2014.5 VAUXHALL MERIVA Owner's Manual

Driving and operating135Stop-start system
The stop-start system helps to save
fuel and to reduce the exhaust
emissions. When conditions allow, it
switches off the engine as soon as the vehicle is at a low speed or at a
standstill, e.g. at a traffic light or in a
traffic jam. It starts the engine
automatically as soon as the clutch is
depressed. A vehicle battery sensor
ensures that an Autostop is only performed if the vehicle battery is
sufficiently charged for a restart.
Activation
The stop-start system is available as soon as the engine is started, the
vehicle starts-off and the conditions
as stated below in this section are
fulfilled.Deactivation
Deactivate the stop-start system
manually by pressing the eco button.
The deactivation is indicated by the
LED in the button going off.
Autostop
If the vehicle is at a low speed or at a standstill, activate an Autostop as
follows:
■ Depress the clutch pedal
■ set the lever in neutral
■ release the clutch pedal
The engine will be switched off while
the ignition stays on.
An Autostop is indicated by the
needle at the AUTOSTOP position in
the tachometer.
During an Autostop, the heating and
brake performance will be
maintained.
Caution
The steering assist will be reduced during an Autostop.
Conditions for an Autostop
The stop-start system checks if each
of the following conditions is fulfilled.

136Driving and operating
■ The stop-start system is notmanually deactivated
■ the bonnet is fully closed
■ the driver's door is closed or the driver's seat belt is fastened
■ the vehicle battery is sufficiently charged and in good condition
■ the engine is warmed up
■ the engine coolant temperature is not too high
■ the engine exhaust temperature is not too high, e.g. after driving with
high engine load
■ the ambient temperature is not too low
■ the defrost selection does not inhibit an Autostop
■ the climate control system allows an Autostop
■ the brake vacuum is sufficient
■ the self-cleaning function of the diesel particle filter is not active
■ the vehicle has moved since the last AutostopOtherwise an Autostop will be
inhibited.
An Autostop may become less
available as the ambient temperature
approaches the freezing point.
Certain settings of the climate control
system may inhibit an Autostop. See
Climate control chapter for more
details.
Immediately after motorway driving
an Autostop may be inhibited.
New vehicle running-in 3 133.
Vehicle battery discharge protection
To ensure reliable engine restarts,
several vehicle battery discharge
protection features are implemented
as part of the stop-start system.
Power saving measures
During an Autostop, several electrical
features such as auxiliary electric
heater or rear window heating are
disabled or switched into a power
saving mode. The fan speed of the
climate control system is reduced to
save power.Restart of the engine by the
driver
Depress the clutch pedal to restart the
engine.
The engine start is indicated by the
needle at the idle speed position in
the tachometer.
If the selector lever is shifted out of
neutral before depressing the clutch
first, control indicator - illuminates
or is shown as a symbol in the Driver
Information Centre.
Control indicator - 3 95.
Restart of the engine by the
stop-start system The selector lever must be in neutralto enable an automatic restart.
If one of the following conditions
occurs during an Autostop, the
engine will be restarted automatically
by the stop-start system.
■ The stop-start system is manually deactivated
■ the bonnet is opened
■ the driver's seat belt is unfastened and the driver's door is opened

Driving and operating137
■ the engine temperature is too low
■ the vehicle battery is discharged
■ the brake vacuum is not sufficient
■ the vehicle starts to move
■ the climate control system requests
an engine start
■ the air conditioning is manually switched on
If the bonnet is not fully closed, a
warning message is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre.
If an electrical accessory, e.g. a
portable CD player, is connected to
the power outlet, a brief power drop
during restart might be noticeable.
Parking ■ Do not park the vehicle on an easily
ignitable surface. The high
temperature of the exhaust system
could ignite the surface.
■ Always apply parking brake. Pull switch m for approx. one
second.■ Switch off the engine and ignition. Turn the steering wheel until the
steering wheel lock engages.
■ If the vehicle is on a level surface or
uphill slope, engage first gear or set the selector lever to P before
switching off the ignition. On an
uphill slope, turn the front wheels
away from the kerb.
If the vehicle is on a downhill slope, engage reverse gear or set theselector lever to P before switching
off the ignition. Turn the front
wheels towards the kerb.
■ Lock the vehicle and activate the anti-theft alarm system.
Notice
In the event of an accident with airbag deployment, the engine is
turned off automatically if the vehicle
comes to a standstill within a certain time.Engine exhaust9 Danger
Engine exhaust gases contain
poisonous carbon monoxide,
which is colourless and odourless and could be fatal if inhaled.
If exhaust gases enter the interior
of the vehicle, open the windows.
Have the cause of the fault
rectified by a workshop.
Avoid driving with an open load
compartment, otherwise exhaust
gases could enter the vehicle.
Diesel particle filter
The diesel particle filter system filters
harmful soot particles out of the
exhaust gases. The system includes
a self-cleaning function that runs
automatically during driving without
any notification. The filter is cleaned
by periodically burning off the soot
particles at high temperature. This
process takes place automatically
under set driving conditions and may

