66GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
SPEAKERS
Use the speaker housings on the
two sides of the dashboard.
– fig. 87 left speaker
– fig. 88 right speaker.
1)Unscrew the four screws Band
remove the supporting grid. SET-UP SYSTEM
The vehicle is equipped with the fol-
lowing devices along with the standard
system:
– 2 front speakers;
– an aerial to be applied to the roof;
– radio power cables.
SOUND SYSTEM
The complete system consists of the
following:
– system provisions (see previous
paragraph);
– stereo radio and cassette player
with removable front control panel
(for features and operation, see spe-
cific instruction booklet).
fig. 88
P4Q00130
fig. 87
P4Q00129
ACCESSORIES
PURCHASED BY THE
OWNER
If after buying the vehicle, you decide
to install electrical accessories that re-
quire a permanent electric supply
(alarm, satellite antitheft system, etc.) or
accessories that in any case burden the
electric supply, contact Fiat Dealership,
whose qualified personnel, besides sug-
gesting the most suitable devices be-
longing to Lineaccessori Fiat, will also
evaluate the overall electric absorption,
checking whether the vehicle electric
system is able to withstand the load re-
quired, or whether it needs to be inte-
grated with a more powerful battery.
Take care when fitting
additional spoilers, alloy
rims and non-standard
wheel caps: they might reduce
ventilation of the brakes, thus
their efficiency, during abrupt
and repeated braking, or long
downhill slopes. Make sure that
nothing (mats, etc.) gets in the
way of the pedals when they are
pushed down.
70DRIVING YOUR CAR
STARTING
THE ENGINE1)Ensure that the handbrake is up.
2)Put the gear lever into neutral.
3)Press the clutch pedal fully down,
without pressing the accelerator.
4) Turn the ignition key to AVV and
let it go the moment the engine starts.
If warning lights ¢stay on when the
key is turned to MARturn the key to
STOPand then back to MAR. If the
light does not go off, try with the
other keys.If you are still unable to start the en-
gine, perform the emergency start-up
procedure (see
INANEMERGENCY) and
call your Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANTDo not leave the ig-
nition key at MARwhen the engine is
off.
HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER IT
HAS JUST STARTED
– Begin to move forward slowly let-
ting the engine turn at medium revs.
Do not accelerate abruptly.
– Do not push the engine to its limit
for the first few kilometres.
D D D D
R R R R
I I I I
V V V V
I I I I
N N N N
G G G G
Y Y Y Y
O O O O
U U U U
R R R R
C C C C
A A A A
R R R R
It is dangerous to let the
engine run in a garage or
other closed area. The
engine consumes oxygen and
gives off carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide and other poisonous
fumes.
Do not touch the high
voltage cables (spark plug
leads) when the engine is
running.
IMPORTANT Do not press down
the accelerator before starting the en-
gine.
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
INANEMERGENCY. 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.
72DRIVING YOUR CAR
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is between the
front seats.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards
until the car cannot be moved. Four
or five clicks are generally enough
when the car is on level ground while
nine or ten may be required if the car
is on a steep slope or laden. IMPORTANTIf this is not the
case, go to a Fiat Dealership to
have the handbrake adjusted.
Instrument panel warning light x
will come on when the handbrake
lever is pulled up and the ignition key
is at MAR.
To release the handbrake:
1)Slightly lift the hand brake and
press release button A-fig. 1;
2)keep the button pressed in and
lower the lever. Warning light xwill
go out;
3)to prevent accidental movement
of the car, this procedure should be
carried out with the brake pedal
pressed down.
STEERING LOCK LEVER
Use the brake pedal to lock the bot-
tom end. HOW TO USE
THE GEARS
The lever positions for the different
gears are shown in fig. 2(this diagram
is also on the gear knob).
Press the clutch fully.
To put the car in reverse (R), wait
until the car has stopped and, from
neutral: move the lever to the right
and back.
fig. 1
P4Q00078
fig. 2
P4Q00079
73DRIVING YOUR CAR
IMPORTANT Reverse gear can
only be engaged when the car is com-
pletely stationary. With the engine
running, before engaging the reverse
gear, wait for at least two seconds
with the clutch pedal pressed fully
down to avoid damaging or grating the
gears. SAFE DRIVING
In designing the Fiat 600, Fiat has
made every effort to come up with a
car able to provide driver and pas-
sengers with top-class levels of safety.
Nevertheless it is always the behav-
iour of the person at the wheel that
determines road safety.
Below you will find some simple tips
to help you travel in safety under dif-
ferent conditions. You will no doubt
be familiar with many of them already
but it will be useful to read them all
carefully.
BEFORE GETTING BEHIND
THE WHEEL
– Make sure all lights including the
headlights are working properly.
– Adjust the position of the seats,
steering wheel, inside and outside rear
view mirrors properly for the best
driving position.
