service Alfa Romeo Brera/Spider 2010 Owner handbook (in English)

118
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Anything that modifies its original con-
ditions invalidates its efficiency. Anything
that modifies its original conditions in-
validates its efficiency. If due to unusu-
al natural events (floods, sea storms,
etc.) the device has been affected by
water and mud, it must necessarily be
replaced.PRETENSIONERS
To increase the efficiency of the seat
belts, the car is fitted with front preten-
sioners. These devices, in the event of
a violent crash, rewind the seat belts a
few centimetres. In this way they en-
sure that the seat belt adheres perfect-
ly to the wearer before the restraining
action begins.
The seat belt locks to indicate that the
device has intervened; the seat belt can-
not be drawn back up even when guid-
ing it manually.
IMPORTANTTo obtain the highest
degree of protection from the action of
the pretensioning device, wear the seat
belt keeping it firmly close to the chest
and pelvis.
Front seat pretensioners activate only
if front seat belts are properly fitted in-
to buckles.
A small amount of smoke may be pro-
duced. This smoke is in no way toxic and
presents no fire hazard.
The pretensioner can
only be used once. Af-
ter a collision that has trig-
gered it, have it replaced at Al-
fa Romeo Authorized Services.
Pretensioner validity is indi-
cated on the label located on
the door. Pretensioners should
be replaced at Alfa Romeo Au-
thorized Services as this date
approaches
WARNING
Operations which lead
to knocks, vibrations or
localised heating (over
100°C for a maximum of 6
hours) in the area around the
pretensioners may cause dam-
age or trigger them. These de-
vices are not affected by vibra-
tions caused by irregularities of
the road surface or low obsta-
cles such as kerbs, etc. Contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services
for any assistance.
LOAD LIMITERS
To increase passenger’s safety, the front
seat belt reels contain a load limiter
which allows controlled sag in such a
way as to dose the force acting on the
chest and shoulders during the belt re-
straining action in case of front crash.

120
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
HOW TO KEEP THE SEAT
BELTS ALWAYS IN
EFFICIENT CONDITIONS
❒Always use the belt with the tape taut
and never twisted; make sure that it
is free to run without impediments;
❒after a serious accident, replace the
belt being worn at that time, even if
it does not appear damaged. Always
replace the seat belts if pretension-
ers have been activated;
❒to clean the belts, wash by hand
with neutral soap, rinse and leave to
dry in the shade. Never use strong
detergents, bleach or dyes or other
chemical substance that might weak-
en the fibres;
❒prevent the reels from getting wet:
their correct operation is only guar-
anteed if water does not get inside;
❒replace the seat belt when showing
significant wear or cut signs. IMPORTANT Never travel with a child
sitting on the passenger’s lap with a sin-
gle belt to protect them bothfig. 6. Do
not fasten other objects to the body.
A0F0105mfig. 6
Under no circumstances
should the components
of the seat belts and preten-
sioners be tampered with or
removed. Any operation
should be carried out by qual-
ified and authorised personnel.
Always contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
WARNING
If the belt has been
subjected to heavy
stress, for example after an
accident, it should be changed
completely together with the
anchors, anchor fastening
screws and the pretensioners.
In fact, even if the belt has no
visible defects, it could have
lost its resilience.
WARNING

134
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IMPORTANTWhen the airbag in-
flates it emits a small amount of dusts.
These dusts are harmless and is not the
beginning of a fire; then the unfold cush-
ion surface and the car interiors can be
covered by a dusty remains: this dust
can irritate skin and eyes. In case of con-
tact, wash yourself using neutral soap
and water.
Expiration dates of pyrotechnic charge
and coil contact are indicated on the la-
bel located on the door. As this date ap-
proaches, contact Alfa Romeo Autho-
rized Services to have the devices re-
placed.
IMPORTANTShould an accident oc-
cur in which any of the safety devices is
activated, take the car to Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services to have the devices
activated replaced and to have the sys-
tem checked.All control, repair and replacement op-
erations concerning the air bags must
only be carried out c/o Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
If you are having the car scrapped, have
the air bag system deactivated at Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services first. If the
car changes ownership, the new own-
er must be informed of the method of
use of air bags and the above warnings
and also be given this “Owner Hand-
book”.
IMPORTANTThe triggering of pre-
tensioners, front air bags and side bags
is decided in a differentiated manner ac-
cording to the type of impact. The fail-
ure to deploy one or more of them does
not mean that the system is not work-
ing properly.
Never rest head, arms
and elbows on the
door, on the windows and in
the window bag unfolding
area to prevent possible in-
juries during the inflation
phase.
WARNING
Never lean head, arms
and elbows out of the
window.
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

140
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNINGS
If at start-up the engine turns off, restart
it by pressing the clutch or brake pedal
and then press button START/STOP.
If after a few attempts the engine does
not start, do not insist but contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services.
With car started the electronic key is
locked into the ignition device and it can
be removed only after switching the en-
gine off. With car running and key locked
into the ignition device, forced key re-
moval could damage the ignition device. The starter automatically operates until
the engine starts.
With engine off and electronic key in-
serted in the ignition device, it is possi-
ble to operate the automatic ignition
briefly pressing the START/STOPbut-
ton and keeping the clutch pedal
pressed.
In the event of cold weather, we rec-
ommend to wait for warning light
m
turn off before operating the starter.
IMPORTANTIt is possible to start the
engine keeping pressed only the brake
pedal. In that case, automatic start is not
enabled. Then press the START/STOP
button and release it as soon as the en-
gine starts.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).

