
18GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
IGNITION SWITCH
The key can be turned to four dif-
ferent positions fig. 16.
– STOP: engine off, key can be re-
moved and the steering column is
locked mechanically. Some electrical
devices can be used (e.g. sound sys-
tem).
– MAR: drive position. All electrical
devices can be used.
– AVV: engine ignition.
– PARK: engine off, parking lights
on, steering column locked. Press but-
ton Aand turn the key to PARK.
STEERING COLUMN LOCK
To engage the lock: remove the
ignition key at STOPor PARKand
turn the steering wheel until it locks. If the ignition switch has
been tampered with (e.g.
someone has tried to
steal your car), get a Fiat Deal-
ership to make sure it is still func-
tioning properly before you start
driving again.
Always remove the igni-
tion key when you get
out of the car. This will
prevent anyone from acciden-
tally working the controls. Re-
member to apply the handbrake
and, if the car is faced down on a
steep slope engage the first gear.
If it is facing up, engage the re-
verse gear.
Never remove the igni-
tion key while the car is
moving. The steering
wheel would automatically lock
as soon as you try to turn it. This
also applies when the car is being
towed.
fig. 16
P4Q00004
To release the lock: rock the
steering wheel slightly as you turn the
ignition key to MAR.
It is absolutely forbidden
to carry out whatever af-
ter-market operation in-
volving steering system or steer-
ing column modifications (e.g.: in-
stallation of anti-theft Device)
that could badly affect perfor-
mance and safety, cause the lapse
of warranty and also result in
non-compliance of the car with
homologation requirements.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 18

37GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
Side/taillights fig. 36
These come on when you turn the
ring from åto 6. Instrument panel
warning light 3will come on.
Dipped beam headlights fig. 37
Turn the ring from 6to 2to
switch the lights on.Main beam headlights fig. 38
Push the stalk from position 2to-
wards the dashboard to switch the
headlights on.
Instrument panel warning light 1
will come on.
Pull the stalk towards the steering
wheel to switch the lights off.STEERING COLUMN
STALKS
LEFT-HAND STALK
This stalk groups together most of
the outside lights.
The external lights can only be
switched on when the ignition key is
at MAR.
When the outside lights are turned
on, the instrument panel and the var-
ious controls located on the dash-
board light up.
fig. 36
P4Q00049
fig. 37
P4Q00050
fig. 38
P4Q00051
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 37

38GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
Flashing the headlights fig. 39
Pull the stalk towards the steering
wheel (temporary position) to flash
the lights.Direction indicators fig. 40
Move the stalk as follows:
upwards - to turn the right-hand in-
dicators on;
downwards - to turn the left-hand
indicators on.
Instrument panel warning light y
will flash.
The direction indicators will auto-
matically be switched of when the car
is straightened out.
If you want the indicator to flash
briefly to show that you are about to
change lane, move the stalk up or
down without clicking into position.
When you let it go it will return to its
original position. RIGHT-HAND STALK
Windscreen wiper/washer
fig. 41
The device will only work when the
ignition key is at MAR.
Controls:
0- Windscreen wiper off
1- Flick wipe
2- Continuous wipe
3- Continuous fast wipe
4- Temporary position: when re-
leased the stalk returns to 0and au-
tomatically switches off the wind-
screen wiper.
fig. 39
P4Q00052
fig. 40
P4Q00014
fig. 41
P4Q01045
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 38

39GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
CEILING LIGHT
The light will come on automatically
when a front door is opened.
For versions/markets where pro-
vided, the lens A-fig. 45can be
switched to three positions:
- side 1 pressed: light always on
- side 2 pressed: light always off
- central position (neutral): the light
will come on and off when the door is
opened or closed. Pulled towards the steering wheel
fig. 42:
– a jet of liquid shoots out from the
windscreen washer.Rear window wiper/washer
This feature can only work when the
ignition key is at MAR.
Controls:
1)turn the control from åto
'fig. 43;
2)when you push the control stalk
forwards (temporary position) fig. 44,
a jet of liquid shoots out from the rear
window washer and the rear wind-
screen wiper comes on at the same
time; when the lever is released again
the rear window washer/wiper ceases
to function.
fig. 43
P4Q00053
fig. 42
P4Q00054
fig. 44
P4Q00055
fig. 45
P4Q01046
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 39

53GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
After travelling a few
kilometres, check that
the screws securing the
attachments are tight.
Never exceed the per-
mitted weight (see
TECH-
NICAL SPECIFICATIONS). SLANT COMPENSATION
When the car is loaded, it slopes
backwards. This means that the head-
light beam rises. In this case, it is nec-
essary to return it to the correct po-
sition.
The headlight beam adjuster is lo-
cated inside the car on the right side
of the steering column fig. 78.
Position 0- one or two occupants in
the front seats.
Position 1- five occupants.
Position 2- five occupants + load in
boot.
Position 3- driver + maximum per-
missible load stowed in boot.
Be careful not to knock
objects on the roof rack
when opening the tail-
gate.
HEADLIGHTS
ADJUSTING THE
HEADLIGHT BEAM
The correct positioning of the head-
light beams is very important for the
comfort and safety, not only of the
person driving the car but also all
other road users.
This is also covered by a specific law.
To ensure you and other drivers
have the best visibility conditions
when travelling with the headlights on,
the headlights must be set properly.
Have the headlight positioning
checked at a Fiat Dealershipand
adjusted if necessary.
fig. 78
P4Q01016Check the positioning of
the headlight beams
every time you change
the load to be carried.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 53

59GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key
to MAR or if it stays on when
travelling, this could indicate a
failure in safety retaining sys-
tems; under this condition air
bags or pretensioners could not
trigger in the event of collision
or, in a restricted number of
cases, they could trigger acci-
dentally. Stop the car and con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the
system checked immediately.
Do not travel with ob-
jects on your lap or in
front of you. Do not hold
a pipe, a pencil or similar be-
tween your lips. You could seri-
ously hurt yourself if the airbag
inflates in a collision. The warning light Fshould come on for ap-
proximately four seconds
and then flash for other four sec-
onds when the passenger side
airbag deactivation switch is
turned to ON and the ignition
key is turned to MAR to remind
you that the passenger side
airbag will be fired in the event of
an accident. The warning light
should then go out.
Always drive with both
hands on the rims of the
steering wheel so that the
airbag is free to inflate during a
head-on collision and protection
yourself from serious injury. Do
not drive with your body bending
towards the steering wheel but
sit in an upright position with
your back resting against the
seat. If an attempt has been
made to steal the car or if
it has actually been stolen
or vandalised in any way or sub-
jected to flooding, have the
airbag system checked at a Fiat
Dealership.
Please note that airbags
can be triggered when
the engine is running also
if the car is stationary and an-
other vehicle crashes into it at
suitably high speed. As a conse-
quence, never sit children in the
front seat, also when the car is
still. On the other hand, the
airbags will not be fired if the car
is stationary and the key is not
turned. Missed operation in these
circumstances does not indicate
a fault.
The failure of the ¬
warning light is also indi-
cated by the flashing for
more than the normal 4 seconds
of the passenger’s front air bag
deactivated warning light
F. In
addition the air bag system will
deactivate automatically the pas-
senger’s air bags (front and side
where provided). In this event,
warning light
¬could not indi-
cate safety systems failures. Con-
tact Fiat Dealership immediately
to have the system checked.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 59

62GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
The system is programmed at the
factory to ensure variable degrees of
assistance according to the require-
ments. In other words, power is in-
creased for parking and reduced as
the car’s speed increases.
The EPAS system only works when
the engine is running to avoid deploy-
ing the battery accidentally. Further-
more, it is equipped with a self-test
function to detect faults and incorrect
signals.
IMPORTANTThe steering wheel
may stiffen slightly in parking manoeu-
vres requiring a great deal of steering:
this is normal and caused by the
power steering motor overheat pro-
tection system tripping. The problem
does not require servicing and the
electric power steering system will
work normally the next time the car
is used.If the warning light comes on, see
chapter
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR,
paragraph
WARNING LIGHTS.
FIAT 600 VAN
The version herein illustrated differs
from Fiat 600 saloon described in this
handbook for the different size of the
boot and the availability of two front
seats only.
Load recommendations
Fiat 600 Van has been designed and
approved on the basis of several set
maximum values:
– kerb weight
– payload
– gross vehicle weight
– total weight on the front axle
– total weight on the rear axle
– towable weight.
Each of these limits must be borne
in mind and must never be exceeded
under any circumstances. It is absolutely forbidden
to carry out whatever af-
ter-market operation in-
volving steering system or steer-
ing column modifications (e.g.: in-
stallation of anti-theft Device)
that could badly affect perfor-
mance and safety, cause the lapse
of warranty and also result in
non-compliance of the car with
homologation requirements.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 62

71DRIVING YOUR CAR
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the Fiat CODE system fails to
recognise that code transmitted by
the ignition key (instrument panel
warning light ¢on) the emergency
start-up can be performed by using
the CODE card code.
See the
IN AN EMERGENCY. A quick burst on the ac-
celerator before turning
off the engine serves ab-
solutely no practical purpose and
wastes fuel.
IMPORTANTAfter a taxing drive
it is better to allow the engine to
“catch its breath” before turning it off,
by letting it idle to allow the temper-
ature in the engine compartment to
fall.
PARKING
Switch off the engine, pull up the
handbrake and put the car in 1st gear
if the car is pointing uphill, reverse if
downhill.
If the car is parked on a steep gradi-
ent it is a good idea to use a stone or
wedge to block the wheels.
Do not leave the ignition key at
MARbecause it drains the battery.
Always remove the key when you
leave the car. Bump starting by push-
ing, towing or rolling
downhill must be avoided
at all costs. This way of starting
could cause a rush of fuel into the
catalytic exhaust pipe and dam-
age it beyond repair.
Remember that as long
as the engine is not run-
ning, the power brakes
and power steering do not work.
You therefore have to use con-
siderably more effort on both the
brake pedal and the steering
wheel. SWITCHING OFF
THE ENGINE
Turn the key to STOPwhile the
engine is idling.
Never leave unsuper-
vised children in the car.
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 71