2008 SUZUKI RENO window

3-16
INSTRUMENT PANEL
85Z14-03E
(Defrost):
This mode directs most of the air to the
windshield, with some air directed to the
side window outlets. When you select this
mode, the system runs the air-conditioning
compressor. To defrost the windows faster,
turn the temperature control knob clock-
wise to the warmest setting.
Rear Window and Outside Rearview
Mirror DefoggerYour vehicle may have a rear window and
outside mirror defogger.
The rear window defogger uses a warming
grid to remove fog or frost from the rear
window. This feature will only work when
the ignition is in ON.
(Rear):
Press the button to turn the rear window
and outside mirror defogger on or off. The
defogger will turn off approximately 10 min-
utes after the button is pressed. Be sure to
clear as much snow from the rear window
as possible. An indicator light on the button
will come on to let you know that the fea-
ture is activated.
N4U3032B
N4U3032AN4U3032A
CAUTION
Don’t use anything sharp on the
inside of the rear window. If you do,
you could cut or damage the warm-
ing grid, and the repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Do not
attach a temporary vehicle license,
tape, a decal or anything similar to
the defogger grid.
Climate Controls:

4-11DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
time and energy. See the next part,
“Freeway Driving.”
 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A
traffic light is there because the corner is
busy enough to need it. When a light
turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that
have not cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.Freeway DrivingMile for mile, freeways (also called thru-
ways, parkways, expressways, turnpikes or
superhighways) are the safest of all roads.
But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway
driving is: Keep up with traffic and keep to
the right. Drive at the same speed most of
the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth trafficflow. Treat the left lane on a freeway as a
passing lane.
At the entrance, there is usually a ramp
that leads to the freeway. If you have a
clear view of the freeway as you drive
along the entrance ramp, you should begin
to check traffic. Try to determine where you
expect to blend with the flow. Try to merge
into the gap at close to the prevailing
speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder
as often as necessary. Try to blend
smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your
speed to the posted limit or to the prevail-
ing rate if it’s slower. Stay in the right lane
unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors.
Then use your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance
quickly over your shoulder to make sure
there isn’t another vehicle in your “blind”
spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway,
make certain you allow a reasonable fol-
lowing distance.
Expect to move slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move
to the proper lane well in advance. If you
miss your exit, do not, under any circum-
stances, stop and back up. Drive on to the
next exit.The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes
quite sharply. The exit speed is usually
posted. Reduce your speed according to
your speedometer, not to your sense of
motion. After driving for any distance at
higher speeds, you may tend to think you
are going slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long TripMake sure you’re ready. Try to be well
rested. If you must start when you’re not
fresh – such as after a day’s work – don’t
plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing
and shoes you can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you
keep it serviced and maintained, it’s ready
to go. If it needs service, have it done
before starting out. Of course, you’ll find
experienced and able service experts in
SUZUKI dealerships all across North
America. They’ll be ready and willing to
help if you need it.
Here are some things you can check
before a trip:
 Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reser-
voir full? Are all windows clean inside
and outside?
 Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape?
 Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you
checked all levels?
 Lamps: Are they all working? Are the
lenses clean?
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

4-14
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
cle’s stability when you make a hard stop
on a slippery road.) Whether you have an
anti-lock braking system or not, you’ll want
to begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. Without anti-lock brakes,
if you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let up
on the brakes a little. Push the brake pedal
down steadily to get the most traction you
can.
Remember, unless you have anti-lock, if
you brake so hard that your wheels stop
rolling, you’ll just slide. Brake so your
wheels always keep rolling and you can
still steer.
 Whatever your braking system, allow
greater following distance on any slip-
pery road.
 Watch for slippery spots. The road might
be fine until you hit a spot that’s covered
with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice
patches may appear in shaded areas
where the sun can’t reach: around
clumps of trees, behind buildings or
under bridges. Sometimes the surface of
a curve or an overpass may remain icy
when the surrounding roads are clear. If
you see a patch of ice ahead of you,
brake before you are on it. Try not to
brake while you’re actually on the ice,
and avoid sudden steering maneuvers.If You’re Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be in a serious situation. You should
probably stay with your vehicle unless you
know for sure that you are near help and
you can hike through the snow. Here are
some things to do to summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
 Turn on your hazard flashers.
 Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert
police that you’ve been stopped by the
snow.
 Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket
around you. If you have no blankets or
extra clothing, make body insulators
from newspapers, burlap bags, rags,
floor mats – anything you can wrap
around yourself or tuck under your cloth-
ing to keep warm.You can run the engine to keep warm, but
be careful.
WARNING
Snow can trap exhaust gases under
your vehicle. This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get
inside. CO could overcome you and
kill you. You can’t see it or smell it, so
you might not know it is in your vehi-
cle. Clear away snow from around the
base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe.
And check around again from time to
time to be sure snow doesn’t collect
there.
Open a window just a little on the
side of the vehicle that’s away from
the wind. This will help keep CO out.
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

4-15DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
85Z14-03E
Run your engine only as long as you must.
This saves fuel. When you run the engine,
make it go a little faster than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This uses
less fuel for the heat that you get and it
keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle,
and possibly for signaling later on with your
headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve the
heat. Start the engine again and repeat
this only when you feel really uncomfort-
able from the cold. But do it as little as pos-
sible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can.
To help keep warm, you can get out of the
vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exer-
cises every half hour or so until help
comes.
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or
Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is
stuck, you will need to spin the wheels, but
you don’t want to spin your wheels too fast.
The method known as “rocking” can help
you get out when you’re stuck, but you
must use caution.For information about using tire chains on
your vehicle, see “Tire Chains” in section 5.Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and
right. That will clear the area around your
front wheels. Then shift back and forth
between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear (or with a manual transmission,
between FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and
REVERSE (R)), spinning the wheels as lit-
tle as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while you shift, and press lightly on
the accelerator pedal when the transmis-
sion is in gear. By slowly spinning your
wheels in the forward and reverse direc-
tions, you will cause a rocking motion that
may free your vehicle. If that doesn’t get
you out after a few tries, you may need to
be towed out. If you do need to be towed
out, see “Towing Your Vehicle” in the fol-
lowing section.
WARNING
If you let your tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you or
others could be injured. And, the
transmission or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could
cause an engine compartment fire or
other damage. When you’re stuck,
spin the wheels as little as possible.
Don’t spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedom-
eter.
CAUTION
Spinning your wheels can destroy
parts of your vehicle as well as the
tires. If you spin the wheels too fast
while shifting your transmission back
and forth, you can destroy your trans-
mission. See “Rocking Your Vehicle
To Get It Out.”
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle:

5-14
SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
85Z14-03E
When replacing the pressure cap, make
sure it is hand-tight.Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap
Engine OverheatingYou will find a coolant temperature gauge
on your vehicle’s instrument panel. See
“Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge” in
section 3.If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
If you get an engine overheat warning, but
see or hear no steam, the problem may not
be too serious. Sometimes the engine can
get a little too hot when you:
 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
 Stop after high-speed driving.
 Idle for long periods in traffic.
If you get the overheat warning with no
sign of steam, try this for a minute or so:
1) In heavy traffic, let the engine idle in
NEUTRAL while stopped. If it is safe to
do so, pull off the road, shift to PARK
(P) or NEUTRAL and let the engine
idle.
2) Turn on your heater to full hot at the
highest fan speed and open the window
as necessary.
If you no longer have the overheat warn-
ing, you can drive. Just to be safe, drive
slower for about 10 minutes. If the warning
doesn’t come back on, you can drive nor-
mally.
CAUTION
Your coolant surge tank cap is a
pressure-type cap and must be
tightly installed to prevent coolant
loss and possible engine damage
from overheating. See “Capacities
and Specifications” for more informa-
tion.
WARNING
Steam from an overheated engine
can burn you badly, even if you just
open the hood. Stay away from the
engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it. Just turn it off and get
everyone away from the vehicle until
it cools down. Wait until there is no
sign of steam or coolant before you
open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine
is overheated, the liquids in it can
catch fire. You or others could be
badly burned. Stop your engine if it
overheats, and get out of the vehicle
until the engine is cool.
CAUTION
If your engine catches fire because
you keep driving with no coolant,
your vehicle can be badly damaged.
The costly repairs would not be cov-
ered by your warranty.
Checking Things Under the Hood:

5-30
SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
85Z14-03E
The following illustration shows an exam-
ple of a typical passenger car tire size.
A. Tire Type
This letter code indicates the primary
intended use of the tire. The “P” as
the first character in the tire size
means a passenger vehicle tire engi-
neered to standards set by the U.S.
Tire and Rim Association.
B. Tire Width
The three-digit number indicates the
tire section width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.
C. Aspect Ratio
A two-digit number that indicates the
tire height-to-width measurements.
For example, if the tire size aspect
ratio is “70”, as shown in item “C” of
the illustration, it would mean that thetire’s sidewall is 70% as high as it is
wide.
D. Construction Code
A letter code is used to indicate the
type of ply construction in the tire. The
letter “R” means radial ply construc-
tion, the letter “D” means diagonal or
bias ply construction; and the letter
“B” means belted-bias ply construc-
tion.
E. Rim Diameter
Diameter of the wheel in inches.
F. Service Description
These characters represent the load
range and the speed rating of a tire.
The load range represents the load
carrying capacity a tire is certified to
carry. The speed rating is the maxi-
mum speed a tire is certified to carry
a load. Speed ratings range from “A”
to “Z”.
Glossary of Tire TerminologyAir Pressure:
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire. Air
pressure is expressed in pounds per
square inch (psi) or kilopascal (kPa).
Accessory Weight:
This means the combined weight of
optional accessories. Some examples of
optional accessories are automatic trans-
mission, power steering, power brakes,
power windows, power seats, and air con-
ditioning.
Aspect Ratio:
The relationship of a tire’s height to its
width.
Belt:
A rubber coated layer of cords that is
located between the plies and the tread.
Cords may be made from steel or other
reinforcing materials.
Bead:
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped
by steel cords that hold the tire onto the
rim.
Bias Ply Tire:
A pneumatic tire in which the plies are laid
at alternate angles less than 90 degrees to
the centerline of the tread.
Tires:

5-44
SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
85Z14-03E
Appearance CareRemember, cleaning products can be haz-
ardous. Some are toxic. Others can burst
into flames if you strike a match or get
them on a hot part of the vehicle. Some
are dangerous if you breathe their fumes in
a closed space. When you use anything
from a container to clean your vehicle, be
sure to follow the manufacturer’s warnings
and instructions. And always open your
doors or windows when you are cleaning
the inside.
Never use these to clean your vehicle:
 Gasoline
 Benzene
 Naphtha
 Carbon Tetrachloride
 Acetone
 Paint Thinner
 Turpentine
 Lacquer Thinner
 Nail Polish Remover
They can all be hazardous – some more
than others – and they can all damage
your vehicle, too.
Do not use any of these unless this manual
says you can. In many uses, these will
damage your vehicle:
 Alcohol
 Laundry Soap
Bleach
 Reducing Agents
Cleaning the Inside of Your VehicleUse a vacuum cleaner often to get rid of
dust and loose dirt. Wipe vinyl, leather,
plastic and painted surfaces with a clean,
damp cloth.
Cleaning Fabric/Carpet
Your SUZUKI dealer has cleaners for the
cleaning of fabric and carpet. They will
clean normal spots and stains very well.
You can get SUZUKI approved cleaning
products from your SUZUKI dealer. See
“Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials” later
in this section.
Here are some cleaning tips:
 Always read the instructions on the
cleaner label.
 Clean up stains as soon as you can –
before they set.
 Carefully scrape off any excess stain.
 Use a clean cloth or sponge, and change
to a clean area often. A soft brush may
be used if stains are stubborn.
 If a ring forms on fabric after spot clean-
ing, clean the entire area immediately or
it will set.Using Cleaner on Fabric
1) Vacuum and brush the area to remove
any loose dirt.
2) Always clean a whole trim panel or sec-
tion. Mask surrounding trim along stitch
or welt lines.
3) Follow the directions on the container
label.
4) Apply cleaner with a clean sponge.
Don’t saturate the material and don’t
rub it roughly.
5) As soon as you’ve cleaned the section,
use a sponge to remove any excess
cleaner.
6) Wipe cleaned area with a clean, water-
dampened towel or cloth.
7) Wipe with a clean cloth and let dry.
Specific Fabric Cleaning Problems
Stains caused by such things as catsup,
coffee (black), egg, fruit, fruit juice, milk,
soft drinks, vomit, urine and blood can be
removed as follows:
1) Carefully scrape off excess stain, then
sponge the soiled area with cool water.
2) If a stain remains, follow the cleaner
instructions described earlier.
3) If an odor lingers after cleaning vomit or
urine, treat the area with a water/baking
soda solution: 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of bak-
ing soda to 1 cup (250 ml) of lukewarm
water.
4) Let dry.
Appearance Care:

5-45SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
85Z14-03E
Stains caused by candy, ice cream, may-
onnaise, chili sauce and unknown stains
can be removed as follows:
1) Carefully scrape off excess stain.
2) First, clean with cool water and allow to
dry completely.
3) If a stain remains, follow the cleaner
instructions described earlier.
Cleaning Vinyl
Use warm water and a clean cloth.
 Rub with a clean, damp cloth to remove
dirt. You may have to do this more than
once.
 Things like tar, asphalt and shoe polish
will stain if you don’t get them off quickly.
Use a clean cloth and vinyl cleaner. See
your SUZUKI dealer for this product.
Cleaning Leather
Use a soft cloth with lukewarm water and a
mild soap or saddle soap and wipe dry
with a soft cloth. Then, let the leather dry
naturally. Do not use heat to dry.
 For stubborn stains, use a leather
cleaner.
 Never use oils, varnishes, solvent-based
or abrasive cleaners, furniture polish or
shoe polish on leather.
 Soiled or stained leather should be
cleaned immediately. If dirt is allowed to
work into the finish, it can harm the
leather.Cleaning the Top of the Instrument
Panel
Use only mild soap and water to clean the
top surfaces of the instrument panel.
Sprays containing silicones or waxes may
cause annoying reflections in the wind-
shield and even make it difficult to see
through the windshield under certain con-
ditions.
Cleaning Interior Plastic Components
Use only a mild soap and water solution on
a soft cloth or sponge. Commercial clean-
ers may affect the surface finish.
Cleaning Glass Surfaces
Glass should be cleaned often. Glass
Cleaner or a liquid household glass
cleaner will remove normal tobacco smoke
and dust films on interior glass. See “Vehi-
cle Care/Appearance Materials” later in
this section.Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
WeatherstripsSilicone grease on weatherstrips will make
them last longer, seal better, and not stick
or squeak. Apply silicone grease with a
clean cloth at least every six months. Dur-
ing very cold, damp weather more frequent
application may be required. Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehi-
cleThe paint finish on your vehicle provides
beauty, depth of color, gloss retention and
durability.
Washing Your Vehicle
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s fin-
ish is to keep it clean by washing it often
with lukewarm or cold water.
Don’t wash your vehicle in the direct rays
of the sun. Use a car washing soap. Don’t
use strong soaps or chemical detergents.
Be sure to rinse the vehicle well, removing
all soap residue completely. You can get
approved cleaning products from your
CAUTION
Don’t use abrasive cleaners on glass,
because they may cause scratches.
Avoid placing decals on the inside
rear window, since they may have to
be scraped off later. If abrasive clean-
ers are used on the inside of the rear
window, an electric defogger element
may be damaged. Any temporary
license should not be attached
across the defogger grid.
WARNING
Do not bleach or dye safety belts. If
you do, it may severely weaken them.
In a crash, they might not be able to
provide adequate protection. Clean
safety belts only with mild soap and
lukewarm water.
Appearance Care: