CITROEN C4 2018 Owners Manual
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A few driving recommendations
Observe the driving regulations at all times and remain vigilant whatever the traffic conditions.
Pay
close attention to the traffic and keep your
h
ands on the wheel so that you are ready to
react
at any time to any eventuality.
On
a long journey, a break every two hours is
s
trongly
re
commended.
In
difficult weather, drive smoothly, anticipate
t
he need to brake and increase the distance
f
rom other vehicles.
Driving on flooded
roads
We strongly advise against driving on flooded roads, as this could cause serious damage
t
o the engine or gearbox, as well as to the
e
lectrical systems of your vehicle.If
you are obliged to drive through water:
-
c
heck that the depth of water does not
e
xceed 15 cm, taking account of waves
t
hat might be generated by other users,
-
d
eactivate the Stop & Start system,
-
d
rive as slowly as possible without
stalling. In all cases, do not exceed 6 mph
(
10 km/h),
- d o not stop and do not switch off the
engine.
On
leaving the flooded road, as soon as
c
ircumstances allow, make several light brake
a
pplications to dry the brake discs and pads.
If in doubt on the state of your vehicle, contact
a
CITROËN dealer or a qualified workshop.
Important!
Never drive with the parking brake applied - Risk of overheating and
d
amage to the braking system!
Do
not park or run the engine when
s
tationary in areas where inflammable
s
ubstances and materials (dry grass,
d
ead leaves...) might come into
c
ontact with the hot exhaust system -
R
isk of fire!
Never leave a vehicle unsupervised
with
the engine running. If you have
t
o leave your vehicle with the engine
r
unning, apply the parking brake
a
nd put the gearbox into neutral or
p
osition
N or P,
depending on the type
o
f gearbox.
6
Driving
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When towing
Distribution of loads
F Distribute the load in the trailer so that the heaviest items are as close as possible to
t
he axle and the nose weight approaches
t
he maximum permitted without
e
xceeding it.
Air density decreases with altitude, thus
reducing
engine per formance. Above
1 0
00 metres, the maximum towed load must
b
e reduced by 10 % for every 1 000 metres of
al
titude.
For
more information on weights (and the
t
owed loads which apply to your vehicle) refer
to
the corresponding section.
Side wind
F Take into account the increased sensitivity t
o side wind.
Cooling
Towing a trailer on a slope increases the temperature of the coolant.
As
the fan is electrically controlled, its cooling
c
apacity is not dependent on the engine speed.
F
T
o lower the engine speed, reduce your
s
peed.
The
maximum towed load on a long incline
d
epends on the gradient and the ambient
t
emperature.
In
all cases, keep a check on the coolant
t
emperature. F
I
f the warning lamp and the
S
TOP
warning lamp come on,
s
top the vehicle and switch off
the
engine as soon as possible.
Braking
Towing a trailer increases the braking distance.
T o avoid overheating of the brakes, the use of
e
ngine braking is recommended.
Ty r e s
F Check the tyre pressures of the towing v
ehicle and of the trailer, observing the
re
commended
p
ressures.
Lighting
F Check the electrical lighting and signalling o
n the trailer and the hadlamp beam height
o
f your vehicle.
For
more information on adjusting the
h
eadlamp beam height, refer to the
c
orresponding
s
ection.
The
rear parking sensors will be
d
eactivated automatically if a genuine
C
ITROËN towbar is used.
Driving
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Starting
The parking brake must be applied.
F
W
ith
a manual gearbox, place the gear
l
ever in neutral then depress the clutch
pedal
f
ully.
F
W
ith
an electronic gearbox, place the
c
ontrol at N then press the brake pedal
f
i r m l y.
F
I
nsert
the key into the ignition switch; the
s
ystem recognises the code.
F
U
nlock the steering column by simultaneously
t
urning the steering and the key.
In
certain cases, you may have to apply
m
ore force to the steering (wheels on
f
ull
lock, for example).
F
W
ith
a petrol engine, operate the starter
m
otor
by turning the key to position 3
without
pressing the accelerator pedal,
u
ntil
the engine starts. Once the engine is
r
unning, release the key.
