KODA Citigo Owner's Manual page 130

WARNING (Continued)
Do not tilt the battery otherwise battery electrolyte may flow out of the bat-
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tery vent openings. Protect your eyes by wearing safety goggles or a face
shield – risk of blindness!
Always wear protective gloves, eye and skin protection when handling the
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vehicle battery.
The battery acid is strongly corrosive and must, therefore, be handled with
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the greatest of care.
Corrosive fumes in the air irritate the air passages and lead to conjunctivitis
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and inflammation of the air passages in the lungs.
Battery acid corrodes dental enamel and, if it comes into contact with the
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skin, causes deep wounds that take a long time to heal. Repeated contact
with diluted acids causes skin diseases (inflammations, ulcers, skin cracks).
If any battery acid comes into contact with your eyes, rinse the affected eye
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immediately with clean water for several minutes and consult a doctor imme-
diately!
Splashes of acid on your skin or clothes should be neutralised as soon as
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possible using soap suds and then rinsed with plenty of water. If you swallow
battery acid, consult a doctor immediately!
WARNING
It is prohibited to work with naked flames or lights.
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It is prohibited to smoke or carry out any activities that produce sparks.
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Never use a damaged vehicle battery – risk of explosion!
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Never charge a frozen or thawed vehicle battery – risk of explosion and
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chemical burns!
Replace a frozen vehicle battery.
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Never jump-start vehicle batteries with insufficient acid levels – risk of ex-
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plosion and chemical burns.
128
General Maintenance
WARNING
When you charge a battery, hydrogen is released, and a highly explosive gas
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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
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or cable) creates a short circuit - risk of melting the lead bars, and risk of ex-
plosion, battery fire and acid splashes.
Avoid creating sparks when working with cables and electrical devices.
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Strong sparking represents a risk of injury.
Before carrying out any work on the electrical system, switch off the engine,
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the ignition and all of the electrical components and disconnect the negative
terminal ( ) on the battery.
CAUTION
The vehicle battery must only be disconnected if the ignition is switched off,
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otherwise the vehicle's electrical system (electronic components) can be dam-
aged. When disconnecting the battery from the electrical system, first disconnect
the battery's negative terminal ( ), followed by the positive terminal ( ).
When connecting the battery to the electrical system, first connect the battery's
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positive terminal ( ), followed by the negative terminal ( ). Under no circumstan-
ces 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
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damage to the paintwork.
Do not place the battery in direct daylight in order to protect the vehicle battery
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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
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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
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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.
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