2012 Abarth 500 warning

121
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
IF THE BATTERY IS FLAT
IMPORTANT The battery recharging pro-
cedure is provided as an example only.
You are recommended to go to a Abarth
Dealership to have this operation per-
formed.
Low amperage slow recharging for ap-
proximately 24 hour is advised. A pro-
longed recharge might damage the battery.
Charge the battery as follows:
❒disconnect battery negative terminal;
❒connect the charger cables to the bat-
tery terminals, observing the poles;
❒turn on the charger;
❒when you have finished, turn the charg-
er off before disconnecting the battery;
❒reconnect battery negative terminal.
Battery fluid is poisonous
and corrosive: avoid contact
with your skin and eyes. The battery
recharging operation must be per-
formed in a ventilated place, away
from naked flames or possible sources
of sparks to avoid the risk of explo-
sion and fire.
WARNING
Don’t try to recharge a
frozen battery: defrost it first
to prevent the risk of explosion. If a
battery was frozen, have it inspect-
ed by specialised personnel before
recharging to check that the internal
elements are not damaged and that
the casing is not cracked causing the
risk of leakage of poisonous, corrosive
gas.
WARNING
RAISING THE CAR
As a result of its sporty nature, the car is fit-
ted with aerodynamic spoilers at the bot-
tom and miniskirts at the side. If the vehi-
cle needs to be raised, go to an Abarth
Dealership which is equipped with arm lifts
and workshop lifts.
Take special care when posi-
tioning the arm lifts or the
workshop lift in order not to
damage the aerodynamic
spoilers and miniskirts.
fig. 41a
169,5 mm 150,7 mm
F0S139Ab

122
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
TOWING THE CAR
The tow ring provided with the car is
housed in the tool box under the boot
mat.
FASTENING THE TOW
RING fig. 42-43
Proceed as follows:
❒release the cap A(only present in the
rear section Fig. 43);
❒take the tow hook Bfrom its seat in
the tool support;
❒tighten the ring on the rear or front
threaded pin.
Before beginning the tow,
turn the ignition key to MAR
and then to STOP, without extract-
ing it If the key is extracted, the steer-
ing wheel lock will be automatically
activated, thus preventing steering
WARNING
Because of the vehicle con-
formation, it cannot be
loaded onto railway carriages and
transported.
WARNING
The power brakes and the
electrical power steering will
not work while the car is being towed.
More effort on the brake pedal and
steering wheel will therefore be re-
quired. Do not use wires for towing.
Do not jerk. Make sure not to dam-
age parts in contact with the car
while towing. Respect the specific
rules of the Highway Code when tow-
ing the car specifically in relation to
the towing device and the behaviour
to maintain on the road.
Do not start the engine while towing
the car.
WARNING
fig. 42

F0S115Abfig. 43

F0S116Ab

123
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULED SERVICING ................................................ 124
SERVICE SCHEDULE........................................................... 125
REGULAR INSPECTIONS ................................................. 127
DEMANDING USE OF THE CAR ................................... 127
CHECKING FLUID LEVELS................................................ 128
AIR CLEANER ...................................................................... 132
POLLEN FILTER ................................................................... 132
BATTERY................................................................................ 132
WHEELS AND TYRES......................................................... 134
RUBBER HOSES.................................................................... 135
WINDSCREEN/REAR WINDOW WIPERS................... 136
BODYWORK........................................................................ 137
INTERIORS ............................................................................ 139
CC C
A A
R R
M M
A A
I I
N N
T T
E E
N N
A A
N N
C C
E E

124
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
IMPORTANT Scheduled service coupons
are required by the manufacturer. Default
may invalidate the warranty.
Scheduled Servicing is performed by all
Abarth Dealerships, at pre-established
times.
If during each operation, in addition to the
ones programmed, the need arises for fur-
ther replacements or repairs, these may
be carried out only with the explicit agree-
ment of the Customer.IMPORTANT You are advised to contact
Abarth Dealership in the event of any mi-
nor operating faults, without waiting for
the next service coupon.
If your car is used frequently for towing,
the interval between one service coupon
and the other must be reduced.SCHEDULED SERVICING
Correct maintenance is essential for en-
suring long car life under the best condi-
tions.
This is why Abarth has planned a series of
checks and maintenance operations every
30,000 km.
Scheduled servicing will not however ful-
ly cover all of the needs of your car: It is
however important to remember that
scheduled servicing does not completely
cover all the car’s requirements: also in
the initial period before 30,000 km service
coupon and later, between one coupon
and another, ordinary care is still required
such as for example routine check and
topping up the level of fluids, tyre pressure
check, etc.

