2012 KIA PICANTO Owners Manual

Maintenance
38
7
Battery recharging
Your vehicle has a maintenance-free,
calcium-based battery.
If the battery becomes discharged in a
short time (because, for example, the
headlights or interior lights were left on
whilst the vehicle was not in use),
recharge it by slow charging (trickle)
for 10 hours.
If the battery gradually discharges because of high electric load whilst the
vehicle is being used, recharge it at 20-
30A for two hours.(Continued)
When lifting a plastic-cased bat-tery, excessive pressure on the
case may cause battery acid to
leak, resulting in personal injury.
Lift with a battery carrier or with
your hands on opposite corners.
Never attempt to recharge the battery when the battery cables are connected.
The electrical ignition system works with high voltage. Never
touch these components with theengine running or the ignition
switched on.
Failure to follow the above warn-
ings can result in serious bodily
injury or death.CAUTION
When you don’t use the vehicle for a long time in the low temper-
ature area, separate the batteryand keep it indoors.
Always charge the battery fully to prevent battery case damage in
low temperature area.
If you connect unauthorised elec- tronic devices to the battery, thebattery may be discharged. Never use unauthorised devices.
WARNING
Separating the battery from the
vehicle should be done in an autho-
rised KIA dealer.

739
Maintenance
Reset items
Items should be reset after the battery
has been discharged or the battery hasbeen disconnected.
Auto up/down window (See section 4)
Sunroof (See section 4)
Trip computer (See section 4)
Climate control system (See section 4)
Clock (See section 4)
Audio (See section 4)
WARNING
Before performing maintenance or recharging the battery, turn off all accessories and stop the
engine.
The negative battery cable must be removed first and installed
last when the battery is discon-nected.
Operation related to the battery should be done in an authorised
KIA dealer.
CAUTION
Keep the battery away from water
or any liquid.
For your safety, use the authentic- ity by approved authorised KIAdealer, when you replace the bat-tery.
WARNING - Recharging
battery
When recharging the battery,
observe the following precautions:
The battery must be removed from the vehicle and placed in an area with good ventilation.
Do not allow cigarettes, sparks, or flame near the battery.
Watch the battery during charg- ing, and stop or reduce the charg-
ing rate if the battery cells begin
gassing (boiling) violently or if
the temperature of the electrolyte
of any cell exceeds 49°C (120°F).
Wear eye protection when check- ing the battery during charging.
Disconnect the battery charger in the following order.
1. Turn off the battery charger main switch.
2. Unhook the negative clamp from the negative battery terminal.
3. Unhook the positive clamp from the positive battery terminal.

Maintenance
40
7
CAUTION
Underinflation also results in
excessive wear, poor handlingand reduced fuel economy. Wheel deformation also ispossible. Keep your tyre pres-sures at the proper levels. If a tyre frequently needs refilling,have it checked by an autho-rised KIA dealer.
Overinflation produces a harsh ride, excessive wear atthe centre of the tyre tread,and a greater possibility ofdamage from road hazards.
TYRES AND WHEELS
Tyre care
For proper maintenance, safety, and
maximum fuel economy, you must
always maintain recommended tyre
inflation pressures and stay within
the load limits and weight distribution
recommended for your vehicle. Recommended cold tyre inflation pressures All tyre pressures (including the
spare) should be checked when the
tyres are cold. “Cold Tyres” means
the vehicle has not been driven for at
least three hours or driven less than1.6 km (one mile).
Recommended pressures must be
maintained for the best ride, top vehi-
cle handling, and minimum tyre
wear.
For recommended inflation pressure,
refer to “Tyre and wheels” in section8. All specifications (sizes and pres-
sures) can be found on a label
attached to the vehicle.
WARNING
- Tyre underin-
flation
Severe underinflation can lead
to severe heat build-up, causing
blowouts, tread separation andother tyre failures that can
result in the loss of vehicle con-
trol leading to severe injury or
death. This risk is much higher
on hot days and when driving
for long periods at high speeds.
OTA080002/H

741
Maintenance
Checking tyre inflation pressure
Check your tyres once a month or
more.
Also, check the tyre pressure of the
spare tyre.
How to check
Use a good quality gauge to check
tyre pressure. You can not tell if your
tyres are properly inflated simply by
looking at them. Radial tyres may
look properly inflated even when
they're underinflated.
Check the tyre's inflation pressure
when the tyres are cold. - "Cold"
means your vehicle has been sitting
for at least three hours or driven nomore than 1.6 km (1 mile).
WARNING - Tyre Inflation
Overinflation or underinflation
can reduce tyre life, adversely
affect vehicle handling, and
lead to sudden tyre failure. This
could result in loss of vehicle
control and potential injury.
CAUTION - Tyre pressure
Always observe the following:
Check tyre pressure when the tyres are cold. (After vehiclehas been parked for at leastthree hours or hasn't beendriven more than 1.6 km (one mile) since startup.)
Check the pressure of your spare tyre each time youcheck the pressure of othertyres.
Never overload your vehicle. Be careful not to overload avehicle luggage rack if yourvehicle is equipped with one.
Worn, old tyres can cause accidents. If your tread isbadly worn, or if your tyres have been damaged, replacethem.
CAUTION
Warm tyres normally exceed recommended cold tyre pres-sures by 28 to 41 kPa (4 to 6psi). Do not release air fromwarm tyres to adjust the pres- sure or the tyres will be under-inflated.
Be sure to reinstall the tyre inflation valve caps. Withoutthe valve cap, dirt or moisture could get into the valve coreand cause air leakage. If avalve cap is missing, install a new one as soon as possible.

Maintenance
42
7
Remove the valve cap from the tyre
valve stem. Press the tyre gauge
firmly onto the valve to get a pres-
sure measurement. If the cold tyreinflation pressure matches the rec-ommended pressure on the tyre and
loading information label, no further
adjustment is necessary. If the pres-
sure is low, add air until you reachthe recommended amount.
If you overfill the tyre, release air by pushing on the metal stem in the
centre of the tyre valve. Recheck the
tyre pressure with the tyre gauge. Be
sure to put the valve caps back on
the valve stems. They help prevent
leaks by keeping out dirt and mois-
ture. Tyre rotation
To equalize tread wear, it is recom- mended that the tyres be rotated
every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or
sooner if irregular wear develops.
During rotation, check the tyres for
correct balance.
When rotating tyres, check for
uneven wear and damage. Abnormal
wear is usually caused by incorrect
tyre pressure, improper wheel align-
ment, out-of-balance wheels, severe
braking or severe cornering. Look for
bumps or bulges in the tread or side
of tyre. Replace the tyre if you find
either of these conditions. Replace
the tyre if fabric or cord is visible.
After rotation, be sure to bring thefront and rear tyre pressures to spec-
ification and check lug nut tightness.
Refer to “Tyre and wheels” in section 8.
WARNING
Inspect your tyres frequently for proper inflation as well as
wear and damage. Always use
a tyre pressure gauge.
Tyres with too much or too lit- tle pressure wear unevenly
causing poor handling, loss of
vehicle control, and suddentyre failure leading to acci-
dents, injuries, and even death.The recommended cold tyre
pressure for your vehicle can
be found in this manual and onthe tyre label located on the
driver's side centre pillar.
Worn tyres can cause acci- dents. Replace tyres that are
worn, show uneven wear, or
are damaged.
Remember to check the pres- sure of your spare tyre. KIA
recommends that you check
the spare every time you
check the pressure of the
other tyres on your vehicle.

743
Maintenance
Disc brake pads should be inspectedfor wear whenever tyres are rotated.
✽✽ NOTICE
Rotate radial tyres that have an
asymmetric tread pattern only from
front to rear and not from right to
left.
Wheel alignment and tyre balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tyre
life and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tyre
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may needto be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.
S2BLA790
S2BLA790A
CBGQ0707A
Without a spare tyre
With a full-size spare tyre (if equipped) Directional tyres (if equipped)WARNING
Do not use the compact spare tyre for tyre rotation.
Do not mix bias ply and radial ply tyres under any circum-
stances. This may cause
unusual handling characteris-tics that could result in death,
severe injury, or property
damage.
CAUTION
Improper wheel weights can
damage your vehicle's alu-minum wheels. Use onlyapproved wheel weights.

Maintenance
44
7
Tyre replacement
If the tyre is worn evenly, a tread
wear indicator will appear as a solid
band across the tread. This showsthere is less than 1.6 mm (1/16 inch)
of tread left on the tyre. Replace the
tyre when this happens.
Do not wait for the band to appear
across the entire tread before replac-
ing the tyre.
OEN076053
Tread wear indicatorWARNING - Replacing
tyres
To reduce the chance of serious
or fatal injuries from an acci-
dent caused by tyre failure or
loss of vehicle control:
Replace tyres that are worn, show uneven wear, or are
damaged. Worn tyres can
cause loss of braking effec-
tiveness, steering control, andtraction.
Do not drive your vehicle with too little or too much pressure
in your tyres. This can lead to
uneven wear and tyre failure.
When replacing tyres, never mix radial and bias-ply tyres
on the same car. You must
replace all tyres (including the
spare) if moving from radial to
bias-ply tyres.
(Continued)(Continued)
Using tyres and wheels otherthan the recommended sizes
could cause unusual handling
characteristics and poor vehi-
cle control, resulting in a seri-ous accident.
Wheels that do not meet KIA’s specifications may fit poorly
and result in damage to the
vehicle or unusual handling
and poor vehicle control.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. The
tyre size affects wheel speed.
When replacing tyres, all 4
tyres must use the same size
originally supplied with the
vehicle. Using tyres of a dif-
ferent size can cause the
ABS(Anti-lock Brake System)
and ESP(Electronic Stability
Program) to work irregularly.(if equipped)

745
Maintenance
Compact spare tyre replacement (if equipped)
A compact spare tyre has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tyre.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tyre.The replacement compact spare tyre
should be the same size and design
tyre as the one provided with your
new vehicle and should be mountedon the same compact spare tyre
wheel. The compact spare tyre is notdesigned to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tyre wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tyre. Wheel replacement
When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim widthand offset.
Tyre traction
Tyre traction can be reduced if you
drive on worn tyres, tyres that are
improperly inflated or on slippery
road surfaces. tyres should be
replaced when tread wear indicators
appear. Slow down whenever there
is rain, snow or ice on the road toreduce the possibility of losing con-
trol of the vehicle.
Tyre maintenance In addition to proper inflation, correct wheel alignment helps to decrease
tyre wear. If you find a tyre is worn
unevenly, have your dealer check thewheel alignment.
When you have new tyres installed,
make sure they are balanced. This
will increase vehicle ride comfort and
tyre life. Additionally, a tyre should
always be rebalanced if it is removedfrom the wheel.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling char-
acteristics, ground clearance,
body-to-tyre clearance, snow
chain clearance, speedometer
and odometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.