2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE warning light

Loading and storing
156
>> Controls.
Cargo compartment cover blind
with parcel net bag
1
1 Model passion Canada only.G
Warning!
The cargo compartment cover blind is not
intended to secure heavy objects in the
event of an accident. For this reason,
heavy objects must be tied down.
Vehicle occupants could be injured by
objects being thrown around in the
vehicle in the event of:
•sharp braking,
• a change of direction,
• an accident.
G
Warning!
Do not place any objects on the mounted
cargo compartment cover blind. Vehicle
occupants could be injured by objects
being thrown around in the vehicle in the
event of:
•sharp braking,
• a change of direction,
• an accident.
G
Warning!
Only place light loads in the parcel net
bag. Do not transport heavy, sharp

edged or fragile objects in the parcel net
bag. The parcel net bag cannot suffi

ciently secure loads in an accident.
Vehicle occupants could be injured by
objects being thrown around in the
vehicle in the event of:
•sharp braking,
• a change of direction,
• an accident.
Observe the loading guidelines.

Tires and wheels
184
>> Operation
1
TWI (T
read W
ear I
ndicator)
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Storing tires
!
Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry place
with as little exposure to light as possible.
Protect tires from contact with oil, grease and
gasoline.Cleaning tires
!
Never use a round nozzle to power wash
tires. The intense jet of water can result in
damage to the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.
Direction of rotationUnidirectional tires offer added advantages,
such as better hydroplaning performance.
To benefit, however, you must make sure the
tires rotate in the direction specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the
intended direction of rotation (spinning) of
the tire.
G
Warning!
Although the applicable federal motor
safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the treadwear indicators (TWI) be

come visible at approximately
1/16in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not
allow your tires to wear down to that
level. As tread depth approaches 1/8in
(3 mm), the adhesion properties on a wet
road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction
varies widely.

Tires and wheels
>> Operation
197
General:
Depending on the design standards used, the
tire size molded into the sidewall may have no
letter or a letter preceding the tire size des

ignation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter "P" preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter "LT" preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter "T" preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only.
Tire width
Tire width1
(
page 196) indicates the
nominal tire width in mm.Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio2
(
page 196) is the dimen

sional relationship between tire section
height and section width and is expressed in
percentage. The aspect ratio is arrived at by
dividing section height by section width.
Tire code
Tire code3 (

page 196) indicates the tire
construction type. The "R" stands for radial
tire type. Letter "D" means diagonal or bias
ply construction; letter "B" means belted

bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a "ZR" in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see "Tire speed
rating" (

page 198)
.
Rim diameter
Rim diameter4 (

page 196) is the diameter
of the bead seat, not the diameter of the rim
edge. Rim diameter is indicated in inches (in).Tire load rating
Tire load rating5 (

page 196) is a numeri

cal code associated with the maximum load a
tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corresponds
to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs (615 kg) the
tire is designed to support.
See also "Maximum tire load" (

page 201)
where the maximum load associated with the
load index is indicated in kilograms and lbs.
G
Warning!
The tire load rating must always be at
least half of the GAWR (

page 205) of
your vehicle. Otherwise, tire failure may
result and cause an accident and/or seri

ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the
same designation, manufacturer and type
as shown on the original part.

Driving instructions
>> Operation
219
Road salts and chemicals can adversely affect
braking efficiency. Increased pedal force may
become necessary to produce the normal
braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically when
traveling at length on salt
strewn roads can
bring road
salt
impaired braking efficiency
back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven on
salt
treated roads, the braking efficiency
should be tested as soon as possible after
driving is resumed.For more information, see "Winter driving"
(

page 208).
Standing water!
Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Before driving
through water, determine its depth. Never
accelerate before driving into water. The bow
wave could force water into the engine and
auxiliary equipment, thus damaging them.
If you must drive through standing water,
drive slowly to prevent water from entering
the passenger compartment, the front com

partment, or the engine compartment. Water
in these areas could cause damage to electri

cal components or wiring of the engine or
transmission, or could result in water being
ingested by the engine through the air intake,
causing severe internal engine damage.
Any such damage is not covered by the smart
Limited Warranty.
G
Warning!
Make sure not to endanger any other
road users when carrying out these
braking maneuvers.
G
Warning!
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
make sure snow is kept clear of the
exhaust pipe and from around the vehicle
with the engine running. Otherwise,
deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon

sciousness and death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the
vehicle not facing the wind.G
Warning!
The outside temperature display is not
designed to serve as an ice
warning
device and is therefore unsuitable for
that purpose. Indicated temperatures
just above the freezing point do not
guarantee that the road surface is free of
ice.

Vehicle care
226
>> Operation
Vehicle careContact an authorized smart center for rec

ommended and approved care products.i
Advice on caring for the soft top system,
see (
page 230).
!
To avoid damage to interior equipment and materials: Never rub roughly or use cleaning spirits on the cloth upholstery, never use strong
agents, stain remover etc. on the leather upholstery. Never scour ore use solvent on plastic parts. Never use strong and aggressive agents on
windows, do not touch the inside of the windows with hard objects such as an ice scraper or ring, doing so may damage the windows.
G
Warning!
After washing the vehicle, the brakes may
still be wet and thus their functionality
impaired. Therefore, when you start off,
brake lightly several times without en

dangering traffic.
Interior
Special considerations
Light soiling
Heavy soiling
Cloth upholstery
Use a clean, lint
free cloth
Light soap suds
Stain remover (test on an incon

spicuous place first)
Plastic parts
Use a color
fast cloth
Damp, clean cloth, cockpit spray
Damp, clean cloth, cockpit spray
Leather upholstery
Use a clean, color
fast cloth
Clean cloth with lukewarm water,
leather care product
Leather care product
Windows
Damp, clean cloth, microfiber
cloth, glass cleaner
Microfiber cloth, glass cleaner

Replacing bulbs
254
>> Practical hints.
About replacing bulbsSafe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is therefore
essential that all bulbs and lamp assemblies
are in good working order at all times.
Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. Contact an autho

rized smart center for headlamp adjustment.
i
If the headlamps or front fog lamps* are
fogged up on the inside as a result of high
humidity, driving the vehicle a distance with
the lights on should clear up the fogging.
G
Warning!
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot.
Allow the lamp to cool down before
changing a bulb. Otherwise you could be
burned if you touch them.
Keep bulbs out of the reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas.
Abulb can explode if you:
• touch or move it when hot
•drop the bulb
• scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.

Service fluids and capacities
306
>> Technical data.
Premium unleaded gasoline
!
To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gasoline
must be used. If premium unleaded gasoline is
not available and low octane fuel is used,
follow these precautions:
• Have the fuel tank only partially filled with
unleaded regular gasoline and fill up with
premium unleaded gasoline as soon as
possible.
• Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
• Do not exceed an engine speed of 3 000 rpm
if the vehicle is loaded with a light load such
as two persons and no cargo.
•Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum accelerator
pedal position if the vehicle is fully loaded
or operating in mountainous terrain.
Fuel requirementsOnly use premium unleaded fuel:
• The octane number (posted at the pump)
must be 91 min.
It is an average of both the R
esearch
O
ctane N
umber (RON) and the M
otor O
ctane
N
umber (MON): (RON+MON) /2. This is also
known as the ANTI
KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be used
provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed 10%;
MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is not
allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10% ethanol
and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
G
Warning!
Gasoline is highly flammable and poison

ous. It burns violently and can cause
serious personal injury.
Never allow sparks, flame or smoking
materials near gasoline!
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid
inhaling fumes and skin or clothing
contact, extinguish all smoking materials.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the
inhalation of fuel vapors are damaging to
your health.