KIA Magentis 2008 User Manual

Page 214

Driving tips

✽

✽ NOTICE

Failure to sue a trailer wiring harness
can damage your vehicle’s electrical sys-
tem.

Driving on grades

Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 70 km/h (45
mph) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.

Parking on hills

Generally, you should not park your vehi-
cle, with a trailer attached, on a hill.
People can be seriously or fatally injured,
and both your vehicle and the trailer can
be damaged if they begin a downhill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here’s how to do it:

1. Apply your brakes, but don’t shift into

gear.

2. Have someone place chocks (blocks

of wood or metal intended for this pur-
pose) under the downhill sides of the
trailer wheels.

3. When the wheel chocks are in place,

release the brakes until the chocks
absorb the load.

4. Reapply the brakes. Apply your park-

ing brake, and then shift to P (Park) for
an automatic transaxle.

5. Release the brakes.

CAUTION

When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant tem-
perature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat. If the
needle of the coolant temperature
gauge moves across the dial
towards “H” (HOT), pull over and
stop as soon as it is safe to do so,
and allow the engine to idle until it
cools down. You may proceed once
the engine has cooled sufficiently.

WARNING

- Parking on a

hill

Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached is dangerous. It
could cause serious injury or death,
should the trailer break lose, or
should the trailer drag the vehicle
downhill.

WARNING

- Parking brake

It can be dangerous to get out of
your vehicle if the parking brake is
not firmly set or if the engine is still
running.
In either case the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
seriously or fatally injured.