jump cable SKODA OCTAVIA 2012 3.G / (5E) Owner's Manual

Disconnecting and reconnecting the vehicle battery180
Automatic load deactivation
180
Warning symbols on the vehicle battery
SymbolDescriptionAlways wear eye protection!Battery acid is severely caustic. Always wear gloves and eye protec-tion!Keep fire, sparks, open flames and lit cigarettes well clear of the ve-
hicle battery!When charging the vehicle battery, a highly explosive gas mixture is produced!Keep children away from the vehicle battery!
Improper handling of the battery can lead to damage occurring. We recommend
having all work on the vehicle battery be undertaken by a ŠKODA Partner.
WARNINGThere is a risk of injuries, poisoning, chemical burns, explosions or fire when
carrying out any work on the battery and on the electrical system. It is essen-
tial to comply with the warning instructions stated below and with the gener-
al applicable rules of safety.■
Keep children away from the vehicle battery.
■
The battery acid is strongly corrosive and must, therefore, be handled with
the greatest of care.
■
Always wear protective gloves, eye and skin protection when handling the
vehicle battery.
■
Corrosive fumes in the air irritate the air passages and lead to conjunctivitis
and inflammation of the air passages in the lungs.
■
Battery acid corrodes dental enamel and creates deep wounds after contact
with the skin which take a long time to heal. Repeated contact with diluted
acids causes skin diseases (inflammations, ulcers, skin cracks).
■
Acids coming into contact with water are diluted accompanied by significant
development of heat.
WARNING (Continued)■ Do not tilt the battery otherwise battery electrolyte may flow out of the bat-
tery vent openings. Protect the eyes with safety glasses or a shield! There is
the danger of suffering blindness!■
If any battery electrolyte comes into contact with your eyes, rinse the rele-
vant eye immediately with clear water for several minutes - consult a doctor
immediately!
■
Splashes of acid on your skin or clothes should be neutralised as soon as
possible using soap suds and then rinsed with plenty of water. If you swallow
battery acid, seek immediate medical assistance!
■
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,
cable) creates a short circuit - risk of melting of lead struts, explosion and
burning of the battery, jets of acid spurting out.
■
It is prohibited to work with a naked flame and light.
■
Smoking or to carrying out any activities which produce sparks are prohibi-
ted.
■
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 (-) on the battery.
■
The relevant lamp must always be switched off before a light bulb is re-
placed.
■
Never charge a frozen or thawed vehicle battery – risk of explosion and
caustic burns!
■
Replace a frozen vehicle battery.
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with an electrolyte level that is too low –
risk of explosion and caustic burns.
■
Never use a damaged vehicle battery – risk of explosion! Replace any vehicle
battery that is damaged. 
177Inspecting and replenishing

Jump-starting
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle
195
Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP system
196
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.
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 manufacturer's instructions.
Positive cable – colour coding in the majority of cases is red.
Negative cable – colour coding in the majority of cases is black.
WARNING■
A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures just below
0 °C. In case of frozen battery carry out no jump-starting – risk of explosion!■
Pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the engine
compartment » page 169, Engine compartment .
■
The non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps must never make contact
with each other. In addition, the jump-start cable connected to the positive
terminal of the battery must not come into contact with electrically conduct-
ing parts of the vehicle – 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 – risk of caustic burns!
■
The vent screws of the battery cells must be tightened firmly.
WARNING (Continued)■ Keep any sources of ignition (naked flame, smouldering cigarettes, etc.)
away from the battery – risk of an explosion!■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with an electrolyte level that is too low –
risk of explosion and caustic burns.
Note
■ 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 vehicle
Fig. 167
Jump-starting: A – flat battery, B
– battery providing current
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 195.
The jump-start cables must be attached in the following sequence.
›
Attach one end
1
on the positive terminal
A
» Fig. 167 .
›
Attach the other end
2
to the positive terminal
B
.
›
Attach one end
3
on the minus terminal
B
.
›
Attach the other end
4
to a solid metal part which is connected firmly 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.
›
Now start the engine of the vehicle with the discharged battery. 
195Do-it-yourself

›If the engine does not start, terminate the attempt to start the engine after
10 seconds and wait for about 30 seconds before repeating the process.›
Disconnect the cables in exactly the reverse order to the one described above.

Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP system
Fig. 168
Engine compartment: Earth
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 195.
On vehicles with the START-STOP system, the jump-start cable of the charger
must never be connected directly to the negative pole of the vehicle battery, but
only to the engine earth » Fig. 168.

Towing the vehicle

Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Front towing eye
197
Rear towing eye
197
Vehicles a towing device
198
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.
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 automatic gearbox.
›
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 blocked and so that the
turn signal lights, horn, windscreen wipers and windscreen washer system can be switched on.
›
Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position N if the ve-
hicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
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 - danger of damaging the engine! On vehicles with
a catalytic converter, unburnt fuel may get into the catalytic converter where it
may ignite. This in turn may damage or destroy the catalytic converter. The bat-
tery from another vehicle can be used as a jump-start aid » page 195, Jump-start-
ing .■
If the gearbox of your vehicle no longer contains any oil because of a defect,
your vehicle must only be towed in with the driven wheels raised clear of the
ground, or on a special vehicle transporter or trailer.
■
The vehicle must be transported on a special 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. 
196Do-it-yourself