OPEL GT
Operation, Safety, Maintenance
11 3Dr i vi ng and o pe r ati on
O ve rrun
zThe fuel s upply is automatically shut off
during ov errun, e. g. whe n the ve hicle is
being drive n down long gradie nts or
whe n braking – s ee page 1 11 .
zTo enable the ove rrun cut-off to take
effect a nd sav e fue l, during overrun do
not ac cele ra te and do not declutch.
Corr ect ge ar sel ec tion
zHigh revs increas e engine w ear and fue l
consumption.
zDo not race your engine. Avoid d riv ing at
high e ngine s pee ds .
Dr i v in g w i t h a n ey e o n t h e t a ch om et e r
save s fuel. I f pos sib le , drive a t low rev s in
each ge ar and a t a consta nt s pe ed.
Driv e in top g ear as m uch a s p os s ible,
shift up as s oon as pos s ib le and do not
shift down until the e ngine is no longe r
running truly . High speed
zT h e f a s t er t h e sp ee d, t h e h i g h e r t he f u el
consump tion and the noise level. Driv ing
at full throttle use s up a gre at de al of fue l
and g enerates excessive noise and high
e miss ion leve ls.
zSlightly relea sing the acce le rator ped al
res ults in distinct fuel s avings with no
major los s of spe ed.
Drive at no more tha n around thre e
quarters of max imum spe ed and you will
use up to 50% less fue l, without losing a
gre at de al of time.
Ty re pre ssure
zInade quate ty re p re s sure, leading to
higher road res istance , cos ts m one y in
two wa ys: more fue l and increa se d tyre
we ar.
zRe gular checks (e very 14 d ays ) pay off.
Ele ctri cal lo a ds
zThe power cons um ption of e lectrical
equip ment increa ses fuel consumption.
zSw itch off ad ditional c ons umers (e. g.
air conditioning, heate d re ar window)
when they are no longer required. Re pai r and m ainte nance
zImprope r repairs or adjus tm ent and
maintenance work can increase fuel
consumption. Do not carry out w ork on
the eng ine yourself.
You ma y infring e environmental la ws out
of ignorance by not d isposing of
materials prope rly.
Appropriate parts might not b e re cycle d.
Contact with some of the mate ria ls
involved may pose a health hazard.
zWe re com mend that repair and
maintenance be entrusted to your O pel
Se rv ice Partner.
E xtr em e d riving conditions
zDriv ing up s te ep gradie nts , cornering,
driving on poor roads and winte r driving
all increas e fue l consumption.
Fue l consumption increa se s dramatically
i n ur b a n t ra ff i c a nd a t w i n t er
tempe ratures, e spe cially on short trip s
w h en t h e e n g i ne o p er a t i n g t e m p e ra tu r e
is not reached.
zFollow the hints given above to keep
consumption to a m inimum under suc h
cond itions .
1 1 8 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Mai nt ena nc e
Hav e all maintenance work carried out
at the inte rvals specified by Ope l. W e
recom mend that y ou entrust this work
to your O pel Service Partner, who ha s
prope r equipme nt and trained pers onne l
ava ilab le. Elec tronic te sting s ys tems
pe rmit rapid dia gnos is and rem edy of
faults. This way you can b e certain that
all comp onents of the vehicle’s electric al,
injection and ignition sy ste ms operate
correctly , that your ve hicle has a low leve l
of pollutant e mission and that the c atalytic
converte r s yste m will hav e a long se rvice
life.
You are there by m aking an imp ortant
contrib ution towards kee ping the air cle an
and com plia nc e with e mis sions le gis lation.
The S ervice work include s te sting and
adjusting the fuel injection system and the
ignition system . F or this re ason, hav e a ll
Se rvice work carrie d out at the inte rv als
s p eci f i e d by Op e l ( se e ch a p t er " Ser v ic e,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 ).Drive co n trol systems
Ele ctronic Stab ility P rogram (E SP ) ,
Ele ctronic Stab ility Control (E SC)
Elec tronic S tability C ontrol (ES C) is a
component part of the Ele ctronic S tability
Program (ESP).
ESP im proves driving s tability w he n
ne ces s ary in any driving s ituation,
re gardle ss of the ty pe of road surface or
tyre g rip . It also pre vents the d riv e whe els
from spinning.
