A windscreen wiper snapped through over-tightening. Unfortunately Alfa Romeo do not supply Halfords (or any other parts shop) so I had to go to a dealer for the wiper and had to pay an awful lot of money for a wiper.
There is a horrible grinding noise from the gearbox once the car is warm. This occurs for a few seconds when changing gear.
The remote central locking is completely useless. You have to be right next to the front windows before it works. Usually quicker using the key!
Not a good car when stuck in traffic. It seems to want to fly from a standing start.
This car is one of the fastest 1.6 8v vehicles I have ever driven. It can out-perform most 1.8L and average 2.0L vehicles.
The acceleration is terrific.
The handling is not top notch, but it is just enough to turn your hair white!
The seating position is too high, although the drivers seat is adjustable, it doesn't go low enough.
I totally agree with the bit about "Alfa" doesn't supply Motor Spares with parts and also the remote central locking is a joke like you said, unless you are next to the window it won't work, quite embarrassing when you are trying to open it from a car park.
Also in two years of having it, I have had various problems, expensive as you can't do anything without a Haynes Manual which you can't get.
Regarding the wipers, it is normal practice to replace the actual rubber blades and not the plastic frame. These are referred to as "wiper refills" and sold in most spares shops, and usually cost less than the frame-and-blade type.
Regarding the Haynes manual, there is an Alfa Romeo workshop manual and you can view it online (in a series of PDF documents) in the Alfa145.com forum, see the manuals section at:
http://forum.alfa145.com/index.php?showforum=99
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