Brera v6

[Michael Bertoli]

Would like some feed back on your exprience with the v6 brera q4

Thanks

Michael

[bazzbazz]

Love the look, with AWD it grips the road wonderfully, is utterly stable and goes exactly where you tell it to.

Unfortunately due to glass roof the chassis has to be beefed up, thus the car is quite heavy and pays the penalty for it in performance figures.

Maintenance wise:

A/ Power Steering reservoir require an upgrade to new units with better filter and new Green Power steering fluid. (If already done, not an issue)
B/ Engine oil Temp Sender usually fails, but its not required, your coolant temp will tell you a lot faster & sooner if your in trouble
C/ Creaking in steering rack, a lot of times this is just rusty steering ball joints and the rack does not need replacing, but there are occasions where it does.

And of course the usual maladies that affect every car. 

Baz

[Michael Bertoli]

Bazzbazz
Thanks for feed back
My first Alfa was a gtv 2lt and would like to own another one but as they come up for sale they are either too far away or need too much work
The Brera are a very good looking car.
Interesting I call into a couple of Victoria Alfa dealerships and one didn't have anything to look at and the other one didn't know what a Brera was?
Have you owned a Brera

Thanks

[bazzbazz]

No, just worked on several.

Baz

[Colin Edwards]

Hello Michael,

I have a 2009 159 V6 Q4 - very similar mechanically to the Brera.
 
I changed the power steering fluid to a Penrite product and had the engine oil temp / level sender replaced by dealer prior to purchase.

Their are some complaints re premature wearing of inside of front tires.  I installed a full set of Polyurethane bushes to the front end.  This allows adjustment of the camber and caster.  A reduction in camber and significant increase in caster improves tire wear and provides more balanced grip and better front end feedback. Pays to run the tires at around 40PSI as well!  All this helps fuel economy - the 3.2 likes to drink!

Need to replace spark plugs every 60K < 70K.  They will not last 120K as claimed in the owners book!!

Colin

[poohbah]

Michael, if you ar struggling to find a Brera V6 have you considered a GT 3.2V6? Seem to be quite a few more of them around. Over here in Perth, Cileberti Motors has at least two available in excellent condition. (They also have a tidy 147 GTA!) I have seen the dark blue one in the flesh and it looked pretty tasty.

http://www.cilebertimotors.com.au/showroom.htm

[kaleuclint]

Their are some complaints re premature wearing of inside of front tires.  I installed a full set of Polyurethane bushes to the front end.  This allows adjustment of the camber and caster.  A reduction in camber and significant increase in caster improves tire wear and provides more balanced grip and better front end feedback. Pays to run the tires at around 40PSI as well! 

Very interested in these bushes and alignment settings, Colin.  I'm running zero toe in (like so many people) and 40PSI.  Suspect I'll still have inner tyre wear just like most people too!

[Colin Edwards]

I purchased 3 Polyurethane bush kits from PowerflexAustralia.com.au
One kit replaces the front roll bar "D" bushes.  Installation requires dropping the front cross member and drilling out the rivets fixing the "D" clamps.  The less compliant Polyurethane increase front roll stiffness just a tad!
Another kit replaces the lower control arm large rear bush.  The less compliant Polyurethane reduces geometry changes during cornering - keeps camber, caster and toe under tighter control.
The other kit replaces both front and rear bushes on the upper control arm.  These new bushes feature eccentric pin arrangement.  Adjustment of the eccentrics has an impact on camber and / or caster.  If each eccentric is set the same to the other only camber is altered.  If each eccentric is set different to the other, the upper control arm ball joint moves either to the front or rear of the car.  This alters the caster.

Maranello Pursang changed the roll bar and lower control arm bushes.  Mauceri Motors installed the upper control arm bushes and re-set toe, camber and caster.  The improvement is significant.  The reduced -ve camber improves straight line braking by putting more rubber on the road.  The reduced -ve camber reduces camber thrust so less toe out is required to reduce the camber thrust.  All this (in theory!) should increase front tire life.

Increasing caster improves high speed stability.  The increase in caster also introduces more negative camber when you want it - when you turn the wheel.  This reduces understeer a bit and tends to compensate for a minor increase in understeer due to the increased front roll stiffness.  Due to the greater king pin inclination / greater caster, the more you turn the wheel the more the outer front wheel goes negative - tending to offset tire distortion when cornering.  The increase in caster and generally improved front end grip also increases feedback through the steering wheel.  One of the first things you notice is the steering is a bit heavier during cornering.  If the steering goes "light" you are understeering.

Critical to installing Poly bushes is correct lubrication.  The kits come with a tube of lube that MUST be used.  The bushes will squeak like a room full of mice of not adequately lubricated.

Next project for the 159 is a very minor increase in rear roll stiffness - then possibly more intelligent dampers all round.


 

[BreraSydney]

I've just listed my V6 Brera for sale on the site.

It's been a great car in the 7 or so years I've owned it, and I think I speak from a resonably well rounded experience having owned everything from early 911's to a BMW M6. The highlights for me are the fit and finish of the interior, and overall comfort and quietness. Standard suspension was not good however - the bilsteins and eibach kit improved ride quality no-end, although are still a little soft for real hardcore driving. As a car to drive from Sydney to melbourne for example it's better than anything else I've driven. Supremely comfortable.

The car has really good low end grunt, not so great up top. I don't often wring it's neck. very different from an M3 for example.

I've had zero maintenance issues, other than basics like new O2 sensors just recently, replacing fog lights due to stones, and general servicing. Mine has only done 67,000 though. I've had no power steering issues or leaks.

The thing I'll miss the most is the look. It has never failed to put a smile on my face when I walk up to it. Such a beautiful thing, and gets more comments from people than any other car I've owned. I did go to a lot of effort to fit a beautiful set of wheels that I think match the car perfectly (Stud conversion and wheel modification).

Cheers.

[Mick A]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned stretched timing chains.

[kaleuclint]

Thanks Colin, I figured you'd gone the purple route.

TBH I don't rack up anywhere near enough km to warrant any work at this point, but Powerflex definitely in the frame when the front suspension inevitably requires an overhaul.

[Colin Edwards]

Thanks Colin, I figured you'd gone the purple route.

TBH I don't rack up anywhere near enough km to warrant any work at this point, but Powerflex definitely in the frame when the front suspension inevitably requires an overhaul.

My 159 front suspension was mechanically fine - only done about 90K.  After a track day at Philip Island late last year I just wanted to sharpen up the front end a bit.  The next track day at Sandown indicated the mods did the trick!

[Colin Edwards]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned stretched timing chains.

Hi Mick.  My 2009 159 V6 Q4 TI manual has only done about 90K - the timing chain is as quiet as a mouse.  Regular and frequent oil / filter changes are a lot cheaper than a timing chain / tensioner! 

I drive it every day - it needs to be 100% reliable!