I doubt the "heavy acceleration' was the issue - because near as I can tell you don't really accelerate that hard. maybe if you were in N mode going uphill in a high gear and floored it it triggered something (knock sensor etc?), which didn't last long.

that's about all I have for thoughts on it

 

You are right. I don’t but I think I know someone that may have a little different driving style. I wasn’t with I just couldn’t bring myself to admit that I had to give her up for the day. This has been a hard day my worst fear came true. She was ABUSED!!!!!:crying::crying::crying::crying:

 

sounds like a "check engine" light
did you check the engine?

 

Yes. I physically got out of the car opened the hood looked in and said WT Heck is up with you. Got back in the car and stayed on.

Okay, let me just say I may not have been in the car when this occurred so I can’t say for certain but it might have been driven a little harder than I would normally drive it. I got as many facts as I could and did the when all else fails restarted it a few times after she got home and the light went off. Someone was on holiday and decided to take his girlfriend Giulia out for a day solo. She clearly prefers her normal driving. Just saying.

 

Yes. I physically got out of the car opened the hood looked in and said WT Heck is up with you. Got back in the car and stayed on.

thats not how you check an engine
no wonder it didnt go out,

She was ABUSED!!!!!:crying::crying::crying::crying:

talking to her abruptly like you did would not have helped either








so, you lent her out to somebody else ? a random stranger? or a family friend?


usually CEL are caused by people the car is not familiar with... we had a puppy once that seemed to cringe at males feet, like somebody had kicked him early in his life - are there any kickmarks on the tyres? -usually inexperienced drivers tend to kick the tyres to make out they appear to know what they are doing - i am yet to confront one and ask him why he did that but am looking forward to it - anyway - hope it goes away and never comes back

 

I know it can be lots of things but mine came on when my oil level was low. You may want to have a look at your “Car” settings at least. There may be a reason for it. One good thing is that if you do take it in for service they may do a software update because of the CEL. That’s what my dealer did though I also had a “Service Dampers” warning come on for one day then go away.

 

I have a Q4 but my car seems to have settled into a pattern:

Hold it floored for an extended time to pass on a incline. Speed will get crazy if this is done on the level.
Suddenly release the accelerator (pass completed, etc).
Immediate dashboard light up.

The important next step is:

Hookup Multiecuscan (or other OBDII reader) and read the code. Write it down. Clear the error.

Of course you need to plan ahead and get the reader before the problem happens.

In my case I got error P0039, which most likely indicates that the turbo intake bypass valve is sticking; perhaps only at full boost and max temperature. This is the same valve that Go Fast Bits makes a good profit selling better fabricated valve bodies mostly to address exactly this issue.

Still working with EuroCompulsion to get a valve that fits Giulia 2.0T...

Before anyone yells at me regarding having the car serviced: I did take it in earlier this week, but the company told me that I need to put the stock intake back on before they can do this as a warranty repair. So it waits until the next time I bring it in...

 

First CEL light in 2800 miles. It came on with heavy acceleration passing (safely of course) as I was on an incline. Got home after a long drive and then restarted the car 3 times and now no engine light. Good thing since I couldn’t get into service for a week out so may or may not go but curious as to what would cause this. This should not be unusual and not in Race mode but the QV can handle speed very well and I have given it way more juice but typically roll into in and this was more of a floor it. If it doesn’t pop up again in the next week I will probably pass on the appointment since the whole REBOOT 3 times rule seemed to do the trick. Did it just get overloaded and caused the CEL. It stayed on the whole rest of the trip until I got home.

Thoughts? Tank was full just FYI.

I have a Q4 but my car seems to have settled into a pattern:

Hold it floored for an extended time to pass on a incline. Speed will get crazy if this is done on the level.
Suddenly release the accelerator (pass completed, etc).
Immediate dashboard light up.

The important next step is:

Hookup Multiecuscan (or other OBDII reader) and read the code. Write it down. Clear the error.

Of course you need to plan ahead and get the reader before the problem happens.

In my case I got error P0039, which most likely indicates that the turbo intake bypass valve is sticking; perhaps only at full boost and max temperature. This is the same valve that Go Fast Bits makes a good profit selling better fabricated valve bodies mostly to address exactly this issue.

Still working with EuroCompulsion to get a valve that fits Giulia 2.0T...

Before anyone yells at me regarding having the car serviced: I did take it in earlier this week, but the company told me that I need to put the stock intake back on before they can do this as a warranty repair. So it waits until the next time I bring it in...

