service indicator SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR 2009 1.G / (1U) User Guide

Inspecting and replenishing
170
Battery with a charge level indicator, the so-called magic eye*There is a so-called magic eye
⇒fig. 157
located on the top of the battery. The
“magic eye” changes its colour in line with the charge state and the electrolyte level of the battery. Air bubbles can influence the colour of th
e “magic eye”. For this reason carefully
knock on the “magic eye” before carrying out the check.•
Green colour - the battery is adequately charged.
•
Dark colour - the battery has to be charged
•
Colourless or yellow colour - have the battery checked by a specialist garage.
Batteries, which are more than 5 years old, must be replaced. We recommend you have the electrolyte level inspected and adjusted to the correct level or the battery replaced if necessary by
a specialist garage.
Caution
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery will discharge because certain electrical comp
onents consume electricity (e.g. control
units) also in idle state. You can prevent
the discharging of the battery by discon-
necting the negative terminal or charging
the battery constantly with a very low
charging current. Please also refer to
the notes when working on the battery
⇒ page 168, “Working on the battery”.
Inspecting the electrolyte levelThe battery is practically
maintenance-free
under normal operating conditions.
We do, however, recommend that you have
the electrolyte level inspected from
time to time by a specialist garage when outside temperatures are high or when driving on long trips. You should also have the electrolyte level
⇒page 170
checked each time the battery is charged. The electrolyte level of the battery will al
so be checked as part of the Inspection
Service.Operation in winterThe battery has to provide greater amounts of electricity during the winter. It also has only part of the initial power output at
low temperatures that it has at normal
temperatures. A discharged battery may already freez
e at temperatures just below 0°C.
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked by a specialist garage before the start of the winter and recharged if necessary.
WARNING
Never charge a frozen or thawed battery - risk of explosion and caustic burns. Replace a frozen battery.Charging the battery A properly charged battery is essential for reliably starting the engine.– Read the warning notes
⇒
in “Working on the battery” on
page 168 and
⇒
.
– Switch the ignition and all electrical components off.
Fig. 157 Battery with a charge level indicator
s2g8.b.book Page 170 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM