2008 Suzuki XL7 Owner's Manual - Page 164

DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE Driving On Grades Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you start down a long or steep downgrade. If you do not shift down, you might have to use your brakes so much that they would get hot and no longer work well. Parking on Hills When You Are Ready to Leave After Parking on a Hill 1) Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down while you do the following: • Start your engine. • Shift into a gear. • Release the parking brake. 2) Let up on the brake pedal. 3) Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks. 4) Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks. Maintenance When Trailer Towing Your vehicle will need service more often when you are pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more on this. Things that are especially important in trailer operation are automatic transmission fluid, engine oil, belts, cooling system and brake system. Each of these is covered in this manual, and the Index will help you find them quickly. If you are trailering, it is a good idea to review these sections before you start your trip. Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and bolts are tight. WARNING You really should not park your vehicle, with a trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes wrong, your rig could start to move. People can be injured, and both your vehicle and the trailer can be damaged. But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, do the following: 1) Apply your regular brakes, but do not shift into PARK (P) yet. 2) Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels. 3) When the wheel chocks are in place, release the regular brakes until the chocks absorb the load. 4) Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking brake, and then shift to PARK (P). 5) Release the regular brakes. 4-19