Skoda Roomster Owner's Manual page 172

WARNING (Continued)
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.
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 electrical consumers and disconnect the negative termi-
nal ( ) of the battery.
CAUTION
Improper handling of the battery can lead to damage. We recommend having all
work on the vehicle battery carried out by a specialist garage.
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 vehicle's electrical system, first
disconnect the negative terminal ( ), then the positive terminal ( ).
When connecting the battery to the vehicle's electrical system first connect the
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positive terminal ( ), and only then the negative terminal ( ) of the battery. Un-
der no circumstances 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. Battery discharge can be prevented by discon-
necting the negative terminal ( ) of the battery or by continuously charging the
battery charged with 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.
Note
You should replace batteries older than 5 years.
Open cover

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 168.
The battery is located in the engine compartment below a plastic box.
›
Open the cover in the direction of the arrow
›
The installation of the battery cover on the positive terminal side takes place in
the reverse order.
Fig. 133
Vehicle battery: Open up the
cover
» Fig. 133.
169
Inspecting and replenishing
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