The system m onitors vehicle movements.
As soon as the ve hicle starts to swe rve
(understeers/oversteers) engine output is
re duce d (the s ound of the e ngine cha ng es )
and individual whe els are spe cifically
braked . This cons iderab ly improve s the
driving stability of the ve hicle on snow and
ice and on wet or s lippe ry road s urfa ces .E SP is ready for operation as s oon a s the
ignition is s witched on and control
indicator v goes out.
The E SP control proces s is disp la yed b y the
flashing of v.
The vehicle is now in a critical s itua tion;
E SP allows you to ke ep control of the
vehicle a nd reminds you to m atch your
spee d to the road conditions.
9 Wa r nin g
Do not le t this spe cial safety feature
tempt you into ta king risk s w he n driving.
Tra ffic safe ty can only b e ac hie ve d by
adopting a re spons ible d riv ing sty le .
1 2 2 D r iv in g an d o p e ra t io n
Incr ease speed :
W i t h c r ui s e c o nt r o l a c t i v e, ho l d d o w n
button
8 or briefly pres s it repe atedly :
s pee d is incre as ed continuous ly or in ste ps
of 1.6 km/h (1 m ph) without using the
acce lerator pe dal.
W hen button
8 is released, the current
speed is stored and m aintained.
Alternative ly, use the acce lerator pe dal to
increase vehicle speed, press button
9
and rele ase it, then rele ase the acce lerator
pe dal.
W hen button
9 and the acce lerator
pe dal are rele ase d, the current s pee d is
s tore d and m ainta ine d.
Decrease speed:
W i t h c r ui s e c o nt r o l a c t i v e, ho l d d o w n
button
9 or brie fly pres s it rep eate dly:
s pee d is reduce d continuous ly or in s teps
of 1.6 km/h (1 m ph).
W hen button
9 is rele ased, the current
speed is stored and m aintained.
To dea ctiv ate :
Switch off cruis e control whe n not nee de d,
to avoid accid ental activa tion.
Pre ss button m: cruise control is s witched
off, the control indicator in the button goe s
out a nd the ve hicle s lowly d ece lerates .
To continue driv ing , de pres s the
accele rator ped al in the us ua l manner.
For re asons of safe ty, c ruise control
deactiv ates under ce rtain driving
conditions . F or exa mple:
zi f t h e veh i c l e ’s sp e ed d r o p s b el o w
approx . 3 0 km/ h (2 0 mph) or
zif the brake peda l is depre ss ed or
zif the clutch p edal is de pres s ed or
zif the Elec tronic S tability Program (E SP)
come s into a ction, to improve driving
s tability and lim it whee l spin.
Deactivating cruise control does not switch
of f t h e sy st e m .
Resumi ng the stored speed:
Brie fly pre ss button
8 at a spe ed above
30 k m /h ( 2 0 m p h ): s p ee d s el e c t ed b ef o r e
cruis e c ontrol was de activated is re sume d.
The value of the stored speed is deleted
w h en c r u i se c o n t r o l ha s b ee n sw i t c h e d o f f
by pre ss ing button m, and when the
ignition is turne d off.
Brake system
The effectiveness of the brakes is an
important factor for traffic sa fe ty.
To improve effectiveness, do not brake
unnecessarily hard for the first 200 k m
(120 mile s) a fte r new brake pads have
be en fitted .
Brake pad wea r must not e xce ed a
s pec ifie d limit. R egular ma inte na nce as
detailed in the chapter "Service,
Maintenance" on pag e 165 is therefore of
the utm os t importance for traffic safe ty.
Hav e w orn b ra ke p ads replace d by a
workshop. Pads which have be en te ste d
a n d a p p r o ved en s ur e o p t i m u m b ra ke
pe rforma nc e.
Brake pad s that hav e worn to their
minimum thickne ss ge nerate a grinding
noise . C ontinued driving is poss ible.
Hav e the brake pads re placed as soon
as pos sible by a works hop.
9 Warning
Disre gard of thes e ins truc tions may lead
to injuries or e ndanger live s .
