2006 Alfa Romeo 166 key

53
Deactivation/reactivation takes place
with ignition key at STOPand operating
it in the special key switch on the right-
hand side of the dashboard (fig. 65).
You can reach the switch only if the
door is opened.The key switch (fig. 65) has two posi-
tions:
1)Passenger’s front Air bag active
(ONposition
P) warning light on clus-
ter off; it is absolutely prohibited to carry
children on the front seat.
2)Passenger’s front Air bag deactivat-
ed (OFFposition
F) warning light on
cluster on; it is possible to carry children
protected by special restraint systems on
the front seat.
The
Fwarning light on the instru-
ment cluster glows steadily until the pas-
senger’s Air bag is reactivated.
Deactivation of the front passenger’s Air
bag does not inhibit operation of the side
Air bag.
With the door open the key can be in-
serted and removed in both positions.Operate the switch only
when the engine is not
running and the ignition key is re-
moved.
WARNING
Warning light Findi-
cates also warning light
¬failure. This is indicated by in-
termittent flashing, over 4 sec-
onds, of warning light
F. In this
event, warning light
¬could be
not up to indicate restraint system
failures, if any. Stop the car and
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services to have the system
checked.
WARNING

55
IMPORTANTSThe triggering of air
bags releases a small amount of powder.
This powder is not harmful and does not
indicate a start of fire; also the surfaces
of the deployed bag and the car interior
may be covered with dusty residue: this
may irritate the skin and eyes. In the
event of exposure, wash with neutral
soap and water.
The air bag system has a validity of 14
years as concerns the pyrotechnic charge
and 10 years as concerns the coil contact.
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as
this date approaches.IMPORTANTIf an accident has trig-
gered the air bag, Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services must be contacted to have the de-
vices activated replaced and to have the
whole system checked.
All operations involving checking, repair-
ing and replacing components concerning
the Air bag must be carried out by Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
If the car is to be demolished, Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services should be contacted be-
forehand to have the system deactivated.
If the car changes ownership, the new
owner must be informed of the instructions
for use and of the above warnings and be
given this “Owner’s Manual”.
IMPORTANTThe triggering of the pre-
tensioners, front air bags and side bags is
decided by the electronic control unit in a
differentiated manner depending on the
type of crash. The failure to trigger one or
more of them does not necessarily indicate
a system malfunction.GENERAL WARNINGS
Never lean head, arms
and elbows out of the
window.
WARNING
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key to MAR or
if it stays on when travelling, this
could indicate a failure in safety re-
taining systems; under this condi-
tion air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in the event of collision
or, in a restricted number of cases,
they could trigger accidentally.
Stop the car and contact a Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services to
have the system checked.
WARNING
Do not cover back rest of
front seats with trims or
covers there are not set for the
use of side bags.
WARNING

56
Never travel with objects
on your lap, in front of
your chest or with a pipe, pencil,
etc. between your lips; injury may
result in the event of the air bag
being triggered.
WARNING
Always keep your hands
on the steering wheel rim
when driving, so that if the Air bag
is triggered, it can inflate without
meeting any obstacles which could
cause serious harm to you. Do not
drive with the body bent for-
wards, keep the seat back rest in
the erect position and lean your
back well against it.
WARNING
If the car has been stolen
or an attempt to steal it
has been made, if it has been sub-
jected to vandals or floods, have
the Air bag system checked by Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
WARNING
Do not wash the seat
back rest with pres-
surised water or steam (by hand
or at automatic seat washing sta-
tions).
WARNING
When the ignition key is
turned to the MAR posi-
tion, the warning light
F(with
passenger’s front air bag deacti-
vation switch in the ON position)
turns on and flashes for few sec-
onds to remind that passenger’s
air bag will be deployed in a crash,
after which it should go off.
WARNING
Please remember that
with the ignition key at
MAR, the air bags can be triggered
also on a stationary vehicle, if it is
bumped by another moving vehi-
cle. Therefore, even with the car
stationary, never allow children on
the front seat. On the other hand,
remember that with the car sta-
tionary and ignition key at STOP
no safety device (air bags or pre-
tensioners) will be triggered in the
event of an impact; in this case the
failure to trigger safety devices
should not be considered as a sys-
tem failure.
WARNING
Please don’t apply stickers
or other objects to the
steering wheel, to the air-bag cover
on the passenger's side or on the
side roof lining to the upholstery on
the roof side. Don’t place objects on
the dashboard passenger’s side
(such as mobile phones) because
they could tamper with the correct
opening of the passenger’s air-bag
and than cause serious injuries to
the vehicle occupants.
WARNING

57
LIGHTS SWITCH AND
STEERING WHEEL
LEVERS
The device and services controlled by
the levers on the steering wheel can only
be activated when the ignition key is in
theMARposition (except the parking
lights which can always be switched on).
LIGHTS SWITCH (fig. 66)
Lights switched off
When the pointer on the knurled ring
(A) is opposite the symbol O, the exter-
nal lights are switched off.
The front air bag is trig-
gered for shocks greater
in magnitude than the pretension-
ers. For impacts between these
two thresholds, it is therefore nor-
mal that only the pretensioners are
triggered.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects
to the coat hooks and to
the support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not sub-
stitute the seat belts, but
only increases their effectiveness.
Moreover, since the front air bags
do not come into operation in the
event of front impact at low
speed, side collisions, bumps from
behind or overturning, in these cir-
cumstances the occupants would
only be protected by the seat belts
which must therefore always be
fastened.
WARNING
fig. 66
A0D0146m

58
Sidelights
The sidelights are switched on by turn-
ing the knurled ring (A) from Oto
6.
The
3warning light on the instru-
ment panel will come on at the same
time.
Dipped-beam headlights
These are switched on by turning the
knurled ring (A) from
6to2.
Parking lights
When the pointer of the switch (A) cor-
responds with the
Fsymbol, the side
lights stay on regardless of the position of
the ignition key.
If moving the left-hand lever (fig. 67)
downward, only the left-hand side park-
ing lights switch on, while moving the
lever upward, only the right-hand side
parking lights switch on.Main-beam headlights (fig. 68)
When the knurled ring in the
2posi-
tion the headlights can be changed form
dipped-beam to main-beam by pushing
the lever towards the dashboard (stable
position).
The
1warning light will come on the
instrument panel.
To return from main-beam to dipped-
beam, once again pull the lever towards
the steering wheel and then release.
LEFT LEVER (fig. 67)
The left lever operates the high beam
lights and the direction indicators.
fig. 67
A0D0014m
A0D0017m
fig. 68

60
RIGHT-HAND LEVER (fig. 72)
The right-hand lever is used to operate
the windscreen wiper and the windscreen
washer.
The control used to activate the wind-
screen washer also activates the head-
light washers (optional for versions/mar-
kets where applicable). “Follow me home” device
(fig. 71)
This function allows the illumination of the
space in front of the car for the length of
time set, and is activated with the ignition
key at STOPor removed, pulling the left-
hand lever towards the steering wheel.This function is activated pulling the lever
within 2 minutes from when the engine is
turned off. At each single movement of the
lever, the staying on of the dipped beams
and sidelights is extended by 30 seconds up
to a maximum of 3.5 minutes; the lights
switch off automatically after the time set.
Each time the lever is operated, the
1
warning light on the cluster turns on.
This function can be interrupted by keep-
ing the lever pulled towards the steering
wheel for more than 2 seconds.
fig. 72
A0D0015m
A0D0018m
fig. 71

