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 3Self-help, vehicle care
Wheels
Us e a pH-neutral whe el cle aning age nt to
clean the wheels.
W hee ls are painted and can b e tre ated
with the same age nts as the body. F or alloy
w h ee l s, w e r eco m m en d t h e u se o f A l l oy
W h ee l P re s er ve r .
P aintw ork da mage
Re pair s mall area s of p aint damage s uc h
as stone impacts, scratches etc.
imme diate ly using a Touc h-Up Applicator
or Aerosol and Touch-Up Paint before rust
can form. I f rust has already form ed, have
the c aus e rectified by a works hop. Pleas e
als o pay attention to surfaces and edge s
be ne a t h t h e v eh i cl e w h er e r us t m a y h a ve
formed unnoticed for some time .
Tar spots
Do not use hard ob jects to rem ove spots of
tar – use Tar Re moval S pray. Do not use
Tar Re moval S pray on the covers of
head la mps or other exterior lamps.
Exterior lamps
He adlamp and othe r protectiv e lam p
covers are made of plastic. If they require
additional cle aning after the vehicle has
be en w a s h ed, cl ea n t he m w i t h C a r
Shamp oo. Do not us e any ab ra sive or
caus tic age nts , do not us e an ice s crape r,
and do not cle an them dry.Pl astic and rubbe r par ts
For add itional cle aning of plas tic and
rubb er parts , us e I nte rior/ Upholste ry
Clea ne r. Do not use any othe r age nt, and
in particular do not us e solve nts or petrol.
D o no t u s e hi g h - p r e ss u r e j e t cl ea ne r s.
Wheels and tyres
D o no t u s e hi g h - p r e ss u r e j e t cl ea ne r s on
whee ls and tyres.
Interior and upholster y
Clea n the ve hicle interior, including the
ins trument pane l fasc ia , using Inte rior/
Upholstery Cleaner.
The instrume nt panel s hould only be
cleaned using a soft da mp cloth.
Clea n fa bric upholstery with a va cuum
cleaner and brush. To remove stains, use
Inte rior/Upholste ry C leaner t hat is s uitab le
for b oth fabrics and vinyl.
Do not use cleaning agents such as
acetone, carbon tetrachloride, paint
thinner, paint remov er, nail v arnish
re move r, was hing powde r or blea ch to
clean fabrics, carpets, the instrum ent panel
or leather trim 3 in the vehicle inte rior.
Pe trol is also unsuitable .
Open Velcro fasteners on clothing could
damage s eat uphols te ry. Make sure that
Velcro fasteners are closed.Se at be lts
Alway s k ee p s eat b elts clean a nd dry.
C lean only with lukewa rm water or Inte rior/
Upholstery C leaner.
Windows
When cleaning the hea ted rear window,
ma ke s ure that the he ating ele ment on the
insid e of the window is not damaged.
Use a soft lint-free cloth or chamois leather
in conjunction with Window Cleaner a nd
In s ect R emo ve r.
O p el Cl ea ni n g S o lv en t a n d A n t i f r ee ze i s
s uita ble for de -icing windows.
F or mec ha nical removal of ice, use a
comm ercially available sharp-e dge d ice
s crape r. Pres s the s craper firmly agains t
the glass s o that no dirt can ge t under it
and s cratch the glass .
Windscreen wiper b lades
W a x su ch a s t h e w a x u s ed i n ca r w a s h es
ca n c a us e sm ea r i n g o n t h e w i nd scr e en
when the windscreen wipers are sw itched
on.
S mearing wiper blades c an be cle ane d with
a soft cloth a nd Opel C leaning Solvent and
Antifre ez e, and replac ed if ne ces sa ry –
s ee page 1 57 .
