wheel Abarth 500 2008 Owner handbook (in English)

55
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
Do not take unnecessary
risks, even if your cars fits an
ESP system. Your driving style must
always be suited to the conditions of
the road, visibility and traffic. The dri-
ver is always responsible for road
safety.
WARNING
System intervention
The ESP system is automatically activat-
ed when the car is started and cannot be
de-activated.
Failure indications
In the event of a failure, the ESP system
will be automatically switched off and
warning light
áwill appear on the instru-
ment panel along with a message on the
reconfigurable multifunctional display (for
versions/markets, where provided). Con-
tact Abarth Dealership.HILL HOLDER SYSTEM
It is an integral part of the ESP system and
is automatically activated in the following
conditions:
❒uphill: vehicle stationary on a road with
a gradient of more than 2%, engine run-
ning, brake pressed and gearbox in neu-
tral or gear other than reverse engaged;
❒downhill: vehicle stationary on a road
with a gradient of more than 2%, engine
running, brake pressed and reverse gear
engaged.
At pickup the ESP system control unit will
keep brake force on wheels until reaching
the torque suitable for starting, or in any
case for max. 2 seconds in order to pass
easily from the brake pedal to the accel-
erator pedal.
After two seconds without starting, the
system will deactivate automatically by re-
leasing gradually the brake force. At re-
leasing, the typical brake disengagement
noise indicating that the car is going to
move will be heard.Failure indications
A failure of the system is indicated by the
turning on warning light áon the instru-
ment panel together with the dedicated
message on the reconfigurable multifunc-
tional display (for versions/markets, where
provided); see section “Warning lights and
messages”.
IMPORTANT The Hill Holder system is
not a parking brake; therefore, never leave
the car without having engaged the hand-
brake, turned the engine off and engaged
the first speed.
If the spare wheel is used,
the ESP system keeps oper-
ating. The spare wheel, being smaller
than the original wheel provides less
grip.
For correct operation of the ESP and
ASR systems, the tyres must ab-
solutely be of the same brand and
type on all wheels, in perfect condi-
tions and, above all, of type, brand
and size specified.
WARNING
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56
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
MSR system
(engine braking torque control)
It is an integral part of the ASR system that
in case of sudden gear downshifting, cuts
in providing torque to the engine thus pre-
venting excessive driving wheel drive that,
specially in poor grip conditions, can lead
to loss of stability.TTC SYSTEM
(Torque Transfer Control)
It is an integral part of the ESP system.
This system improves the transfer of dri-
ve torque to the wheels, guaranteeing
safer and more sporty driving, especially
when cornering, far more able to prevent
understeer.
The system is turned on by pressing the
button in the dashboard C-Fig. 58. The
LED in the TTC button is lit up when it
is on.
It is turned off by pressing the button again
or when the vehicle is switched off (igni-
tion key in STOP position). ASR SYSTEM
(Antislip Regulation)
It’s integral to the ESP system and auto-
matically intervenes in case of slip of one
or both drive wheels, helping the driver
to control the car.
The action of the ASR is particularly help-
ful in the following circumstances:
❒slipping of the inner wheel due to the
effect of dynamic load changes or ex-
cessive acceleration;
❒too much power transmitted to the
wheels also in relation to the conditions
of the road surface;
❒acceleration on slippery, snowy or
frozen surfaces;
❒in the case of loss of grip on a wet sur-
face (acquaplaning).
fig. 58
TTC
C
F0S058Ab
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58
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
FAILURE INDICATIONS
Any failure is indicated by instrument pan-
el warning light
gcoming on together
with the message on the reconfigurable
multifunction display (for versions/mar-
kets, where provided) (see section
“Warning lights and messages”).
In the event of electric power steering sys-
tem failure, the car can be driven with me-
chanical steering.
IMPORTANT In some circumstances, fac-
tors independent from the electric pow-
er steering could cause the illumination of
the warning light
gon the instrument
panel.