138Driving and operating
take up to 25 minutes. Typically it
needs between 7 and 12 minutes.
Autostop is not available and fuel
consumption may be higher during
this period. The emission of smells
and smoke during this process is
normal.
Under certain driving conditions, e.g.
short distances, the system cannot
clean itself automatically.
If the cleaning of the filter is required
and if previous driving conditions did
not enable automatic cleaning, it will
be indicated by the control indicator
% . Simultaneously Diesel partic. filter
is full continue driving or warning
code 55 appears in the Driver
Information Centre.
% illuminates when diesel particle
filter is full. Start cleaning process as
soon as possible.
% flashes when diesel particle filter
has reached the maximum filling
level. Start cleaning process
immediately to avoid damage to the
engine.
Cleaning process
To activate cleaning process,
continue driving, keeping engine
speed above 2000 revolutions per
minute. Shift down if necessary.
Diesel particle filter cleaning is then
started.
If g illuminates additionally,
cleaning is not possible, seek the
assistance of a workshop.Caution
If the cleaning process is
interrupted, there is a risk of
provoking severe engine damage.
Cleaning takes place quickest at high engine speeds and loads.
The control indicator % extinguishes
as soon as the self-cleaning
operation is complete.
Catalytic converter
The catalytic converter reduces the
amount of harmful substances in the
exhaust gases.Caution
Fuel grades other than those listed on pages 3 152, 3 215 could
damage the catalytic converter or
electronic components.
Unburnt petrol will overheat and
damage the catalytic converter.
Therefore avoid excessive use of the starter, running the fuel tank
dry and starting the engine by
pushing or towing.
In the event of misfiring, uneven
engine running, a reduction in engine performance or other unusual
problems, have the cause of the fault

Driving and operating139
rectified by a workshop as soon as
possible. In an emergency, driving
can be continued for a short period,
keeping vehicle speed and engine
speed low.Automatic transmission
The automatic transmission permits
automatic gearshifting (automatic
mode) or manual gearshifting
(manual mode).
Transmission display
The mode or selected gear is shown
in the transmission display.
Selector leverP=park position, wheels are
locked, engage only when the
vehicle is stationary and the
parking brake is appliedR=reverse gear, engage only
when the vehicle is stationaryN=neutralD=automatic mode with all gears
The selector lever is locked in P and
can only be moved when the ignition
is on and the brake pedal is applied.

140Driving and operating
Without brake pedal applied, the
control indicator j illuminates.
If the selector lever is not in P when
the ignition is switched off, the control
indicator j and P flash.
To engage P or R, press the release
button.
The engine can only be started with the lever in position P or N. When
position N is selected, press the brake
pedal or apply the parking brake
before starting.
Do not accelerate while engaging a
gear. Never depress the accelerator
pedal and brake pedal at the same
time.
When a gear is engaged, the vehicle
slowly begins to creep when the
brake is released.
Engine braking To utilise the engine braking effect,select a lower gear in good time when
driving downhill, see manual mode.
Rocking the vehicle
Rocking the vehicle is only
permissible if the vehicle is stuck in
sand, mud or snow. Move the selector
lever between D and R in a repeat
pattern. Do not race the engine and
avoid sudden acceleration.
Parking
Apply the parking brake and engage P .
The ignition key can only be removed
when the selector lever is in position
P .Manual mode
Move selector lever out of position D
towards the left and then forwards or backwards.
<=Shift to a higher gear.]=Shift to a lower gear.
If a higher gear is selected when
vehicle speed is too low, or a lower
gear when vehicle speed is too high,
the shift is not executed. This can
cause a message in the Driver
Information Centre.

Driving and operating141
In manual mode no automatic shiftingto a higher gear takes place at high
engine revolutions.
Electronic driving
programmes ■ Following a cold start, the operating
temperature programme increasesengine speed to quickly bring the
catalytic converter to the required
temperature.
■ The automatic neutral shift function
automatically shifts to idling when
the vehicle is stopped with a
forward gear engaged and the
brake pedal is pressed.
■ Special programmes automatically adapt the shifting points when
driving up inclines or down hills.
Kickdown If the accelerator pedal is pressed
down completely in automatic mode, the transmission shifts to a lower gear depending on engine speed.Fault
In the event of a fault, g illuminates.
Additionally a code number or a
vehicle message is displayed in the Driver Information Centre. Vehicle
messages 3 103.
The transmission no longer shifts
automatically. Continued travel is
possible with manual shifting.
Only the highest gear is available.
Depending on the fault, second gear
may also be available in manual
mode. Shift only when vehicle is at a
standstill.
Have the cause of the fault remedied
by a workshop.
Interruption of power
supply In the event of an interruption of
power supply, the selector lever
cannot be moved out of the P
position. The ignition key cannot be
removed from the ignition switch.If the vehicle battery is discharged,
start the vehicle using jump leads
3 200.
If the vehicle battery is not the cause
of the fault, release the selector lever.
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Hold the selector lever trim at the marked position and pull tounlatch at the back.
3. Fold the selector lever trim upwards. Pull to unlatch at the
front.

142Driving and operating
4.Move the selector lever trim to the
left. Take care that the plug and
the wiring harness at the bottom
are not damaged.
5. Insert a screwdriver into the opening as far as it will go and
move the selector lever out of P or
N . If P or N is engaged again, the
selector lever will be locked in
position again. Have the cause of
the power supply interruption
remedied by a workshop.
6. Mount the selector lever trim onto
the centre console and refit.
Manual transmission
To engage reverse, with the vehicle
stationary wait 3 seconds after
depressing the clutch pedal and then
press the release button on the
selector lever and engage the gear.
If the gear does not engage, set the
lever to neutral, release the clutch
pedal and depress again; then repeat
gear selection.
Do not slip the clutch unnecessarily.
When operating, depress the clutch
pedal completely. Do not use the
pedal as a foot rest.
Caution
It is not advisable to drive with the hand resting on the selector lever.