2003 FIAT BARCHETTA headlights

74
– Keep a greater safety distance from
the cars in front of you than during
daylight hours: it is hard to judge how
fast other cars are going when all you
can see are their lights.
– Make sure the headlight beams are
properly positioned: if they are too
low, they reduce visibility and are hard
on the eyes. If they are too high they
can dazzle other drivers.
– Only use main-beam headlights
when you are driving outside the city
and when you are sure they do not an-
noy other drivers.
– If the headlights are on full, dip
them in good time to prevent dazzling
other drivers coming in the other di-
rection.
– Keep all lights clean.
– Be careful of animals crossing the
road when driving in the country.DRIVING IN THE RAIN
Rain and wet road surfaces spell dan-
ger.
All manoeuvres are more difficult on
a wet road because the friction of the
wheels on the tarmac is greatly re-
duced. This is why braking distances
are much longer and roadholding is
lower.
Here is some advice to follow if it is
raining:
– Reduce speed and keep a greater
safety distance from the cars in front.
– If it is raining particularly heavily,
visibility is also reduced. In these cas-
es, switch on the dipped headlights
even if it is still daylight so you can be
seen more clearly by other drivers.
– Do not drive through puddles at
speed and hold on tightly to the wheel:
a puddle taken at speed can make you
lose control of the car (“aquaplaning”).
– Move the ventilation controls to
the position for demisting the win-
dows (see the “Getting to know your
car” section), to avoid visibility prob-
lems.– Periodically check the condition of
the windscreen wiper blades.
DRIVING IN FOG
– If the fog is thick, do not start out
on a journey unless you absolutely
have to.
If driving in mist, blanket fog or when
there is the danger of patches of fog :
– Keep the speed down.
– Turn on the dipped headlights, rear
foglights and front foglights, if fitted,
even during the day. Do not drive with
your headlights at full-beam.
IMPORTANTOn stretches of
road with good visibility, switch off
your rear foglights; the brightness of
these lights could annoy the people
travelling in the cars behind.

75
– Remember that fog also means the
tarmac is wet and therefore manoeu-
vres of all kinds are more difficult and
stopping distances are longer.
– Keep a good distance from the cars
in front of you.
– As far as possible, avoid spurts of
speed or sudden deceleration.
– Do not overtake other vehicles if
you can help it.
– If you are forced to stop your car
(breakdown, limited visibility etc.) try
to stop off the road. Then turn on the
hazard lights and, if possible, the
dipped headlights. Rhythmically sound
the horn if you realise another car is
coming.
DRIVING
IN THE MOUNTAINS
– When driving downhill, use the en-
gine brake by engaging a low gear so
as not to overheat the brakes.
– Under no circumstances should
you drive downhill with the engine off
or with the car in neutral, let alone
with the ignition key out.– Drive at a moderate speed without
cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking while
going uphill is slower and therefore re-
quires more free road. If you are be-
ing overtaken while driving uphill,
make it easier for the other vehicle
to pass.
DRIVING ON SNOW OR ICE
Here are some tips for driving in
these conditions:
– Keep your speed down.
– Use chains if the roads are covered
in snow (refer to the “Snow chains”
paragraph in this section).
– Mainly use the engine brake and
under all circumstances avoid braking
sharply.
– When braking in a car not fitted
with ABS, avoid the wheels locking by
varying the pressure you exert on the
brake pedal.
– Do not accelerate suddenly and
avoid swerving.– In the winter, even apparently dry
roads may have icy patches. Be care-
ful therefore when driving over
stretches that do not get much expo-
sure to the sun or that are lined by
trees and rocks where ice might not
have melted.
– Keep a good distance from the ve-
hicles in front.
– Do not remain for long periods in
deep snow with the engine running as
the snow could force the exhaust gas-
es into the passenger compartment.
DRIVING WITH ABS
ABS is a braking system that essen-
tially offers two advantages:
1)It prevents wheel lock-up and
consequent skidding in emergency
stops, particularly when the road does
not offer much grip.
2)It makes it possible to brake and
steer at the same time so you can
avoid unexpected obstacles and direct
the car where you want while braking.
The extent to which this can be done
will depend on the physical limits of
the tyre's sideways grip.

