To avoid draining your battery and lengthen its life, observe the following indications:

❒ when you park the car, ensure the doors, tailgate and bonnet are closed properly;
❒ the ceiling lights must be off. The car is however provided with an automatic system for switching off internal lights;
❒ do not keep accessories (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 system, disconnect the battery negative cable;
❒ battery terminals shall always be perfectly tightened.

IMPORTANT A battery which is kept at a charge of less than 50% (optical indicator with dark colour without green area in the middle) for any length of time will be damaged by sulphation leading to a reduction in cranking power. Moreover, this might lead to a higher risk of the battery electrolyte freezing (this may even occur at –10°C).

If the car is left inactive for a long period of time, refer to “Car inactivity”, in section “Correct use of the car”.

If after buying the car, you want to install electric accessories which require permanent electric supply (alarm, free-hands set, etc.) contact Fiat Dealership whose qualified personnel, in addition to suggesting the most suitable devices, will evaluate the overall electric absorption, checking whether the car’s electric system is capable of withstanding the load required, or whether it should be integrated with a more powerful battery.

In fact, since these devices continue absorbing energy even when the ignition key is off, they gradually run down the battery.

The total intake of these systems (factory and aftermarket) must be less than 0.6 mA x Ah (of the battery) as shown in the following table: