2005 Alfa Romeo 159 Owner handbook (in English)

151
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
To release the handbrake proceed as fol-
lows:
❒Slightly lift the handbrake Aand
press release button B;
❒Keep button Bpressed and lower the
lever. Warning light
xon the in-
strument panel will turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever A-fig. 2 is locat-
ed between the two front seats. Pull the
handbrake lever Aupwards, until the
car cannot be moved.
With electronic key fitted into the igni-
tion device, the instrument panel warn-
ing light
xwill come on.
IMPORTANT The car shall stop after
a few clicks of the handbrake lever. If
this is not the case, contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services to have the hand-
brake adjusted.
A0E0030mfig. 2
PARKING THE CAR
Proceed as follows:
❒Stop the engine and engage the
handbrake;
❒Engage a gear (on a slope, engage
first gear if the car is faced uphill or
reverse if it is faced downhill) and
leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone
if the car is parked on a steep slope. Do
not leave the electronic key in the igni-
tion switch to prevent draining the bat-
tery.
Never leave children un-
attended in the car. Al-
ways remove the electronic key
when leaving the car and take
it out with you.
WARNING

152
SAFETY
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
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EMERGENCY
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
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AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CARTo engage reverse Rfrom neutral, raise
ringA-fig. 3under the knob and at
the same time move the gearshift lever
leftwards and then forward. After en-
gaging reverse release the ring. To shift
from reverse to another gear it is not
necessary to raise the ring.
IMPORTANT The car can only be put
into reverse gear when it has stopped
moving completely. With the engine run-
ning, before engaging the reverse, wait
at least 3 seconds with the clutch ped-
al fully down to prevent damage and
grating of the gears.
A0E0151mfig. 3
To change gears prop-
erly you must push the
clutch pedal fully down. It is
therefore essential that there
is nothing under the pedals:
make sure mats are lying flat
and do not get in the way of
the pedals.
WARNING
Do not drive with your
hand resting on the gear
lever as the force ex-
erted, even if slight, could lead
over time to premature wear on
the gearbox internal compo-
nents.
USING THE
GEARBOX
The car is fitted with 6-gear manual
gearbox. Gear positions are shown on
the gearshift lever knob.
Always press down the clutch pedal
when shifting gears. To engage the 6
th
gear, move the gearshift lever pressing
slightly rightwards to prevent engaging
the 4
thgear accidentally.

153
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Climate control
The air conditioner is an additional load
which greatly affects the engine leading
to higher consumption. When the tem-
perature outside the car permits it, use
the air vents where possible.
Spoilers
The use of aerodynamic optional extras
which are not certified for the specific
use on the vehicle, may reduce the aero-
dynamic penetration of the vehicle and
increase consumption. Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with too much luggage
stowed in the boot. The weight of the
car (especially when driving in town)
and its trim greatly affects consumption
and stability.
Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack
from the roof as soon as they are no
longer used. These accessories lower air
penetration and adversely affect con-
sumption levels. When needing to car-
ry particularly voluminous objects, prefer-
ably use a trailer.
Electric devices
Use electric devices only for the amount
of time needed. Rear heated window,
additional headlights, windscreen wipers
and heater fan need a considerable
amount of energy, therefore increasing
the requirement of current increases fu-
el consumption (up to +25% in the ur-
ban cycle).CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS
Here are some suggestions which may
help you to keep the running costs of
your car down and lower the amount of
toxic emissions released into the at-
mosphere.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out
in accordance with the “Service sched-
ule”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routine-
ly at an interval of no more than 4
weeks: if the pressure is too low, con-
sumption levels increase as resistance
to rolling is higher.

154
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic
and road allow, use a higher gear. Us-
ing a low gear to obtain brilliant perfor-
mance increases consumption. In the
same way improper use of a high gear
increases consumption, emissions an en-
gine wear.
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increas-
es with speed. Avoid superfluous brak-
ing and accelerating, which cost in terms
of both fuel and emissions.
Acceleration
Accelerating violently increasing the revs
will greatly affect consumption and emis-
sions: acceleration should be gradual and
should not exceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts
do not allow the engine to reach opti-
mum operating temperature. This results
in a significant increase in consumption
levels (from +15 to +30% on the urban
cycle) and emission of harmful sub-
stances.
Traffic and road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied
to situations with heavy traffic, for ex-
ample in queues with frequent use of
the lower gears or in cities with many
traffic lights. Also winding mountain
roads and rough road surfaces adverse-
ly affect consumption.
Traffic hold-ups
During prolonged hold-ups (e.g.: level
crossings) the engine should be
switched off.
DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car
at a standstill or at idle or high speed:
under these conditions the engine
warms up much more slowly, increasing
electrical consumption and emissions. It
is therefore advisable to move off im-
mediately, slowly, avoiding high speeds.
This way the engine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traf-
fic lights or before switching off the en-
gine. This and also double declutching
is absolutely pointless on modern cars
and also increase consumption and pol-
lution.