125
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
SERVICE SCHEDULE
Service coupons shall be performed every 30,000 km
Thousands of kilometres
Check tyre conditions/wear and adjust pressure
if required
Check light system operation (headlights, direction indicators,
hazard lights, passenger compartment lights, boot lights,
instrument panel warning lights, etc.)
Check the operation of the windscreen wiper/washer system,
adjust the sprayers
Check the position and wear of the windscreen and
rear window wiper blades
Check front disc brake pad condition and wear and
operation of pad wear signalling
visually inspect the conditions of: bodywork, underbody
protection, pipes and hoses
(exhaust - fuel - brakes), rubber parts
(boots, sleeves, bushes, etc.)
Check cleanness of locks, bonnet and boot and lever
cleanness and lubrication
Check tension and if necessary adjust the accessory
drive belts
Visually inspect the accessory drive belt conditions
Replace accessory drive belts
Check and adjust handbrake lever stroke30 60 90 120 150 180
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●
●●
●
●●●●● ●

30 60 90 120 150 180
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●
●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
●●
●●●●● ●
●●●
●●●●● ●
●●●●● ●
126
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
Thousands of kilometres
Check rear disk brake pad conditions and wear
Replace the air filter cartridge
Top up fluids (engine coolant,
brakes, windscreen washer, battery, etc.)
Check the conditions of the distribution control toothed belt
Replace the distribution control toothed belt (*)
Replace the spark plugs (❍)
Check engine control system operation
(through diagnosis socket)
Check the mechanical gearbox oil level
Change engine oil and replace oil filter (or every 24 months)
Change brake fluid (or every 24 months)
Change the pollen filter (or anyway every year)
Check emissions at the exhaust
(*) Regardless of the km covered, the timing belt shall be replaced every 4 years for particularly demanding use (cold climates,
driving in the city, idling for a long time) or in any case every 5 years
If the car is mainly used for driving in the city, and in any case with an annual mileage of below 10,000 km, change
engine oil and filter every 12 months.
(❍) In order to ensure correct efficiency and avoid damaging the engine, it is necessary to:
- exclusively use certified spark plugs specific for the 1.4 TB BZ Abarth engines. All candles to be fitted must be
of the same type and same manufacturer (see recommendations reported in the “Engine” paragraph);
- strictly respect the candles’ Scheduled Maintenance Plan;
- it is recommended to apply to Abarth Dealership.

127
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
DEMANDING
USE OF THE CAR
Should prevailing use of the car be under
one of the following specially heavy con-
ditions:
❒dusty roads;
❒short distances (less than 7-8 km) re-
peated and with external tempera-
tures below zero;
❒frequently idling engines or long dis-
tance low speed driving or in case of
a long term inactivity;
❒in cities;
perform the following inspections more
frequently than shown on the Service
Schedule:
❒check front/rear disc brake pad con-
dition and wear;
❒check cleanness of bonnet and boot
locks and lever cleanness and lubrica-
tion;
❒visually inspect the conditions of: en-
gine, gearbox, transmission, pipes and
hoses (exhaust - fuel - brakes), rubber
parts (boots, sleeves, bushes, etc.);
❒inspect the battery charge and fluid
level (electrolyte) (refer to the para-
graph “Battery - Inspection of the bat-
tery charge and of the electrolyte lev-
el” in this chapter);
❒visual check on various drive belt con-
ditions;
❒check and if necessary replace the
pollen filter; in particular it shall be re-
placed if a decrease in the air flow in-
to the passenger comportment is de-
tected;
❒check air cleaner and replace, if re-
quired.
REGULAR
INSPECTIONS
Every 1,000 km or before long journeys,
check and top up if required:
❒engine coolant fluid level;
❒brake fluid level;
❒windscreen washer fluid level;
❒tyre pressure and conditions;
❒operation of lights (headlights, direc-
tion indicators, hazard lights, etc.);
❒operation of the windscreen wiper/
washer system, position and wear of
the windscreen and rear window
wiper blades;
Every 3,000 km check the following and
top-up, if required: engine oil level.
You are recommended to use PETRONAS
LUBRICANTSproducts, designed and
produced specifically for Abarth cars (see
table “Capacities” in section “Technical
specifications”).

128
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
CHECKING FLUID
LEVELS
A.Engine oil filler
B.Engine oil level dispstick
C.Engine coolant
D.Windscreen washer fluid
E.Brake fluid
F.Battery
fig. 1 Never smoke while working
in the engine compartment.
there might be flammable gases and
vapours, with fire hazards.
WARNING
When topping up, pay atten-
tion not to confuse the vari-
ous types of fluids: they are all
reciprocally incompatible and
may severely damage your car.
B
A
D
CE
F
F0S117Ab