CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
179
– Do not drive for long periods without a
break. During breaks get out of the vehicle
and move around a bit to shake off the
drowsiness.
– Make sure the air in the passenger com-
partment is changed constantly.
– Never coast the vehicle downhill with
the engine switched off: this eliminates the
engine braking and power steering effect
thus requiring a greater effort on the pedal
and steering wheel.
NIGHT DRIVING
Here are some suggestions for night dri-
ving.
– Drive with particular care: night driving
involves a greater degree of concentration.
– Reduce speed, especially on unlit roads.
– At the first signs of drowsiness stop the
car: continuing the journey is dangerous for
yourself and others. Continue driving only
after sufficient rest.
– Maintain a greater distance from the ve-
hicle in front than in the day: it is more dif-
ficult to judge the speed of a vehicle when
only the lights can be seen.
– Ensure that the headlights are correctly
aimed: if they are too low, visibility is re-
duced and eyesight is tired. If they are too
high they may cause disturbance to other
road users.
– Use the main beams only outside built-
up areas and only when you are certain that
other drivers are not disturbed by their use.
– When meeting oncoming vehicles,
switch off the main beams and drive with
the dipped-beam headlights on.
– Keep the headlights and light units
clean.
– Outside built-up areas take care of ani-
mal crossings.Always fasten the front and
rear seat belts including
those of any children’s seat. Trav-
elling without seat belts increases
the risks of serious injury or even
death in the event of an accident.
WARNING
Take car when fitting addi-
tional spoilers, alloy wheels
and wheel caps: they might reduce
ventilation of the brakes, thus their
efficiency, during abrupt and re-
peated braking, or long downhill
slopes.
WARNING
Never drive with objects
on the floor in front of the
driver’s seat: they might get stuck
under the pedals making it impos-
sible to accelerate or brake.
WARNING
Make sure any mats are
appropriate in size: even a
slight inconvenience to the braking
system may require a higher ped-
al stroke than normal.
WARNING
Water, ice and salt on the
roads may deposit on the
brake disks, reducing the effec-
tiveness of the brakes the first
time they are used.
WARNING
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
180
DRIVING WITH RAIN
Rain and wet roads can be dangerous.
If the road is wet, the traction between
wheel and asphalt is greatly reduced, thus
increasing the stopping distance and de-
creasing road holding.
Here are a few suggestions in the case of
rain:
– Reduce speed and keep further back
from the vehicle in front.
– Heavy rain also reduces visibility. In
these cases, turn on the headlights even dur-
ing the day to make yourself more visible
to others.
– Do not drive over puddles at high speed
and hold the steering wheel firmly: you may
lose control of the car (aquaplaning).
– Position the ventilation controls for
demisting (as described in the chapter (“Get-
ting to know your car”), to prevent visibili-
ty from worsening.
– Routinely check the conditions of the
windscreen wiper blades.
DRIVING IN FOG
– If fog is very thick, avoid travelling
where possible. If travelling with mist,
ground fog or the possibility of fog banks:
– Drive at moderate speed.
– Also in the day turn on the dipped-beam
headlights, rear fog guards and front fog
lights. Do not use the main-beam headlights.
IMPORTANTIf visibility in some parts
improves, switch off the rear fog guards; the
intense light disturbs the occupants of ve-
hicles behind.
– Remember that fog also involves wet
asphalt, thus greater difficulty in all types of
manoeuvres and longer stopping distances.
– Keep well away from the vehicle in
front.
– Where possible avoid sudden changes
in speed.
– Possibly avoid overtaking other vehicles.
– If the vehicle is forced to stop (faults,
impossibility to continue due to poor visi-
bility, etc.), firstly try to pull off the road.
Then turn on the hazard warning lights and,
if possible the dipped-beam headlights.
Rhythmically sound the horn if you note an-
other car coming.
MOUNTAIN DRIVING
– When travelling down hill use the en-
gine braking by engaging lower gears to pre-
vent the brakes from overheating.
– Never coast down hill with the engine
off or in neutral and especially not with the
ignition key removed.
– Drive at a moderate speed and avoid
cutting corners.
– Remember that overtaking up hill is
slower and therefore requires a greater
length of clear road. If you are being over-
taken on a hill, move over to enable the oth-
er vehicle to pass in safety.