Your error sounds like the wiring to the turbo waste gate actuator. There's a known issue. Some cars have the wiring too short and others (mine) have a bad connector. The engine moves around a fair bit so if the wiring is too short it will pull on it, most likely when accelerating very hard or lifting off suddenly after accelerating. I'd get it checked out properly and fixed (OP should do the same). My CEL would only come on occasionally (3 times in about 4 months) but it was a real pain when it happened as it would get stuck in N mode until the light cleared. At the end, the light wouldn't clear at all. Dealer (UK) had to get ARUK Technical involved (they sent a tech to the dealer to run extra tests) after they ran a lot of tests and nothing fixed it. They couldn't solve it so in the end ARUK Technical raised it directly with Technical in Italy. They told the dealer to order an extension wire (it has an actual part number) for the turbo waste gate actuator on the left turbo and to replace the connector too. I've not had a CEL since. This was a couple of months ago.

 

Your error sounds like the wiring to the turbo waste gate actuator. There's a known issue. Some cars have the wiring too short and others (mine) have a bad connector. The engine moves around a fair bit so if the wiring is too short it will pull on it, most likely when accelerating very hard or lifting off suddenly after accelerating. I'd get it checked out properly and fixed (OP should do the same). My CEL would only come on occasionally (3 times in about 4 months) but it was a real pain when it happened as it would get stuck in N mode until the light cleared. At the end, the light wouldn't clear at all. Dealer (UK) had to get ARUK Technical involved (they sent a tech to the dealer to run extra tests) after they ran a lot of tests and nothing fixed it. They couldn't solve it so in the end ARUK Technical raised it directly with Technical in Italy. They told the dealer to order an extension wire (it has an actual part number) for the turbo waste gate actuator on the left turbo and to replace the connector too. I've not had a CEL since. This was a couple of months ago.

I have a Q4, not a QV. My story was intended to motivate Minime to get a reader.

I checked the wires, connectors and hoses to both the waste gate actuator and the intake bypass; nothing obvious and no wires near the devices that are shorter than they should be. I also opened and closed each connector; this is an old school trick which will sometimes convert an intermittent fault into a consistent behavior (good or bad)--it also can reveal if something is broken or water has gotten in to the connector.

 

You say you were on an incline, were you low on gas?

 

Thanks for that. We need to get the code reader. I don’t know if the dealership can look at a history report or if the service light needs to be active to pull the report.

What code reader is a good one to get? I am sure there is one on a thread somewhere but my search function isn’t working. It sounds like the situation you described Lockem from what I could gather.

 

Isn’t heel-toeing pretty well known for throwing a CEL? If “other” was trying to impress girlfriend, perhaps by getting on the gas out of a turn as he was still releasing the brake, that might light her up.

 

It's funny, swapping stories of our check engine lights seems to be like a rite of passage around here. I don't remember the last time or if I have ever had a check engine light on a new car (or even a 2-3 year old car) still under warranty. Is this part of the reason why AR is an enthusiast centered brand? When mine came on I went home and hooked up the OBDII, read and cleared the code and had the knowledge to understand what it meant. Most people would probably just freak out if their new car was having such issues.

 

sounds pretty negative, champ -



just to balance the books, but out of 3,583 members only a handful have CEL

 

Yup. Good Blueooth OBD2 readers are about $50 bucks on Amazon. Torque app is free on Google store. But QVs require an app that can handle 2 ecus. OBD Facile from France and MultiECUScan from Italy/EU works well. Multi is my new package on the laptop. Pretty strong software.

 

I tried to use the Torque light app for my wireless reader, but it turns out the free version won't let you read or clear codes. I ended up installing a different one (OBD auto doctor) and paid for the full version $15 so I could clear mine.

 

We will grab one off of Amazon.


Normally I would have gone postal on an engine light but having a Mini throw some lights and having them be somewhat benign I am a little bit desensitized and I do read what others have posted here so I was maybe a bit annoyed because I don't like not understanding why something happens. So my husband was not thrilled with getting the third degree on everything he was or was not doing when the light came on I think it was the QV's protection mode in play. He runs a full tank of gas so I think it was accelerating in a high gear and probably should have dropped a gear or put it into dynamic. Typically the thing has more than enough juice in Normal to overcome any vehicle in a passing situation and he is a pretty safe driver but IDK I wasn't there and this thing has a way to bring out the "BEST" in all of us.


I figure the car is a bit electronically finicky and very sensitive to lots of changes. Maybe it really does get use to the daily drivers habits and someone else takes it on a wild ride and it goes into "WTH" mode. In any case we get the reader and I think it is a good thing to push the thing a little harder than I do. I certainly drive lively but I am not a Race mode person but it gets spirited drives just not what others may consider spirited and certainly enough to put me in the slammer

 

Here's the one I bought:
$17.99 on Amazon prime.

 

Nice! Almost exactly like mine. I think they've come down over the past few years.

 

Hi, Offering my experience on the extreme, full-tilt end of the contiuum... My CEL, triggered at less than 2k miles on a car built last Oct, led to a currently undiagnosable engine problem. The really cool part of it, aside from getting a new engine, is that I saved 20 bucks on the code reader ;-)

 

Misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.


That’s a kill shot bloke

 

yeah sure of course, but to say, or imply it affects every car, or even most cars, is a bit of a stretch


"swapping stories of our CEL warnings" - implies a majority of members here report CEL and have "stories" to tell

"nearly all magazine reviews"

"lots of threads"



"those that have had CEL" as you say, needs to be said that its not every car - i had it occur only the once, and never recurred again after a specfic S/W update

 

yeah sure of course, but to say, or imply it affects every car, or even most cars, is a bit of a stretch...

Fair enough. Good to know you’re part of the non-impacted majority. Hoping to be there myself soon!

 

i think there appears to be a misunderstanding as to what i am trying to communicate here

 

God bless

 

You both make valid points. I guess the biggest issue is no car should through a CEL from driver error. If it’s suppose to be a high quality car and engine then it should be able to handle almost any condition of driving. One foot. Two foot etc. I think Alfa needs to address of things before they really take sales away from the big three German cars. I don’t ever see that happening really but Alfa could be a solid #4 seller and still compete.

 

this is brake by wire though -

 

Yes. Your point?

 

This CEL sounds exactly like the one I got on the track with my QV. I was accelerating hard out of a sharp turn, up a slight incline and it lit up. A few restarts and it was gone for good with no residual symptoms. Mine was with plenty of fuel and right after an oil change. Wonder what it is about that set of circumstances that Giulia doesn't like.

 

Thanks for the feedback @BGorilla. We are thinking it is nothing but I will take it in and if nothing else let them run a diagnostic since I already have it on schedule. The only reason I would postpone is to free up a spot for all the Giulia’s that need the recall fix completed. I don’t mind the lights as long as we understand a little better what makes her tick or not depending on the case. With all the computers on board I don’t find the light thing shocking at all.

I plan to really pick their brain a bit since I can (blonde and female = needs these things spelled out slllooooowwwwly) so my itty bitty brain can grasp what they are saying. >

 

Wow, I laugh about it, call you friend and welcome you to the club with a huge grin, and still get called negative. Sometimes when you walk into a room and everyone there is being negative, it's actually you that's being negative.

 

Dropped the QV at the Dealership today for a follow up on the CEL we got last week. I cleared it by the 3 quick restarts. (recommendation is to not do that because you can clear the codes) however, based on our description of what / when it occurred they ran the diagnostic and drumroll............Fuel Pump. BIG SHOCKER!. NP. They seem to have had a run on them because the usually have them in stock. So probably a 5 day wait. She is fine to drive so she is back on the road and we will bring her back when the part arrives. Apparently that is accessed by removing the rear seats so shouldn't be a big job when the part arrives not days to get to. I told them I was heading on a road trip next weekend and if they see any issues (Jerome AZ) and they said take it easy but shouldn't be a problem. Might throw a code but they may have it next week before the trip but if not it will be the following week. The bad part of the whole experience was looking at the other Giulia's and Stelvios. My hands down color combo since I have the Tri Coat Rosso (now happy to keep the red calipers) and very happy with that but I would hands down take the Montecarlo Blue with the Red Calipers not yellow. I love it on the Giulia and love it just as much on the Stelvio. I have to stay away from the dealerships. It just looks absolutely RICH. Wouldn't that be cool. The Rosso QV and a Montecarlo Stelvio. What a nice family that would make if I had a white car we would have a very patriotic family. So clearly not upset about the fuel pump issue I think we were glad they found an issue vs the arbitrary CEL light. Glad they caught it and no biggy the QV is driving just fine while we wait.

 

...but I would hands down take the Montecarlo Blue with the Red Calipers not yellow. I love it on the Giulia and love it just as much on the Stelvio

1 vote from me on this one but for me, throw in the bright 5-hole wheels to finish it off. That's the combo I was looking for when I first started shopping but once I actually saw the Trofeo White in different shades of light it was my new favorite. Good luck w/the repair, good to hear it's nothing too serious!

 

I am still on the Alfa band wagon. Should any car throw codes no and neither should Alfa. But I guess I feel pretty confident they have folks actively working on the issues to resolve. So far so good.

 

Im sure you will find somebody willing to put the knife in