155
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Engage a low gear when driving down-
hill, rather than constantly using the
brake.
The weight the trailer exerts on the car
tow hook reduces by the same amount
the actual car loading capacity. To make
sure the maximum towable weight is
not exceeded (given in the log book)
account should be taken of the fully
laden trailer, including accessories and
personal belongings.
Do not exceed the speed limits of the
country you are driving in. In any case
do not exceed 100 km/h.TOWING TRAILERS
IMPORTANT NOTES
For towing caravans or trailers the car
must be fitted with a certified tow hook
and an adequate electric system. In-
stallation should be carried out by spe-
cialised personnel who release a special
document for circulation on the road.
Install any specific and/or additional
rear-view mirrors as specified by law.
Remember that when towing a trailer,
steep hills are harder to climb, the brak-
ing spaces increase and overtaking takes
longer depending on the overall weight.
The ABS system with
which the car may be
fitted does not control the
trailer braking system. Drive
with extreme care on slippery
roadbeds.
WARNING
Under no circumstances
should the car brake
system be altered to control
the trailer brake. The trailer
braking system must be fully
independent of the car hy-
draulic system.
WARNING

156
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
For the electric connection a unified con-
nector should be used which is gener-
ally placed on a special bracket normally
fastened to the towing device.
For the electrical connection, 7 pin
12VDC connection is to be used (CU-
NA/UNI and ISO/DIN Standards). Fol-
low the instructions provided by the car
manufacturer and/or the tow hitch man-
ufacturer.
An electric brake or other device (elec-
tric winch, etc.), if required, should be
supplied directly by the battery through
a cable with a cross section of no less
than 2.5 mm
2. In addition to the elec-
trical branches, the car’s electric system
can only be connected to the supply ca-
ble for an electric brake and to the ca-
ble for an internal light, though not
above 15W.Assembly diagram fig. 4
The tow hook structure must be fas-
tened in the points shown by the sym-
bol
Øusing a total of 6 M10.
Fastening points (1) shall be fitted with
spacers Ø 20 x 4 mm.
Counter plate (2) shall have min. thick-
ness of 5 mm.
IMPORTANTIt is compulsory to fas-
ten a label (plainly visible) of suitable
size and material with the following
wording:
MAX LOAD ON BALL 70 kg
After fitting, screw holes shall be sealed
to prevent exhaust gas inlet.
IMPORTANTThe hook should be fas-
tened to the body avoiding any type of
drilling and trimming of the bumper.
INSTALLING THE TOW HOOK
The towing device should be fastened
to the body by specialised personnel ac-
cording to any additional and/or inte-
grative information supplied by the Man-
ufacturer of the device.
The towing device must meet current
regulations with reference to 94/20/EC
Directive and subsequent amendments.
For any version the towing device used
must match the towable weight of the
car on which it is to be installed.

157
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
fig. 4A0E0260m
SECTION A - A
REAR AXLE
Existing
M10 screw
Existing
M10 screw
Existing M10 nut Existing M10 nut
Standard tow ball
full load

158
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Due to the snow tyre features, under
normal conditions of use or on long mo-
torway journeys, the performance of
these tyres is lower than that of normal
tyres. It is therefore necessary to limit
their use to the purposes for which they
are certified.
IMPORTANTWhen snow tyres are
used with a max speed index below the
one that can be reached by the car (in-
creased by 5%), place a notice in the
passenger compartment, plainly in the
driver’s view which states the max per-
missible speed of the snow tyres (as per
EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand
and track) to ensure greater safety
when driving and braking and better dri-
veability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of tyres.SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services will be
glad to provide advice concerning the
most suitable type of tyre for the cus-
tomer’s requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in para-
graph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The winter features of these tyres are re-
duced considerably when the tread
depth is below 4 mm. In this case, they
should be replaced.
The max speed for
snow tyres with “Q”
marking is 160 km/h; 190
km/h for tyres with “T”
marking and 210 km/h for
tyres with H marking. The
Road Traffic Code speed lim-
its must however be always
strictly observed.
WARNING