display Alfa Romeo Brera/Spider 2008 Owner handbook (in English)

104
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
(optional for
versions/markets
where applicable)
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-
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.
trol unit, together with a series of spe-
cific parameters for engine operation
and diagnosis. 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.

108
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
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.

109
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
TYRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM -
T.P.M.S. (where provided)
(optional for versions/markets
where applicable)
The car can be equipped with the
T.P.M.S. (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem). This system consists of a radio-fre-
quency sensor, installed on each wheel
(on the rim inside the tyre) that sends
pressure information to the control unit.IMPORTANT NOTES
Failure indications will not be stored and
therefore will not be displayed when
turning the engine off and on again. If
failure persists, the control unit will send
warning indications to the instrument
panel only after a few seconds when the
car is moving.
Tyre pressure should be checked with
tyres cold. Should it become necessary
for whatever reason to check pressure
with hot tyres, do not reduce pressure
although it is higher than the prescribed
value but repeat the check when tyres
are cold (see section “Wheels” in sec-
tion “Technical Specifications”).T.P.M.S. cannot indicate sudden tyre
pressure drops (e.g.: tyre burst). In this
event, brake the car cautiously and
avoid sudden steering.
The T.P.M.S. system requires special
equipment. Consult Alfa Romeo Autho-
rized Services to know what type of ac-
cessories are compatible with the sys-
tem (wheels, wheel caps, etc.). Using
other accessories could cause system
malfunctioning. Due to inflation valve
special characteristics, use only tyre re-
pair sealants approved by Alfa Romeo;
other sealants could cause system mal-
functioning.
The T.P.M.S. does not
exempt the driver from
checking tyre pressure, includ-
ing the space-saver spare
wheel (where provided) at
regular intervals.
WARNING

110
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
If the car is fitted with T.P.M.S. system,
when changing a tyre, change also the
rubber seal of the valve and the fas-
tening ring of the sensor. Contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
Strong radio-frequency disturbances
could inhibit proper TPMS system oper-
ation. This condition is indicated by a
dedicated massage on the display. This
indication will go off automatically as
soon as the radio-frequency disturbance
ceases.If after repairing a punctured tyre with
the Fix&Go automatic kit and restoring
the initial conditions the flat tyre warn-
ing light continues to stay on, contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services.
Tyre pressure could change according to
outside temperature. For this reason the
T.P.M.S. system could temporarily indi-
cate low tyre pressure. In this event
check pressure with cold tyres and re-
store proper inflation values if required.If the car is fitted with T.P.M.S. system,
tyre and/or rim removal and refitting
operations involve special precautions;
to prevent damages or wrong sensor re-
fitting, contact Alfa Romeo Authorized
Services to have tyre and/or rim
changed.

114
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
PROTECTING THE
ENVIRONMENT
The devices for curtailing petrol engine
emissions are the following:
❒three-way catalytic converter;
❒Lambda sensors;
❒fuel evaporation system.
In addition, do not let the engine run,
even for a test, with one or more spark
plugs disconnected.
The devices for curtailing diesel fuel en-
gine emissions are the following:
❒oxidising catalytic converter;
❒exhaust gas recirculation system
(E.G.R.);
❒diesel particulate filter (DPF).
During normal service
the diesel particulate
filter (DPF) reaches high tem-
peratures. Do not therefore
park the car over inflammable
materials (grass, dry leaves,
pine needles, etc.): fire hazard.
WARNING
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.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
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.

117
Ù
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
and the front passenger to fasten the
seat belt. The buzzer can be muted tem-
porarily 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”). IMPORTANT Correct backrest fas-
tening is guaranteed when the “red
band”A-fig. 3aside levers Bis no
longer visible. The “red band” actually
indicates that the backrest is not prop-
erly secured.
IMPORTANTAfter putting the seats
back to their travelling position, restore
the seat belt position to make them
ready for use.
A0F0085mfig. 3
Make sure the backrest
is properly secured at
both sides (red band A-fig. 3
not visible) to prevent it moves
forward in the event of sharp
braking causing injuries to pas-
sengers.
WARNING
Remember that in the
event of a violent colli-
sion, back seat passengers not
wearing seat belts also repre-
sent a serious danger for the
front seat passengers.
WARNING

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

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 buttonSTART/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
buttonSTART/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.

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.

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.
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
turns on when travel-
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