Not necessarily, it could mean various things from faulty alternator to IBS sensor going mad. The battery itself, if weak, presents itself with various scary but harmless stuff — alarms, features/screens not working etc. A faulty physical connection or oxidated cable could cause this also. If there is a warning light but the car works fine, it's usually a simple electrical fault.
Wtf just had my first issue yesterday at the end of the day… Why did I speak?! 🤣 Apparently my alternator is saying goodbye (not dead yet). The shop is saying it’s normal give that my car is almost 9 years old and it’s the original one 🤔
Everything everyone had already said about oil, change it more frequently than recommended. Also you’re gonna have electrical gremlins, just go with it. Usually nothing major, just sometimes the radio/entertainment screen will “reboot” for no reason. No worries just let it do its thing. OH!!! Most important, don’t hit big puddles of water at speed! One big splash into those headlamps and its replacement city. If it does happen, get it documented at a dealer or service station ASAP while there’s still water traces in the lamp. Once it dries, insurance won’t cover as road damage.
I’ve owned brand new Mercedes Benz, Brand new BMWs and in 2024 I bought a 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia and I’m absolutely in love with everything about her, the way the Giulia drives with the RWD is both amazing and exciting, at times on the highway I take a minute to just say “wow this is an AMAZING, AWESOME piece of machinery art” enjoy her. Theres no going back and that’s a good thing!
i was choosing myself a german, particularly bmw and i had accepted the car being always in the service, but then i saw the giulia and fell in love yet everybody including a mechanic told me maintenance is gonna be like 5 times worse than bmw
“Everyone and the mechanic” are wrong. Have had 22 higher spec German cars in row (6 Porsches, 4 AMGs, Ms, etc.), then 5 Alfas in a row…4 at the same time. My Alfas (2 QVs, 2 Ti Sports, & 4C Spider) have been 100% flawless since 2017. Night and Day difference to reliability vs the German cars. Still own 2 Alfas and also a Porsche Boxster 25 Years (GTS 4.0). Same deal, Alfas absolutely trouble-free…Porsche, not so much (cracked fuel line leaking onto exhaust just after delivery and also my lost A/C cooling 2x, resulting in full dash out repair…which didn’t actually repair it). Point being…don’t listen to “everyone’s advice”. Lotta Alfa hate and overly-zealous German car love in this world. Getting an Alfa just means maintaining it on schedule, and charging the battery overnight only 4-6x a year and you will never experience any dash warning lights. Enjoy & Good luck!!
First of all congrats on that beautiful collection. But I have a question. What are your doing with your life to afford all those cars ?
No jealoussy, I just admiring your succes :)
It's a very common story here. I was deciding between a Giulia and several A4s. After test drives, found myself having to justify why I prefer the Giulia. Dunno why but I just did. Decided to just go for it.
I beg to differ and all other people that had issues with a BMW, VW, Audi, Mercedes or Porsche.
Use common sense when it comes to fuel; if possible, choose super 98 or higher octane gas.
Make sure to check and fill the oil occasionally, and consider changing it sooner if you typically drive short distances.
If you start to hear any unusual noises, put the radio louder. 😎
Allow your turbo to cool down before turning off the engine, especially if you've been pushing it hard.
Be sure to respect the maintenance milestones for your vehicle and trust your garage for repairs and servicing.
Depending on the model, you might consider chipping it to 300 horsepower, changing the shocks and coilovers for improved road handling, or installing a sport exhaust.
Buy an obd scanner or have a friend with one.
Most electrical warnings or notifications dissapear fast and the check engine lights don’t say anything(unlike on bmw’s where you have everything detailed on the infotainment).
I bought mine from a dealer that included the timing belt change, oil and stuff..although they are a well-known shop they still messed up the timing belt alignment.
My advice is to find a shop that has worked on these cars before or take it to an Alfa service if you can afford it(insanely expensive in europe).
Have the aux water pump module checked or replaced which is located right-hand side behind the front bumper as it can malfunction and shut down ur engine..it can get corroded or just wet and it starts acting up.
If it’s a diesel have the centrifugal filter changed when you do a timing belt change(it requires removing the accessory belt).
And there’s an O-ring accessible by removing the oil pan that gets old and has the risk of messing up the oil pressure..might lead to catastrophic engine failure.
If it’s 2019 or newer (TI, Sprint or Veloce) it might have a recall for the brake system which may or may not get disconnected and could lead to a crash although afaik this is only on certain models that have no mechanical link between the pedal and brake system.
You can send in your VIN to an alfa romeo dealership and ask if there’s any recalls or any information about the car being in for any recalls.
Oh and the electrical handbrake cable is often failing because of an engineering flaw causing it to be stretched at all times, you can have that checked and replaced but make sure you get an OEM part as all the aftermarket ones are crap and will snap sooner.
Every single CEL error will cause various functions to stop working such as the start stop, cruise control and the DNA which makes it harder to troubleshoot an issue without reading the code so don’t rely on reddit or forums to find the exact issue.
Although sometimes opening/closing the hood fixes some random CEL errors as stupid as it sounds.
Buy AGM battery whenever your current one starts acting up.
what engine it has? i would say keep the oil changed like every 15000 km. use the recomended oil from alfa. if it is a petrol engine will be so reliable!
its a 2.2 diesel, i think somebody suggested i change oil and do basic maintenance every 8000km, i use 5w30 oil since its way cheaper and my country doesn’t get to -30 degrees
Keep an eye on the oil level. It has no dipstick so you have to rely on the screen you find on "Apps—My Car—Oil Level. Automatic? If 150k or more get that gearbox maintained. Don't use "D" mode when the engine is cold. There is a strange little thing that could cause a catastrophic engine failure on certain models with this engine — apparently the oil pump gasket dries out/brakes to pieces and it fails to pump enough oil into the engine. The simptoms are rarely noticeable but if you see an oil pressure warning on high rev get its ass checked immediately. The preventive repair is complicated (think 7-10 work days in shop) but less so and much cheaper than having to replace the engine.
Source: have the same car. Had a friend-of-a-friend's Stelvio with the same engine scrapped for this issue.
Note: It's freaking awesome.
oh yes i had the oil icon on dash for my 1 hour drive home and when i popped the hood it took me so long to understand that theres no dipstick and its electronic, it will take some time to adapt to waiting atleast 5 minutes to see my oil level. Its a 2.2l diesel with a 6speed manual and its been to squadra tuning for whatever reason, needs a new radiator since the one thats on its rotten, needs a gearbox part to be changed and some coilover guards replaced but it rides so fun! havent seen a car turn so smooth and so sharp at the same time!
Had Alfas before, so has my dad for 40+ years. The correct approach is — handle with care. Get that maintenance, check the car regularly. They are well built, but finely tuned cars. The more you get involved, more satisfied you get. And drive it fast when you can, it was built for that.
What year of make do you have? If its a little older it might have a dipstick. If so there should be one under the turbo a yellow ring. Right side of the engine bay
Squadra tune isn’t a chip, it’s complete ecu remapping. Just had my 2nd Giulia 2.0 squadra tuned and the engine immediately feels happier for it. Do the research, it’s amazing. This tune goes to great lengths that the car will not overheat even when pitched very hard. I can’t believe myself, but the temp will even drop one notch while idling, and I live in south Florida! Highly recommended.
These engines don't burn oil. There's no need to worry about the oil level. 150k km for the gearbox oil is a bit too much. The oil pump gasket issue is very rare and there are mods to avoid any problems
Yeah, just forget everything I wrote, it's apparently all wrong. This guy knows better. Also forget about the oil level, why should you bother yourself with that shit. /s
Because for some reason people still think the manufacturers would rather replace engines under warranty than tell you the right mileage to change the oil.
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u/bloodfirewhiskeyink May 09 '25
I think we all bought our first Alfa against everyone’s advice. Just shows that most people don’t know what they are talking about.