132
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
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INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOPwhile the en-
gine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you
should allow the engine to “catch its
breath” before turning it off by letting it
idle to allow the temperature in the en-
gine compartment to fall.
Never bump start the engine
by pushing, towing or coasting
downhill as this could cause
fuel to flow into the catalytic
exhaust system and damage it beyond
repair.
Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
has been started, therefore much ef-
fort than usual is required on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
A quick burst on the acceler-
ator before turning off the en-
gine serves absolutely no prac-
tical purpose, it wastes fuel
and is damaging especially to tur-
bocharged engines.
HOW TO WARM UP THE
ENGINE AFTER IT HAS
JUST STARTED
(petrol and diesel engines)
Proceed as follows:
❒ Drive off slowly, letting the engine turn
at medium revs. Do not accelerate
abruptly;
❒ Do not drive at full performance for the
initial kilometres. Wait until the coolant
temperature gauge starts moving.
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the instrument panel warning light
Y(or the symbol on display) stays on with
fixed light, contact Fiat Dealership.
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DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
PARKING
Proceed as follows:
❒ Stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒Engage a gear (first if the car is faced up-
hill or reverse if it is faced downhill) and
leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone
if the car is parked on a steep slope. Do
not leave the ignition key at MARto pre-
vent draining the battery. Always remove
the key when you leave the car.HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is located between
the two 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.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the handbrake
adjusted.
In cars fitted with front armrest, lift the
latter so that it does not hinder the hand-
brake engaging procedure.When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is at MAR, the in-
strument panel warning light
xwill turn
on.
To release the handbrake:
❒slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A-fig. 1;
❒keep button Apressed and lower the
lever. Warning light xwill turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
fig. 1F0Q0628m
Never leave children unat-
tended in the car. Always re-
move the ignition key when leaving
the car and take it out with you.
WARNING
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SAFETY
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
USING THE GEARBOX
To engage the gears, press the clutch ped-
al fully and shift the gear lever into the re-
quired position (the diagram of gear po-
sition is shown on the knob fig. 2and
fig. 3.
To engage 6
thgear (1.416V, 1.4 T-JET,
1.6 Multijet, 1.9 Multijet 16V version,
2.0 Multijet) press the lever to the right to
prevent engaging 4
thgear by mistake. A
similar action is required to shift down
from 6
thto 5th.
IMPORTANT The car can only be put in-
to reverse gear when it has stopped mov-
ing completely. With the engine running,
before engaging the reverse, wait at least
2 seconds with the clutch pedal fully down
to prevent damage and grating of the
gears.
To engage reverse Rfrom neutral, lift the
sliding ring A-fig. 2or A-fig. 3 under the
knob and shift the lever to the right and
back.
fig. 2F0Q0734mfig. 3F0Q0602m
To change gears properly
you must push the clutch
pedal fully down. It is therefore es-
sential that there is nothing under the
pedals: make sure the mats are lying
flat and do not get in the way of the
pedals.
WARNINGDo not drive with your hand
resting on the gear lever as the
force exerted, even if slight,
could lead over time to pre-
mature wear on the gearbox internal
components.
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CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS
Here are some useful tips to save fuel and
minimize polluting emissions of CO
2and
other pollutants (nitric oxide, unburnt hy-
drocarbons, fine dusts etc…).
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out
in accordance with the “Service schedule”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routine-
ly at an interval of no more than 4 weeks:
if the pressure is too low, consumption
levels increase as resistance to rolling is
higher.Carichi inutili
Do not travel with too much luggage
stowed in the boot. The weight of the car
(especially when driving in town) and its
trim greatly affects consumption and sta-
bility.
Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack from
the roof as soon as they are no longer
used. These accessories lower air pene-
tration and adversely affect consumption
levels. When needing to carry particular-
ly voluminous objects, preferably use a
trailer.
Electric devices
Use electric devices only for the amount
of time needed. Rear heated window, ad-
ditional headlights, windscreen wipers and
heater fan need a considerable amount of
energy, therefore increasing the require-
ment of current increases fuel consump-
tion (up to +25% in the urban cycle).Climate control
The air conditioner is an additional load
which greatly affects the engine leading to
higher consumption (on average up to
+20%). When the temperature outside
the car permits it, use the air vents where
possible.
Spoilers
The use of non-certified aerodynamic
items may adversely affect air drag and
consumption levels.
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DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
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SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases
with speed. Avoid superfluous braking and
accelerating, which cost in terms of both
fuel and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs
will greatly affect consumption and emis-
sions: acceleration should be gradual and
should not exceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts do
not allow the engine to reach optimum
operating temperature. This results in a
significant increase in consumption levels
(from +15 to +30% on the urban cycle)
and emission of harmful substances.
Traffic situations and road
conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied to
situations with heavy traffic, for example
in queues with frequent use of the lower
gears or in cities with many traffic lights.
Also winding mountain roads and rough
road surfaces adversely affect consump-
tion.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (traffic lights,
level crossings) the engine should be
switched off. DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car at
a standstill or at idle or high speed: under
these conditions the engine warms up
much more slowly, increasing electrical
consumption and emissions. It is therefore
advisable to move off immediately, slow-
ly, avoiding high speeds. This way the en-
gine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traffic
lights or before switching off the engine.
