display Alfa Romeo Brera/Spider 2006 Owner handbook (in English)
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: ALFA ROMEO, Model Year: 2006, Model line: Brera/Spider, Model: Alfa Romeo Brera/Spider 2006Pages: 267, PDF Size: 7.21 MB
Page 108 of 267

106
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND 
MESSAGES
IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
SOUND SYSTEM
The car is fitted with sound system with
CD or MP3 CD player (where provided).
As concerns sound system operation, re-
fer to the Supplement attached to this
Owner’s Manual.
EOBD SYSTEM
The EOBD system (European On Board
Diagnosis) allows continuous diagnosis
of the components of the car correlat-
ed with emissions.
It also alerts the driver, by turning on the
warning light 
Uon the instrument pan-
el (together with the message on the
display) (see section “Warning lights
and messages”), when these compo-
nents are no longer in peak conditions.
The objective is:
❒to keep system efficiency under con-
trol;
❒to warn when a fault causes emis-
sion levels to increase;
❒to warn of the need to replace de-
teriorated components.
The system also has a diagnostic con-
nector that can be interfaced with ap-
propriate tools, which makes it possible
to read the error codes stored in the con-
trol unit, together with a series of spe-
cific parameters for engine operation
and diagnosis. 
If when fitting the key
into the ignition device,
the warning light 
U
does not turn on or if, while
travelling it turns on glowing
steadily or flashing, contact Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services
as soon as possible. Warning
light 
Uoperation can be
checked by means of special
equipment by traffic agents. Al-
ways comply with the traffic
regulations in force in the coun-
try where you are travelling.
This check can also be carried out by the
traffic police.
IMPORTANTAfter eliminating the
inconvenience, to check the system
completely, Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices are obliged to run a bench test
and, if necessary, road tests which may
also call for a long journey.  
Page 112 of 267

If a failure is indicated, stop the car, turn
the engine off and then clean the sen-
sors. Make sure to be far from possible
ultrasound sources (e.g.: truck pneu-
matic brakes or pneumatic hammers). 
If failure cause has been eliminated the
system will resume regular operation
and message + symbol on the display
will turn off. 
If the warning light stays on, contact Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services to have
the system inspected, although the sys-
tem keeps on working. If the failure de-
tected does not impair system operation,
the system keeps on working and fail-
ure is stored in order to be then detect-
ed by Alfa Romeo Authorized Services
at next inspection.GENERAL WARNINGS
When parking, take the utmost care to
obstacles that may be set above or un-
der the sensors. Objects set close to the
car, under certain circumstances are not
detected and could therefore cause dam-
ages to the car or be damaged.
Indications sent by the sensors can be
altered by dirt, snow or ice deposited on
the sensors or by ultrasound systems
(e.g.: truck pneumatic brakes or pneu-
matic hammers) set nearby the car.
TOWING TRAILERS
Sensors are reactivated automatically
when removing the trailer cable plug.
FAILURE INDICATIONS
The system control unit checks every
system component each time the key is
fitted into the ignition device. Sensors
and relevant electrical connections are
then constantly monitored during sys-
tem operation.
Sensor failure is indicated by message
+ symbol on the display (see section
“Warning lights and messages”).
Sensors operation is de-
activated automatically
when the trailer electric
cable plug is fitted into the car
tow hook socket.
110
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND 
MESSAGES
IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR  
Page 116 of 267

114
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND 
MESSAGES
IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Since this filter physically traps particu-
lates, it shall be cleaned (reclaimed) at
regular intervals by burning carbon par-
ticles. Reclaiming procedure is controlled
automatically by the engine control unit
according to the filter conditions and the
conditions of use of the car. During re-
claiming the following phenomena could
take place: idling slight increase, fan ac-
tivation, slight smoke increase, high ex-
haust temperatures. These situations
shall not be considered as faults and they
do not affect car performance and envi-
ronment. DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER
(DPF)
The Diesel Particulate Filter is a me-
chanical filter, integral with the exhaust
system, that physically traps particulate
present in the exhaust gases of Diesel
engines.
The diesel particular filter has been
adopted to eliminate almost totally par-
ticulates in compliance with current /
future law regulations.
During normal use of the car, the engine
control unit records a set of data (e.g.:
travel time, type of route, temperatures,
etc.) and it will then calculate how much
particulates has been trapped by the fil-
ter.Diesel particulate filter
clogged
When the Diesel particulate filter is
clogged, the display will show symbol
hand the dedicated message. In
this case keep the car running until sym-
bol 
h+ and message turn off. 
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118
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND 
MESSAGES
IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
S.B.R. SYSTEM
(Seat Belt Reminder)
The car is fitted with the S.B.R. system
(Seat Belt Reminder), consisting of a
buzzer which, together with the turning
on of warning light 
<, warns the driver
and the front passenger to fasten the
seat belt. The buzzer can be muted temporarily as
follows:
❒fasten front seat belts;
❒fit the electronic key into the ignition
device;
❒wait for over 20 seconds, but less
than 1 minute, and then unfasten
one of the front seat belts.
This procedure will be valid until switch-
ing the engine off.For permanent deactivation, contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services. The S.B.R.
system can only be reset through the
“Setup Menu” (see paragraph “Recon-
figurable multifunction display“ in section
“Dashboard and controls”).  
Page 137 of 267

135
Ù
SAFETY 
DEVICES WARNING 
LIGHTS AND 
MESSAGES
IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
GENERAL WARNINGS
If when fitting the key
into the ignition device,
the warning light 
¬does not
turn on or if it stays on when
travelling  (on certain versions
together with the message on
the display) there could be a
failure in safety systems; in
this event air bags or preten-
sioners could not trigger in
case of impact or, in a minor
number of cases, they could
trigger accidentally. Contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices immediately to have the
system checked.
WARNING
Do not cover the back-
rest of front seats with
trims or covers that are not
suitable to be used with side
bags.
WARNING
Never travel with ob-
jects on your lap, in
front of your chest or with a
pipe, pencil, etc. between your
lips; injury may result in the
event of the air bag being trig-
gered.
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 which could
cause serious harm to you. Do
not drive with the body bent
forwards, keep the seat back
rest in the erect position and
lean your back well against it.
WARNING
If the car has been
stolen or an attempt to
steal it has been made, if it
has been subjected to vandals
or floods, have the air bag
system checked by Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
WARNING
Remember that with
the key fitted into the
ignition device and engine off,
the air bags may be triggered
on a stationary car if it is
bumped by another moving
car. Therefore, never seat chil-
dren on the front seat even
when the car is stationary. On
the other hand remember that
if the key is not fitted into the
ignition device, no safety sys-
tem (air bags or pretension-
ers) is triggered in the event
of an impact; in this case, fail-
ure to come into action cannot
be considered as a sign that
the system is not working
properly.
WARNING 
Page 142 of 267

Start-up failures
The system can recognise start-up fail-
ures. 
In the event of failure, the electronic key
can be removed from the ignition device to
enable the driver to carry out the follow-
ing operations:
❒turn the instrument panel off by
pressing button START/STOPor
removing the electronic key from the
ignition device;
❒start the engine again by pressing the
clutch/brake pedal and button
START/STOP.
IMPORTANT With engine raced while
the car is running, due to safety reasons
it is not possible to remove the electronic
key from the ignition device. To remove
it, press button  START/STOPwith
brake pedal (or clutch pedal) released and
car stopped. Start-up failures, if any, are indicated by
the turning on of the warning light 
Yon
the instrument panel (on certain versions
a dedicated message is displayed). In this
case contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
If the engine will not start after pressing
button START/STOPrepeat the start-
up procedure by pressing the other pedal
(clutch or brake). 
140
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND 
MESSAGES
IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
HOW TO WARM UP THE
ENGINE AFTER IT HAS JUST
STARTED (petrol and diesel
engines)
Proceed as follows:
❒Drive off slowly, letting the engine
turn at medium revs. Do not accel-
erate abruptly;
❒Do not drive at full performance for
the initial kilometres. Wait until the
coolant temperature gauge starts
moving. 
Page 156 of 267

