wheel FIAT PALIO 2003 178 / 1.G India Version User Guide

58
The bag inflates instantly and acts as
a soft protective barrier between the
driver’s body and the structures that
could cause injury. The bag deflate im-
mediately afterwards.
A person not wearing the seat belt
may crash into the bag before it is ful-
ly inflated. In this case the protection
is considerably decreased.
As a consequence, the air bag is not
a replacement for the use of seat belts
but rather a complement. We rec-
ommend that seat belts are worn at all
times as prescribed by legislation in Eu-
rope and most other countries world-
wide.In the event of a less severe collision
(for which seat belts are sufficient pro-
tection) the airbag is not activated.
For impacts against very deformable
or mobile objects (traffic sign poles,
heaps of gravel or snow, parked vehi-
cles), side impacts, wedging under oth-
er vehicles or barriers (e.g. under a
track or guard rail), the airbag is not
necessary. In the event of frontal im-
pacts involving, for example, the mud-
guard against a guardrail, the airbags
are not triggered as they would not of-
fer additional protection with respect
to the seat belts.
Therefore, the fact that the airbag
does not inflate is not a sign of sys-
tem malfunction.AIR BAG
DESCRIPTION
AND OPERATION fig. 68
The air bag is a safety device which is
immediately triggered in the event of
a frontal impact. It is available only for
the driver.
It consists of an instantly inflatable
bag housed in a special compartment
located in the centre of the steering
wheel.
The air bag is a device designed to
protect the driver in the event of a
frontal collision of medium-high sever-
ity, by interposing the cushion be-
tween the occupant and the steering
wheel.
In a collision, an electronic control
unit processes the signals from a de-
celeration sensor and, where required,
inflates the airbag.
fig. 68
P4E02039
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59
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the indi-
cator û
comes on after
about four seconds. If the warn-
ing light does not come on, or it
remains on while travelling go
immediately to a Fiat Dealership.
Do not apply stickers or
other objects on the
steering wheel. Do not
travel with items on your lap, in
front of you or with a pipe, pencil
etc. between your lips. In a colli-
sion where the airbag is triggerd
you could seriously hurt yourself
GENERAL WARNINGS
It may happen that the air bag
inflates if the car is involved in
hard impacts or collisions in the
area of the underbody, for exam-
ple hard knocks against steps,
kerbs or raised road bumps, or if
the car drops into large pot-holes
or road dips.
When the airbag inflates it
emits a small amount of dust and
smoke. This dust and smoke is
harmless and it is not the begin-
ning of a fire.
If the warning light
ûcomes on
while travelling (indication of a
fault) go as soon as possible to a
Fiat Dealership.
The air bag system is valid for 10
years. When the expiry date is
near, contact a Fiat Dealership.
Should an accident occur in
which the airbag is activated,
take the car to a Fiat Dealership
to have the whole device re-
placed (electronic control unit,
seat belts, pretensioners) and tohave the electrical system
checked.
Any diagnostic, repair or re-
placement operations concerning
the airbag system must exclu-
sively be carried out at a Fiat
Dealership.
If you are having the car
scrapped, have the airbag system
deactivated at a Fiat Dealership.
If the car changes hands, the
new owner must be made aware
of the indications given above and
be given this Owner’s Handbook.
Pretensioners (if electronically
controlled) and air bag are trig-
gered by the electronic control
unit according to different types
of impact. Therefore, if some de-
vices do not trigger this does not
indicate a fault in the system.
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Always drive with both
hands on the rim of the
steering wheel so that the
airbag is free to inflate and pro-
tect you from serious injury in a
collision. Do not drive with your
body bending toward the steer-
ing wheel, but sit in an upright po-
sition with your back resting
against the seat.
If the car has been stolen
or an attempt has been
made to steal it, or it has
been vandalised in any way, or
subjected to flooding, have the
airbag system checked at a Fiat
Dealership.The air bag does not
substitute seat belts, but
increases its efficiency.
Furthermore, since the airbag is
not inflated in frontal collisions at
low speed, side collisions, rear
end shunts or overturns, in such
cases the occupants are protect-
ed by the seat belts only and
therefore they should always be
fastened.Correct functioning of
airbag and pretensioners
is only guaranteed when
the car is not overloaded.SOUND SYSTEMRemember that airbag
can be triggered when
the ignition key is insert-
ed and set to MAR, even with the
car stationary, if another vehicle
crashes into it. On the other
hand, when the car is stationary
and the ignition key is removed,
the airbag does not trigger in the
event of an impact.
Visit the Fiat Dealership
if you want to fit a sound
system after purchasing
your car. Qualified, trained staff
will provide useful advice for safe-
guarding the battery. Excessive
intake when the engine is not
running will damage the battery
and may invalidate the battery
warranty.
Fiat recommends wide range of
music systems as Fiat acces-
sories, which are available with
Fiat dealerships.
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DRIVING YOUR CAR
To help you handle your Fiat Palio in the best and
safest possible way, and above all use it to its fullest
potential, we have given you some hints in this chap-
ter on “what to do, what not to do and what to
avoid” when at the wheel of your Fiat Palio.
