GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
39
Do not apply stickers or
other objects on the steer-
ing wheel and on the pas-
senger’s air bag cover. Do not put
objects on the dashboard on the
passenger’s side (e.g. cell phones)
because they may interfere with
the correct passenger’s air bag
opening and seriously injure the oc-
cupants of the car.
The driver’s and passenger’s front air bag
has been designed to improve the protec-
tion of a person wearing a seat belt.
Its volume at maximum inflation fills
most of the space between the steering
wheel and the driver and between the
dashboard and the passenger.
In the event of minor side crashes (for
which the restraining action of the seat
belts is sufficient), the air bags are not
deployed. Also in this case it is of vital
importance to wear the seat belts since in
case of side crash they guarantee proper
positioning of the occupant. DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG
It is formed of a cushion contained in a
special recess that inflates instantaneously
(fig. 50). The front air bag (driver’s and passen-
ger’s) does not replace but is complemen-
tary to the use of belts, which should
always be worn, as specified by law in
Europe and most non-European countries.
In the event of a crash a person that is
not wearing the seat belt moves forwards
and may come into contact with the cush-
ion while it is still opening. Under these
circumstances the protection offered by
the cushion is reduced.
Front air bags may not be triggered in
the following conditions:
– collisions against highly deformable
objects which do not concern the car front
surface (for example the bumper crashing
against the guard rail);
– wedging under other vehicles or pro-
tective barriers (for example under a lorry
or guard rail);
as they do not offer any more protection
than the seat belts and therefore activa-
tion would be inappropriate. Therefore the
failure to be triggered does not mean that
the system is not working properly.
fig. 50
A0A0613b
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
56
FUEL LEVEL GAUGE WITH
RESERVE INDICATOR
This shows the amount of fuel left in the
fuel tank.
The warning light
K(A-fig. 76) turns
on to indicate that approx. 7 litres of fuel
are left in the tank.
IMPORTANTUnder certain conditions
(heavy slopes, for instance), the reading on
the gauge may differ from the actual
amount of fuel in the tank and changes in
level may be indicated late.
This condition falls within the operation
logics of the electronic control circuit to
avoid highly unstable readings due to
swaying of the fuel when travelling.
IMPORTANTRefuelling shall always be
performed with engine off and ignition key
atSTOP. If the engine is off but the key is
atMAR, a wrong fuel level could tem-
porarily be indicated. This is due to the inter-
nal system control logic and cannot be con-
sidered as a system malfunctioning.
ENGINE COOLANT FLUID
TEMPERATURE GAUGE WITH
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
WARNING LIGHT
This shows the temperature of the
engine coolant fluid and begins when the
fluid temperature exceeds approx. 50°C.
Normally the pointer should be towards
the middle of the scale. If the pointer
reaches the higher temperatures of the
scale (red area) the request for vehicle
performance should be decreased.
The turning on of the
u(B-fig. 76)
warning light(on some versions together
with the message shown on the reconfig-
urablemultifunction display) indicates that
the coolant fluid temperature is too high;
in this case, stop the engine and contact
Alfa Romeo Authorised Services.IMPORTANTThe temperature of the
engine coolant may rise towards the max-
imum values (red zone) when the vehicle
is driven at low speeds, especially when
the ambient air temperature is high. In
this case it is advisable to stop the vehicle
and switch off the engine for a few min-
utes, after which the journey can be
resumed, preferably at a higher speed.
fig. 76
A0A0668b
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
86
Warning
light on dialMessage
on display
¬
AIR BAG FAILURE
Turning the ignition key to MARthe warning light on the dial turns on, but it should go off after
approx. 4 seconds. The warning light stays on glowing steadily if there is an operating failure in
the Air bag system.
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 retaining systems; under this condition air bags or pretension-
ers could not trigger in the event of collision or, in a restricted number of cas-
es, they could trigger accidentally. Stop the car and contact Alfa Romeo Autho-
rised Services.
The failure of the ¬warning light (warning light off) is also indicat-
ed by the flashing for more than the normal 4 seconds of the passen-
ger’s front air bag deactivated warning light.
v
LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE
Turning the key to MARthe warning light on the dial turns on, but it should go out as soon as
the engine is started.
If the
vwarning light turns on when the car is travelling (on
some versions there is also the message + symbol on the reconfig-
urable multifunction display), stop the engine immediately and contact
Alfa Romeo Authorised Services.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
95
Warning
light on dialMessage
on display
F
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG DEACTIVATED
With the passenger’s front Air bag engaged, turning the ignition key to MARthe warning light
turns on, but it should go off after 4 seconds.
á
VDC SYSTEM (VEHICLE DYNAMICS CONTROL) (where fitted)
Turning the ignition key to MAR, the warning light on the dial turns on and it should go off
after approx. 4 seconds.
If the warning light does not go out or stays on when travelling together with the message +
symbol shown on the reconfigurable multifunction display, contact Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services.
The flashing of the warning light when travelling indicates the cutting in of the VDC system.
ASR – WHEEL ANTISKID SYSTEM (where fitted)
Turning the ignition key to MAR, the warning light on the dial turns on, but is should go off
after approx. 4 seconds. The warning light turns on together with the led on the ASR OFF button
when the system is switched off. The warning light flashes when the system cuts in, to alert the
driver that the system is adapting to the road surface grip conditions. The turning on of the warn-
ing light, together with the message + symbol shown by the reconfigurable multifunction display,
also indicates a failure of the ASR system. In this case contact Alfa Romeo Authorised Services as
soon as possible.
Warning light Findicates also warning light ¬failure. This is indi-
cated by intermittent flashing, over 4 seconds, of warning light
F. In
this event, warning light
¬could be not up to indicate restraint sys-
tem failures, if any. Stop the car and contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services
to have the system checked immediately.
The warning light turns on when the passenger’s front Air bag is deactivated.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
105
INSIDE AIR RE-CIRCULATION
ON/OFF BUTTON
Pressing button (4-fig. 95)vacti-
vates inside air re-circulation and the led next
to the button lights up.
In this case the climate control system di-
rectly treats the air contained in the pas-
senger compartment, the fan is on.
To switch the air re-circulation feature off
and withdraw air from outside, press the but-
ton again.The inside air- re-circula-
tion system makes it pos-
sible to reach the required
“heating” or “cooling” conditions
faster. It is however inadvisable to
use it on rainy/cold days as it
would considerably increase the
possibility of the windows misting
inside, especially if the climate con-
trol system is off.
It is advisable to turn on
the inside air re-circulation
system
vin queues or
tunnels to avoid admitting pollut-
ed air from outside. The prolonged
use of this function should howev-
er be avoided, especially with sev-
eral persons on board, to avoid the
possibility of the windows misting
inside.
REARSCREEN HEATING
ON/OFF BUTTON
Pressing the button (5-fig. 95) turns on
demisting/defrosting of the rearscreen, and
if present, the wing mirror heating coils; si-
multaneously the led next to the button
turns on. This function is timed and switched
off automatically after 20 minutes. To turn
off earlier, press the button again.
IMPORTANTThe system automatically
turns on rearscreen heating if the tempera-
ture is below 3
°C.
IMPORTANTDo not apply stickers on
the inside of the rearscreen over the heat-
ing filaments to avoid damage which might
cause it to stop working properly.
When cleaning the inside
of the rearscreen, take
care not to damage the
heating filaments.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
106
DEMISTING
AND/OR DEFROSTING THE
WINDSCREEN AND FRONT SIDE
WINDOWS, REARSCREEN AND
WING MIRRORS
(MAX-DEF FUNCTION)(fig. 97)
Proceed as follows:
- turn the ring of the air distribution knob
(3)to the
-symbol.
The climate control activates all the functions
necessary to quicken demisting/defrosting of
the windscreen and side windows with tim-
ing (switching off automatically after 3 min-
utes), as follows:
- switches off air re-circulation, if engaged;
- sets the maximum air temperature;
- operates the fan at a predefined speed;
- directs the flow of air towards the wind-
screen and front side window vents;
- turns on rearscreen heating and, if pre-
sent, the wing mirror coils.When the max def function is on, the fol-
lowing are on: the led next to the rearscreen
heating button (5)
(.
IMPORTANTIf the engine is not hot
enough, the function does not immediate-
ly engage the pre-established fan speed, to
restrict the inlet of air to the passenger com-
partment that is not warm enough to demist
the windows.
After demisting/defrosting, simply use the
controls to maintain the optimum conditions
of vision and comfort.
