service Alfa Romeo 147 2008 Owner handbook (in English)

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
28
PRE-TENSIONING DEVICES
To increase the efficiency of the front seat
belts,Alfa 147 GTAis fitted with pre-
tensioning devices.
These devices “feel” that the car is being
subject to a violent impact by way of a sen-
sor rewind the seat belts a few centimetres.
In this way they ensure that the seat belt
adheres to the wearer before the restraining
action begins.
The seat belt locks to indicate that the de-
vice has intervened; the seat belt cannot be
drawn back up even when guiding it man-
ually.IMPORTANTThe pretensioner will give
maximum protection when the seat belt ad-
heres snugly to wearer’s chest and hips.
Front seat pretensioners activate only if
front seat belts are properly fitted into buck-
les.
A small amount of smoke may be pro-
duced. This smoke is in no way toxic and
presents no fire hazard.
The emergency tensioning retractor needs
no maintenance or lubrication. Any modifi-
cation to its original features will nullify the
retractor’s effectiveness. If, due to unusual
natural events (floods, high waves, etc.),
the device has been affected by water and
mud, it must be replaced.Operations involving
banging, vibrations or
heating (above 100°C for
a maximum of 6 hours) in the area
of the pretensioners may damage
or trigger off the device. Vibrations
from rough road surfaces or acci-
dental jolting caused by mounting
pavements etc. do not have any ef-
fect on the pretensioner. If, how-
ever, you need assistance, go to Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services.The pretensioner can only
be used once. After a col-
lision that has triggered it, have it
replaced at Alfa Romeo Authorized
Service. The validity of the device
is written on the plate located on
the front left door near the lock.
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services to have pretensioner re-
placed as this date approaches.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
29
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE USE OF THE
SEAT BELTS
All the occupants of the car are obliged to
respect the local traffic laws regarding the
wearing of seat belts.
Always fasten the seat belts before start-
ing.
fig. 39
A0A0420m
Never disassemble or tam-
per with the pretensioner
components. All interventions must
be carried out by qualified and au-
thorised personnel. Always contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
WARNING
To ensure the highest de-
gree of protection, you are
recommended to keep the seat
backrest in the straightest position
possible, and the belt adhering well
to the chest and pelvis. Seat belt
should always be worn in both the
front and rear positions! Travelling
without seat belt increases the risk
of serious injury or death in the
case of accident.
WARNING
The seat belt must not be
twisted and should cling
tightly to the body. The upper part
must pass over the shoulder and
diagonally across the chest. The
lower part must rest across the
pelvis and not across the stomach
to eliminate the risk of sliding for-
wards (fig. 39). Do not use devices
(clips, stoppers, etc.) which keep
the belts away from the body.
WARNING
Under no circumstances
should the components of
the seat belts and pretensioner be
tampered with or removed. Any
operation should be carried out by
qualified and authorised personnel.
Always contact an Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Service.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
39
IMPORTANTIn the event of side crash,
you can obtain the best protection by the
system keeping a correct position on the
seat, thus allowing correct window bag un-
folding.
IMPORTANTThe front and/or side air
bags may be activated if the car is subjected
to heavy shocks or accidents that involve the
underbody area, such as for example violent
bumps against steps, pavements or fixed ob-
stacles on the ground, falling into big holes
or bumpy roads.IMPORTANTThe triggering of air bags
releases a small amount of powder. This pow-
der is not harmful and does not indicate a
start of fire; also the surfaces of the deployed
bag and the car interior may be covered with
dusty residue: this may irritate the skin and
eyes. In the event of exposure, wash with
neutral soap and water.
The airbag system has a validity of 14
years for the pyrotechnic charge and 10
years for the coil contact (see the plate lo-
cated on the front left door near the lock).
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services for
replacement as these dates approach.
IMPORTANTIf an accident has trig-
gered the air bag, Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services must be contacted to have the de-
vices activated replaced and to have the
whole system checked.All operations involving checking, repair-
ing and replacing components concerning
the Air bag must be carried out by Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
If the car is to be demolished, Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services should be contacted be-
forehand to have the system deactivated.
If the car changes ownership, the new
owner must be informed of the instructions
for use and of the above warnings and be
given this “Owner’s Manual“.
IMPORTANTThe triggering of the pre-
tensioners, front air bags and side bags is
decided by the electronic control unit in a
differentiated manner depending on the type
of crash. The failure to trigger one or more
of them does not necessarily indicate a sys-
tem malfunction.
Never rest head, arms and
elbows on the door, on the
windows and in the window bag
area to prevent possible injuries
during the inflation phase.
WARNING
Never lean head, arms and
elbows out of the window.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
40
GENERAL CAUTIONS
You are reminded that
when the ignition key is
engaged and in the MAR position,
the Air bags can be triggered also
on a stationary vehicle, if it is
bumped by another moving vehi-
cle. Therefore, even with the car
stationary, never allow children on
the front seat. You are also re-
minded that with the car station-
ary, without the key engaged and
turned, the Air bags are not trig-
gered in the event of an impact; in
this case the failure to trigger the
air bags should not be considered
a system failure.
WARNING
Do not cover the back rest
of front seats with trims or
covers there are not set for the use
of side bags.
WARNING
If the ¬warning light does
not turn on when turning the
ignition key to MAR or if it stays on
when travelling, this could indicate a
failure in safety retaining systems; un-
der this condition air bags or preten-
sioners could not trigger in the event
of collision or, in a restricted number
of cases, they could trigger acciden-
tally. Stop the car contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services to have the sys-
tem checked immediately.
WARNING
Never travel with objects
on your lap, in front of the
chest or with a pipe, pencil, etc. be-
tween your lips. Serious injury may
result in the case of the air bag be-
ing triggered.
WARNING
If the car has been stolen
or an attempt to steal it
has been made, if it has been sub-
jected to vandals or floods, have
the Air bag system checked by Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services.
WARNING
Always keep your hands
on the steering wheel rim
when driving, so that if the Air bag
is triggered, it can inflate without
meeting any obstacles. Do not dri-
ve with the body bent forwards,
keep the seat back rest in the erect
position and lean your back well
against it.
WARNING
Please don’t apply stickers
or other objects to the
steering wheel, to the air-bag cov-
er on the passenger's side or on the
side roof lining to the upholstery
on the roof side. Don’t place ob-
jects on the dashboard passenger’s
side (such as mobile phones) be-
cause they could tamper with the
correct opening of the passenger’s
air-bag and than cause serious in-
juries to the vehicle occupants.
WARNING

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
42
STEERING
WHEEL LEVERS
The devices and services controlled by the
levers on the steering wheel can only be ac-
tivated with the ignition key at MAR.
LEFT-HAND LEVER
The left-hand lever controls the outer lights
except the fog lamps and rear fog guards.
When the outer lights are switched on, the
various controls on the dashboard are illu-
minated.
Only with the ignition key at PARK, re-
gardless of the position of the knurled ring,
the side lights and number plate lights stay
on.
Position (1or2-fig. 57) of the lever
causes the turning on only of the side lights
(front and rear), on the right or left respec-
tively.
Lights switched off (fig. 52)
When the pointer on the knurled ring is op-
posite the symbol Othe outer lights are
switched off.Sidelights(fig. 53)
The sidelights are switched on by turning
the knurled ring from Oto
6.
The
3warning light on the instrument
cluster will come on at the same time.
Dipped-beam headlights (fig. 54)
These are switched on by turning the
knurled ring from
6to2.
fig. 52
A0A0063m
fig. 53
A0A0064m
Main beams (fig. 55)
To turn main beams on, set knurled ring
to position
2, push the lever towards the
dashboard (stable position); warning light
1on the instrument panel will turn on.
To set dipped-beams back pull the lever to-
wards the steering wheel.
fig. 54
A0A0065m
fig. 55
A0A0066m

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
49
The device may only be engaged in 4th,
5th or 6th gear, depending on the speed
of the car. Travelling downhill with the de-
vice engaged the car speed may increase
more than the memorised one, due to the
change in the engine load.
The ring (A) may be left constantly at ON
without damaging the device. You are, how-
ever, advised to switch the device off when
not in use, turning the ring to OFF, to avoid
memorising speeds by accident. It is advisable to engage the cruise control
only when the conditions of the traffic or
road so permit under completely safe con-
ditions, i.e.: straight and dry roads, dual car-
riageways or motorways, flowing traffic and
smooth road surface. Do not engage the de-
vice in town or in heavy traffic conditions.TO REDUCE
THE MEMORISED SPEED
The speed memorised can be reduced in
two ways:
1) disengaging the device (for instance
pressing the brake pedal) and then memo-
rising the new speed (turning the ring (B)
to (+) for at least three seconds);
2) keeping the ring pressed (B) at (–)
until reaching the new speed which will be
memorised automatically.
Cruise Control can only be
engaged at speeds above
30 km/h. The max. speed at which
the Cruise Control can be engaged
is 190 km/h, at speeds higher than
190 km/h it will not be engaged.
WARNING
When travelling with the
cruise control on, do not
move the gearshift lever to neu-
tral.
WARNING
If the device is faulty or
not working, turn the ring
(A) to OFF and contact Alfa Romeo
Authorised Services after checking
that the protection fuse is intact.
WARNING
RESETTING THE MEMORISED
SPEED
The memorised speed is automatically re-
set turning off the engine or moving the ring
(A) to OFF.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
52
IMPORTANTThe temperature of the en-
gine coolant may rise towards the maximum
values (red zone) when the vehicle is dri-
ven at low speeds, especially when the am-
bient air temperature is high. In this case it
is advisable to stop the vehicle and switch
off the engine for a few minutes, after which
the journey can be resumed, preferably at
a higher speed.ENGINE COOLANT FLUID
TEMPERATURE GAUGE WITH
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
WARNING LIGHT
This shows the temperature of the engine
coolant fluid and begins when the fluid tem-
perature exceeds approx. 50°C.
Normally the pointer should be towards
the middle of the scale. If the pointer reach-
es the higher temperatures of the scale (red
area) the request for vehicle performance
should be decreased.
The turning on of the
uwarning light (on
some versions together with the message
shown on the reconfigurablemultifunction
display) indicates that the coolant fluid tem-
perature is too high; in this case, stop the
engine and contact Alfa Romeo Authorised
Services.
FUEL LEVEL GAUGE WITH
RESERVE INDICATOR
This shows the amount of fuel left in the
fuel tank.
The warning light
Kturns on to indicate that
approx. 7 litres of fuel are left in the tank.
IMPORTANTUnder certain conditions
(heavy slopes, for instance), the reading on
the gauge may differ from the actual amount
of fuel in the tank and changes in level may
be indicated late.
This condition falls within the operation log-
ics of the electronic control circuit to avoid
highly unstable readings due to swaying of
the fuel when travelling.
IMPORTANTRefuelling shall always be
performed with engine off and ignition key
toSTOP. If the engine is off but the key
is to MAR, a wrong fuel level could tem-
porarily be indicated. This is due to the in-
ternal system control logic and cannot be
considered as a system malfunctioning.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
53
RECONFIGURABLE MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY
The reconfigurable multifunction display is
able to display all the useful and necessary
information when driving and a menu allows
the following adjustments and/or settings:
TIME
DATE
OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE
INFORMATION ABOUT VEHICLE CONDITION
- Trip computer
- Lighting adjustment (rheostat)
- Display of failure messages with corre-
sponding symbol
- Display of warning messages with cor-
responding symbol (e.g.: possible ice on
road)Reconfigurable multifunction
display menu
SPEED
- Activation/deactivation of the corre-
sponding indication (ON/OFF)
- Setting the speed limit
TRIP B
- Activation/deactivation of the corre-
sponding function (ON/OFF)
TIME
- Setting the hours
- Setting the minutes
DATE
- Setting the day
- Setting the month
- Setting the year
DST (SUMMER TIME)
- Activation/deactivation of summer time
MODE 12/24
- Selecting the clock mode on 12 or 24
hours
RADIO
- Activation/deactivation of the following
items on the display:
frequency or RDS message of the radio
station selected, compact disc and cor-
responding track selected, cassette func-
tion onTELEPHONE
- Activation/deactivation of the following
items on the display: incoming or out-
going phone call with name and/or
number of the subscriber connected
NAVIGATION
- Activation/deactivation of the displays
and information concerning the route to
be followed
LANGUAGE
- Setting the language of the messages
shown on the display
UNITS
- Selection of the following units of mea-
sure: km, mi, °C, °F, km/l, l/100km,
mpg
BUZZER
- Buzzer volume adjustment
SERVICE
- Display of information concerning correct
vehicle maintenance, strictly connected
with the Scheduled Maintenance Pro-
gramme
MENU OFF
- Exits the menu.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
55
MENU OFF
SPEED
TRIP B
TIME
DATE
DST (SUMMER TIME)
MODE 12/24
RADIO TELEPHONE NAVIGATIONLANGUAGEUNITSBUZZERSERVICE
DESCRIPTION OF THE MENU
The menu comprises a series of functions arranged in a “circular fashion”, which can be selected through the âandãbuttons for access
to the different select operations and settings (see examples “LANGUAGE” and “DATE” below); for further details, also refer to “Access to the
menu screen” in the previous chapter.
Day
YearMonth
Q
Q
Français
Deutsch
Nederlands
Italiano
Español
English

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
57
ACCESS TO MENU SCREEN
After the INITIAL CHECK, with the car stationary and with the standard screen, it is possible to access the menu screen: press Q.
To navigate use the
âandãbuttons.
Setting the limit speed is also possible with the car on the move.
If the waiting time (no operation) is above 10 seconds, the standard screen or the screen that was active before pressing the
Qbutton
is restored automatically; all the operations confirmed are stored.
Is the car
moving?
See next page
to enter speed limit.
SPEED
TRIP B
TIME
DATE
DST (SUMMER TIME)
MODE 12/24
RADIO
TELEPHONE
NAVIGATION
LANGUAGE
UNITS
BUZZER
SERVICE
MENU OFF
QSee
INITIAL CHECKNO
YES