2014.25 VAUXHALL ASTRA J Owner's Manual

Vehicle care271Caution
The use of a spare wheel that issmaller than the other wheels or in combination with winter tyres
could affect driveability. Have the defective tyre replaced as soon as
possible.
The spare wheel is located in the load
compartment beneath the floor
covering. It is secured with a wing nut.
To remove:
1. Open the floor cover.
2. Only 3-door hatchback: remove rear storage by pressing both
buttons. Fold down cover and
extract storage upwards.
3. The spare wheel is secured with a
wing nut. Untwist nut, remove
conus (only 3-door hatchback) to
take out the spare wheel.
Under the spare wheel there is the box with vehicle tools.
4. When, after a wheel change, no wheel is placed in the spare wheel
well, secure the tool box by
turning right back the wing nut and close floor cover.
Stowing a damaged full size
wheel in the load compartment,
3-door and 5-door hatchback
The spare wheel well is not designed
for other tyre sizes than the spare
wheel. A damaged full size wheel
must be stowed in the load
compartment and secured with a
strap. Vehicle tools 3 256. To secure
the wheel:
1. Position the wheel outside up close to one sidewall of the load
compartment.
2. Place the loop end of the strap through the front lashing eye on
the appropriate side.

272Vehicle care
3. Place the hook end of the strapthrough the loop and pull it until
the strap is fastened securely to
the lashing eye.
4. Insert the strap through the spokes of the wheel as shown in
the illustration.
5. Mount the hook to the rear lashing
eye.
6. Tighten the strap and secure it using the buckle.
9 Danger
Always drive with folded up and
engaged rear seat backrests when stowing a damaged full size wheel
in the load compartment.
Stowing a damaged full size
wheel in the spare wheel well,
Sports Tourer and 4-door
saloon
Vehicles equipped with a full size
spare wheel:A damaged full size wheel must be
stowed outside up in the spare wheel
well secured with the wing nut.
The floor cover can be placed on the
projecting wheel.Vehicles equipped with a temporary
spare wheel:
Secure a damaged full size wheel
outside up with the wing nut in the
spare wheel well after exchanging the thread bolt by an extension bolt,
placed in the tool bag 3 256. To
replace the bolt:

Vehicle care273
1. Install the hexagon key of thewheel wrench ensuring that it
locates securely on the bolt.
2. Turn the wheel wrench anticlockwise to loosen the bolt.
Remove the bolt.
3. Take the extension bolt from the tool bag 3 256 and screw it in
hand-tight using the hexagon key
of the wheel wrench.
4. Store the tool box and the damaged wheel outside up in the
spare wheel well and secure it by
turning the wing nut clockwise on
the bolt.
The floor cover can be placed on the
projecting wheel.
Replace the extension bolt with the
short bolt before placing the
temporary spare wheel in the well after renewing or repairing the
defective wheel.Stowing the spare wheel back in
the well after replacing the
damaged wheel
1. Open the floor cover, untwist and remove wing nut.
Only 3-door hatchback: open floor
cover, remove rear storage,
untwist and remove wing nut and
conus.
2. Only Sports tourer and 4-door saloon with temporary spare
wheel: replace the extension bolt
with the short bolt by using the hexagon key of the wheel wrench.
3. Place the tools in the tool box or the tool bag 3 256.
4. Place spare wheel outside up in the wheel well and secure by
turning the wing nut right back.
Only 3-door hatchback: position
the excentric conus in the recess
of the spare wheel before turning
the wing nut right back.
5. Close floor cover and insert rear storage (only 3-door hatchback).

274Vehicle care9Warning
Storing a jack, a wheel or other
equipment in the load
compartment could cause injury if they are not fixed properly. During a sudden stop or a collision, looseequipment could strike someone.
Store jack and tools always in the
respective storage compartments
and secure them by fixing.
Damaged wheel placed in the load
compartment must always be
secured by the strap.
Temporary spare wheel
Caution
The use of a spare wheel that is smaller than the other wheels or in combination with winter tyres
could affect driveability. Have the defective tyre replaced as soon as
possible.
Only mount one temporary spare
wheel. Do not drive faster than
50 mph. Take curves slowly. Do not
use for a long period of time.
If your vehicle gets a flat tyre on the
rear while towing another vehicle,
mount the temporary spare wheel in
the front and the full tyre in the rear.
Tyre chains 3 263.
Directional tyres Fit directional tyres such that they roll
in the direction of travel. The rolling
direction is indicated by a symbol
(e.g. an arrow) on the sidewall.
The following applies to tyres fitted
opposing the rolling direction:
■ Driveability may be affected. Have the defective tyre renewed or
repaired as soon as possible.
■ Drive particularly carefully on wet and snow-covered road surfaces.Jump starting
Do not start with quick charger.
A vehicle with a discharged vehicle
battery can be started using jump
leads and the vehicle battery of
another vehicle.9 Warning
Be extremely careful when starting
with jump leads. Any deviation
from the following instructions can
lead to injuries or damage caused
by battery explosion or damage to the electrical systems of both
vehicles.
9 Warning
Avoid contact of the battery with
eyes, skin, fabrics and painted
surfaces. The fluid contains
sulphuric acid which can cause
injuries and damage in the event
of direct contact.

