system*
The headlights are being cleaned after the windscreen has been sprayed for the first
time and fifth time, the low beam or ma in beam are switched on and the wind-
screen wiper lever was he ld in the position ⇒page 69, fig. 70 for about 1
second. The headlight washer nozzles are moved forward out of the bumper by the water
pressure for cleaning the headlights.
You should remove stubborn dirt (such
as insect residues) from the headlight
lenses at regular intervals, for example when refuelling. Please refer to the following
guidelines ⇒page 214, “The headlight lenses”.
You should remove any snow from the fixtures of the washer nozzles and clear ice
in winter with a de-icing spray in order to ensure proper operation of the cleaning
system.
Replacing wiper blades for the windscreen wipers
One cannot fold out the wiper arms in the rest position from the wind-
screen. Before replacing the wiper arms you must put them into the
service position.
Service position for changing wiper blades
– Close the bonnet.
– Switch the ignition on and then again off.
– Then press the windscreen wiper lever in the position ⇒page 69,
fig. 70 within 20 seconds - the wiper arms move into the service posi-
tion.
A2A3
A5
Fig. 71 Wiper blade for the
windscreen wiper
A4
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Communication141
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Communication
Multifunction steering wheel*
Operate radio und navigation on the multifunction steering wheel
The driver can set the basic functions of the radio and navigation by simply oper-
ating the buttons located on the steering wheel so that he can concentrate on the traffic situation without being distracted as little as possible by operating the radio
and navigation
⇒fig. 159 .
This applies only if your vehicle has been installed with radio
14) or navigation at the
factory. You can of course operate the ra dio and navigation at the appliance. You
will find a description in the operating instructions of your radio system.
When the headlights are switched on, the steering wheel pushbuttons are then also
illuminated.
The buttons apply for the respective operating mode of the current radio or naviga-
tion.
By pressing the buttons, you can carry out the following functions:
Fig. 159 Multifunction
steering wheel: control
buttons
14)Does not apply for Radio Blues.
ButtonActionRadio, traffic informationCDThe CD changer / MP3Navigation
press brieflySwitch off/on tone
press button for a
long period of timeswitch off/on*
 turn upwardsIncrease volume
 turn down-
wardsDecrease volume
 press briefly
Changing to the next stored radio stationChanging to the next stored traffic infor-
mation
Interrupting the traffic report
Changing to the next title
A1
A1
A1
A1
A2
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Driving and the Environment203
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
The fuel consumption can naturally also be
influenced by factors which are beyond
the driver's control. It is, for example, normal for the fu el consumption to increase
in winter and under worsened conditions such as poor road conditions, towing a
trailer, etc.
The technical requirements for low fuel usage and economic efficiency of the
vehicle have already been built into the ve hicle at the works. Special attention has
been given to minimising ne gative effects on the environment. It is necessary to
take note of the guidelines given in this chapter in order to make best use of these
characteristics and to maintain their effectiveness.
The optimal engine speed should be obtain ed when accelerating, in order to avoid
a high fuel consumption an d resonance of the vehicle.
Looking ahead when driving
A vehicle's highest fuel consumption occurs it accelerates.
Avoid accelerating and brakin g unnecessarily. If you drive with forsight you will not
need to brake so often and will also then not have to accelerate so much. Let your
vehicle coast to a stop, for example, if this is possible, when you see that the next
set of traffic lights is at red.
Shifting gears and saving energy
Shifting up early saves on fuel.
Manual gearbox
– Drive no more than about one length of your vehicle in first gear.
– Always shift up into the next higher gear at approx. 2 000 to 2 500 revs.
Automatic gearbox
– Depress the accelerator pedal slowly. Do not depress it beyond the
kickdown position, however.
An effective way of achieving good fuel economy is to shift up early. You will
consume more fuel if you drive at unnecessa rily high revolutions in any given gear.
The ⇒fig. 201 shows the ratio of fuel consumption to the speed of your vehicle in
the relevant gears. Fuel consumption in 1st gear is the highest, while that in 5th or
the 6th gear is the lowest.
Only depress the accelerator pedal slowly if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic
gearbox in order to automatically select an economic driving programme. You will
achieve good fuel economy by shifting up early and shifting down late.
Note
Also use the information supplied by the multi-functional indicator* ⇒page 21.
Fig. 201 Fuel consumption
in litres/100 km. and speed in
km/h.
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Driving and the Environment
206
Keeping a log of your fuel consumption
If you really wish to ke ep a close check on your fuel consumption, it is best to enter
the figures in a logbook. This does not take much time but is a very worthwhile exer-
cise. It enables you to detect any change (positive and negative) at an early stage
and to take any appropriate action.
If you find that your fuel consumption is too high, you sh ould reflect on how, where
and in what conditions you have driven the vehicle since you last refuelled.
Environmental compatibility
Environmental protection has played a majo r role in the design, selection of mate-
rials and manufacture of your new Škoda. Particular emphasis has been paid to a
number of aspects, including:
Design measures
•Joints designed to be easily detached.
•Simplified disassembly due to the modular structure system.
•Improved purity of differ ent classes of materials.
•Identification of all plastic parts in accordance with VDA Recommendation 260.
•Reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emission CO2.
•Minimum fuel leakage during accidents.
•Reduced noise.
Choice of materials
•Extensive use of recyclable material.
•Air conditioning filled with CFC-free refrigerant.
•No cadmium.
•No asbestos.
•Reduction in the “vaporisation” of plastics.
Manufacture
•Solvent-free cavity protection.
•Solvent-free protection of the vehicle for transportation from the production
plant to the customer.
•The use of solvent-free adhesives.
•No CFCs used in the production process.
•Without use of mercury.
•Use of water-soluble paints.
Motoring abroad
General
Other circumstances may exist abroad.
It is also possible, in ce rtain countries, that the Škod a Service Partner network is
limited or has not been established yet. This is the reason why obtaining certain
spare parts may be somewhat complicated and specialist garage personnel may
only be able to ma ke li mite d re pa irs. Škoda Auto a.s. i n the Czech Republic and rele -
vant importers are happy to provide info rmation about technical aspects of the
vehicle, required maintenance work and possibilities for getting repairs done.
Unleaded petrol
A vehicle fitted with a petrol engine must always be refuelled with unleaded petrol
⇒ page 202. The automobile associations can provide you with information
regarding the locations of filling stations which offer unleaded petrol.
Headlight
The low beam of your headlights is set asym metrically. It illuminates the side of the
road on which you are driving to a greater extent. If you drive abroad on the other
side of the road, you wi ll dazzle oncoming traffic.
In order to prevent the dazzling of oncoming traffic, it is necessary that an adjust-
ment of the headlights is carried out by your Škoda Service Partner.
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Driving and the Environment207
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
The adaptation of the headlight with Xenon lights* (applies only to vehicles which
are designed for driving right and left) is performed in the menu
Setup (settings)
Lights & Vision (Lights & Vision) in the main menu of the information display*
⇒ page 26.
Note
You can obtain further information regarding masking over or converting the head-
lights from your Škoda Service Partner.
Avoiding damage to your vehicle
When driving on poor roads and lanes or when driving over kerbstones, steep
ramps etc., you must pay particular attention to ensuring that any low-slung parts
of the vehicle, such as spoiler and ex haust, do not touch the ground and get
damaged.
This particularly applies to models with a lowered suspension (sport suspension)
and also when your vehicle is fully laden.
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Towing a trailer209
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
should be attached to folding arms. Adjust
the mirrors so that they provide you with
an adequate field of view to the rear.
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights.
Alter the setting as necessary with th e aid of the headlight beam adjuster
⇒ page 64.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device.
It is stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the
luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Further information on the towing device ⇒page 210.
Note
•We recommend that you also have your vehicle inspected between service
intervals if you tow a trailer frequently.
•The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and
decoupling the trailer.
Driving Tips
Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.
– Do not, as far as possible, drive with your vehicle unladen and the
trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside temper- ature is high.
Distribution of weight
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and the trailer
is laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this
combination.
Driving speed
Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for coun-
tries in which higher speeds are allowed.
The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with
increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when
there are unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions, particularly near accident
black spots.
You must always reduce your speed immedi ately as soon as you detect even just
the slightest swaying of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from
“swaying” by accelerating.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a trailer brake, apply the
brakes gently at first and then brake firmly . This will avoid brake jolts resulting from
the trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good time before negotiating a down-
hill section to allow the engine to also act as a brake.
Engine overheating
Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a
lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engine speed when the outside temperature is
very high ⇒page 18, “Coolant temperature gauge”.
If the needle of the coolant temperature gauge moves into the right-hand area or
even the red area of the scale, reduce yo ur speed immediately. Stop and switch off
the engine if the warning light
 in the instrument cluste r begins flashing. Wait a
few minutes and check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle
⇒ page 229, “Inspecting the coolant level”.
Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒page 37, “Coolant temperature/ Coolant
quantity ”.
