2011 Alfa Romeo 147 lights

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
133
HEADLIGHT ADJUSTMENT
ABROAD
(fig. 135)
The dipped-beam headlights are adjusted
for circulation in the country in which the ve-
hicle is marketed. In countries with opposite
circulation, to avoid glaring oncoming vehi-
cles it is necessary to cover the areas of the
headlight as shown below; this is done us-
ing non-transparent sticker tape.
The illustration refers to passing from right-
hand drive to left-hand drive.
GAS DISCHARGE
HEADLIGHTS
(optional for versions/markets
where applicable)
The gas (xenon) discharge headlights op-
erate with a voltaic arc, in an ambient sat-
urated with pressure xenon, instead of the
glow filament.
The resulting illumination is sensibly high-
er to that of conventional lamps, both for
light quality (clearer light) and for the width
and positioning of the illuminated area.
The advantages of better illumination can
be perceived (due to less eyesight fatigue
and greater orientation capacity for the dri-
ver, which in turn means higher driving safe-
ty) especially in case of bad weather, fog
and/or insufficient road signs, thanks to the
better illumination of the side parts of the
visual field, normally obscured.
The large increase of the side part illumi-
nation increases driving safety since it allows
the driver to better see the other users on
the edge of the road (pedestrians, cyclists
and bikers).The triggering of the voltaic arc requires a
very high voltage, while subsequent power
supply can take place at a low voltage.
The headlights achieve their top luminosi-
ty approx. 15 seconds after they are switched
on.
The intense light produced by this type of
headlights requires the use of an automat-
ic system to keep headlight trim constant
and avoid dazzling the vehicles coming from
the opposite direction in case of braking, ac-
celeration or when carrying loads.
The electric mechanical system for auto-
matically keeping the trim constant, makes
unnecessary the device for compensating
the headlight dip and the visual indication
of the position on the display.
Xenon lights have a very long life, there-
fore breakdowns are unlikely.
If necessary, have the sys-
tem checked and repaired
only by Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
135
Always take due car when braking on
bends, even with the help of the ABS.
The most important advice of all, howev-
er, is this:
Following these instruction you will be in
the best braking condition under all circum-
stances.
IMPORTANTCars fitted with ABS may
only be fitted with the wheel rims, tyres and
brake linings of type and brand approved by
the Manufacturer.
The system is completed by the EBD (Elec-
tronic Brake Distributor) which distributes
the braking action through the control unit
and the ABS system sensors.IMPORTANTIf the battery is run down
the
>andxwarning lights might turn
on when starting the engine and go off af-
ter starting. This should not be considered
as a fault but as a warning that during start-
ing the ABS is not active. The turning off
of the warning lights ensures normal system
operation.
When the ABS cuts in, and
you feel the pulsing on the
pedal, do not lighten the pressure,
but keep the pedal firmly pressed
with no fear; this way you will
stop in the least space possible,
compatibly with the conditions of
the road surface.
WARNING
The car is fitted with an
electronic braking distribu-
tor (EBD). If the
>andxwarn-
ing lights turn on simultaneously
with the engine running, this indi-
cates an EBD system failure; in this
case with sharp braking the rear
wheels might lock too early, with
the possibility of skidding. Driving
extremely carefully, go to the near-
est Alfa Romeo Authorised Service
to have the system checked.
WARNING
The turning on of only the
>warning light with the
engine running normally indicates a
fault to the ABS system only. In this
case the braking system is still ef-
ficient, though without the aid of
the anti-lock device. Under these
conditions performance of the EBD
system may be reduced. In this case
too, you areadvised to go immedi-
ately to the nearest Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service to have the sys-
tem checked over, driving in such
a way as to avoid sharp braking.
WARNING
If the low brake fluid lev-
el
xwarning light turns
on, stop the car immediately and
contact the nearest Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service. Any loss of
fluid from the hydraulic system
will negatively affect the opera-
tion of the braking system be it of
the conventional type or of the
type with ABS.
WARNING