“DUALDRIVE” ELECTRIC
POWER STEERING
SYSTEM
The car has an electrically operated pow-
er assisted system, that only works with
the ignition key in the MARposition and
the engine started, known as Dualdrive.
The electric power steering reduces the
effort on the steering wheel making town
driving and parking manoeuvres particu-
larly easy.
IMPORTANT In case of quick rotation of
the ignition switch, full power steering
functionality can be achieved after 1-2 sec-
onds.
When the SPORT function is turned on
(see “Controls” paragraph in this chapter)
the electric power steering assistance is
altered, increasing the sensitivity of the
steering wheel.
It is absolutely forbidden to
carry out whatever after-
market operation involving steering
system or steering column modifica-
tions (e.g.: installation of anti-theft
device) that could badly affect per-
formance and safety, cause the lapse
of warranty and also result in non-
compliance of the car with homolo-
gation requirements.
WARNING
Before servicing the car,
switch off the engine and re-
move the key from the ignition de-
vice, activating the steering lock, es-
pecially when car wheels do not
touch the ground. If this is not possi-
ble (if the key must be on MAR or the
engine must be running), remove the
main fuse which protects the electric
power steering.
WARNING
In this case, immediately stop the car, turn
off the engine for about 20 seconds and
then turn on again the engine. If the warn-
ing light
gis still on, along with the mes-
sage on the reconfigurable multifunction-
al display (for versions/markets, where
provided), contact Abarth Dealership.
IMPORTANT The steering may become
slightly stiff following parking manoeuvres
including a great deal of steering. This is
normal and caused by a system to prevent
motor overheating. No servicing is re-
quired. The power steering system will re-
turn to normal operation the next time
the car is used.
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73
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
AIRBAGS
The car is provided with front air bags for
the driver and the passenger, driver’s
knees air bag and side bags - window bags.
FRONT AIRBAGS
The front airbags (driver’s, passenger’s,
driver’s knees air bags) have been designed
to protect the occupants in the event of
head-on crashes of medium-high severity,
by placing the cushion between the occu-
pant and the steering wheel or dashboard.
Front air bags are designed to protect
car’s occupants in front crashes and there-
fore non-activation in other types of col-
lisions (side collisions, rear shunts, roll-
overs, etc.) is not a system malfunction.
An electronic control unit will make the
bag inflate in the event of a frontal crash.
The bag will inflate instantaneously placing
itself between the front occupant’s body
and the structures which could cause in-
jury. It will deflate immediately afterwards.
The front airbags (driver’s, passenger’s,
driver’s knees air bags) are not a replace-
ment of but complementary to the belts,
which you are recommended to always
wear, as specified by law in Europe and
most non-European countries.In the event of a collision, a person not
wearing a seat belt may be thrown forward
and come into contact with the bag before
it has fully opened. The protection offered
by the cushion is reduced in such a case.
Front air bags may not be activated in the
following situations:
❒in collisions against highly deformable
objects not affecting the car front sur-
face (e.g. bumper collision against guard
rail, etc.);
❒car penetration under other vehicles or
protective barriers (e.g. trucks or guard
rails);
they could not provide any additional pro-
tection compared with seat belts, so their
activation would be improper. No de-
ployment in such cases is consequently not
the sign of a fault.
Do not apply stickers or oth-
er objects on the steering
wheel, on the dashboard in the pas-
senger side airbag area, on side up-
holstery on roof and on the seats. Do
not place objects (e.g. cell phones) on
the passenger side dashboard because
these could interfere with the correct
opening of the airbag and cause se-
vere injury to occupants.
WARNING
The front airbags (driver’s, passenger’s,
driver’s knees air bags) are designed and
calibrated to protect the front seat pas-
sengers who wear the safety belts.
Their volume at the moment of maximum
inflation fills most space between the
steering wheel and the driver, between
the lower post guard and the knees on
passenger side and between the dash-
board and the passenger.
The airbags are not deployed in the event
of front collisions of low severity (for
which the withholding action of the seat
belts is sufficient). Safety belts must always
be used. In the event of frontal crash they
ensure the correct positioning of the oc-
cupant.
