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9) When the engine is off, do not
leave the ignition key turned to
MAR-ON to prevent unnecessary
electrical consumption from
draining the battery.
10) A quick burst on the accelerator
before turning off the engine
serves absolutely no practical
purpose; it wastes fuel and is
especially damaging to
turbocharged engines.PARKING
Always remove the ignition key when
leaving the car.
When parking and leaving the car,
proceed as follows:
❒engage a gear (first gear if parked
uphill or reverse if facing downhill)
and leave the wheels turned;
❒stop the engine and engage the
handbrake.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a
stone if the car is parked on a steep
slope.
Wait until the indication of the gear
engaged disappears on the display
before releasing the brake pedal.
87)
IMPORTANT:NEVERleave the car with
the gearbox in neutral.
HANDBRAKE
To engage it, pull lever A fig. 73
upwards until the car is secured. When
the handbrake is engaged and the
ignition key is at MAR-ON, the
warning light will switch on in the
instrument panel.
To release the handbrake, raise lever A
slightly, hold down button B and lower
the lever. The
warning light in the
instrument panel will switch off.Four or five clicks are generally enough
when the car is on level ground, while
ten or eleven may be required if the car
is on a steep slope and laden.
88)
IMPORTANT Carry out these
manoeuvres with the brake pedal
pressed.
WARNING
87) Never leave children unattended
in the car. Always remove the key
from the ignition device when
leaving the car and take it with
you.
73A0L0066
105
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IMPORTANT
11) Keep your speed down when
snow chains are fitted; do not
exceed 50 km/h. Avoid potholes,
steps and pavements and avoid
driving for long distances on
roads not covered with snow to
prevent damaging the car and the
road surface.
CAR INACTIVITY
If the vehicle is to be left inactive for
longer than a month, observe the
following precautions:
❒park the car in covered, dry and if
possible well-ventilated premises and
slightly open the windows;
❒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.
For optimum preservation of the
battery charge, it is advisable to use
the charge-holder (for versions/
markets, where provided, or
alternatively, available from
Lineaccessori). For more details on
its operation, refer to the attached
Supplement;
❒if the battery is not disconnected
from the electrical system, checks its
state of charge every thirty days;
❒clean and protect the painted parts
using protective wax;❒sprinkle talcum powder on the rubber
blade of the windscreen wiper and lift
it off the glass (for the correct lifting
procedure, refer to the "Windscreen
wiper" paragraph in the
"Maintenance and care" chapter);
❒cover the car with a cloth or
perforated plastic sheet. Do not use
sheets of non-perforated plastic
as they do not allow moisture on the
car body to evaporate;
❒inflate tyres to +0.5 bar above the
standard prescribed pressure and
check it periodically;
❒do not drain the engine cooling
system;
❒every time the car is left inactive for
two weeks or longer, run the air
conditioning system for about
5 minutes, set to outside air and with
fan set to maximum, with the engine
idling; this operation will ensure
adequate lubrication to minimise the
possibility of damage to the
compressor when the system is put
back into operation;
114
STARTING AND DRIVING
Page 119 of 199
❒ensure that the air intake directly in
front of the windscreen is not
obstructed by leaves or other foreign
bodies; any leaves in the air intake
could reduce the air flow and, if they
enter the reservoir, could prevent
water drainage. In winter months,
make sure that the air intake is not
obstructed by ice, mud or snow.
IMPORTANT After turning the ignition
key to STOP and having closed the
driver side door, wait at least one
minute before disconnecting the
electrical supply from the battery. When
reconnecting the electrical supply to
the battery, make sure that the ignition
key is in the STOP position and the
driver side door is closed.
115
Page 121 of 199
IN AN EMERGENCY
A punctured tyre or a burnt-out bulb?
At times, a problem may interfere
with our journey.
The pages on emergencies can help
you to deal with critical situations
independently and with calm.
In an emergency we recommend that
you call the freephone number found in
the Warranty Booklet.
You can also use the freephone number
00 800 2532 4200 to find your nearest
dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership.STARTING THE ENGINE .................118
REPAIRING A WHEEL .....................119
REPLACING A WHEEL ...................122
CHANGING A BULB .......................126
REPLACING EXTERIOR BULBS......129
INTERIOR BULB REPLACEMENT ...132
REPLACING FUSES........................133
RECHARGING THE BATTERY ........136
RAISING THE CAR..........................136
TOWING THE CAR .........................137
117
Page 122 of 199

STARTING THE
ENGINE
Contact the dedicated Alfa Romeo
Dealership immediately if
warning
light stays on constantly on the
instrument panel.
JUMP STARTING
If the battery is flat, start the engine
using an auxiliary battery with the same
capacity or a little higher than the flat
one.
12)91)
Proceed as follows to start the car:
❒connect the positive terminals (+ sign
near the terminal) of the two batteries
with a jump lead fig. 79;❒with a second lead, connect the
negative terminal(−)oftheauxiliary
battery to an earthing point
on
the engine or the gearbox/
transmission of the car to be started;
❒start the engine; when the engine has
started, remove the leads, reversing
the order above.
If after a few attempts the engine does
not start, do not persist but contact
the dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership.
IMPORTANT Do not connect the
negative terminals of the two batteries
directly! If the auxiliary battery is
installed on another car, check that
there is no accidental contact between
metallic parts of the two cars.
BUMP STARTING
Never, under any circumstances, jump
start the engine by pushing, towing
or coasting downhill.
IMPORTANT
12) Never use a fast battery charger
to start the engine as this could
damage the electronic systems
and the ignition and engine supply
control units.
WARNING
91) This procedure must be
performed by qualified personnel
as incorrect actions may cause
high-intensity electrical discharge.
Furthermore, battery fluid is
poisonous and corrosive: avoid
contact with skin and eyes. Keep
naked flames and lit cigarettes
away from the battery and do not
cause sparks.
79A0L0116
118
IN AN EMERGENCY
Page 137 of 199

REPLACING FUSES
GENERAL INFORMATION
Fuses protect the electrical system:
they intervene (blow) in the event of a
fault or improper action on the system.
When a device does not work, check
the condition of its fuse: the filament
A fig. 110 must be intact.
If it is not, replace the blown fuse with
another with the same amperage (same
colour).
110) 111) 112) 113) 114)16)
B = intact fuse;
C = fuse with damaged filament.FUSE LOCATION
The fuses are grouped in two fuse
boxes located in the engine and
passenger compartments.
Engine compartment fuse box
This is located next to the battery fig.
111: to access the fuses, undo screws
A and remove cover B.
The number identifying the electrical
component corresponding to each fuse
is shown on the back of the cover.
After replacing the fuse, make sure you
close cover B on the fuse box.
17)
Dashboard fuse box
This is located under the dashboard in
the area in front of the passenger seat.
To access the fuse box fig. 114 remove
the protective panel, following the
procedure described below:
❒undo the four screws A fig. 113;
❒to locate the fifth locking screw,
remove block B and remove plastic
cover C;
110A0L0102
111A0L0137112A0L0104
133
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RECHARGING THE
BATTERY
IMPORTANT The battery recharging
procedure is given as information only.
To carry out this operation contact
the dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership.
IMPORTANT After turning the ignition
key to STOP and having closed the
driver side door, wait at least one
minute before disconnecting the
electrical supply from the battery. When
reconnecting the electrical supply to
the battery, make sure that the ignition
key is in the STOP position and the
driver side door is closed.
We advise you to use a battery charger
with rated recharging voltage of 12 V
and maximum current 15 A, for a
period from 12–24 hours. Charging for
a longer time may damage the battery.
To recharge, proceed as follows:
❒disconnect the negative battery
terminal;
❒connect the charger cables to the
battery terminals, observing the
polarity;
❒turn on the charger;❒when it is recharged, turn the charger
off before disconnecting it from the
battery;
❒reconnect the negative battery
terminal.
RAISING THE CAR
If raising the car is necessary, contact a
dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership,
who will be equipped with suitable arm
or workshop lifts, in addition to the
specific equipment necessary.
It is however possible to use suitable
lowered hydraulic jacks to raise the car
if necessary.
The car lifting points are marked on the
side skirts with the
symbols (see
points illustrated in fig. 115).
The correct support points for raising
the front and rear part of the car are
illustrated in fig. 116 and fig. 117.
115A0L0029
136
IN AN EMERGENCY
Page 143 of 199
SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE
Correct maintenance permits the
performance of the car to be
maintained over time, as well as limited
running costs and safeguarding the
efficiency of the safety systems.
This chapter explains how.SCHEDULED SERVICING ...............140
SCHEDULED SERVICING PLAN .....141
PERIODIC CHECKS ........................144
HEAVY-DUTY USE OF THE CAR .....144
CHECKING LEVELS........................145
AIR CLEANER .................................151
BATTERY ........................................151
WHEELS AND TYRES.....................153
WINDSCREEN WIPER ....................154
BODYWORK ...................................156
INTERIORS .....................................157
139