To release the handbrake proceed as fol-
lows:
❒Slightly lift the handbrake Aand
press release button B;
❒Keep button Bpressed and lower
the lever. Warning light
xon the
instrument panel will turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever A-fig. 2 is locat-
ed between the two front seats. Pull the
handbrake lever Aupwards, until the
car cannot be moved.
With electronic key fitted into the igni-
tion device, the instrument panel warn-
ing light
xwill come on.
IMPORTANT The car shall stop after
a few clicks of the handbrake lever. If
this is not the case, contact Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services to have the hand-
brake adjusted.
A0F0030mfig. 2
PARKING THE CAR
Proceed as follows:
❒Stop the engine and engage the
handbrake;
❒Engage a gear (on a slope, engage
first gear if the car is faced uphill or
reverse if it is faced downhill) and
leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone
if the car is parked on a steep slope. Do
not leave the electronic key in the igni-
tion switch to prevent draining the bat-
tery.
Never leave children un-
attended in the car. Al-
ways remove the electronic key
when leaving the car and take
it out with you.
WARNING
143
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR

145
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Climate control
The air conditioner is an additional load
which greatly affects the engine leading
to higher consumption. When the tem-
perature outside the car permits it, use
the air vents where possible.
Spoilers
The use of aerodynamic optional extras
which are not certified for the specific
use on the vehicle, may reduce the aero-
dynamic penetration of the vehicle and
increase consumption. Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with too much luggage
stowed in the boot. The weight of the
car (especially when driving in town)
and its trim greatly affects consumption
and stability.
Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack
from the roof as soon as they are no
longer used. These accessories lower air
penetration and adversely affect con-
sumption levels. When needing to car-
ry particularly voluminous objects, prefer-
ably use a trailer.
Electric devices
Use electric devices only for the amount
of time needed. Rear heated window,
additional headlights, windscreen wipers
and heater fan need a considerable
amount of energy therefore, increasing
the requirement of current increases fu-
el consumption (up to +25% in the ur-
ban cycle).CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS
Here are some suggestions which may
help you to keep the running costs of
your car down and lower the amount of
toxic emissions released into the at-
mosphere.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out
in accordance with the “Service sched-
ule”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routine-
ly at an interval of no more than 4
weeks: if the pressure is too low, con-
sumption levels increase as resistance
to rolling is higher.

148
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Due to the snow tyre features, under
normal conditions of use or on long mo-
torway journeys, the performance of
these tyres is lower than that of normal
tyres. It is therefore necessary to limit
their use to the purposes for which they
are certified.
IMPORTANTWhen snow tyres are
used with a max speed index below the
one that can be reached by the car (in-
creased by 5%), place a notice in the
passenger compartment, plainly in the
driver’s view which states the max per-
missible speed of the snow tyres (as per
EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand
and track) to ensure greater safety
when driving and braking and better dri-
veability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of tyres.SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.
Alfa Romeo Authorized Services will be
glad to provide advice concerning the
most suitable type of tyre for the cus-
tomer’s requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in para-
graph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The winter features of these tyres are re-
duced considerably when the tread
depth is below 4 mm. In this case, they
should be replaced.
The max speed for
snow tyres with “Q”
marking is 160 km/h; 190
km/h for tyres with “T”
marking and 210 km/h for
tyres with H marking. The
Road Traffic Code speed lim-
its must however be always
strictly observed.
WARNING

153
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

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. The buzzer can be muted temporarily by
the following procedure:❒fasten front seat belts;
❒fit the electronic key into the ignition
device;
❒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”).
154
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
safety retaining system; under
this condition air bags or pre-
tensioners could not trigger in
the event of collision or, in a
restricted number of cases,
they could trigger accidental-
ly. Before restarting contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices.
WARNING
Warning light ¬failure
is indicated by the flash-
ing for more than the normal 4
seconds of the passenger's
front air bag deactivated warn-
ing light
F. In addition, the air
bag system will deactivate au-
tomatically the passenger's
front air bag (front and side
where provided). In this event
warning light
¬could not in-
dicate failure in safety systems.
Before restarting contact Alfa
Romeo Authorized Services im-
mediately to have the system
checked.
WARNING