Vehicle care275
■Never expose the vehicle battery to
naked flames or sparks.
■ A discharged vehicle battery can already freeze at a temperature of
0 °C. Defrost the frozen vehicle
battery before connecting jump
leads.
■ Wear eye protection and protective
clothing when handling a vehicle
battery.
■ Use a booster vehicle battery with the same voltage (12 Volts). Its
capacity (Ah) must not be much less than that of the discharged
vehicle battery.
■ Use jump leads with insulated terminals and a cross section of at
least 16 mm 2
(25 mm 2
for diesel
engines).
■ Do not disconnect the discharged vehicle battery from the vehicle.
■ Switch off all unnecessary electrical
consumers.
■ Do not lean over the vehicle battery
during jump starting.■ Do not allow the terminals of one lead to touch those of the other
lead.
■ The vehicles must not come into contact with each other during the
jump starting process.
■ Apply the parking brake, transmission in neutral, automatic
transmission in P.
■ Open the positive terminal protection caps of both vehicle
batteries.Lead connection order:
1. Connect the red lead to the positive terminal of the booster
vehicle battery.
2. Connect the other end of the red lead to the positive terminal of the
discharged vehicle battery.
3. Connect the black lead to the negative terminal of the booster
vehicle battery.
4. Connect the other end of the black
lead to a vehicle grounding point,
such as the engine block or an
engine mounting bolt. Connect as far away from the discharged
vehicle battery as possible,
however at least 60 cm.
Route the leads so that they cannot
catch on rotating parts in the engine
compartment.
To start the engine: 1. Start the engine of the vehicle providing the jump.

276Vehicle care
2. After 5 minutes, start the otherengine. Start attempts should be
made for no longer than
15 seconds at an interval of
1 minute.
3. Allow both engines to idle for approx. 3 minutes with the leads
connected.
4. Switch on electrical consumers (e.g. headlights, heated rear
window) of the vehicle receiving
the jump start.
5. Reverse above sequence exactly when removing leads.Towing
Towing the vehicle
Insert a screwdriver in the slot at the
lower part of the cap. Release the cap
by carefully moving the screwdriver
downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 256.
Screw in the towing eye as far as it will
go until it stops in a horizontal
position.
Attach a tow rope – or better still a tow
rod – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for
towing and not for recovering the
vehicle.
Switch on ignition to release steering wheel lock and to permit operation of
brake lights, horn and windscreen
wiper.
Transmission in neutral.

Vehicle care277Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
When the engine is not running,
considerably more force is needed to
brake and steer.
To prevent the entry of exhaust gases from the towing vehicle, switch on the
air recirculation and close the
windows.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: The vehicle must be towed facing
forwards, not faster than 50 mph nor further than 60 miles. In all other
cases and when the transmission is
defective, the front axle must be
raised off the ground.
Seek the assistance of a workshop. After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap at the top and engage
downwards.
Towing another vehicle
Insert a screwdriver in the slot at the
lower bend of the cap. Release the
cap by carefully moving the
screwdriver downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 256.
Screw in the towing eye as far as it will
go until it stops in a horizontal
position.
The lashing eye at the rear
underneath the vehicle must never be used as a towing eye.
Attach a tow rope – or even better a
tow bar – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for
towing and not for recovering a
vehicle.

278Vehicle careCaution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap at the top and engage
downwards.
Appearance care
Exterior care
Locks The locks are lubricated at the factory
using a high quality lock cylinder
grease. Use de-icing agent only when absolutely necessary, as this has a
degreasing effect and impairs lock
function. After using a de-icing agent,
have the locks regreased by a
workshop.
Washing The paintwork of your vehicle is
exposed to environmental influences.
Wash and wax your vehicle regularly.
When using automatic vehicle
washes, select a programme that
includes waxing.
Bird droppings, dead insects, resin,
pollen and the like should be cleaned off immediately, as they contain
aggressive constituents which can
cause paint damage.If using a vehicle wash, comply with
the vehicle wash manufacturer's instructions. The windscreen wiperand rear window wiper must be
switched off. Remove antenna and
external accessories such as roof
racks etc.
If you wash your vehicle by hand,
make sure that the insides of the
wheel housings are also thoroughly
rinsed out.
Clean edges and folds on opened
doors and the bonnet as well as the
areas they cover.Caution
Always use a cleaning agent with
a pH value of 4 to 9.
Do not use cleaning agents on hot surfaces.
Have the door hinges of all doors
greased by a workshop.
Do not clean the engine compartment with a steam-jet or high-pressure jet
cleaner.