93
2)Remove the bulb holder B, ro-
tating it slightly to uncouple it.
3)Pull out bulb C, change it and
press fit the bulb holder back into po-
sition.IF AN EXTERIOR
LIGHT BURNS
OUT
FRONT SIDE LIGHTS fig. 11
To change the 12V-5W bulb:
1)Remove the protective cap by
pulling tab Adownwards.DIPPED HEADLIGHTS
To change the halogen bulbs (H1
type, 12V-55W):
1)Remove the protective cap by
pulling tab A-fig. 12 downwards.
2) Unhook retaining springlet A-
fig. 13and pull bulb Bout.
3) Fit the new bulb making the fins
of the metal part coincide with the
special grooves in the headlight dish
and rehook the retention springlet.
fig. 11
P5S00713m
fig. 12
P5S00716m
fig. 13
P5S00717m

94
FULL BEAM HEADLIGHTS
To change the halogen bulbs (H1
type, 12V-55W):
1) Remove the protective cap by
pulling tab A-fig. 14downwards.
2)Unhook retaining springlet A-
fig. 15, pull bulb Bout and replace it.
3) Fit the new bulb making the fins
of the metal part coincide with the
special grooves in the headlight dish
and rehook the retention springlet.FRONT FOGLIGHTS fig. 16
To replace the fog light lamps (type
H3, 12V-55W) it is necessary to op-
erate from below the car. It is hence
suggested to have the lamps replaced
by Fiat Dealership.FRONT DIRECTION
INDICATORS
To replace front turn indicator lamps
it is necessary to operate from below
the car. It is hence suggested to have
the lamps replaced by Fiat Dealer-
ship.
fig. 15
P5S00714m
fig. 14
P5S00715m
fig. 16
P5S00718m
fig. 17
P5S00697m
The incorrect setting of the
fog light headlights reduces
their effectiveness and it can be of
disturbance to the other car drivers.
In the case of necessity please con-
tact Fiat Dealership for an inspec-
tion and possible adjustment.
WARNING

109
IF AN ACCIDENT
OCCOURS
– It is important to keep calm.
– If you are not directly involved in
the accident stop at least ten metres
away from the accident.
– If you are on a motorway, do not
obstructing the emergency lane with
your car.
– Turn off the engine and turn on the
hazard lights.
– At night, illuminate the scene of the
accident with your headlights.
– Act carefully, you must not risk be-
ing run over.
– Mark the accident by putting the
red triangle at the prescribed distance
from the car where it can be clearly
seen.
– Call for rescue making the infor-
mation you give as accurate as you
can. On the motorway, use one of the
special column-mounted emergency
phones.– In pile-ups on the motorway, par-
ticularly when the visibility is bad,
there is a high risk of other vehicles
running into those already immobile.
Get out of the vehicle immediately and
take refuge behind the guard rail.
– Remove the ignition keys of the ve-
hicles involved.
– If you can smell petrol or other
chemicals, do not smoke and make
sure all cigarettes are extinguished.
– Use a fire extinguisher, blanket,
sand or earth to put out fires no mat-
ter how small they are. Never use wa-
ter.IF ANYONE IS INJURED
– Never leave the injured person
alone. The obligation to provide as-
sistance exists even for those not di-
rectly involved in the accident.
– Do not congregate around the in-
jured person.
– Reassure the injured person that
help is on its way and will arrive soon.
Stay close by to calm him/her down
should they panic.
– Unfasten or cut seat belts holding
injured parties.
– Do not give an injured person any-
thing to drink.
– Never move an injured person ex-
cept in the following cases.
– Pull the injured person from the
car only if it risks catching fire, is sink-
ing in water, is likely to fall from a
height or similar. Do not pull his/her
arms or legs, do not bend the head
and, as far as possible, keep the body
flat.