This and also double declutching is ab-
solutely pointless on modern cars and al-
so increase consumption and pollution.
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and
road allow, use a higher gear. Using a low
gear to obtain brilliant performance in-
creases consumption.
In the same way improper use of a high
gear increases consumption, emissions an
engine wear.
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DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
TOWING TRAILERS
IMPORTANT NOTES
For towing caravans or trailers the car
must be fitted with a certified tow hook
and an adequate electric system. Installa-
tion should be carried out by specialised
personnel who release a special document
for circulation on the road.
Install any specific and/or additional rear-
view mirrors as specified by law.
Remember that when towing a trailer,
steep hills are harder to climb, the brak-
ing spaces increase and overtaking takes
longer depending on the overall weight.
Engage a low gear when driving downhill,
rather than constantly using the brake.
The weight the trailer exerts on the car tow
hook reduces by the same amount the ac-
tual car loading capacity. To make sure the
maximum towable weight is not exceeded
(given in the log book) account should be
taken of the fully laden trailer, including ac-
cessories and personal belongings.
Do not exceed the speed limits of the
country you are driving in. In any case do
not exceed 80 km/h.INSTALLING THE
TOW HOOK
The towing device should be fastened to
the body by specialised personnel accord-
ing to any additional and/or integrative in-
formation supplied by the Manufacturer of
the device. The towing device must meet
current regulations with reference to
94/20/EC Directive and subsequent
amendments. For any version the towing
device used must match the towable
weight of the car on which it is to be in-
stalled.
IMPORTANT Supplementary electric
loads other than external lights (e.g. elec-
tric brake, electric winch, etc.) shall be
used with running engine.
For the electric connection a unified con-
nector should be used which is generally
placed on a special bracket normally fas-
tened to the towing device, and a special
ECU for external trailer light control shall
be installed on the car.
For the electrical connection, 7 or 13 pin
12VDC connection is to be used (CU-
NA/UNI and ISO/DIN Standards). Follow
the instructions provided by the car man-
ufacturer and/or the tow hitch manufac-
turer.
The ABS system with which
the car may be fitted does
not control the trailer braking system.
Drive with extreme care on slippery
roadbeds.
WARNING
Under no circumstances
should the car brake system
be altered to control the trailer brake.
The trailer braking system must be
fully independent of the car’s hy-
draulic system.
WARNING
Any electric brake (or electric winch, etc.)
should be supplied directly by the battery
through a cable with a cross section of no
less than 2.5 mm
2.
IMPORTANT Electric brake or other de-
vice shall be used with running engine.
In addition to the electrical branches, the
car electric system can only be connect-
ed to the supply cable for an electric brake
and to the cable for an internal light,
though not above 15W. For connections
use the preset control unit with battery
cable no less than 2.5 mm
2.
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SAFETY
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LIGHTS AND
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DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Assembly diagram fig. 4
The tow-hook structure must be secured
at the points indicated with
Øwith a to-
tal of 2 M8 bolts, 4 M10 bolts and 2 M12
bolts.
The hook should be fastened to the body
avoiding any type of drilling and trimming
of the rear bumpers that remains visible
when the hook is removed.
After fitting, screw holes shall be sealed to
prevent exhaust gas inlet.
F0Q0249mfig. 4
Existing hole
REAR AXLEExisting holesFull load
Ball to 94/20 EC standard
Existing holes
Existing
holes
Existing holes
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DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
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INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.
Fiat Dealership will be happy to provide
advice concerning the most suitable type
of tyre for the customer’s requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in para-
graph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The winter features of these tyres are re-
duced considerably when the tread depth
is below 4 mm. In this case, they should
be replaced.Due to the snow tyre features, under nor-
mal conditions of use or on long motor-
way journeys, the performance of these
tyres is lower than that of normal tyres. It
is therefore necessary to limit their use to
the purposes for which they are certified.
IMPORTANT When snow tyres are used
with a max speed index below the one
that can be reached by the car (increased
by 5%), place a notice in the passenger’s
compartment, plainly in the driver’s view
which states the max permissible speed of
the snow tyres (as per EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand
and track) to ensure greater safety when
driving and braking and better driveability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of tyres.
The max speed for snow
tyres with “Q” marking is
160 km/h; 190 km/h for tyres with “T”
marking and 210 km/h for tyres with
H marking. The Road Traffic Code
speed limits must however be always
strictly observed.
WARNING
SNOW CHAINS
Use of snow chains should be in compli-
ance with local regulations.
Snow chains should only be applied to the
driving wheels (front wheels).
Check the tension of the chains after the
first few metres have been driven. Use
snow chains with reduced size:
- for 195/65 R15” and 205/55 R16” tyres
use snow chains with reduced size with
max protrusion beyond the tyre profile of
9 mm:
- for 225/45 R17” tyres use snow chains
with reduced size with max protrusion be-
yond the tyre profile of 7 mm.
IMPORTANT Snow chains cannot be fit-
ted to the space-saver spare wheel. So, if
a front wheel is punctured and chains are
needed, a rear wheel should be fitted to
the front of the car and the spare wheel
should be fitted to the rear.
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