jump cable SKODA RAPID 2012 1.G Owner's Manual

WARNING (Continued)
■ 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 acid was
swallowed, seek immediate medical attention.
■ Keep children away from the vehicle battery.
■ 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. ■ Bridging of the poles will create a short circuit (e.g. through metal objects,
cables). Possible consequences of a short circuit: Melting of lead struts, explo-
sion and burning of the battery, jets of acid spurting out.
■ It is prohibited to work with a naked flame and light, to smoke or to carry
out any activities which produce sparks. 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. If you wish to replace a bulb it suffices to switch off
the relevant light.
■ 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 a damaged
vehicle battery immediately. CAUTION
■ The vehicle battery must only be disconnected if the ignition is switched off,
otherwise the vehicle's electrical system (electronic components) can be dam-
aged. When disconnecting the battery from the electrical system, first of all dis-
connect the negative terminal

(-) of the battery. Then disconnect the positive ter-
minal (+).
■ When connecting the battery to the electrical system, first connect the positive
terminal (+) of the battery. Then connect the negative terminal
(-). Under no cir-
cumstances must the battery cables be connected incorrectly – risk of a cable fire.
■ Ensure that battery acid does not come into contact with the bodywork – risk of
damage to the paintwork.
■ Do not place the battery in direct daylight in order to protect the vehicle battery
housing from the effects of ultra-violet light. ■
If the vehicle has not been driven for more than 3 to 4 weeks, the battery will
discharge. This is because certain electrical components consume electricity (e.

g.
control units) also in idle state. Prevent the battery from discharging by discon-
necting the battery's negative terminal or continuously charging the battery with
a very low charging current.
■ If the vehicle is frequently used for making short trips, the vehicle battery will
not have time to charge up sufficiently and may discharge. For the sake of the environment
A vehicle battery that has been removed is a special type of hazardous waste.
These must be disposed of in accordance with national legal regulations. Note
You should replace batteries older than 5 years. Ð Battery cover
Fig. 103
Vehicle battery: Open up the
cover
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 133.
The battery is located in the engine compartment below a plastic box.
› Push the lid in the direction of the arrow
» Fig. 103.
› The installation of the battery cover on the positive terminal side takes place in
the reverse order. Ð
ä
134 General Maintenance

Jump-starting
ä
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Jump-starting 152
Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP system 153
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 126, 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. Ð Jump-starting
Fig. 117
Jump-starting using the battery
from another vehicle: A – flat ve-
hicle battery, B – battery provid-
ing current
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 152.
The jump-start cables must be attached in the following sequence.
Connecting positive terminals
›
Attach one end 1
» Fig. 117 to the positive terminal of the discharged battery
A
.
› Attach the other end 2
to the positive terminal of the battery supplying the
power B
.
Connecting negative terminal and engine block
› Attach one end 3
»
Fig. 117 to the negative terminal of the battery supplying
the power B
.
£
ä
152 Do-it-yourself

›
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.
› 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. ÐJump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP system
Fig. 118
Jump-starting – START-STOP system
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 152.
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.
› 1.2 ltr./63
kW TSI and 1.2 ltr./77 kW TSI engines » Fig. 118 - 
› 1.4 ltr./90 kW engine
» Fig. 118 - 
› 1.6 ltr./77 kW TDI CR engine
» Fig. 118 -  Ð
ä Towing the vehicle
ä
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Front towing eye 154
Rear towing eye 155
Vehicles with manual transmission can be towed in with a tow bar or a tow rope
or with the front or rear wheels raised.
Vehicles with automatic transmission can 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.
When towing, 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
vehicle 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. £
153
Do-it-yourself