Having owned my GT for just over 4 months now I thought I’d share some of my experience with other Alfa owners. If you have had a similar experience, or want to share your thoughts please feel free to do so. I am aware that others have already posted similar threads, but what makes this forum so useful in my opinion is being able to identify with other drivers and gain advice, so I hope the following is useful, even if it only serves to backup what you have already read.
Firstly I should indicate that my list of “features” by no means lessens the amount I love the car. Every time I park up I can’t help but look back at it as I walk away, as it really is (in my opinion) one of the best looking, most fun to drive cars that are on the road today.
If I come across any more I’ll be sure to add them, but that’s it for now! Does this ring true for anyone else?
Firstly I should indicate that my list of “features” by no means lessens the amount I love the car. Every time I park up I can’t help but look back at it as I walk away, as it really is (in my opinion) one of the best looking, most fun to drive cars that are on the road today.
- Windscreen Washer
If you happen to know a Borrower then they will come in handy as you will need an incredibly small funnel in order to re-fill the windscreen washer reservoir under the bonnet. I carry one in the car permanently (in the spare wheel recess), or alternatively use one of the narrow nozzle water pumps found on some garage forecourts if I am away from home and need a top-up.
- Electric Windows
Some GT’s (including mine) were fitted with non-production standard “window nodes”. These are a pair of small circuits that sit in each door, under the window buttons and control the opening and closing of the windows. They should drop the windows when the doors are opened or push the glass up in to the door seal when the door is closed. If you have a set of duff nodes installed then this doesn’t always work – particularly when it is cold and icy and the windows require a bit more effort to unwind. I have ordered a new pair of nodes which will be installed under warranty from Alfa, however in the interim you can reset the nodes by holding the window button down for 10 seconds, and then holding it up for 10 seconds. At the moment I have to do this every 2nd or 3rd opening/closing of either door, but other guys on here tell me the fix does work.
- Opening the Boot
Anyone who owns a GT has no doubt fallen foul of this one after a shower – if you come to the car after it has rained, as you open the rear hatch lots of water runs off the rear windscreen, and can easily cover whatever is in the boot. The solution is to crack the boot and hold it part-open whilst most of the water drains away. Occasionally my boot will refuse to open from inside the car too – when you depress the switch on the centre console nothing happens. Moving forward slightly, and stopping again seems to reset the system that is designed to prevent it being opened by a clumsy finger at 70mph on the outside lane of the M1.
- Headrest Position
At 6’2” I don’t expect this to be a problem for all GT owners, however for the vertically advantaged of us the headrests are virtually useless. If I lean my head back on to the headrest I end up looking at the ceiling. There is no way to adjust the angle of the headrest itself – unlike in many other cars – so I suppose at least this way the nice embroidery on the headrest will remain untarnished.
- Indicators
The self-cancelling indicators behave as if they were never tested properly. When negotiating the average roundabout or bend on UK roads, the required amount of turn to the steering wheel is usually not sufficiently enough to cancel the indicator. This means you exit the roundabout/bend still indicating. Worse still, if you indicate right say as you approach a roundabout, and then turn left slightly to get on to the roundabout the indicators cancel. On other cars I have driven this behaviour doesn’t happen, and whilst it’s only a minor issue it can be a pain to get used to having to initiate the indicators again. It is also difficult to start indicating whilst you are turning sometimes. And while we’re on indicators – why can’t we have a one-touch feature for motorway driving please Mr. Alfa!?
- Cruise Control
The cruise control system on the GT is great at maintaining speed, and operation is very simple, however I have one major gripe and that is in order to cancel/pause the system temporarily you have to either brake or clutch. You should only use cruise control when traffic conditions are light and it is safe to do so, but inevitably as anyone who ever uses it regularly will know, someone will pull out in front of you and force you to slow down. Most of the time this will happen with traffic that is well in front of you, and with plenty of time to anticipate your next manoeuvre it would be ideal to be able to pause the system and then resume it when the path is clear. This is how Ford and Volvo cruise control systems work. The GT however forces you to use your feet to cancel the set-point, unless you turn the entire system off and on again – which has the adverse affect of resetting the speed. I also dismay at having to use the brakes on the motorway – although you only have to lightly tap the brake pedal to deactivate the cruise, any non-essential wear to the pads/brake lights seems futile.
- Intermittent Wiper Speed
The longest delay on the intermittent wipers is far too short – the most annoying type of rain is when it’s wet enough to need a wipe every 20-30 seconds but not more often (otherwise you can get the dreaded wiper judder). On the GT, the longest delay is about 5 seconds, and there isn’t much difference across the available delay settings.
- Clutch Pin
I’ve seen this problem crop up a lot on GT’s and 147’s and although luckily it hasn’t happened to me yet it’s worthy of noting. There is a clip that secures the pin between the clutch cylinder and the clutch pedal which can become easily detached and leave the car without clutch operation. Alfa have acknowledged this and issued a recall however many cars appear to have been missed. Check yours below and if in doubt give your dealer a call:
Affected Alfa Romeo vehicle identification numbers (VIN):
ZAR93700005156078 to ZAR93700005298888
ZAR93700003185703 to ZAR93700003777404
ZAR93700003254498 to ZAR93700003334641
ZAR93700005155403 to ZAR93700005260743
- Road Noise
Lots of GT owners complain about road noise from the area near the driver’s head, near the seal between the window and the door frame. The road noise can appear louder on a wet road, when there is spray that sounds as if the window is open an inch or so. This is sometimes cured with a silicone-based lubricant, or some magic WD40 however I have come to accept that it comes part-and-parcel with the frameless doors, and the fact you drive a coupe. The only solution guaranteed to solve the problem is to turn up the stereo.
- Squeaks, Creaks and Rattles
Most of the squeaks and creaks I experience move around the car depending on the ambient temperature. On cold days the boot is silent, however as the temperature warms up the seal around the top of the rear windscreen expands and fouls the top of the car. This is more noticeable when you open and close the rear hatch, but on uneven surfaces I am occasionally aware of it. I also hear the odd squeak from what appears to be the rear seats, and I’ve yet to manage to identify the source – although occasionally dropping the rear seats and pushing them home firmly again helps. There is also resonance in the gear knob at about 80mph (when I am driving on my private test track officer). The solution to stop the rattle is to hold the gearstick – not a show stopper but a niggle.
- Dipped Headlight Performance
When I first got my GT I almost came off the road twice at night because the performance of the dipped beams was on par with the brightness of an IKEA tea light. The problem is worse in reduced visibility e.g. rain so I asked my dealer to check the alignment of the headlights – which was ok allegedly – and then finally resorted to trying some of Halford’s 90% brighter bulbs. These have made a marked improvement to the perceived brightness of the lights but I’m still not impressed by the amount of the road they illuminate. I’ve checked the headlight assembly and even with the light-leveller at position ‘0’ there appears to be a bit more room for the tray to move – however I won’t adjust this as I don’t want to blind other road users. Xenon’s would be nice too. Maybe it’s something best left for my next car.
- Winderscreen Wiper vs. Bonnet
I noticed an enormous chip on my bonnet glinting in the sun the other day and since I have just washed the beast and it's still light outside thought I'd grab a photo. My driver's side windscreen wiper has obviously been fouling the bonnet.
Will this be covered under the "anti perforation" warranty?
View attachment 64715
- Fading Badge
Here's my "limited edition" badge. Very nearly so limited it's invisible...
(The car is 13 months old).
View attachment 64716
If I come across any more I’ll be sure to add them, but that’s it for now! Does this ring true for anyone else?