IMPORTANTThe hotter the engine the
more effective defrosting will be.IMPORTANTIn cases of heavy damp
and/or rain and/or big differences in tem-
perature between inside the car and outside,
it is advisable to proceed as follows to
demist the windows:
- air re-circulation off, led next to button
(4)
voff;
- pointer of knob (2) at fan second speed
at least;
- pointer of knob (3) on symbol
≤with
the possibility of passing to position
yif
more misting is noted;
To defrost/demist the rearscreen, press
button (5)
(, led next to button on.
A0A0733b
fig. 97
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
107
HEATING (fig. 98)
To obtain the temperature required, pro-
ceed as follows:
- temperature adjustment knob pointer (1)
on the red sector as required;
- air quantity adjustment knob pointer (2)
on the fan speed required to personalise the
amount of air admitted;
- air distribution knob pointer (3) on the
required position.
To obtain the maximum heating power pro-
ceed as follows:
- knob pointer (1) as far as it will go clock-
wise (maximum temperature red sector);
- knob pointer (2) on maximum fan
speed;
- air distribution knob pointer (3) on the
required position (position
w) is recom-
mended.
IMPORTANTTo be able to obtain sat-
isfactory passenger compartment warming,
the engine should have reached normal op-
erating temperature.The filter has the specific capability of com-
bining the mechanical filtering of the air with
an electrostatic effect so that the outside air
admitted to the passenger compartment is
purified and free of particles such as dust,
pollen, etc.
In addition to the above mentioned func-
tions, is also reduces the concentration of
pollutants.
The filtering action is active in all air inlet
conditions and it is clearly more effective
with the windows closed.
Have the conditions of the filter checked
at least once a year, preferably at the on-
set of summer by Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services.If the car is habitually used in dusty or pol-
luted areas, the filter should be checked and
replaced at shorter intervals than those spec-
ified in the Programmed Maintenance
Schedule.
If the filter is not replaced
the efficiency of the cli-
mate control system may
be seriously compromised up to
blocking the air flow at the outlets
and vents.
POLLEN FILTER
(for versions/markets where applicable)
A0A0734b
fig. 98
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
109
- temperature of the air admitted to the
passenger compartment (for the driver’s and
passenger’s side separately)
- fan speed
- air distribution
- inside air re-circulation on/off
- climate control compressor on/off en-
able.
It is possible to change the setting of the
following functions manually:
- fan speed
- air distribution
- inside air re-circulation on/off
- climate control compressor on/off en-
able.
The control of functions not changed man-
ually remains automatic and in any case the
temperature of the air admitted to the pas-
senger compartment is controlled automati-
cally according to the temperatures set on
the driver’s and passenger’s displays.
IMPORTANTManual selections prevail
over automatic ones and remain in storage
until the user decides to resume automatic
control. The settings selected manually are
stored when the engine is switched off and
resumed the next time it is started. To ensure correct opera-
tion of the incipient mist-
ing sensor, stickers must
not be applied (road licence holder,
time card etc.). Care should also be
given to cleaning the windscreen
and the actual sensor, avoiding the
accumulation of dust and other sub-
stances.IMPORTANTThe demisting procedure
is enabled each time the ignition key is
turned to MARor pressing the
AUTObut-
ton. When this procedure is working it can
be turned off pressing one of the following
buttons: compressor, air recirculation, air
flow, air capacity. This operation inhibits the
incipient misting sensor signal until the
AUTObutton is pressed again or the next
time the ignition key is turned toMAR.
On certain versions, the system is inte-
grated by an antipollution sensor capable of
automatically switching on inside air re-cir-
culation to lessen the harmful effects of pol-
luted air in cities, queues, tunnels and op-
eration of the windscreen washer (with the
typical smell of spirit).
IMPORTANTThe function of the an-
tipollution sensor is subordinate to safety
conditions; therefore disabling the climate
control compressor or at an outside tem-
perature below 4°C the sensor is disabled.
The sensor can be re-enabled pressing the
re-circulation button
vuntil taking it to
the automatic mode.
Air quality control is also entrusted to a
combined particle and activated carbon fil-
ter. The climate control system automatically
controls and adjusts the following parame-
ters and functions: On some versions the system is integrat-
ed with an incipient misting sensor installed
behind the inside rear-view mirror, capable
of “controlling” a predefined area of the
windscreen inner surface which can auto-
matically act on the system to prevent or re-
duce misting through a series of operations
such as: opening air re-circulation, enabling
the compressor, air flow to the windscreen,
fan speed sufficient for demisting; in the
case of heavy misting, enabling the
MAX-
DEFfunction.