Starting-switching off the engine
It has 3 positions:
- position 1 (Stop):
insert and removing
the
key,
-
position 2 (Ignition on) :
steering column
u
nlocked, ignition on, Diesel preheating,
e
ngine
r
unning,
-
position 3 (Starting) .
Ignition switch
Switching off the engine leads to a loss o
f braking assistance.
Ignition on position (2)
It allows the use of the vehicle's electric equipment or portable devices to be charged.
Once
the state of charge of the battery drops
t
o the reserve level, the system switches to
e
nergy economy mode: the power supply is
c
ut off automatically to preserve the remaining
b
attery charge.
Avoid
attaching heavy objects to the
k
ey, which would weigh down on its
b
lade in the ignition switch and could
c
ause a malfunction.
It
could adversely affect the deployment
o
f the front airbag.
6
Driving
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F With a Diesel engine, turn the key to p
osition 2 ,
ignition on, to operate the
eng
ine
p
re-heating
s
ystem.
Wait until this warning lamp goes off in the instrument panel then operate the starter m
otor by turning the key to position 3
without
pressing the accelerator pedal,
u
ntil the engine starts. Once the engine is
r
unning, release the key.
In wintry conditions, the warning lamp can stay on for a longer period. When
t
he engine is hot, the warning lamp
d
oes not come on. In
temperate conditions, do not leave
t
he engine at idle to warm up but move
o
ff straight away and drive at moderate
s
peed.
Never leave the engine running in
a
n enclosed area without adequate
v
entilation:
in
ternal
c
ombustion
e
ngines emit toxic exhaust gases,
s
uch as carbon monoxide. Danger of i
ntoxication and death.
In very severe wintry conditions
(temperatures
below -23°C), to ensure
t
he correct operation and durability of
the
mechanical components of your
v
ehicle, engine and gearbox, it is
n
ecessary to leave the engine running
f
or 4 minutes before moving off.
If
the engine does not start straight
a
way, switch off the ignition. Wait a few
m
oments before operating the starter
m
otor again. If the engine does not
s
tart after several attempts, do not keep
t
rying: you risk damaging the starter
m
otor or the engine.
Contact a CITROËN dealer or a
qualified
w
orkshop.
Driving
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Key left in the "Ignition on" position
If the key has been left in the ignition switch at position 2 (Ignition on) ,
the
ignition will be switched off
a
utomatically after one hour.
To
switch the ignition back on, turn the
k
ey to position 1 (Stop),
then back to
p
osition 2 (Ignition on) .
Never
switch
off
the
ignition
before
the
v
ehicle
is
at
a
complete
stop.
With
the
engine
off,
the
braking
and
s
teering
assistance
systems
are
also
c
ut
off:
risk
of
loss
of
control
of
the
v
ehicle.
When
you
leave
the
vehicle,
keep
the
k
ey
with
you
and
lock
the
vehicle.
To
facilitate
unlocking
of
the
steering
c
olumn,
it
is
recommended
that
the
w
heels
be
returned
to
the
straight
ahead
p
osition
before
switching
off
the
engine.
Switching off
F Stop
the vehicle.
F W ith the engine running at idle, turn the key
t
o position 1 .
F
R
emove the key from the ignition switch.
F
T
o lock the steering column, turn the
s
teering until it locks.
F
C
heck that the parking brake is correctly
a
pplied, particularly on sloping ground.For
more information, refer to the
"
Energy economy mode" section.Energy economy mode
After switching off the engine (position 1- Stop),
for a maximum of 30 minutes you can still use
f
unctions such as the audio and telematic
s
ystem, the wipers, dipped beam headlamps,
c
ourtesy lamps, ...
6
Driving
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Parking brake
ApplicationRelease
When parking on a slope, direct your w
heels against the kerb, apply the
p
arking brake, engage a gear and
s
witch off the ignition.
When the vehicle is being driven, if this warning lamp and the STOP w arning lam p c
ome on, accompanied by an audible
s
ignal and a message in the screen, this
i
ndicates that the parking brake is still on or
h
as not been fully released.
F Pull the parking brake lever up to i
mmobilise your vehicle. F
P ull the parking brake lever up slightly, p
ress the release button, then lower the
lever
f
ully.
Driving
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5-speed manual gearbox
Engaging reverse
gear
F Press the clutch pedal fully down.