154
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Very serious failures
These failures are repeated on the dis-
play indefinitely and stop any previous
indication on the display. These failures
are repeated each time the key is fit-
ted into the ignition device until the
cause of malfunctioning is removed. To
stop this “cycle” press buttonMENU:
in this case the failure symbol stays on
the display at the bottom of the screen
until the cause of malfunctioning is re-
moved.WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES 
GENERAL WARNINGS
Failure indications shown on the display
are divided into two categories: very se-
rious and less serious failures.
Every failure indication is accompanied
by the turning on of the relevant warn-
ing light (where provided) and by ded-
icated warning messages, if any.
In certain cases, failure indications can
be accompanied by the sound of a
buzzer (adjustable).
These indications are concise and cau-
tionary and are aimed to suggest the
prompt action the driver must adopt
when a car malfunctioning appears.
These indications, however, shall not be
considered as exhaustive and/or as an
alternative to the specifications con-
tained in this “Owner’s Manual”, which
shall always be read through carefully
and thoroughly.
In case of failure indication always refer
to the specifications contained in this
section.Serious failures
These failures are repeated on the dis-
play for about 20 seconds and then they
go off. These failures are repeated each
time the key is fitted into the ignition
device. At the end of the displaying cy-
cle (approx. 20 seconds), or when
pressing button MENU, the failure sym-
bol will stay on the display at the bot-
tom of the screen until the cause of mal-
functioning is removed. 
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155
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
SEAT BELTS NOT 
FASTENED (red)
With car stationary, the warn-
ing light turns on glowing steadily in the
following cases:
❒driver’s seat belt not fastened;
❒passenger’s seat belt not fastened,
heavy objects placed on the passen-
ger’s seat;
❒when unfastening driver’s or passen-
ger’s seat belt.
For the same reasons, with the car mov-
ing, the warning light will turn on flash-
ing and the warning buzzer will sound for
a while.
The warning light will then stay on glow-
ing steadily.
The buzzer can be muted temporarily by
the following procedure:
❒fasten front seat belts;
❒fit the electronic key into the ignition
device;
BRAKE PAD WEAR 
(amber)
The display will show message
+ symbol when front brake pads are
worn; in this case have them changed
as soon as possible.
IMPORTANTSince the car is fitted
with wear sensors for the front brake
pads, when changing them, check also
the rear brake pads.
d
ling, check that the handbrake
is not engaged. If the warning
light stays on with handbrake
disengaged, stop the car im-
mediately and contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
WARNINGLOW BRAKE FLUID
(red)
HANDBRAKE ON
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition device
the warning light turns on, but it should
go off after few seconds. 
Low brake fluid level
The warning light turns on (with a ded-
icated message on the display) when
the level of the brake fluid in the reser-
voir falls below the minimum level, due
to possible leak in the circuit.
Handbrake on
The warning light turns on when the
handbrake is on.
x 
Page 158 of 267

AIR BAG FAILURE
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition
device the warning light turns on, but
it should go off after few seconds. 
The warning light stays on glowing
steadily with the message on the dis-
play to indicate a failure in the air bag
system.
❒wait for over 20 seconds but less than
1 minute, then unfasten one of the
front seat belts.
This procedure will be valid until turning
the engine off.
For permanent buzzer deactivation con-
tact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services. The
“seat belt reminder” system can be re-
activated only through the “Setup Menu”
of the display (see paragraph “Recon-
figurable multifunction display“ in section
“Dashboard and controls”). 
156
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
¬
If the warning light ¬
does not turn on when
fitting the key into the ignition
device, or if stays on when
travelling (together with the
message on the display), this
could indicate a failure in safe-
ty retaining system; under this
condition air bags or preten-
sioners could not trigger in the
event of collision or, in a re-
stricted number of cases, they
could trigger accidentally. Be-
fore restarting contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
The failure of the warning light
¬(warning light off) is also
indicated by the flashing for
more than the normal seconds
of the passenger’s front air
Bag deactivated warning light
F. 
WARNINGPASSENGER’S
FRONT AIR BAGS
DEACTIVATED 
(amber)
The warning light (set on the front ceil-
ing light panel) turns on when passen-
ger’s front air bags, passenger’s knees
air bag (where provided) and passen-
ger’s front side bag are deactivated
through the relevant key switch (for ver-
sions/markets where applicable).
With passenger’s front air bags on, fitting
the key into the ignition device the warn-
ing light shall turn on glowing steadily for
about 4 seconds, shall flash for other 4
seconds and then it shall turn off.
F 
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157
SAFETY 
DEVICES
WARNING 
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES IN AN 
EMERGENCY
CAR 
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL 
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD 
AND 
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
– Car heavy duty (e.g.: towing trail-
er uphill or fully laden car): decrease
speed, if the warning light stays on, stop
the car. Wait for 2 or 3 minutes leaving
the engine on and slightly accelerated to
further activate the circulation of the
coolant fluid, then switch the engine off.
IMPORTANTUnder severe use of the
car, keep the engine on and slightly ac-
celerated for few minutes before switch-
ing it off.
Warning light Findi-
cates also warning light
¬ ¬failures. This is indicated by
intermittent flashing, over 4
seconds, of warning light 
F. In
this event warning light 
¬ ¬could
not indicate safety system fail-
ures. Contact Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services to have the
system checked immediately.
WARNINGENGINE COOLANT 
HIGH TEMPERATURE 
(red)
Fitting the key into the ignition device, the
warning light (set on engine coolant
gauge) turns on but it shall go off after a
few seconds. The warning light turns on
(with a dedicated message on the display)
to indicate engine overheating. If the warn-
ing light comes on, proceed as follows:
– Normal driving conditions: stop
the car, switch off the engine and check
whether the water level in the reservoir
is not below the MINmark. Otherwise
wait for few seconds to allow engine
cooling, then open slowly and carefully
the cap, top up coolant and check
whether its level is falling between MIN
and MAXmarks in the reservoir. Check
visually any leak. If when restarting the
warning light comes on again, contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
u
With engine hot, do not
remove the cap: risk of
burnt.
WARNING