2008 Alfa Romeo 8C Owner handbook (in English)

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BEFORE YOU DRIVE
EXTERNAL LIGHTS
AND DIRECTION
INDICATORSThe external lights and direction indicators can be
turned on only when the starter key is at MAR,
except the parking lights which can always be
turned on.
The external lights can be turned on and off
manually or automatically, according to the
brightness of the light outside.HEADLIGHT SWITCH
The switch
A can be set to 5 positions:
0 – DRL on (*)
– Position and number plate lights on
– Low beams on
– Parking lights
AUTO – Automatic activation and
deactivation of the external lights
according to the brightness outside.
(*) On vehicles manufactured for the Japanese
market, they are not operational; for all the
other markets where by law they may not be
turned on, they can be deactivated from the
multifunction display.PARKING LIGHTS
The parking lights work only when the ignition
key is turned to STOP or when the key is
removed.
They are activated by turning the light switch to
position .
It is harder to turn the switch to position than
to the other positions. This is to avoid activating
the parking lights unintentionally and waste
power.
Operating the direction indicator lever, you
can turn on only the parking lights on the side
selected with the lever.

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AUTOMATIC
ACTIVATION/
DEACTIVATION
When the switch
A is turned to AUTO and the
ignition key is turned to MAR, the position lights,
low beams and number plate lights automatically
turn on and off according to the ambient light.
WARNING: The high beams can only be turned
on manually by pushing the left-hand lever
forward.
CAUTION
If the high beams are activated,
they will be switched on automatically
every time the lights are turned on.
We recommend therefore that you
turn them off every time the twilight
sensor deactivates the external lights.CAUTION
In case of fog during the day,
the position lights and low beams will
not be activated automatically. The
driver must always be prepared to
turn on the external lights manually,
even the rear fog lights if necessary.
WARNING: After automatic activation of the
external lights, it will always be possible to
turn on the rear fog lights manually. When the
external lights turn off automatically, also the
rear fog lights (if on) will be turned off. The next
time the external lights activate automatically,
the rear fog lights will have to be turned on
manually if necessary. CAUTION
The driver is always
responsible for turning on the external
lights, depending on the ambient light
and in compliance with the regulations
in force in the country of use. The
automatic system for activating/
deactivating the external lights must
be considered an aid for the driver. If
necessary, turn the lights on and off
manually.

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BC
D
BEFORE YOU DRIVE
TWILIGHT SENSOR
The twilight sensor is comprised of two sensors:
a global sensor, capable of measuring the light
intensity above, and a directional sensor, which
measures the light intensity in the vehicle’s
travelling direction, enabling it to recognise
tunnels and driveways. The sensing range of
the twilight sensor can be adjusted through the
instrument panel, by selecting the Setup mode.
In the event of a sensor failure, the system will
turn on the low beams and the position lights,
regardless of the light outside, and a failure
message will appear on the instrument panel
display.
The failure signal remains active until the switch A is turned to AUTO.
In this case, we recommend that you deactivate
the automatic system and turn on the external
lights manually if necessary; as soon as possible,
contact an Authorised Service Centre of the
Manufacturer’s Network.DIRECTION INDICATORS
The lever has 3 setting positions:
B - Direction indicators offC - Lever up: right-hand indicatorsD - Lever down: left-hand indicators.Lane change function
Allows the driver to flash the left or right direction
indicators 3 times without having to move the
lever to positions
C or D and then return it to the
standby position
B.
To activate this function, you must simply start
moving the lever to a different position: move it
up to activate the right-hand direction indicators,
move it down to activate the left-hand direction
indicators.
This function is useful when overtaking or
changing lanes.