F P ush the gear lever fully to the right then
ba
ckwards.
Only
engage reverse gear when the
v
ehicle is stationary with the engine at idle.
As a safety precaution and to facilitate
starting
of the engine:
-
a
lways select neutral,
-
p
ress the clutch pedal.
6
Driving
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Operation
Gear shift indicator
System which reduces fuel consumption by advising the driver to change up, on vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox.T he system adapts its gear change
r
ecommendation according to the
d
riving conditions (slope, load, ...) and
t
he demands of the driver (power,
a
cceleration, braking, ...).
The
system never suggests:
-
e
ngaging first gear,
-
enga
ging
r
everse
g
ear,
-
e
ngaging a lower gear.
Example:
-
Y
ou are in third gear.
Depending
on the driving situation and your
v
ehicle's equipment, the system may advise
y
ou to skip one (or more) gear(s). You can
f
ollow this instruction without engaging the
i
ntermediate
g
ears.
-
Y
ou press the accelerator pedal.
-
T
he system may suggest that you engage
a
higher gear.
The
information appears in the instrument
p
anel in the form of an arrow, accompanied by
t
he recommended gear.
On
certain Diesel versions with manual
g
earbox, the system may suggest
c
hanging into neutral (N is displayed in
the
instrument panel) so that the engine
c
an go into standby (STOP mode
w
ith Stop & Start), in certain driving
c
onditions.
The
gear engagement recommendations must
n
ot be considered compulsory. In fact, the
c
onfiguration of the road, the amount of traffic
a
nd safety remain determining factors when
c
hoosing the best gear. Therefore, the driver
r
emains responsible for deciding whether or not
t
o follow the advice given by the system.
This
system cannot be deactivated.
Driving
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ETG electronic gearbox
N Neutral: with your foot on the brake, press t
his control to put the gearbox into neutral
a
nd for starting the engine.
D
D
rive: press this control to engage for ward
d
rive with automatic operation of the gears.
R
R
everse: with your foot on the brake, press
t
his control to engage reverse.
Control panel
F Operate the paddle to the right of the steering wheel to
ch
ange
up.
Steering mounted controls
The steering mounted paddles do not a
llow neutral to be selected, or reverse
gear
to be engaged or disengaged.
Five
or
six-speed
electronically
controlled
gearbox
which
offers the comfort of automatic control of the gears, without any action by the driver.
You
can
temporarily
take
control
of
gear
changes
at
any
time, using the steering mounted control paddles.
F
O
perate the paddle to the left
of the steering wheel to change
down .
Display in the instrument panel
F Place your foot on the brake
when this warning lamp flashes.
N
Neutral
D and 1 2 3 4 5 / 6
D
rive (for ward drive) and
the
g
ear
enga
ged.
R
Reverse
6
Driving
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N flashes in the instrument panel, accompanied by an audible signal and
a
message if the control N has not been
pressed
for starting.
Press control N
to select neutral.
Moving off
F Switch on the ignition.
F Sel ect neutral (control N ).
T
he indicator lamp for the control comes on.
F
P
ress the brake pedal fully.
F
S
tart the engine. N
appears in the instrument panel.
F
S
elect for ward drive (control D) or reverse
(c ontrol R )
T
he associated indicator lamp comes on in
t
he control panel.
D and 1 or R
appear in the instrument
pan
el.
Creep function
This function allows the vehicle to be
manoeuvred more easily at low speeds (when
p
arking, in traffic jams...).
After
pressing control D or R, the vehicle
moves as soon as you take your foot off the
brake pedal ,
at low speed and with the engine
a
t idle.
The
creep function may be temporarily
u
navailable if the clutch temperature is
t
oo high or the slope too steep.
Do not leave children unsupervised
inside
the vehicle when the engine is
r
unning.
You
must
keep
your
foot
on
the
brake
p
edal
while
starting
the
engine.
The
"Foot
on
the
brake"
warning
and
t
he associated control panel indicator
lamp
flash
if
the
brake
pedal
is
not
p
ressed
when
starting
the
engine.
Press
firmly
on
the
brake
pedal. F
R
elease
the
parking
brake.
F
P
rogressively
take
your
foot
off
the
brake
ped
al.
T
he
vehicle
moves
off.
Driving