15 1Self-help, vehicle care
Inspection system
In ord er to guarante e economical and sa fe
ve hic le ope ration a nd to maintain the
value of your ve hicle , it is of vital
importance tha t all maintenance work is
carried out at the p rope r intervals as
s p eci f i e d by Op e l ( se e ch a p t er " Ser v ic e,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 ). Tim e or
mile age/ kilome tre intervals - w hiche ver is
r ea c he d f i rs t - d e t er m i n e w he n y o ur v e hi c l e
is due for its nex t Se rv ice.
H a v e t h e Se rv i ce w or k t h a t i s du e ca r r i e d
out within one w eek or 500 km (300 miles).
Hav e this work carried out by a re paire r in
accordance with Ope l’s re comme nd ations ,
using O pe l genuine parts a nd acce ss orie s .The e ngine oil life m onitor lets y ou k now
when to change the e ng ine oil. Base d on
driving conditions , the time or kilom etre /
mileage interva l at which an e ng ine oil
cha ng e will b e indicate d can v ary
cons ide ra bly.
For the system to work properly, it must be
re set e very time the e ngine oil is changed.
See k the as sis tance of a workshop.
When the system has calc ulated that
engine oil life has bee n diminishe d,
"CHAN G E OI L SO ON" ap pears in the drive r
information ce ntre - s ee page 6 9 . Engine
power m ay be de creas e d. C hange e ng ine
oil immed iately.F urthe r information on Se rvice and the
Service Plan can be found in the chapter
"S er vi ce , M a i nt e n a nc e" on p a g e 16 5 .
Hav e mainte na nce work, as well as repairs
to the bodywork a nd equipme nt, carrie d
out b y a p rofessiona l. We recommend y our
O pel Servic e Partner, who is fam ilia r with
O p el veh i cl e s a n d i n p o ss es s io n o f t h e
nec es sary sp ecial tools and the lates t
s ervice ins tructions from Ope l. It is
particularly a dvis able to us e an Ope l
S ervice Partner during the warranty period,
to av oid inv alidation of warranty claims .
See the chapter "Service, Maintenance" on
pag e 165 for further inform ation.
Se pa rate anti-c orrosion se rv ice
Hav e the work pe rform ed a t the interva ls
s p ec if i e d i n t h e c ha p t er "S er vi ce ,
Mainte nance " on pag e 1 6 5.
C HA NGE OIL SOON
154 Self-help, vehicle care
Top up with the sam e b rand of engine
oil that was used d uring the previous
e ngine oil change, following the
instructions in the chapter " Se rv ice,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 .
To close, p osition the cap and screw it
into place .
Ca pacities – se e p age 18 2 .Engine oil c hange , e ngine oil filte r c hange
Pe rform change in accordance w ith the
cha pter " Servic e, M ainte nance" on
page 16 5 .
Engine oil c hange s are to b e ca rrie d out
depe nding on time or kilometre /mile age
inte rvals , or whe n the e ngine oil life monitor
indica tes that engine oil life has be en
diminished , s ince e ng ine oil lose s its
lubrication prope rtie s not only through
engine ope ration but also through age ing .
We rec om mend us ing an original O pel
engine oil filte r.
Reme mbe r to reset the e ngine oil life
monitor whenever the engine oil is
cha ng ed. See k the as sis tance of a
work shop.
C oolant
D u r i n g o p e r a t i o n t h e sy st e m i s p r es su r i z e d .
T h e t em p er a t u r e m a y t h e re f o re r is e t o ov er
100 °C.
The glycol-bas ed coolant p rov id es
excellent corrosion protection for the
hea ting and cooling sy ste ms as well a s
antifree ze prote ction down to –28 °C. It
re mains in the cooling sy ste m throug hout
the yea r and nee d not be changed.
Us e of certain antifre ez es can le ad to
eng ine damage. We therefore recommend
the use of antifre eze s tha t ha ve bee n
app rov ed.
9 Warning
E mpty engine oil cans m us t not be placed
in the domes tic refus e. We rec om mend
that you entrus t engine oil and e ngine oil
filter change s to a works hop who is
familiar with the legal requirem ents
concerning the disposal of used engine
oil and filters , a nd can thus he lp protect
t h e en vi r o n m en t a n d yo ur he a l t h .9 Wa r nin g
Antifree ze is a dange r to health; it m ust
the refore be ke pt in the original container
and out of the reach of children.
