2008 Alfa Romeo 8C light

100
4
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.

5
USING THE VEHICLE
Starting the engine ............................................................................................................ 114
Q-Select gearbox ............................................................................................................... 116
Using the brakes ................................................................................................................ 124
Using the engine ............................................................................................................... 125
Constant speed regulator (Cruise Control) .............................................................................. 126
Headlights ........................................................................................................................ 130
Driving conditions .............................................................................................................. 130
Anti-pollution devices ......................................................................................................... 135
Parking ............................................................................................................................ 136
Tyres ................................................................................................................................ 141
Useful accessories to keep in the vehicle ............................................................................... 142

114
5
MAR
STARTING THE
ENGINE
CAUTION
Hold the brake pedal depressed
when starting the engine.
CAUTION
It is dangerous to operate the
engine in an enclosed space. The engine
consumes oxygen and discharges
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and
other toxic gases.
WARNING: Before start-up, switch off the
electrical devices with a high power consumption
(air-conditioning and heating system, heated
rear window, headlights, etc.).
WARNING: Do not start the engine if the fuel
level in the tank is low.
1) Make sure that the parking brake is applied
and that the doors are closed.
2) Hold the brake pedal depressed when
starting the engine.
3) Do not depress the accelerator pedal.
4) Set the gear to neutral by pulling both
paddles UP and DOWN towards the
steering wheel and check that the gear
display indicates N not fl ashing.
5) Turn the ignition key to MAR.
6) press button START button and release it as
soon as the engine starts.
Do not hold the START button for a long time.If the engine does not start, turn the key back to
position STOP and wait for the gear display to go
off before retrying.
The engine can also be started with a gear
engaged; turning the key to position MAR, with
the brake pedal depressed, press the START
button. The system allows the clutch to open and
the gearshift to engage neutral gear; then the
starter motor receives clearance for start-up. This
procedure usually requires one second. At very
low temperatures, the procedure could take a
slightly longer time.
If the gearbox is instead in the N position,
starting is immediate.
If the engine does not start after turning the key
to position STOP, wait for the gear display to go
off and then repeat the entire procedure.

115
5
USING THE VEHICLE
STARTING-OFF WHEN
THE ENGINE IS COLD
Start-off slowly, avoiding sudden accelerations
and run the engine at low-medium speeds. High-
performance driving should be avoided until the
water temperature reaches
65–70 °C.EMERGENCY STARTING
WITH AUXILIARY
BATTERY
If the battery is flat, the engine can be started
using another battery having the same or slightly
higher capacity than the flat one.
Proceed as follows:
1) Connect the positive terminals (+) of the
two batteries with a cable specifi cally
designed for this purpose.
2) Connect the negative terminals (-) of the
two batteries with a cable specifi cally
designed for this purpose.
WARNING: The battery is housed in a metal box,
therefore, be extremely careful not to let the
battery charger clips come into contact with it.3) Start the engine.
4) When the engine starts, remove the cables
in reverse order.
If the engine does not start after a number
of attempts, do not continue indefinitely but
consult an Authorised Service Centre of the
Manufacturer’s Network.
CAUTION
Do not carry out this procedure
if you have no experience of it:
incorrect manoeuvres may cause high
levels of electrical discharge and may
even lead to the battery explosion.
CAUTION
You are also advised not to
approach the battery with open flames
or lit cigarettes and not to cause
sparks: risk of explosion and fire!

117
5
E
CD
F
H
G
USING THE VEHICLE
D - “Automatic gearshift” button E - “Low grip” mode button F - SPORT mode button ”
The display shows the gear engaged (1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, R or N) in area
G.
In the event of a failure or if the oil level in the
gearbox is low, the symbol
illuminates in
area
H. When the “automatic gearshift” function
is active, the gear displayed is replaced with the
letter “D”.
When “SPORT” and “low grip” modes are
active, the letters “S” and “W”, illuminate in
area G.SYSTEM ACTIVATION
Turning the key to position MAR the display and
the failure symbol
illuminate and will go off
after a few seconds if no faults are found.
The gear engaged will remain highlighted in area
G on the display.WARNING: When the driver’s door is opened,
you may hear a humming coming from the
gearbox assembly; this is due to ignition
preparation stages. The failure warning light
may also flash briefly (10 sec.) and then
turns off. The system completes the “ignition”
stage and is then correctly activated. Avoid
entering any commands in the system during
this stage.
CAUTION
If the symbol continues
flashing without turning off, start the
system again after switching it off.
If the malfunction persists, contact
an Authorised Service Centre of the
Manufacturer’s Network to have the
necessary checks performed.

