2013 Alfa Romeo MiTo maintenance

STORING THE CARIf the car is to be left inactive for longer than a month, the following
precautions should be noted:
❒park the vehicle in a dry, covered and, if possible, ventilated area;
engage a gear and check that the handbrake is not engaged;
❒disconnect the negative battery terminal and check the battery
charge. Repeat this check once every three months during storage;
❒if you have not disconnected the battery, check the battery charge
every thirty days;
❒clean and protect the painted parts using protective wax;
❒clean and protect the shiny metal parts using special compounds
available commercially;❒sprinkle talcum powder on the windscreen and rear window wiper
rubber blades and lift them off the glass;
❒slightly open the windows;
❒cover the car with a cloth or perforated plastic sheet. Do not use
compact plastic sheets which do not allow humidity to evaporate
from the surface of the car.
❒inflate tyres to +0.5 bar above the standard specified pressure and
check it at intervals;
❒do not drain the engine cooling system.
IMPORTANT After turning the ignition key to STOP, wait at least 1
minute before disconnecting the battery power supply.
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IN AN EMERGENCY
In an emergency we recommend that you call the freephone number found in the Warranty Booklet. You can also
consult www.alfaromeo.com to find your nearest Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.STARTING THE ENGINEIf the
warning light on the instrument panel remains on constantly,
contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services immediately.
JUMP STARTINGIf the battery is flat, the engine may be started using an auxiliary
battery with the same capacity or a little higher than the flat one.
Proceed as follows to start the vehicle:
❒connect the positive terminals (+ sign near the terminal) of the two
batteries with a jump lead fig. 112;❒with a second cable, connect the negative terminal(–)ofthe
auxiliary battery to an earthing point
on the engine or the
gearbox of the car to be started;
❒start the engine; afterwards, follow the sequence above in reverse
order to remove the cables.
For versions with Start&Stop system, to carry out the jump starting
procedure, refer to the paragraph “Start&Stop system” in the “Getting
to know your car” section.
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services if you cannot start the engine
after several attempts.
IMPORTANT Never connect the negative terminals of the two batteries
directly! If the auxiliary battery is installed on another car, prevent
accidental contact between metallic parts of the two cars.
Never use a fast battery-charger to start the engine as this
could damage the electronic systems of your car,
particularly the ignition and fuel supply control units.
fig. 112
A0J0392
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This starting procedure must be performed by expert
personnel because incorrect actions could cause
electrical discharge of considerable intensity.
Furthermore, battery fluid is poisonous and corrosive: avoid
contact with skin and eyes. Keep naked flames and lighted
cigarettes away from the battery and do not cause sparks.
BUMP STARTINGNever start the engine by pushing, towing or coasting downhill.
REPLACING A WHEELGENERAL INSTRUCTIONSThe car is equipped with the “Fix&Go Automatic Kit”: see the
paragraph “Fix&Go Automatic Kit” for how to use this device.
As an alternative to the “Fix&Go Automatic Kit” the car may be
equipped with a space-saver wheel: see the instructions on the
following pages for changing the tyre.
The spare wheel is specific for your car. Do not use it
on cars of different models. Do not use spare wheels of
different models on your car. The space-saver wheel
must only be used in case of emergency. It must only be used for
the distance necessary to reach a service point and the car speed
must not exceed 80 km/h. The space-saver wheel has an orange
sticker that summarises the main cautions for use and limitations.
Never remove or cover the label. Never apply any hub cap to
the space-saver spare wheel.Alert other drivers that the car is stationary in
compliance with local regulations: hazard warning
lights, warning triangle, etc. Any passengers on board
should leave the car, especially if it is heavily laden. Passengers
should stay away from on-coming traffic while the wheel is
being changed. In case of steep slopes or rough slopes, place
wedges or other materials suitable to stop the vehicle under the
wheels.
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The vehicle's driving characteristics will be modified
with the space-saver wheel fitted. Avoid violent
acceleration and braking, sharp steering and fast
cornering. The total life of a space-saver wheel is approximately
3,000 km, after which it must be replaced by another wheel of
the same type. Never attempt to fit a conventional tyre on a rim
designed for use as a space-saver wheel. Repair and refit the
standard wheel as soon as possible. Two or more space-saver
wheels should never be used together. Do not grease the threads
of bolts before fitting them: they might slip out.The jack provided is only intended to be used for
replacing tyres on the vehicle with which it is supplied,
or on same-model vehicles. Never use the jack for
other purposes, such as lifting other car models. Never use it for
repair operations under the vehicle. Incorrect positioning of the
jack may cause the car to fall. Do not use the jack for loads
higher than those shown on the label. Never install snow chains
on the small spare wheel; if a front tyre (driving wheel) is
punctured and you need to use snow chains, use a standard
wheel from the rear axle and install the small spare wheel on the
rear axle. In this way, with two normal front drive wheels, it is
possible to use snow chains.Incorrectly fitting the hubcap may cause it to fall off
when the vehicle is in motion. Never tamper with the
inflating valve. Never introduce tools of any kind
between rim and tyre. Regularly check the inflation pressure of
the tyres and space-saver wheel (see chapter "Technical
specifications").
JACKPlease note that:
❒the jack weight is 1.76 kg;
❒the jack requires no adjustment;
❒the jack cannot be repaired and in the event of a fault it must be
replaced by another original one;
❒no tool other than its cranking device may be fitted on the jack.
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To change a wheel proceed as follows:
❒stop the car in a position that is not dangerous for oncoming traffic
where you can change the wheel safely. The ground must be flat
and sufficiently compact;
❒switch off the engine, pull up the handbrake and engage 1
agear or
reverse; put on the high visibility jacket (required by law) before
leaving the vehicle;
❒open the luggage compartment, pull tab A fig. 113 and lift up the
mat;
❒unscrew locking device Afig. 114, take toolbox B and bring it next
to the wheel to replace. Then take the space-saver wheel C;
❒for versions with steel rims: insert the screwdriver in the
opening A fig. 115 in order to trigger the hub cap retaining clip B;
❒for versions with alloy rims: shake the car to facilitate
detachment of the rim from the wheel hub. Some versions may be
fitted with alloy wheels with a hub cap (fig. 116). To remove the hub
cap, insert the screwdriver into housings A in order to access the
fixing bolts. Replace the wheel as described previously;❒take wrench A fig. 117 and loosen the fixing bolts by about one
turn;
fig. 113
A0J0104
fig. 114
A0J0105
fig. 115
A0J0236
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❒position the jack under the car, near the wheel to be changed. On
versions where this is fitted, be careful not to damage the plastic
aerodynamic guard;
❒operate the device A fig. 118 so as to extend the jack, until the
upper part B fig. 119 is inserted correctly inside the side member C;❒alert any bystander that the car is about to be raised; all persons
should be kept away from the car and nobody must touch it until
it has been lowered;
❒fit handle D fig. 118 into the housing in device A, operate the jack
and raise the car until the wheel is a few centimetres from the
ground;
fig. 116
A0J0238
fig. 117
A0J0106
fig. 118
A0J0062
fig. 119
A0J0061
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❒make sure the contact surfaces between space-saver wheel and hub
are clean so that the fastening bolts will not come loose;
❒fit the space-saver spare wheel by inserting the first bolt for two
threads into the hole closest to the valve;
❒take the wrench A fig. 117 and fully tighten the fixing bolts;
❒operate the jack handle D fig. 118 to lower the vehicle. Then extract
the jack;
❒use the wrench A fig. 117 provided to fully tighten the bolts in a
criss-cross fashion as per the numerical sequence illustrated in
fig. 120;
❒when replacing an alloy wheel it is advisable to place it upside
down, with the aesthetic part facing upwards.
Visit Alfa Romeo Authorized Services as soon as possible to
check the correct tightening of the main wheel bolts.
Restore the standard wheel as soon as possible, because, once placed
in the associated compartment, the luggage compartment load
platform is rendered uneven as the standard wheel is larger than the
space-saver wheel.
fig. 120
A0J0271
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REMOVING THE SUBWOOFER
(versions with Bose HI-FI system)(for versions/markets, where provided)
IMPORTANT The following procedure only applies to cars equipped
with Bose HI-FI systems with subwoofer (for versions/markets, where
provided).
Subwoofer and space-saver spare wheel
On these versions, the tools for replacing the wheel are located in a
dedicated bag in the luggage compartment.
Proceed as follows to remove the Subwoofer:
❒open the luggage compartment, pull tab A fig. 113 and lift up the
mat;
❒unscrew locking device A fig. 121, raise the subwoofer and then
remove connection cable B from the Velcro C;
❒rest the Subwoofer on one side in the luggage compartment, remove
the container and take the space-saver wheel;
❒replace the wheel as described previously.At the end of the operation:
❒reposition the container (with the arrow pointing forwards) in its
housing and place the subwoofer on top of it, taking care to arrange
it according to the indications on the container (fig. 122) so that
the word “BOSE” is read in the correct position;
❒rest cable B fig. 121 on the Velcro C to avoid pinching it;
❒screw in locking device A, and finally lower the luggage
compartment mat.
fig. 121
A0J0180
fig. 122
A0J0260
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