Skoda Octavia Owner's Manual page 216

The maximum towing speed is 50 km/h.
Driver of the towed vehicle
– Switch the ignition on so that the steering wheel is not blocked and you can also
operate the turn signal lights, the headlight flasher, the windscreen wipers and
windscreen washer system.
– Take the vehicle out of gear or move the selector lever into position N if your
vehicle is fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Note that the brake servo unit and power steering only operate if the engine is
running. You will require significantly greater physical force to depress the brake
pedal and to steer the vehicle if the engine is not running.
When using a tow rope, always ensure that the tow rope 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. You can use the
battery of another vehicle as a jump-start aid  page 213, "Jump-starting".
•
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 similarly
elastic material.
•
One should be constantly vigilant not to allow impermissibly high towing forces
or jerky loadings. There is always a risk of excessive stresses and damage resulting
at the points to which you attach the tow rope or tow bar when you attempt to tow
a vehicle which is not standing on a paved road.
•
Attach the tow rope or the tow bar only to the towing eyes provided for this
purpose  page 215, "Front towing eye" and  page 216, "Rear towing eye".
Note
•
Towing another vehicle requires a certain amount of practice. Both drivers
should be familiar with the particular points about towing a vehicle. Unskilled
drivers should not attempt to tow in another vehicle or to be towed in.
Using the system Safety
•
relate to the identification of the towing vehicle and the vehicle being towed.
•
front towing eye being unscrewed out of your vehicle.
Front towing eye
The towing eye is stored in the box of the vehicle tool kit.
Fig. 185 Front bumper: protective grille/installing the towing eye
Carefully remove the cover as follows.
–
–
–
–
–
The towing eye must always be screwed in fully and firmly tightened, otherwise the
towing eye can tear when towing in or tow-starting!
Driving Tips General Maintenance
When towing, respect the national legal provisions, especially those which
The tow rope must not be twisted as it may in certain circumstances result in the
A
Guide the fingers into the opening
A
By pulling in the direction of arrow
area on the side to the fog lights.
Afterwards, also slacken the cover on the other side in the direction of arrow
and remove it.
Screw in the towing eye by hand to the left up to the stop
tighten. For tightening, we recommend that you use for example the wheel
wrench, the lashing eye of another vehicle or a similar object which you can push
through the eye.
In order to reinstall the cover after screwing out the towing eye, first of all insert
it starting on the side facing the marking. Then press the cover closed on the
side facing the fog light. The cover must engage firmly.
Caution
Breakdown assistance
Breakdown assistance
 fig.
185.
A
, first of all slacken the cover in the upper
1
 fig. 185 - right and
Technical data
215
A
2