Owners Manual

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 MAR to
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 STOP while 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
x
will turn
on.
Proceed as follows to release the hand-
brake:
slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A-fig. 1;
hold button A pressed and lower the
lever. Warning light
x
on 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
079-086 ABARTH 500 GB 28-01-2010 11:56 Pagina 81