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
178
SAFE DRIVING
In designing your Alfa 147 GTA, Al-
fa Romeo has worked thoroughly to achieve
a vehicle able to offer top levels of safety to
its passengers. However, the behaviour of
the driver is still a decisive factor for road
safety.
Below you will find a few simple rules for
travelling safely under different conditions.
You are certainly familiar with many of them
but it is still helpful to read them all care-
fully.
BEFORE DRIVING OFF
– Make sure the lights and headlights are
working properly.
– Adjust the seat, steering wheel and rear-
view mirrors, in order to obtain a correct po-
sition for driving.
– Carefully adjust the headrests so that
the head and not the neck rests on them.
Check that nothing (mats etc.) can get un-
der the foot pedals.– Make sure that any child restraint sys-
tems (seats, cradles, etc.) are correctly fas-
tened on the rear seat.
– Place any objects in the boot with care
to prevent abrupt braking from throwing
them forwards.
– Avoid heavy meals before a journey. A
light meal will help to keep reflexes ready.
Above all avoid alcohol.
Routinely remember to check:
– tyre pressure and conditions;
– engine oil level;
– engine coolant fluid level and system
conditions;
– brake fluid level;
– power steering oil level;
– windscreen washer fluid level.
WHEN TRAVELLING
– The first rule for safe driving is care.
– Care also means being able to predict
the actions of other road users.
– Strictly respect the traffic regulations in
all countries, especially the speed limits.
– Ensure that both yourself and your pas-
sengers are wearing their seat belts, that
children are carried with the appropriate
seats and that any animals are in appropri-
ate compartments.
– Long distances should be tackled in good
health.
Driving under the influence
of drugs and/or some
medicines is highly dangerous for
oneself and for others.
WARNING

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
182
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routinely at
an interval of no more than 4 weeks: if the
pressure is too low consumption levels in-
crease as resistance to rolling is higher. It
should be underscored that in these condi-
tions tyre wear increases and vehicle per-
formance is lower, therefore also its safety.
Useless loads
Never travel with an overload in the boot.
The weight of the vehicle (especially in ur-
ban traffic), and its geometry heavily affect
consumption levels and stability.
Luggage/ski racks
Remove the luggage rack or ski rack from
the roof as soon as they are no longer used.
These accessories lower air penetration and
adversely affect consumption levels. When
needing to carry particularly voluminous ob-
jects, preferably use a trailer.Electric services
Use electric devices only for the amount of
time needed. Rearscreen heating, addition-
al headlights, windscreen wipers and heater
fan need a considerable amount of energy
therefore, increasing the requirement of cur-
rent increases fuel consumption (up to
+25% in the urban cycle).
Climate control system
The climate control system is a further load
bearing heavily on the engine inducing high-
er consumption levels (up to +20% on av-
erage). Outside temperature permitting,
preferably use the air vents.
Aerodynamic items
The use of non-certified aerodynamic items
may adversely affect air drag and con-
sumption levels.DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car at a
standstill or at idle or high speed: under
these conditions the engine warms up much
more slowly, increasing electrical consump-
tion and emissions. It is therefore advisable
to move off immediately, slowly, avoiding
high speeds. This way the engine will warm
faster.
Pointless manoeuvres
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traffic
lights or before switching off the engine. This
and also double declutching is absolutely
pointless on modern cars and also increase
consumption and pollution.
Gear shifting
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and
road allow, use a higher gear. Using a low
gear to obtain brilliant performance increases
consumption. In the same way improper use
of a high gear increases consumption, emis-
sions and engine wear.

CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
183
Top speed
Fuel consumption considerably increases
with speed: it is helpful to note that passing
from 90 to 120 km/h consumption in-
creases by about +30%. Also maintain an
even as possible speed, avoiding superflu-
ous braking and accelerating again, which
cost in terms of both fuel and emissions. It
is therefore advisable to adopt a “smooth”
driving style trying to anticipate manoeuvres
to avoid imminent hazards and respect safe-
ty distances to avoid sudden slowing.
Acceleration
Accelerating heavily taking the engine to
a high speed, has a considerably adverse ef-
fect on consumption and emission levels;
it is wise to accelerate gradually and not ex-
ceed the maximum torque.CONDITIONS OF USE
Cold starting
Short journeys and frequent cold starts do
not allow the engine to reach optimum op-
erating temperature. This results in a sig-
nificant increase in consumption levels (from
+15 to +30% on the urban cycle) and emis-
sion of harmful substances.
Traffic situations and
road conditions
Rather high consumption levels are tied to
situations with heavy traffic, for example
in queues with frequent use of the lower
gears or in cities with many traffic lights.
Also winding mountain roads and rough
road surfaces adversely affect consumption.
Stopping in the traffic
During prolonged stops (e.g. level cross-
ings) it is advisable to switch the engine off.
ECONOMY AND
ENVIRONMENT
FRIENDLY DRIVING
Environment protection is one of the prin-
ciples that guided the development of your
Alfa 147 GTA.
It is not merely by chance that its antipol-
lution devices obtain results far beyond those
specified by current regulations.
However, the environment still needs the
utmost care from all of us.
By following a few simple rules it is pos-
sible to avoid damage to the environment
and very often at the same time to limit fu-
el consumption. On this subject we are giv-
ing some helpful suggestions to be added
to those marked with the
#in various points
of this booklet.
Kindly read them all carefully.

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.
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