In most cases, these behaviours are valid also on
other cars. In other cases, they are related to opera-
tional particularities exclusive to Fiat Palio. It is nec-
essary to pay utmost attention while reading this
chapter, to know the use and driving behaviours
allowing you to derive the maximum from your Fiat
Palio.STARTING THE ENGINE ...................................... PAGE 65
PARKING .................................................................... PAGE 67
USING THE GEARBOX ......................................... PAGE 68
SAFE DRIVING .......................................................... PAGE 68
ECONOMICAL RUNNING THAT RESPECTS
THE ENVIRONMENT .............................................. PAGE 73
CONTAINING RUNNING COST AND
POLLUTION .............................................................. PAGE 75
SNOW CHAINS ....................................................... PAGE 77
STORING THE CAR ................................................ PAGE 78
RECURRENT CHECKS
AND BEFORE LONG DISTANCE TRIPS ......... PAGE 78
ACCESSORIES PURCHASED
BY THE OWNER ..................................................... PAGE 79
USEFUL ACCESSORIES ........................................... PAGE 79
64
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66
BUMP STARTING STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to STOPwhile
the engine is idling.
HOW TO WARM UP THE
ENGINE AFTER IT HAS JUST
STARTED
– Begin to move forward slowly let-
ting the engine turn over at medium
revs. Do not accelerate abruptly.
– Do not push the engine to its lim-
its for the first few kilometers. You are
recommended to wait until the water
temperature achieves 50°C÷60°C.
Remember that until
the engine has started the
brake booster and hy-
draulic power steering systems
they will not work and a greater
effort will therefore be required
to depress the pedal or turn the
steering wheel.Never bump start the
engine (by pushing, tow-
ing or coasting downhill)
as this could cause fuel to flow in-
to the catalytic exhaust system
and damage it beyond repair.
A quick burst on the ac-
celerator before turning
off the engine serves ab-
solutely no practical purpose and
wastes fuel.
IMPORTANT
After a taxing drive
you should allow the engine to “catch
its breath” before turning it off by let-
ting it idle to allow the temperature in
the engine compartment to fall.
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With handbrake engaged and igni-
tion key at
MAR, the instrument pan-
el warning light
x
comes on.
To disengage the handbrake:
1)Slightly lift the handbrake and
press release button
A.
2)Keep the button pressed in and
lower the lever. Warning light
x
will
go out.
3)To prevent accidental movement
of the car, this procedure should be
carried out with the brake pedal
pressed down.
HANDBRAKE fig. 1
The handbrake lever is situated be-
tween the two front seats.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards un-
til the car cannot be moved. Four or
five clicks are generally enough when
the car is on level ground while nine
or ten may be required if the car is
on a steep slope or loaded.
IMPORTANTIf this is not the
case, take the car to a
Fiat Dealer-
ship
to have the handbrake adjusted.
Never leave unsuper-
vised children in the car.
Always remove the key
from the ignition switch and take
it with you when you get out of
the car.
fig. 1
P4E02046
PARKING
Stop the engine, engage the hand-
brake and engage first gear if the car
is faced uphill or reverse gear if it is
faced downhill in compliance with the
national Highway Code and leave the
wheels steered towards the road bor-
ders or the kerb. Block the wheels
with a wedge or a stone if the car is
parked on a steep slope.
Do not leave the ignition key at
MARbecause it drains the battery.
Always remove the key when you
leave the car.
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68
You must press the
clutch fully down to
change gear properly. It is
therefore essential that there is
nothing under the pedals. Make
sure that mats are lying flat and
do not get in the way of pedals.
SAFE DRIVING
In designing the Fiat Palio, Fiat made
every effort to offer a car able to pro-
vide driver and passengers with top
class levels of safety.
Nevertheless it is always the behav-
iour of the person at the wheel that
determines road safety.
Below you will find some simple tips
to help you travel in safety under dif-
ferent conditions.
You will no doubt be familiar with
many of them already but it will be
useful to read them all carefully.
USING THE
GEARBOX
To engage the gears, press the clutch
pedal fully down and put the gear lever
into one of the positions shown in the
diagram in
fig. 2(the diagram is also
on the gear lever knob).
To engage the reverse gear (
R), wait
that the car has stopped moving com-
pletely; from the neutral position, lift
the ring
Aof the reverse gear inhibitor
device, move the lever towards the
right side and then backwards.
fig. 2
P4E02289
IMPORTANTThe car can be put
into reverse gear when it has stopped
moving completely. With the engine
running, before engaging the reverse
gear, wait at least 2 seconds with the
clutch pedal fully down to prevent
damage and grating of the gears.
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69
Water, ice or salt sprin-
kled on the road can de-
posit on the brake discs
and reduce efficiency of the first
braking.
Consider that fitting ex-
tra spoilers, alloy rims or
non standard wheel caps
can reduce ventilation of the
brakes and reduce their efficien-
cy under conditions of violent or
repeated braking or long down-
hill travel.
BEFORE GETTING BEHIND
THE WHEEL
– Make sure all lights including the
headlights are working properly.