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
184
PROTECTING EMISSION
REDUCING DEVICES
Correct operation of the anti-pollution de-
vices not only guarantees respect for the en-
vironment but also influences vehicle per-
formance. Keeping these devices in good
condition is therefore the first rule for both
environment-friendly and economy driving.
The first precaution is to closely follow the
“Programmed Maintenance Schedule”. Use
only unleaded petrol (95 RON) (Specifica-
tion EN228).
If difficulty with starting is experienced do
not insist with extended attempts. Especially
avoid bump, tow or coast starts: these may
all damage the catalyst. Only use an auxil-
iary battery to start the car in an emergency.If when driving the engine is not running
smoothly, continue, minimising the need for
engine performance and contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services as soon as possible.
When the fuel reserve warning light turns
on, fill up as soon as possible. A low fuel lev-
el may cause an irregular supply to the en-
gine with inevitable increase of the exhaust
gas temperature; this would result in serious
damage to the catalyst.
Never run the engine, even as a test, with
one or more spark plugs disconnected. Do
not warm the engine at idle speed before
moving off, unless the outside temperature
is very low and, in this case too, for no more
than 30 seconds.
Do not spray anything on
the catalyst, lamda sensor
and exhaust pipe.
WARNING
The failure to follow these
rules may cause a fire
hazard.
WARNING
Do not install other heat
guards and do not remove
the existing ones on the catalyst
and exhaust pipe.
WARNING
During normal service the
catalyst reaches high tem-
peratures. Do not therefore park
the car over inflammable materials
(grass, dry leaves, pine needles,
etc.): fire hazard.
WARNING
IN AN EMERGENCY
188
3) Fully depress the accelerator pedal and
keep it pressed. The
Uwarning light will
come on for eight seconds and then go off,
now release the accelerator pedal.
4) The
Uwarning light begins to flash:
after it has flashed the same number of
times as the first digit on the CODE card,
press the accelerator pedal and keep it
pressed until the
Uwarning light turns on
(for four seconds) and then goes off, now
release the accelerator pedal.
5) The
Uwarning light starts to flash: af-
ter the number of flashes corresponding to
the second digit on the CODE card, press the
accelerator pedal and keep it pressed.
6) Repeat this procedure for the remain-
ing digits on the CODE card.
7) After entering the last figure, keep the
accelerator pedal pressed. The
Uwarn-
ing light turns on (for four seconds) and
then goes off; now release the accelera-
tor pedal.8) A quick flash of the
Uwarning light
(for about 4 seconds) confirms that the op-
eration has been carried out correctly.
9) Start the engine turning the ignition key
fromMARtoAV Vwithout returning the
key to the STOPposition.
Conversely, if the
Uwarning light stays
on, turn the key to STOPand repeat the
procedure starting from point 1).
IMPORTANTAfter emergency starting
it is advisable to contact an Alfa Romeo Au-
thorised Service, because the emergency
procedure must be repeated each time the
engine is started.
EMERGENCY
STARTING
If it is not possible to deactivate the engine
inhibitor with the Alfa Romeo CODE system,
the
YandUwarning lights stay on and
the engine will not start. Emergency start-
ing is needed to start the engine.
IMPORTANTYou are advised to care-
fully read the entire procedure before car-
rying it out.
If a mistake is made during the emergency
procedure, the ignition key should be turned
toSTOPand the operations must be re-
peated from the start (point 1).
1) Read the 5-figure electronic code on the
CODE card.
2) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
I I
N N
A A
N N
E E
M M
E E
R R
G G
E E
N N
C C
Y Y
IN AN EMERGENCY
189
STARTING
WITH AN AUXILIARY BATTERY
If the battery is flat, (for battery with op-
tical hydrometer: dark colour without green
area in the centre), it is possible to start the
engine using an auxiliary battery with the
same capacity or a little higher than the flat
one.
Proceed as follows (fig. 1):
1) Remove the protective cover on the pos-
itive battery post, pressing on the opening
catches (front), then connect the positive
terminals (+sign next to the terminal) of
the two batteries using a special cable.
