Index Fiat Fiat Idea (2012 year) - instruction in english

Fiat Idea (2012 year). Instruction - part 8

SAFETY DEVICES

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

Top speed

Fuel consumption considerably increases
with speed. Keep speed as constant as
possible, avoid superfluous braking and ac-
celerating, which cost in terms of both fu-
el and emissions.

Acceleration

Accelerating violently increasing the revs
will greatly affect consumption and emis-
sions: acceleration should be gradual and
should not exceed the maximum torque.

CONDITIONS OF USE

Cold starting

Short journeys and frequent cold starts do
not allow the engine to reach optimum
operating temperature. This results in a
significant increase in consumption levels
(from +15 to +30% on the urban cycle)
and emission of harmful substances.

Traffic situations
and road conditions

Rather high consumption levels are tied to
situations with heavy traffic, for example
in queues with frequent use of the lower
gears or in cities with many traffic lights.
Also winding mountain roads and rough
road surfaces adversely affect consump-
tion.

Traffic hold-ups

During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level
crossings) the engine should be switched
off.

TOWING TRAILERS

IMPORTANT NOTES

For towing caravans or trailers the car
must be fitted with a certified tow hook
and an adequate electric system. Installa-
tion should be carried out by specialised
personnel who release a special document
for circulation on the road.

Install any specific and/or additional rear-
view mirrors as specified by law.

Remember that when towing a trailer,
steep hills are harder to climb, the brak-
ing spaces increase and overtaking takes
longer depending on the overall weight.

Engage a low gear when driving downhill,
rather than constantly using the brake.

The weight the trailer exerts on the car
tow hook reduces by the same amount
the actual vehicle loading capacity. To
make sure the maximum towable weight
is not exceeded (given in the log book) ac-
count should be taken of the fully laden
trailer, including accessories and person-
al belongings.

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SAFETY DEVICES

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

Do not exceed the speed limits of the
country you are driving in. In any case do
not exceed 100 km/h.

The ABS system with which
the car may be fitted does

not control the trailer braking system.
Great care should therefore be taken
when driving on slippery road sur-
faces.

Under no circumstances
should the vehicle brake sys-

tem be altered to control the trailer
brake. The trailer braking system
must be fully independent of the ve-
hicle’s hydraulic system.

WARNING

INSTALLING THE TOW HOOK

The towing device should be fastened to
the body by specialised personnel ac-
cording to any additional and/or integra-
tive information supplied by the Manufac-
turer of the device.

The towing device must meet current reg-
ulations with reference to 94/20/EC Di-
rective and subsequent amendments.

For any version the towing device used
must match the towable weight of the ve-
hicle on which it is to be installed.

For the electric connection a unified con-
nector should be used which is generally
placed on a special bracket normally fas-
tened to the towing device, and a special
ECU for external trailer light control shall
be installed on the car.

For the electrical connection 7 or 13 pins
12VDC connection is to be used (CU-
NA/UNI and ISO/DIN Standards). Follow
the instructions provided by the car man-
ufacturer and/or the tow hitch manufac-
turer.

An electric brake should be supplied di-
rectly by the battery through a cable with
a cross section of no less than 2.5 mm

IMPORTANT Electric brake or other de-
vice shall be used with running engine.

In addition to the electrical branches, the
car’s electric system can only be con-
nected to the supply cable for an electric
brake and to the cable for an internal light,
though not above 15W.

For connections use a preset control unit
with battery cable no less than 2.5 mm

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SAFETY DEVICES

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

F0H0151m

Assembly diagram fig. 4

The tow hook structure must be fastened
in the points shown by the symbol

us-

ing a total of 4 M8 screws, 2 M10 screws
and 2 M12 screws.

The hook should be fastened to the body
avoiding any type of drilling and trimming
of the rear bumpers that remains visible
when the hook is removed.

IMPORTANT It is compulsory to fasten a
label (plainly visible) of suitable size and
material with the following wording:

MAX LOAD ON BALL 60 kg

After fitting, screw holes
shall be sealed to prevent ex-

haust gas inlet.

WARNING

fig. 4

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SAFETY DEVICES

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

SNOW TYRES

Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.

Fiat Dealership will be happy to provide
advice concerning the most suitable type
of tyre for the customer’s requirements.

For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in para-
graph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.

The winter features of these tyres are re-
duced considerably when the tread depth
is below 4 mm. In this case, they should
be replaced.

Due to the snow tyre features, under nor-
mal conditions of use or on long motor-
way journeys, the performance of these
tyres is lower than that of normal tyres. It
is therefore necessary to limit their use to
the purposes for which they are certified.

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
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 driveabili-
ty.

Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of tyres.

The max speed for snow
tyres with “T” marking is 190

km/h. The Road Traffic Code speed
limits must however be always strict-
ly observed.

WARNING

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SAFETY DEVICES

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

SNOW CHAINS

Use of snow chains should be in compli-
ance with local regulations.

Snow chains should only be applied to the
driving wheels (front wheels). We rec-
ommend using Lineaccessori Fiat snow
chains.

Check the tension of the chains after dri-
ving some ten metres.

IMPORTANT Snow chains cannot be fit-
ted to the space-saver spare wheel. So, if
a front (drive) wheel is punctured and
chains are needed, a rear wheel should be
fitted to the front of the vehicle and the
spare wheel should be fitted to the rear.
This way with two normal drive wheels,
snow chains can be fitted to them to solve
an emergency.

IMPORTANT Tyres 205/50 R16 87V can-
not be fitted with snow chains.

Versions

ACTIVE

DYNAMIC

EMOTION

Tyres on which chains can be fitted

185/65 R14 86T
195/60 R15 88T

195/60 R15 88T

Type of snow chains to be used

Snow chains with standard size

with max protrusion beyond the tyre profile of 12 mm.

Keep 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 dis-
tances on roads not covered with snow
to prevent damaging the car and the
roadbed.

Refer to the above mentioned
table for information on the
wheels where snow chains can
be fitted. Follow the prescrip-

tions.

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SAFETY DEVICES

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR

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 en-

gaged;

❒ disconnect battery terminals (first dis-

connect the negative terminal) and
check the battery charge. This check
is to be repeated every three months
when the car is left inactive. Recharge
if the optical indicator shows a dark
colour without the central green area;

❒ clean and protect the painted parts us-

ing protective wax;

❒ clean and protect the shiny metal

parts using special compounds readi-
ly available;

❒ sprinkle talcum powder on the rub-

ber windscreen and rear window
wiper blades and lift them off the
glass;

❒ slightly open the windows;
❒ cover the car with a cloth or perfo-

rated plastic sheet. Do not use sheets
of non-perforated plastic as they do
not allow moisture on the car body to
evaporate;

❒ inflate tyres to +0.5 bar above the

normal specified pressure and check it
at intervals;

❒ if you don’t disconnect the battery

from the electric system, check its
charge every month and recharge it if
the optical indicator shows a dark
colour without the central green area;

❒ do not drain the engine cooling sys-

tem.

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