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HIGH BEAMS
With the light switch in position
, push the
left-hand lever towards the dashboard to turn on
the high beams.
Pull the lever towards the steering wheel again
to turn off the high beams and turn on the low
beams.
WARNING: For the use of the high beams, follow
the Road Regulations in force.
FLASHING THE
HEADLIGHTS
The headlights can be flashed by pulling the left-
hand lever towards the steering wheel.
Flashing occurs also with the lights off if the
ignition key is in position MAR.WARNING: Keep to the road regulations in force
to avoid penalties.
“FOLLOW ME HOME”
FUNCTION
This function allows you to set a timing for
activation of the position lights and low beams,
so that they may remain on for a set time after
turning off the vehicle.
This function is activated by pushing the lever
on the steering column switch, used to flash the
headlights. The position lights and low beams
turn on for 30 seconds, the message “Follow
me” appears on the instrument panel display
for 20 seconds, and the light activation time is
displayed.
When this function is active, every time the lever
for flashing the headlights is operated, the time
the lights remain on is increased by 30 seconds,
up to a maximum total time of 210 seconds. The
display will show the time set.
If the lever for flashing the headlights is operated
for more than 2 seconds, the function is
deactivated, and the indicator on the instrument
panel display goes off.
When the function is active, turn the key back to
MAR to deactivate the system.

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BAECD
BEFORE YOU DRIVE
WINDSCREEN
WASHER/WIPERS
AND HEADLIGHT
WASHERThe windscreen wiper and washer only works
with the ignition key turned to MAR.
WINDSCREEN WIPER
The lever has 5 setting positions:A - Windscreen wipers off.B - Automatic operation. In this position,
the sensing range of the rain sensor can
be adjusted (lever turned to first click
position).
C - Slow continuous operation (lever turned to
second click position).D - Fast continuous operation (lever turned to
third click position).E - Fast temporary operation (non-permanent
position).
WINDSCREEN WASHER
Pulling the lever towards the steering wheel
(non-permanent position) activates the
windscreen washer and wiper.
When the windscreen washer is activated, the
windscreen wipers start automatically. Releasing
the lever stops the spray of fluid while the blades
continue to wipe for a short time.
WARNING: Do not activate the windscreen
washer during the cold months until the
windscreen has warmed up. If it has not warmed
up, the liquid could freeze on the glass and block
the view.
WARNING: If there is ice or snow on the
windscreen, do not activate the windscreen wiper
to prevent damage to the device.

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F
HEADLIGHT WASHERS
The headlight washers are activated
automatically when the windscreen washer is
started and the low beams are on.
The headlight washer and windscreen washer
share the same fluid tank, and a low fluid level
is indicated by the same warning light on the
instrument panel.
The headlight washers are deactivated if the
vehicle speed exceeds 130 Km/h.RAIN SENSOR
The function of the rain sensor is to adapt the
frequency of the windscreen wiper strokes (in
the intermittent operation mode) to the intensity
of the rain.
All the other functions controlled by the right-
hand lever (windscreen wipers off, headlight and
windscreen washer in continuous slow and fast
operation mode and in temporary fast operation
mode) remain the same.
The rain sensor is automatically activated when
shifting the right-hand lever to position
B and has
an adjustment range that varies progressively
from “windscreen wiper off” when the
windscreen is dry, to” second continuous speed”
in heavy rain.To adjust the intermittent wiping frequency, shift
the lever to position
B, rotate the dial
F.
Turning the dial clockwise, intermittent operation
varies from a maximum (fast intermittent
operation) to a minimum (slow intermittent
operation).
If the engine is turned off when the windscreen
wiper is set to automatic with the lever in
position
B, to reactivate the feature, the next
time the engine is started you must shift the
lever to the standby position
A, and then back to
position
B.

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BEFORE YOU DRIVE
CAUTION
Before cleaning the front
windscreen (for example in service
stations) make sure the rain sensor is
deactivated or that the key is turned
to STOP. The rain sensor must be
deactivated also when washing the
vehicle by hand or in automatic car
washes.WARNING: If there is ice or snow on the front
windscreen, do not activate the rain sensor to
avoid damaging the wiper motor.
SENSOR FAILURE
When the rain sensor is activated, in the event
that it is malfunctioning, the windscreen wiper
will be turned on in intermittent mode and the
sensing range will be set by the user, regardless
of whether or not there is rain on the windscreen.
A failure message will be displayed on the
instrument panel.
In this case, we recommend that you deactivate
the rain sensor and turn on the windscreen wiper,
if necessary, in continuous mode. As soon as
possible, contact an Authorised Service Centre
of the Manufacturer’s Network.

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AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING SYSTEM