118
5
If the symbol
remains on, there is a system
failure. This condition is also indicated by a beep
when the key is turned to position MAR.
WARNING: Contact an Authorised Service
Centre of the Manufacturer’s Network to have
the malfunction corrected.
OPERATION WITH THE
ENGINE OFF
After completing the “system start-up” stage,
the gear currently engaged will appear on the
display:
- N (Neutral)
- R (Reverse)
- D(1
st).
If the indication flashes (may also occur with N)
it means that the gear is not properly engaged or
is disengaged; therefore, request neutral (N) and
then the desired gear.CAUTION
If a horizontal dash appears on
the display, there is a system failure.
When the engine is off, 1st gear, reverse (R) and
neutral (N) can be engaged. Keeping the brake
pedal pressed during the request, you must
proceed as follows:
- N (Neutral): pull both paddles found behind
the steering wheel.
- R (Reverse): press button
C.
- Engaging 1
st gear: pull the UP paddle
towards the steering wheel.
CAUTION
To engage reverse gear, hold
the button C down until the letter R is
displayed.
WARNING: Immediately release the paddles
UP, DOWN and the button R after the gearshift
request. A prolonged manoeuvre may cause
the failure warning light
and the buzzer
to activate. Do not operate the system with the
engine off, to prevent discharging the battery.
Avoid useless gearshifting with the engine off, to
prevent overheating of the pump.

122
5
OTHER SYSTEM
FUNCTIONS
“Low-grip” WET mode
This mode can be used on particularly slippery
road surfaces (e.g., snow, ice) and it is
activated/deactivated by pressing button
E.
This will light up the letter “W” on the instrument
panel display.
While driving, the system ignores any
gearshifting which would cause RPM adjustment
above 2800 RPM.
“Low-grip” mode has priority over the other
functions (“automatic gearshift” and “SPORT”)
and it assists the VDC system.It is always a good rule to deactivate the other
operating modes (“automatic gearshift” and
“SPORT”) before you select “low-grip” mode.
“Automatic gearshift” mode AUTO
It is activated/deactivated by pressing the
button
D; the gear displayed is replaced with the
letter “D” and the system will automatically shift
the gears UP and DOWN according to the vehicle
speed, the engine RPM and the torque/power
requested by the driver.
WARNING: The “automatic gearshift” mode has
priority over “SPORT” mode. Therefore, if you
press the AUTO button, D the system will operate
in “automatic gearshift” mode.You can go back to NORMAL mode (or SPORT
mode, if this was active) by holding the button
D
pressed down until the word AUTO goes off.When the vehicle is stationary, requesting N 1
st
or R will not cause the system to switch from
“Automatic gearshift” to “Normal” mode.
It is always a good rule to deactivate the other
operating modes before you select “Automatic
gearshift” mode.
“No auto exit” strategy
In AUTO mode you can always request
a gearshift using the paddles, which will
temporarily set the system to “manual” mode.
This is shown on the display by the word “AUTO”
that flashes for 5 seconds and then illuminates
permanently, thus confirming that the system
has returned to AUTO mode. A further gearshift
request will restart the 5-second timer.
E
D

123
5
F
USING THE VEHICLE
“SPORT” mode
It is activated by pressing button
F; the letter “S”
will illuminate on the display.
To return to “NORMAL” mode from “SPORT”
mode, press the button again.
As “SPORT” mode has lower priority over “low-
grip” and “automatic gearshift” modes, if these
are already active when you activate “SPORT”
mode, the system will ignore the command even
though the relative warning light switches on.
CAUTION
“SPORT” mode is characterised
by faster gearshifts than in
“NORMAL” mode and engine power
reduction through the ASR system is
kept to a minimum.
Fast gearshifting however always depends on
the accelerator pedal travel and on the engine
RPM, as in “NORMAL” mode.
DOWNshifts with the accelerator pedal released,
will have a braking effect approaching the
skidding of the driving wheels on dry asphalt.
Under racing-style driving conditions with
gearshifts at high engine RPM, double-clutching
when up-shifting is performed automatically.
CAUTION
It is advisable not to use
“SPORT” mode on roads with low or
medium “grip” conditions (e.g. ice,
snow, or wet roads) as the driving
wheels could skid during gearshifts.
Therefore, excessive use of the vehicle
in “SPORT” mode is advisable only on
racetracks.
If you use a racing-style driving when starting-off
or gearshifting with SPORT mode active, you
might feel the driving wheels begin to slip even
on dry roads.
It is a good rule to deactivate the other operating
modes (“low-grip” and “automatic gearshift”)
before you select “SPORT” mode.