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74
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
SEVERE DANGER: Do not
arrange child seats facing
backwards if the passenger’s
front airbag is on. Deploy-
ment of the airbag in an ac-
cident could cause fatal in-
juries to the baby. Always deactivate
the passenger’s airbag when placing
a child seat on the front seat. Move
the passenger’s seat as far back as
possible to avoid contact between the
cradle and the dashboard. Although
this is not mandatory by law, the
airbag should be immediately reacti-
vated when children are no longer
carried to ensure better protection to
adults.
WARNING
DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG fig. 12
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained in a special recess in the cen-
tre of the steering wheel.
fig. 12F0S071Abfig. 13F0S072Ab
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
fig. 13
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained into a special recess in the dash-
board, this cushion has a volume bigger
than that of the driver.
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77
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
GENERAL WARNINGS
If when turning the key to
MAR the warning light ¬does not turn on or if it stays on when
travelling (together with the message
on the multifunctional display, where
provided) there could be a failure in
safety systems; in this event air bags
or pretensioners may not be deployed
in case of impact or, in a minor num-
ber of cases, they may be deployed
accidentally. Contact Abarth Dealer-
ship immediately to have the system
checked before driving off.
WARNING
Do not cover the front seat
backrest with covers if a
Side-bag is fitted.
WARNING
Do not travel with objects in
your lap, in front of your
chest, or keeping between your lips
pipes, pencils, etc.. In the event of
crash with airbag activation, you may
be seriously injured.
WARNING
Always drive keeping your
hands on the steering wheel
crown so that, in the event of airbag
activation, it can inflate without find-
ing obstacles. Do not drive with your
body bent forward. Keep the backrest
in straight position, resting correctly
your back on it.
WARNINGWith ignition key inserted,
on MAR, even if the engine
is off, the air bags can activate also
with the car stopped, if it is hit by an-
other vehicle. For this reason, children
must never sit on the front seat, even
if the car is not moving. We remind
you that if the key is inserted on
STOP, no safety device (air bag or
pretensioner) activates following a
collision; no deployment in such cas-
es is consequently not the sign of a
fault.
WARNING
It someone tried to steal or
damage your car, and in the
event of floods, have the air bag sys-
tem checked by the Abarth Dealer-
ship.
WARNING
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80
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒put the gear lever into neutral;
❒press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelerator;
❒turn the ignition key to AVVand let
it go the moment the engine starts.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is at MAR, war-
ning light
Yremains lit together with
warning light Uturn the key to STOP
and then back to MAR; if the warning li-
ght remains on, try with the other keys
provided with the car.
If you still do not manage to start the en-
gine, go to an Abarth Dealership.
STARTING THE
ENGINE
The car is provided with an electronic en-
gine lock device: refer to “The Fiat CO-
DE system” paragraph in “Your car” if you
cannot start the engine.
The engine may be noisier during the first
seconds of operation, particularly after a
long period of inactivity. This does not im-
pair functionality and reliability and is typ-
ical of hydraulic tappets: the distribution
system selected for the petrol engines of
your car in order to limit the maintenance
required.
In the first period of use, we
recommend to avoid excessi-
ve stress for the car (for in-
stance excessive accelera-
tions, extended travel at maximum
speed, sudden braking etc.).
With engine off, do not leave
the key in the ignition switch
on MAR to prevent draining
the battery.
It is dangerous to have the
engine running in closed en-
vironments. The engine depletes the
oxygen and discharges carbon dioxi-
de, carbon monoxide and other toxic
gases.
WARNING
Remember that the servo-
brake and electric power
steering are not operational until the
engine has been started, therefore
more effort than usual is required on
the brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
Never jump start the engine
by pushing, towing or driving
downhill. This could cause a
flow of fuel into the catalytic
converter and damage it beyond re-
pair.
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81
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is located between
the two front seats.
Pull the lever upwards to operate the
handbrake.
PARKING THE CAR
Proceed as follows:
❒stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒engage a gear (on a slope, engage first
gear if the car is faced uphill or rever-
se if it is faced downhill) and leave the
wheels steered.
