FIAT Punto 2012 - Manual (Page 226)

224
KNOWING
YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
STARTING
AND DRIVING
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING
AND CARE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTENTS
If the vehicle must remain unused for
a long time at very low temperatures, re-
move the battery and take it to a warm place to
avoid freezing.
WARNING
If you have to perform any operation on
the battery or near it, always protect your
eyes with special goggles.
WARNING
USEFUL ADVICE FOR EXTENDING
THE LIFE OF YOUR BATTERY
To avoid draining your battery and make it last longer, fol-
low these instructions closely:
❒ when you park the car, ensure that the doors, boot and
bonnet are closed properly to prevent the ceiling cour-
tesy lights from staying on;
❒ turn off the ceiling lights, although the car does have
an automatic system for switching off internal lights;
❒ do not leave devices (e.g. sound system, hazard lights,
etc.) switched on for a long time when the engine is not
running;
❒ before performing any operation on the electrical sys-
tem, disconnect the negative battery cable;
❒ make sure battery terminals are fully tightened.
IMPORTANT If the battery remains with the charge be-
low 50% for a long time it becomes damaged through sul-
phation and its starting capacity is reduced.
The battery will also be more at risk of freezing (this can
happen as early as -10°C). Refer to “Car inactivity” in
“Starting and driving” if the car is left parked for a long
time.
If, after buying the car, you want to install electrical devices
that require a permanent electric supply (alarm, etc.) or
devices that use a lot of electricity, contact a Fiat Dealer-
ship. Their qualified personnel, in addition to suggesting
the most suitable devices from the Lineaccessori Fiat range,
will evaluate the overall electricity consumption, check-
ing whether the car’s electrical system is capable of with-
standing the load required, or whether it should be inte-
grated with a more powerful battery.
Since these devices continue to consume energy even
when the engine is switched off, they gradually run down
the battery.