– Carefully adjust the head restraints
so the back of the head and not the
nape of the neck is supported. – Make sure that nothing (mats etc.)
gets in the way of the pedals when
they are pushed down.
– Make sure that any child restraint
systems (child seats, carriers etc.) are
properly fixed preferably on the back
seat.
– Place any objects in the boot in
such a way that they cannot be
thrown forwards in the event of an
accident.
– Do not eat a heavy meal before
travelling. Light eating will help keep
your reflexes prompt. Above all, do
not have anything alcoholic to drink.
Periodically, remember to check:
– tyre pressure and condition
– level of battery electrolyte
– engine oil level
– coolant level and condition of the
system
– brake fluid level
– windscreen washer fluid level. To change the gear
properly (with mechani-
cal clutch) you must push
the clutch pedal fully down. It is
therefore essential that there is
nothing under the pedals. Make
sure mats are lying flat and do
not get in the way of the pedals.
74DRIVING YOUR CAR
WHEN TRAVELLING
– The first rule of safe driving is pru-
dence.
– Prudence also means putting your-
self into a position where you can pre-
dict wrong or imprudent behaviour
from other drivers.
– Stick closely to the rules of the
road in the particular country where
the vehicle is being driven and, above
all, do not exceed speed limits.
– Ensure that, besides yourself, all
the other passengers in the car have
their seat belts fastened, that children
are sitting in the appropriate child
seats and any animals in the car are
placed in suitable compartments.
– You should be physically fit and
mentally alert before setting out on
long journeys. Always fasten both front
and back seat belts and
those of any child seats.
Travelling with the seat belts un-
fastened increases the risk of in-
jury or death if you are in a colli-
sion.
Driving while drunk or
under the influence of
drugs or certain medi-
cines is dangerous for both you
and other road users.
Water, ice or salt on
road surfaces can deposit
on brake disks, reducing
braking efficiency on the first
braking.
Consider that fitting ex-
tra spoilers, alloy rims or
non standard wheel caps
can reduce ventilation of the
brakes and reduce their effi-
ciency under conditions of violent
or repeated braking or long
downhill travel.
Do not drive with ob-
jects on the floor in front
of the driver’s seat: they
could get caught under the ped-
als making braking or accelerat-
ing impossible. Pay attention to the
mats: even a minor prob-
lem to the braking sys-
tem may require increases brake
pedal stroke with respect to nor-
mal.
– Do not drive too many hours at a
time but stop at intervals to stretch
your legs and recover your energies.
– Constantly change the air in the
passenger compartment.
– Never coast downhill (i.e. with the
engine off): if you do, you lose the aid
of the engine brake, brakes booster
and power steering, so that braking
and steering require greater effort.
76DRIVING YOUR CAR
IMPORTANT On stretches of
road with good visibility, switch off
your rear fog lights; the brightness of
these lights could annoy the people
travelling in the cars behind
– 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. Turn on the haz-
ard lights and, if possible, the dipped-
beam headlights. Rhythmically sound
the horn if you realise another car is
coming.DRIVING IN
THE MOUNTAINS
– When driving downhill use the en-
gine braking effect 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 with-
out cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking while
going uphill is slower and therefore
requires more free road. If you are
being overtaken while driving uphill,
make it easier for the other vehicle to
pass. DRIVING ON SNOW
AND ICE
Here are some tips for driving in
these conditions:
– keep your speed down;
– use chains if the roads are covered
in snow: see paragraph
SNOW TYRESin
this chapter;
– mainly use the braking effect of the
engine and under all circumstances
avoid braking sharply;
– when braking in a car not fitted
with ABS, reduce the possibility of 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 are lined with trees
or rock where ice might not have
melted;
– keep a good distance from the ve-
hicles in front;
77DRIVING YOUR CAR
– do not remain stationary in deep
snow with the engine running: the
snow could deviate the exhaust gas
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.To get the most out of ABS:
– during emergency conditions or
when grip conditions are poor, you
will feel a slight pulsation on the brake
pedal. This is the sign that the ABS is
working. Do not release the brake
pedal but continue to press so as not
to interrupt the braking action;
– ABS prevents the wheels from
locking, but it does not increase actual
grip conditions between tyre and
road. Therefore, even if your car is fit-
ted with ABS, respect the safety dis-
tance from the car in front of you and
keep your speed down when driving
into bends;
– ABS serves to increase the con-
trollability of the car, not to enable
you to go faster.CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS
AND POLLUTION
Some suggestions which may help
you to keep the running costs of the
vehicle down and lower the amount
of toxic emissions released into the
atmosphere are given below.
GENERAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
The overall state of the car is an im-
portant factor which has a marked in-
fluence over fuel consumption and
driving comfort and on the life span of
your car. For this reason care should
be taken to maintain your car by car-
rying out the necessary checks and
regulations in accordance with the
specifications given in the
SERVICE
SCHEDULE
(see sections: SPARK PLUGS,
IDLING, AIR CLEANERS, TIMING).