– Adjust the position of the seats, the
steering wheel and the rearview mir-
rors properly for the best driving po-
sition.
– Carefully adjust the head restraints
so the back of the head and not the
nape of the neck is supported.
– Make sure that nothing (mats etc.)
gets in the way of the pedals when
they are pushed down.
– Do not drive using the clutch ped-
al as a foot rest. Such behaviour can
cause a premature wear of the clutch.
– Make sure that any child restraint
systems (child seats, carriers, etc.) are
properly fixed preferably on the back
seat. Follow the precautions listed in
the “Transporting children in safety”
paragraph in the “Getting to know the
car” chapter.
– Arrange the load in the boot in such
a way that it cannot be thrown for-
wards in the event of an accident.– Do not place clear objects or
sheets of paper on the dashboard that
reflect on the windscreen.
– Do not eat a heavy meal before
travelling. Light eating will help keep
your reflexes prompt. Above all, do
not have anything alcoholic to drink.
The use of some medicines can reduce
the driving capability: carefully read the
relevant use warnings.
Remember to periodically carry out
the checks specified in the “Repeated
checks before long trips” paragraph
given in this section.
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71
DRIVING AT NIGHT
If you are driving at night these are
the main rules to follow:
– Drive carefully: it is harder to dri-
ve at night.
– Slow down especially if the road is
not lit.
– At the first signs of sleepiness, stop:
continuing would be a risk for yourself
and everybody else. Only start driving
again when you have had enough rest
– Keep a greater safety distance from
the cars in front of you than during
daylight hours: it is hard to judge how
fast other cars are going when all you
can see are their lights.
– Make sure the headlight beams are
properly positioned: if they are too
low, they reduce visibility and strain
your eyes. If they are too high they can
dazzle other drivers.
– Only use main beam headlights
when you are driving outside town
and make sure they do not annoy oth-
er drivers.– Dip your headlights as soon as you
see cars coming in the other direction
and pass them with the headlights
dipped.
– Keep all lights clean.
– Be careful of animals crossing the
road when driving in the country.
DRIVING IN THE RAIN
Rain and wet road surfaces spell dan-
ger.
All manoeuvres are more difficult on
a wet road because the grip of the
wheels on the tarmac is greatly re-
duced. This is why braking distances
are much longer and road-holding is
lower.
Here is some advice for driving in the
rain:
– Reduce speed and maintain a
greater safety distance from the cars
in front.
– If it is raining particularly heavily, vis-
ibility is also reduced. In these cases,
switch on the dipped headlights even if
it is still daylight so you can be seen
more easily. – Do not drive through puddles at
speed and hold on tightly to the wheel
if you do: a puddle taken at high speed
might cause you to lose control of the
car (“aquaplaning”).
– Move the ventilation controls to
the position for demisting the win-
dows (see chapter “Getting to know
your car”) to avoid visibility problems.
– Periodically check the condition of
the windscreen wiper blades.
DRIVING IN FOG
– If the fog is thick, do not start out
on a journey.
If driving in mist, blanket fog or when
there is the danger of fog patches:
– Keep your speed down.
– Turn on the dipped headlights and
front foglights, if fitted, even during the
day. Do not drive with your headlights
at main beam.
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72
– Remember that fog also means the
tarmac is wet and therefore manoeu-
vres of all kinds are more difficult and
stopping distances are longer.
– Keep a good distance from the ve-
hicle in front of you.
– As far as possible, avoid spurts of
speed or sudden deceleration.
– Do not overtake other vehicles if
you can help it.
– If you are forced to stop your car
(breakdown, limited visibility etc.) try
to stop off the road. Turn on the haz-
ard lights and, if possible, the dipped
beam headlights. Rhythmically sound
the horn if you realize another car is
coming.MOUNTAIN DRIVING
– When driving downhill, use the en-
gine braking by engaging a low gear, so
as not to overheat the brakes.
– Under no circumstances should
you drive downhill with the engine off
or with the car in neutral, let alone
with the ignition key out.
– Drive at a moderate speed without
cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking while
going uphill is slower and therefore re-
quires more free road. If you are be-
ing overtaken while driving uphill,
make it easier for the other vehicle
to pass.
DRIVING ON SNOW AND
ICE
Here are some tips for driving in
these conditions:
– Before starting off make sure that
the windscreen wiper blades are not
frozen to the windscreen.
– Remove the snow from the climate
control system air vent. – Keep your speed down.
– Use chains if the roads are covered
in snow: see paragraph “Snow chains”
in this chapter.
– Do not stay parked on high snow
for too long with engine running: the
snow could divert the carbon oxide
of the exhaust gases in the passenger
compartment.
– Mainly use the braking effect of the
engine and under all circumstances
avoid braking sharply.
– When braking in a car not fitted
with ABS, reduce the possibility of the
wheels locking by varying the pressure
you exert on the brake pedal.
– Do not accelerate suddenly and
avoid swerving.
– In the winter, even apparently dry
roads may have icy patches. Be care-
ful therefore when driving over patch-
es that do not get much exposure to
sun or are lined with trees or rocks
where ice may have not have melted.
– Keep a good distance from the ve-
hicles in front.
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