15 7Self-help, vehicle care
Brak e/clut ch fluid c ha nge
Brake /clutch fluid is hygroscopic, i.e . it
absorbs water. If the brak es be come hot,
s uc h as whe n driving on long downhill
stretches, va pour bubbles can occur in the
water, which can have an extrem ely
adv ers e e ffe ct on braking power
( dep en di n g o n t h e p ro p o r t i o n o f w a t e r) .
The fluid change intervals s pecifie d in the
chapter "Service, Maintenance" on
page 1 65 m us t there fore be obs erve d.
Power steering fluid
The power steering fluid does not require
any additional ma inte na nce than that
detaile d in the c hap te r "S ervice ,
Mainte nance" on page 16 5 .
If the fluid in the re s ervoir falls below the
HOT mark on the dipstick, consult a
work shop.
Windscreen wipers
C lear v is ion is es se ntial for safe driving.
Pe rform re gular check s on the windsc re en
wipe rs to ens ure they are ope rating
correc tly . W e recomme nd wipe r blade
re placem ent at le ast once a year.
If t h e w i n dsc re en i s di r t y, o p er a t e t h e
windscreen washer system b efore
s witching on the winds cree n wipers . This
will av oid wipe r blade wea r.
Do not switch on the windscree n wipers if
the wind scre en is ice d up, as this could
dam age the wipe r blade s or the wipe r
system.
If the wipers b ecome froze n on to the glass,
w e r e c om m e n d th a t th e y b e r e l e a s e d w i t h
t h e a i d o f O p el D e - i cer S p r a y.
S mearing wiper blades c an be cle ane d with
a soft cloth a nd Opel C leaning Solvent and
Antifreez e.
W iper blades whos e lips have be come
harde ne d, crack ed or covere d with s ilicone
mus t be replac ed. This may be nece ss ary
as a re sult of the e ffe cts of ic e, thawing s alt
or hea t, or the incorrect use of cleaning
age nts.
S witc h off the windsc re en w ip ers in
car washe s – s ee page s 15 , 1 6 1.
W indscre en w ip er care – se e p age 163.
9 Wa r ning
We r ec o m m en d t h a t y o u ha v e b r a k e/
clutch fluid change d by a works hop who
is familiar with the req uire ments of the
la w as rega rd s d ispos al of brake /clutch
fluid a nd can thus he lp to protect the
en vi r o n m en t a n d y o ur he a l t h .
16 5Service, maintenance
Service, maintenanceEuropean service intervals
Main Se rv ice
D ue e ver y 30 ,0 0 0 k m ( 2 0, 00 0 m i l es ) o r
1 year, whicheve r occurs first.
In ternation al service intervals
Inte rim S erv ice
D ue e ver y 15 ,0 0 0 k m ( 1 0, 00 0 m i l es ) .
Main Se rv ice
D ue e ver y 30 ,0 0 0 k m ( 2 0, 00 0 m i l es ) o r
1 year, whicheve r occurs first.
Engine oil life monitor - se e page s 6 3 , 6 9 ,
151.
Confirmations
C onfirmation of Se rvice is re corded in the
s pace s p rov ided in the Se rvice and
W arranty Bookle t. The date and kilome tre/
mile age reading is comp leted with the
s tamp a nd signature of the Se rvicing
Workshop.
Mak e sure that the Se rvice and W arranty
Bookle t is com plete d correctly as
continuous proof of se rvice is e ss e ntial if
any warranty or goodwill claim s a re to be
me t, and is a ls o a benefit w he n you come
to sell the ve hicle .
Service plan
The European s erv ice s ched ule is valid for
the following countries:
A n do rra, A u s tria, Belgiu m, Cy prus ,
C zech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finla nd, Fra nce, Germany, Greece,
Gre enland, H ungary , Ice land, Ireland, Italy,
Latvia, Lithuania , Lux em bourg, Malta,
The Nethe rla nds, Norway, Poland,
P o rtug al, Slo va kia, S lov en ia, Spain ,
S wede n, Switze rland, Unite d Kingdom.
F or all rem aining countries the
Inte rnational s ervice s chedule applies . Eu ro pe an se rvice sc he du le ... .... .... ..... 16 6
In tern atio n al s ervice s che du le .. .... ..... 16 8
A dditio n al s ervicin g. ..... .... ..... .... .... ..... 17 0
Re commende d fluids , and lubricants 17 0