Brake Fluid - Seat Alhambra Owner's Manual

Always protect your face, hands and
–
arms from hot coolant and steam using
a large, thick cloth.
When refilling liquids, avoid spilling them
●
on parts of the engine and the exhaust sys-
tem. Spilled liquids could cause a fire. Un-
der specific circumstances, the ethylene
glycol can catch fire.
CAUTION
Only fill with distilled water. Any other
●
type of water may lead to considerable
rusting in the engine due to its chemical
components. This could consequently
damage the engine. If you have not used
distilled water but another type of water to
top up the coolant, a specialised workshop
must immediately replace all of the fluid in
the engine cooling system.
Only top up coolant to the top level of the
●
›››
marked area Fig. 294. Otherwise the ex-
cess coolant will be forced out of the cool-
ing system when the engine is hot, causing
damage.
If a lot of liquid coolant has been lost,
●
wait for the engine to cool down complete-
ly before adding coolant. Extensive coolant
loss is an indication of leaks in the engine
cooling system. Have the engine cooling
system inspected immediately by a speci-
alised workshop. Otherwise engine dam-
age may occur.
332
Practical tips
When refilling service liquids, ensure that
●
you put the liquids into the right tank. Mak-
ing a mistake when refilling could cause se-
rious malfunctions and damage the engine!

Brake fluid

Checking the brake fluid level
Engine compartment: brake fluid res-
Fig. 296
ervoir cap.
Read the additional information carefully
›››

page 43
In the course of time, the brake fluid absorbs
water from the ambient air. If there is too
much water in the brake fluid, the brake sys-
tem could be damaged. In addition, the boil-
ing point of the brake fluid is significantly low-
ered. When the brake fluid contains too much
water and the brakes are subject to consider-
able forces, bubbles of water vapour can
form in the system. These bubbles can signifi-
cantly reduce braking power, notably in-
creasing braking distance, and could even re-
sult in the total failure of the brake system. En-
suring that the brake system is always func-
tioning correctly is essential for your own
safety and the safety of other road users
›››
.
Brake fluid specifications
SEAT have developed a special brake fluid
optimised for the brake system of their vehi-
cles. To ensure the optimum working of the
brake system, SEAT recommends the use of
brake fluid in accordance with the VW 501 14
standard. If this brake fluid is not available or
another brake fluid is used for different rea-
sons, use a brake fluid that complies with the
United States standard FMVSS 116 DOT 4 or
the German standard DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4
›››
.
Brake fluids conforming to the standard
VW 501 14, fulfil the American requirements of
the FMVSS 116 DOT 4 standard and the Ger-
man DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4 standard. How-
ever, fluids that comply with the American
FMVSS 116 DOT 4 standard or the German
DIN ISO 4925 CLASS 4 standard do not nec-
essarily comply with the VW 501 14 standard.
Always check the information on the brake
fluid container and ensure that you are using
suitable brake fluid.