2) Connect the end of the second jump
lead to the negative terminal (–) of the
auxiliary battery with an earth point
Eon
the engine or gearbox of the vehicle to be
started.IMPORTANTDo not directly connect the
negative terminals of the two batteries: any
sparks may ignite the detonating gas which
could come out of the battery. If the auxil-
iary battery is installed on another car, avoid
metal parts touching accidentally between
this car and the one with the flat battery.
3) Start the engine.
4) When the engine has started, remove
the cables, reversing the sequence followed
for connection.
If after a few attempts the engine does not
start, do not insist but contact the nearest Al-
fa Romeo Authorised Service.
fig. 1
A0A0492m
Never use a battery
charger to start the engine
as this could damage the
electronic systems of your vehicle,
particularly the ignition and fuel
supply control units.
This starting procedure
must be carried out by
qualified personnel because incor-
rect operations may cause electri-
cal discharge of considerable in-
tensity. The liquid contained in the
battery is poisonous and corrosive.
Avoid contact with the skin and
eyes. Keep naked flames and light-
ed cigarettes away from the bat-
tery and do not cause sparks.
WARNING
IN AN EMERGENCY
190
IMPORTANTThe car is equipped with
“Kit for tyre quick repair Fix&Go“, see the
instructions contained in the following chap-
ter.
STARTING BY INERTIAIN THE EVENT OF A PUNCTURE
Never push, tow or coast
start the vehicle. This could
cause fuel to flow into the
catalyst damaging it irreversibly.
Remember that the engine
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
is started, therefore, much greater
effort than usual is needed on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
Signal the presence of the
stationary vehicle according
to the current regulations: hazard
warning lights, reflecting triangle,
etc. Any passengersshould leave
the car.
WARNING
Should the type of wheels
used be changed (alloy
rims instead of steel), it is also nec-
essary to replace the complete kit
of fastening bolts with others of
suitable size.
WARNING
IN AN EMERGENCY
191
FIX&GO KIT FOR
QUICK TYRE
REPAIRING
The car is equipped with a tyre quick re-
pairing kit called FIX&GO.
fig. 11
A0A0374m
fig. 12
A0A0375m
fig. 13
A0A0376m
The quick repairing kit is placed in the boot
inside the appropriate container (A-fig. 11).
The quick repairing kit includes (fig. 12):
–a tool (A) to remove the valve body;
–a compressor (B) with pressure gauge
and fittings;
–a bottle (C) containing sealer and fit-
ted with a filling pipe;
–a “spout” (D) to be connected to the
filling pipe;
–a sticker bearing the notice “max 80
km/h”, to be placed in a position visible
to the driver (on the instrument panel) af-
ter fixing the tyre.IMPORTANTIn the event of a puncture
caused by foreign bodies, it is possible to fix
tyres having cracks with maximum diame-
ter up to 4 mm.
In (fig. 13) it is possible to identify:
A- tyre area which can be fixed (holes
or cracks with diameter of max 4 mm);
B- areas which CANNOT be fixed.
Signal the presence of the
stationary vehicle accord-
ing to the current regulations: haz-
ard warning lights, reflecting tri-
angle, etc.
WARNING
IN AN EMERGENCY
195
Drive carefully to the nearest Alfa Romeo
Authorized Service to check the tyre condi-
tions, then have it fixed or replaced.
It is absolutely necessary to communicate
that the tyre has been fixed with the quick
repairing kit.
WHEN NEEDING TO CHANGE A BULB
fig. 20
A0A0491m
Tyres fixed with the quick
repairing kit must be used
only temporarily.
WARNING
Halogen bulbs contain pres-
surised gas, in the case of
breakage they may burst.
WARNING
Alterations or repairs to
the electric system not car-
ried out correctly and without tak-
ing account of the system specifi-
cations may cause failures and the
risk of fire.
WARNING
Where possible, it is ad-
visable to have bulbs
changed c/o Alfa Romeo Autho-
rised Services. The correct opera-
tion and aiming of the outer lights
are vital to the safety of the ve-
hicle and its passengers and the
subject of specific laws.
WARNING
Halogen bulbs must be
handled touching only the
metallic part. If the transparent
bulb is touched with the fingers, its
lighting intensity is reduced and the
life of the bulb may be compro-
mised. If touched accidentally, rub
the bulb with a cloth moistened
with methylated spirit and allow
to dry.
WARNING