Skoda Rapid Owner's Manual page 87

CAUTION
Ensure that battery acid does not come into contact with the bodywork –
There is a risk of damage to the vehicle.
Notice
We recommend having all work on the vehicle battery carried out by a spe-
■
cialist garage.
You should replace batteries older than 5 years.
■
Checking the battery condition

Read and observe and
The battery condition is checked regularly by a specialist garage as part of the
inspection service.
Check the acid level
For car batteries with acid level indicator, acidity can be checked on the basis
of a colour display. In vehicle batteries with the label "AGM" there is no acid
level examination.
Air bubbles can influence the colour of the indicator. For this reason, carefully
tap on the indicator before carrying out the check
Black colour - electrolyte level is correct.
Colourless or light yellow colour - electrolyte level too low, the battery must be
replaced.
Battery discharge
If frequent short journeys are made, the vehicle battery does not recharge suf-
ficiently.
The battery capacity decreases at low temperatures.
Fig. 76
Vehicle battery: Electrolyte level
indicator
on page 84 first.
» fig. 76.
If the vehicle is not used for longer than 3 to 4 weeks, disconnect the negative
terminal  of the battery or charge the battery completely with a very low
charging current.
Charging

Read and observe and
Only charge the battery when the ignition and all consumers are switched off.
Refer to the instructions of the charger manufacturer.
Charging
›
Reconnect the charger terminals to the corresponding battery terminals
to .  to ) .
›
Plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and switch on the
device.
›
After charging has been successful: Switch off the charger and remove the
mains cable from the power socket.
›
Disconnect the terminals of the charger from the vehicle battery.
A charging current of 0.1 multiple of the total vehicle battery capacity (or low-
er) must be used until full charging is achieved.
WARNING
When charging the vehicle battery, hydrogen is released - There is a risk
■
of an explosion. An explosion can be caused through sparking while un-
clamping or loosening the cable plug.
So-called"quick-charging" of the vehicle battery is dangerous and re-
■
quires a special charger and specialist knowledge. We therefore recom-
mend that "quick-charging" is carried out by a specialist garage.
Disconnecting/reconnecting and changing

Read and observe and
The new vehicle battery must have the same capacity, voltage, current and the
same size as the original Battery.
We recommend you have the battery replaced by a specialist garage.
›
To disconnect, switch off the ignition and disconnect the negative terminal
first , then disconnect the positive terminal .
›
When reconnecting the battery, reconnect the positive terminal
connect the negative terminal .
on page 84 first.
on page 84 first.
Inspecting and replenishing
(
first, then


85