61
Windscreen wiper (fig. 72-73)
The lever can be moved to five different
positions corresponding to:
A- Stationary (off)
B- Intermittent.
With the lever in position B, turning the
ring (1-fig. 73) four possible intermit-
tent speeds are obtained (except versions
with rain sensor):
■= intermittent slow
■■= intermittent medium
■■■= intermittent medium-fast
■■■■= intermittent fast.
C- Continuous, slow
D- Continuous, fast
E- Fast, temporary (unstable position).
Operation in position Eis limited to the
time the lever is held in this position.
When the lever is released, it returns to
positionAautomatically stopping the
wiper.Rain sensor (fig. 72-73)
(optional for versions/markets where
applicable)
The rain sensor is an electronic device
coupled with the windscreen wiper and its
purpose is to automatically adapt the fre-
quency of the wiper strokes according to
the intensity of the rain during intermit-
tent operation.
All the other functions controlled by the
right-hand lever (switching the wiper off,
slow and fast continuous operation, fast
temporary operation, windscreen washer
and headlight washer) remain un-
changed.
The rain sensor is activated automatical-
ly moving the right-hand lever to position
(B) and its field of adjustment changes
gradually.Operating the windscreen washer with
the rain sensor activated (lever in position
B) the normal washing cycle is carried
out at the end of which the rain sensor
resumes normal operation automatically.
Moving the key to the STOPposition
the rain sensor is deactivated and the
next time the car is started (key in MAR
position) it is not reactivated even if the
lever is still in position (B). In this case to
activate the rain sensor, simply move the
lever to position (A) or (C) and then
back to position (B).
When the rain sensor is reactivated in
this way, the wiper performs at least one
stroke, even if the windscreen is dry, to
signal that the sensor has been reactivat-
ed.
The rain sensor is fastened to the wind-
screen inside the area cleaned by the
wiper and it controls an electronic control
unit, which in turn controls the wind-
screen wiper motor.
A0D0019m
fig. 73

65
Each time the knurled ring (B) is oper-
ated the speed increases or lowers by ap-
prox. 1 km/h. Keeping the ring turned
the speed changes continuously. The new
speed reached will be maintained auto-
matically.
With button (C) it is possible to reset
the speed memorised.
IMPORTANT Turning the ignition key
to the STOPposition or switch (A) to
OFF, the memorised speed is cleared
and the system is disengaged.
To memorise the speed
Turn switch (A) to ON, wait for 2 sec-
onds at least, then bring the car to the re-
quired speed as usual by pressing the ac-
celerator pedal or by turning the ring nut
(B) to (+) or to (–) and then releasing
it.The car speed is memorised and it is
therefore possible to release the accelera-
tor pedal.
The car will continue to travel at the re-
quired speed until one of the following
conditions takes place:
– pressing the brake pedal;
– pressing the clutch pedal;
– inadvertently moving the automaticgearshift lever to position N.
IMPORTANT In the case of need (for
example overtaking) it is possible to ac-
celerate simply pressing the accelerator
pedal; afterwards, releasing the accelera-
tor pedal, the car will resume the speed
memorised previously.
To restore the speed memorised
If the device has been disengaged, for
example by pressing the brake or clutch
pedal, the speed memorised can be re-
stored as follows:
– gradually accelerate until reaching a
speed approaching the one memorised;
– engage the gear selected when the
speed was memorised (4th, 5th or 6th
gear);
– press button (C).
To increase the speed memorised
The speed memorised can be increased
in two ways:
– pressing the accelerator and then
memorising the new speed reached (turn-
ing the knurled ring (B) for more than
three seconds;or
– turning the knurled ring (B) momen-
taneously to the (+) position: each pulse
of the knurled ring will correspond to a
small increase of the speed (approx. 1
km/h) while pressing continuously will
correspond to a continuous increase of
the speed. Releasing the knurled ring (B)
the new speed will remain automatically
memorised.
To reduce the memorised speed
The memorised speed can be reduced in
two ways:
– disengaging the device (for example
pressing the brake pedal) and then mem-
orising the new speed (turning the
knurled ring (B) to the (+) position for
at least three seconds);
or
– keeping the knurled ring (B) pressed
on the (–) position until reaching the
new speed which will be automatically
memorised.