If the car is parked on a steep slope, it is
further advisable to block the wheels with
a wedge or stone.
Do not leave the ignition key on MARto
prevent draining the battery. Always re-
move the key when you leave the car.
Never leave children unattended in the
car. Always remove the ignition key when
leaving the car and take it out with you. HOW TO WARM UP THE
ENGINE AFTER IT HAS JUST
STARTED
Proceed as follows:
❒drive off slowly, letting the engine turn
at medium speed. Do not accelerate
abruptly;
❒do not demand maximum performan-
ce for the first few kilometres. Wait un-
til the engine coolant temperature gau-
ge starts moving.
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOPwhile the en-
gine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you
should allow the engine to “catch its
breath” before turning it off by letting it
idle to allow the temperature in the engi-
ne compartment to fall.
A quick burst on the accele-
rator before turning off the
engine serves absolutely no
practical purpose, it wastes
fuel and is damaging especially to tur-
bocharged engines.The car must be braked after
a few snaps of the lever,
otherwise, contact the Abarth Dea-
lership for regulation.
WARNING
When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is on MAR, the in-
strument panel warning light
xwill turn
on.
Proceed as follows to release the hand-
brake:
❒slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A-fig. 1;
❒hold button Apressed and lower the
lever. Warning light xon the instru-
ment panel will go out.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
fig. 1
A
F0S076Ab
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84
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short distances and frequent cold start-ups
will prevent the engine from reaching op-
timal running temperature. Consequently,
both consumption (from +15 to +30% on
urban cycle ) and emissions will increase.
Traffic and road conditions
Rather high consumption is caused by
heavy traffic, for instance when travelling
in a queue with frequent use of low gears
or in cities with many traffic lights. Moun-
tain and rough roads also have a negative
effect on consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (level crossings)
the engine should be switched off.SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.
Abarth Dealership will be happy to pro-
vide advice concerning the most suitable
type of tyre for the customer’s require-
ments.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in pa-
ragraph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The performance of these tyres is consi-
derably reduced when the tread thickness
is less than 4 mm. Replace them in this ca-
se.
Due to their specific features, the perfor-
mance of snow tyres is much lower than
that of normal types in normal conditions
or long motorway stretches. Limit perfor-
mance according to the use for which they
were approved. Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases
as speed increases. Keep your speed as
even as possible, avoiding unnecessary
braking and acceleration which cause ex-
cessive fuel consumption and increase
emissions.
Acceleration
Sudden acceleration has a very negative
effect on consumptions and emissions: ac-
celerate gradually.
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85
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
SNOW CHAINS
Use of snow chains should be in com-
pliance with local regulations.
The snow chains may be applied only on-
to the front wheel tyres (drive wheels).
Check the tension of the chains after the
first few metres have been driven. IMPORTANT When snow tyres are used
with a max speed index below the one
that can be reached by the car (increased
by 5%), place a notice in the passenger’s
compartment, plainly in the driver’s view
which states the max permissible speed of
the snow tyres (as per EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand
and track) to ensure greater safety when
driving and braking and better driveability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to chan-
ge the direction of rotation of tyres.
EXTENDED
CAR INACTIVITY
If the car is to be left inactive for longer
than a month, the following precautions
should be noted:
❒park the car in covered, dry and if pos-
sible well-ventilated premises;
❒engage a gear;
❒check that the handbrake is not enga-
ged;
❒disconnect battery negative terminal
and check charge (see paragraph “Bat-
tery - Charge and electrolyte level
check” in chapter “Maintenance and ca-
re”)
❒clean and protect the painted parts
using protective wax;
Snow tyre maximum speed
with “Q” mark must not ex-
ceed 160 km/h, respecting however
the applicable rules of the Highway
Code.
WARNINGKeep your speed down when
snow chains are fitted. Do
not exceed 50 km/h. Avoid potholes,
steps and pavements and avoid also
to drive for long distances on roads
not covered with snow to prevent da-
maging the car and the roadbed.
WARNING
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