113
SERVICE SCHEDULE
Use these coupons either every 20,000 km.
Thousands of km20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
Check tyre conditions/wear and check pressure, if required
Check complete light system operation (headlights, direction
indicators, hazard lights, boot lights,
passenger compartment lights, oddment compartment lights,
instrument panel warning lights, etc.)
Check windscreen wiper/washer system and adjust nozzles
Check front wiper blade wear
Check front disc brake wear indicator operation
Check rear disc brake conditions and wear
Visually inspect: conditions of underbody protection, piping
(exhaust - fuel feed - brakes), rubber parts
(boots - sleeves - bushings, etc.),
brake hoses and fuel lines
Visually inspect belt drives
Check handbrake stroke
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131
BODY AND UNDERBODY
GUARANTEE
The Fiat barchetta is covered guar-
antee against any original structural or
body part being holed by rust. Refer
to the “Warranty Booklet” for the
general conditions of this guarantee.
TIPS FOR KEEPING THE
BODY IN GOOD CONDITION
Paintwork
The paintwork is not only to make
your car look attractive but also to
protect the steel.
If your car is scuffed or scratched
deeply you are therefore recom-
mended to touch up the paintwork as
necessary to prevent rust from form-
ing.
Only use genuine products when
touching up the paintwork (see the
“Technical Specifications” chapter).To wash the car properly:
1) Soak the body using a low pres-
sure jet of water.
2) Wipe a sponge with a slightly
soapy solution over the body, fre-
quently rinsing the sponge.
3)Rinse well with water and dry
with a jet of air or a chamois leather.
When drying the car, be careful to
get at those parts which are not so
easily seen e.g. the door frames, bon-
net and around the headlights where
water can most readily collect. You
are advised not to take the car into a
closed area immediately but to leave
it out in the open so any water left can
evaporate more easily.
Do not wash the car after it has been
parked in the sun or while the bon-
net is hot: it could take the shine off
the paint. Ordinary maintenance of the paint-
work consists in washing it. The fre-
quency you should do this depends on
the conditions and the environment
the car is driven in. For example, if you
drive in areas with a high level of air
pollution or on roads sprinkled with
road salt, it is a good idea to wash the
car more often.
Detergents pollute wa-
ter. For this reason, the
car must be washed in an
area equipped for the collection
and purification of the liquids
used while washing.

159
INDEX
ABS ........................................... 56
Accessories purchased
by the owner .............................. 82
Accessory installation......... 149
Air cleaner................................... 122
Air recirculation ......................... 36
Airbags
– general information ............ 60
– switching the passenger side
airbag off .............................. 59
Ashtray ......................................... 43
Battery
– jump starting ................ 85-105
– liquid level ............................ 123
– recharging ............................. 105
Bodywork
– maintenance ......................... 130
– paint identification plate .... 137
– versions ............................... 137
Bonnet .......................................... 53
Boot
– opening/closing.................... 55
Brake fluid level .......................... 121Brake lights .................................. 96
Brakes
– fluid level............................... 121
– service and emergency
brakes .................................... 139
Bulb replacement ....................... 91
Car maintenance................. 111
Capacities ............................. 64-144
Catalytic converter .................. 66
Ceiling light.................................. 42
– bulb replacement ............... 98
Cellular phone setup................. 63
Central door locking................. 44
Cheap running ............................ 78
Children (safety) ........................ 24
Cigar lighter ................................ 43
Climate control system ............ 36
– controls................................. 36
– maintenance ......................... 130
Clutch ........................................... 139
CO
2emissions ........................... 147
Containing running costs
and pollution ........................... 76
Dashboard ................................ 7Defrosting.................................... 35
Demisting..................................... 35
Digital clock ................................ 29
Dimensions ................................ 142
Dipped-beam headlights
– controls ............................... 38
– bulb replacement ............... 93
Direction indicators
– controls ............................... 39
– front bulb replacement ..... 94
– rear bulb replacement ...... 95
– side bulb replacement ...... 95
Doors ........................................... 44
Driving your car..................... 67
Electric windows ..................... 45
Electronic alarm.................. 13-150
Electronic control units............ 125
Engine
– cooling................................... 138
– fuel feed/ignition ................. 138
– identification code .............. 136
– lubrication ............................ 138
– specifications........................ 137
Engine compartment washing . 132