The coolant temperature can be reduced by switching on the heating.
Any increase in the cooling effect of the coolant fan through shifting down a gear
and increasing the engine speed is not possible since the fan speed is independent
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Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle
214
Plastic parts
External plastic parts are cleaned by norm al washing. Plastic parts and synthetic
leather can also be treated with special solvent-free plastic cleaning agents if a
damp cloth is not sufficient. Paint care pr oducts are not suitable for plastic parts.
Caution
Solvent-free cleaners attack the material and can damage it.
Windows
Only use a plastic ice scraper for removing snow and ice from the windows and
mirrors. You should not move the ice scraper forward and backward but in one
direction on the window which you are clea ning in order to avoid any damage to
the surface of the glass.
You can best remove residues of rubber, oil, grease, wax or silicone by using a
special window cleaner or a special silicone remover.
You should also clean the windows regularly from the inside.
Do not use window leathers which you have used to polish the vehicle body to dry
off the windows. Residues of preservati ves in the window leather can dirty the
window and reduce visibility.
Do not affix any stickers over the inside of the rear window to avoid damage to the
heating elements of the rear window heater .
We recommend using a preservative from Škoda genuine accessories offered by
your Škoda dealer.
Caution
Never remove snow or ice from the glass parts with warm or hot water - risk of
formation of cracks in the glass!
The headlight lenses
Please do not use any aggres sive cleaning or chemical solvent pr oducts - risk of
damage to the plastic lenses Please use soap and clean warm water.
Caution
Never wipe the headlights dry and do not use any sharp objects for cleaning the
plastic lenses, this may result in damage to the protective paintwork and conse-
quently in formation of cracks on the head light lenses, e.g through effect of chem-
ical products.
Door and window seals
The rubber seals on the doors, boot lid, bonnet and windows remain supple and
last longer if you treat them from time to time with a rubber care product (e.g. with
a spray with silicone-free oil). You also avoid premature wear of the seals and
prevent leakages in this way. It is also easier to open the doors. Rubber seals which
are well cared for also do not stick together in cold winter weather.
Locks
We recommend that you use the spray from Škoda original accessories with
regreasing and anticorrosive effect for de-icing locks.
Note
When washing your vehicle, ensure that as little water as possible gets into the
locks.
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Inspecting and replenishing235
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
A discharged battery may already
freeze at temperatures just below 0°C ⇒. We
recommend that you no longer use a ba ttery which has thawed out because the
casing of the battery may be cracked through the formation of ice and this would
allow battery electrolyte to flow out.
The vent plugs of the battery should not be opened for charging.
WARNING
Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and caustic
burns. Replace a frozen battery.
Disconnecting and reconnecting the battery
On disconnecting and reconnecting the batte ry the following functions are initially
deactivated or are no longer able to operate fault-free.
We recommend having the ve hicle checked by a Škoda Service Partner to ensure
full functionality of all electrical systems.
Replacing the battery
You should only replace a battery with a new battery of the same capacity, voltage
(12 V), amperage and of the same size. Škoda Service Partners have a range of suit-
able batteries available.
We recommend that you only have an old ba ttery disposed of by your Škoda dealer
since it does require special disposal.
For the sake of the environment
Batteries contain pois onous substances such as sulphur ic acid and lead. They must
be disposed of in accordance with loca l environmental protection regulations and
on no account as domestic waste.
Windshield washer system
The windshield washer reservoir contains the cleaning fluid for the windscreen or
rear window and for the headlamp cleaning system*. The reservoir is located at the
front right of the engine compartment ⇒fig. 217 .
The filling level of the container is 3 litres, 5.5 li tres on vehicles which also have a
headlight washing system.
Clear water is not sufficient to intensivel y clean the windscreen and headlights. We
therefore recommend using clean washing water together with the screen cleaner
from Škoda genuine accessorie s (in winter additionally with antifreeze) which is
capable of removing stubborn dirt. Follow the instructions for use on the packaging
when using screen cleaning products.
You should always add antifreeze to the cleaning water in winter even if your
vehicle is fitted with heated windscreen washer nozzles*.
It is also possible in exceptional cases to use methylated spirits when no screen
cleaner with antifreeze is available. The concentration of methylated spirits must
OperationOperating measure
Electrical power window (operational faults)⇒ page 55
Enter radio code numbersee Radio Operating Instructions
Set hours⇒page 21
Data in the multi-functional indicator* are
deleted⇒page 21
Fig. 217 Engine compart-
ment: Windshield washer
fluid reservoir
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