
Driving your vehicle
46
Before entering vehicle
• Be sure that all windows, outsidemirror(s), and outside lights are
clean.
Check the condition of the tires.
Check under the vehicle for any sign of leaks.
Be sure there are no obstacles behind you if you intend to back up.
Necessary inspections
Fluid levels, such as engine oil,
engine coolant, brake fluid, and
washer fluid should be checked on a
regular basis, at the exact interval
depending on the fluid. Further
details are provided in chapter 8,
“Maintenance”.
Before starting
Close and lock all doors.
Position the seat so that all con-trols are easily reached.
Buckle your seat belt.
Adjust the inside and outside rearview mirrors.
Be sure that all lights work.
Check all gauges.
Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position.
Release the parking brake and make sure the brake warning light
goes out.
For safe operation, be sure you are
familiar with your vehicle and its
equipment.
BEFORE DRIVING
WARNING
Driving while distracted can
result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol, that may lead to an acci-
dent, severe personal injury,
and death. The driver’s primary
responsibility is in the safe and
legal operation of a vehicle, and
use of any handheld devices,
other equipment, or vehicle sys-
tems which take the driver’s
eyes, attention and focus away
from the safe operation of a
vehicle or which are not permis-
sible by law should never be
used during operation of the
vehicle.

6101
Driving your vehicle
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many kilometers (miles) you can get
from a liter (gallon) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as pos-
sible, use the following driving sug-
gestions to help save money in both
fuel and repairs:
Drive smoothly. Accelerate at amoderate rate. Don't make "jack-
rabbit" starts or full-throttle shifts
and maintain a steady cruising
speed. Don't race between stop-
lights. Try to adjust your speed to
the traffic so you don't have to
change speeds unnecessarily.
Avoid heavy traffic whenever pos-
sible. Always maintain a safe dis-
tance from other vehicles so you
can avoid unnecessary braking.
This also reduces brake wear.
Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your
vehicle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway,
is one of the most effective ways to
reduce fuel consumption. Don't "ride" the brake or clutch
pedal. This can increase fuel con-
sumption and also increase wear
on these components. In addition,
driving with your foot resting on the
brake pedal may cause the brakes
to overheat, which reduces their
effectiveness and may lead to
more serious consequences.
Take care of your tires. Keep them inflated to the recommended pres-
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unnec-
essary tire wear. Check the tire
pressures at least once a month.
Be sure that the wheels are aligned correctly. Improper align-
ment can result from hitting curbs
or driving too fast over irregular
surfaces. Poor alignment causes
faster tire wear and may also result
in other problems as well as
greater fuel consumption. Keep your vehicle in good condi-
tion. For better fuel economy and
reduced maintenance costs, main-
tain your vehicle in accordance
with the maintenance schedule in
section 8. If you drive your vehicle
in severe conditions, more frequent
maintenance is required (see sec-
tion 8 for details).
Keep your vehicle clean. For maxi- mum service, your vehicle should
be kept clean and free of corrosive
materials. It is especially important
that mud, dirt, ice, etc. not be
allowed to accumulate on the
underside of the vehicle. This extra
weight can result in increased fuel
consumption and also contribute to
corrosion.
Travel lightly. Don't carry unneces- sary weight in your vehicle. Weight
reduces fuel economy.
Don't let the engine idle longer than necessary. If you are waiting
(and not in traffic), turn off your
engine and restart only when
you're ready to go.
ECONOMICAL OPERATION

Driving your vehicle
110
6
Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high qual-
ity ethylene glycol coolant in the cool-
ing system. It is the only type of coolant
that should be used because it helps
prevent corrosion in the cooling sys-
tem, lubricates the water pump and
prevents freezing. Be sure to replace
or replenish your coolant in accor-
dance with the maintenance schedule
in section 8. Before winter, have your
coolant tested to assure that its freez-
ing point is sufficient for the tempera-
tures anticipated during the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on the
battery system. Visually inspect the
battery and cables as described in
section 8. The level of charge in your
battery can be checked by an author-
ized Kia dealer or a service station.
Change to "winter weight" oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
section 9 for recommendations. If you
aren't sure what weight oil you should
use, consult an authorized Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and ignition
system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in section 8 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint finish.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
. 8-12
. . . . . 8-15
Normal maintenance schedule - Turbo models . 8-17
Maintenance under severe usage conditions . . 8-20
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 8-22
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-27
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-32
Brake/clutch fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
. . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-35
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-\
44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-45
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-46\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . \
8-47
. . . . . . . 8-47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-49
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-50
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-51
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
8

83
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OPS076113/OPS076133
■ ■Gamma 1.6L GDI
❈ The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.
■ ■Gamma 1.6L T-GDI 1. Engine oil filler cap
2. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
3. Engine oil dipstick
4. Engine coolant reservoir
5. Radiator cap
6. Brake/clutch fluid reservoir
7. Positive battery terminal
8. Negative battery terminal
9. Fuse box
10. Air cleaner

Maintenance
48
OPS076002N
* The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.1. Engine oil filler cap
2. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
3. Engine oil dipstick
4. Engine coolant reservoir
5. Radiator cap
6. Brake/clutch fluid reservoir
7. Positive battery terminal
8. Negative battery terminal
9. Fuse box
10. Air cleaner
■ ■Nu 2.0L GDI

MAINTENANCE SERVICES
You should exercise the utmost care
to prevent damage to your vehicle
and injury to yourself whenever per-
forming any maintenance or inspec-
tion procedures.
Should you have any doubts con-
cerning the inspection or servicing of
your vehicle, we strongly recom-
mend that you have an authorized
Kia dealer perform this work.
An authorized Kia dealer has factory
trained technicians and genuine Kia
parts to service your vehicle proper-
ly. For expert advice and quality serv-
ice, see an authorized Kia dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insuffi-
cient servicing may result in opera-
tional problems with your vehicle that
could lead to vehicle damage, an
accident, or personal injury.Owner’s responsibility
✽ ✽NOTICE
Maintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner's responsi-
bility. You should retain documents
that show proper maintenance has
been performed on your vehicle in
accordance with the scheduled
maintenance service charts shown
on the following pages. You need this
information to establish your com-
pliance with the servicing and main-
tenance requirements of your vehi-
cle warranties.
Detailed warranty information is
provided in your Warranty &
Consumer Information manual.
Repairs and adjustments required as
a result of improper maintenance or
a lack of required maintenance are
not covered.
We recommend you have your vehi-
cle maintained and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer. An authorized
Kia dealer meets Kia’s high service
quality standards and receives tech-
nical support from Kia in order to pro-
vide you with a high level of service
satisfaction.
85
Maintenance

Maintenance
68
Owner maintenance precau-
tions
Improper or incomplete service may
result in problems. This section gives
instructions only for the maintenance
items that are easy to perform.
As explained earlier in this section,
several procedures can be done only
by an authorized Kia dealer with spe-
cial tools.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Improper owner maintenance dur-
ing the warranty period may affect
warranty coverage. For details, read
the separate Warranty & Consumer
Information manual provided with
the vehicle. If you're unsure about
any servicing or maintenance proce-
dure, have it done by an authorized
Kia dealer.WARNING- Maintenance
work
Do not wear jewelry or loose
clothing while working under
the hood of your vehicle with
the engine running. These can
become entangled in moving
parts, if you must run the engine
while working under the hood,
make certain that you remove
all jewelry (especially rings,
bracelets, watches, and neck-
laces) and all neckties, scarves,
and similar loose clothing
before getting near the engine
or cooling fans.