2015.75 VAUXHALL ASTRA J brakes

18In briefStarting offCheck before starting off ■ Tyre pressure and condition 3 260,
3 305.
■ Engine oil level and fluid levels 3 225.
■ All windows, mirrors, exterior lighting and number plates are free
from dirt, snow and ice and are
operational.
■ Proper position of mirrors, seats, and seat belts 3 30, 3 39,
3 47.
■ Brake function at low speed, particularly if the brakes are wet.Starting the engine
■ Turn key to position 1.
■ Move the steering wheel slightly to release the steering wheel lock.
■ Operate clutch and brake.
■ Automatic transmission in P or N.
■ Do not operate accelerator pedal.
■ Diesel engines: turn the key to position 2 for preheating and wait
until control indicator !
extinguishes.
■ Turn key to position 3 and release.
Starting the engine 3 160.
Stop-start system
If the vehicle is at a low speed or at a
standstill and certain conditions are
fulfilled, activate an Autostop as
follows:
■ Depress the clutch pedal.
■ Set the lever in neutral.
■ Release the clutch pedal.
An Autostop is indicated by the
needle at the AUTOSTOP position in
the tachometer.
To restart the engine, depress the clutch pedal again.
Stop-start system 3 162.

Instruments and controls127
No.Vehicle message134Park assist fault, clean bumper136Service parking assist145Check washer fluid level174Low vehicle battery258Park assist off
Vehicle messages on the
Uplevel-Combi-Display
The vehicle messages are displayed
as text. Follow the instructions given
in the messages.
The system displays messages
regarding the following topics:
■ fluid levels
■ anti-theft alarm system
■ brakes
■ drive systems
■ ride control systems
■ cruise control
■ object detection systems
■ lighting, bulb replacement
■ wiper/washer system
■ doors, windows
■ radio remote control
■ seat belts
■ airbag systems
■ engine and transmission
■ tyre pressure
■ diesel particle filter
■ vehicle battery statusVehicle messages on the Colour-Info-Display Some important messages appear
additionally in the
Colour-Info-Display. Press the
multifunction knob to confirm a
message. Some messages only pop
up for a few seconds.
Warning chimes When starting the engine or
whilst driving
Only one warning chime will sound at
a time.
The warning chime regarding
unfastened seat belts has priority
over any other warning chime.
■ If seat belt is not fastened.
■ If a door or the tailgate is not fully closed when starting off.
■ If a certain speed is exceeded with parking brake applied.
■ If a programmed speed is exceeded.

Driving and operating159Driving and operatingDriving hints............................... 159
Starting and operating ...............160
Engine exhaust .......................... 165
Automatic transmission .............. 167
Manual transmission ..................170
Brakes ........................................ 171
Ride control systems .................174
Driver assistance systems .........179
Fuel ............................................ 210
Trailer hitch ................................ 217Driving hints
Control of the vehicleNever coast with engine not
running (except during Autostop)
Many systems will not function in this
situation ( e.g. brake servo unit, power
steering). Driving in this manner is a
danger to yourself and others. All
systems function during an Autostop,
but there will be a controlled reduction
in power steering assist and vehicle
speed is reduced.
Stop-start system 3 162.
Idle boost
If charging of the vehicle battery is
required due to battery condition, the
power output of the generator must
be increased. This will be achieved by
an idle boost which may be audible.
On vehicles with Uplevel-Combi-
Display, a message appears in the
Driver Information Centre.Pedals
To ensure the pedal travel is
uninhibited, there must be no mats in the area of the pedals.
Steering If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can
be steered but may require increased
effort.
Control indicator c 3 115.Caution
Vehicles equipped with hydraulic
power steering:
If the steering wheel is turned until it reaches the end of its travel, and
is held in that position for more
than 15 seconds, damage may
occur to the power steering
system and there may be loss of
power steering assist.

Driving and operating171Caution
It is not advisable to drive with thehand resting on the selector lever.
Upshift indication 3 115.
Brakes
The brake system comprises two
independent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can
still be braked using the other brake
circuit. However, braking effect is
achieved only when the brake pedal
is depressed firmly. Considerably
more force is needed for this. The
braking distance is extended. Seek
the assistance of a workshop before
continuing your journey.
When the engine is not running, the
support of the brake servo unit
disappears once the brake pedal has
been depressed once or twice.
Braking effect is not reduced, but
braking requires significantly greater
force. It is especially important to bear this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 113.
Antilock brake system
Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.ABS starts to regulate brake pressure as soon as a wheel shows a tendency to lock. The vehicle remains
steerable, even during hard braking.
ABS control is made apparent
through a pulse in the brake pedal
and the noise of the regulation
process.
For optimum braking, keep the brake
pedal fully depressed throughout the
braking process, despite the fact that
the pedal is pulsating. Do not reduce
the pressure on the pedal.
After starting off the system performs a self-test which may be audible.
Control indicator u 3 114.
Adaptive brake light
During full braking, all three brake
lights flash for the duration of ABS
control.

174Driving and operatingHill start assistThe system helps prevent unintendedmovement when driving away on
inclines.
When releasing the foot brake after
stopping on an incline, the brakes
remain on for a further two seconds.
The brakes release automatically as
soon as the vehicle begins to
accelerate.
The hill start assist is not active during
an Autostop.Ride control systems
Traction Control system
The Traction Control system (TC) is a component of the Electronic Stability
Control (ESC) 3 175.
TC improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip, by
preventing the drive wheels from spinning.
As soon as the drive wheels starts to
spin, engine output is reduced and
the wheel spinning the most is braked
individually. This considerably
improves the driving stability of the
vehicle on slippery road surfaces.
TC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When TC operates b flashes.9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 115.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning of drive wheels is required:

182Driving and operating
Change speed limit
With speed limiter active, turn thumb
wheel to RES/+ to increase or SET/-
to decrease the desired maximum
speed.
Exceeding the speed limit
In the event of an emergency, it is possible to exceed the speed limit by
depressing the accelerator pedal
firmly beyond the point of resistance.
The limited speed will flash in the DIC and (depending on vehicle)
additionally a chime sounds during
this period.
Release the accelerator pedal and the speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than
the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation Press y: speed limiter is deactivated
and the vehicle can be driven without
speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the DIC.
Resume limit speed Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off Press L, the speed limit indication in
the DIC extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise
control or adaptive cruise control or
by switching off the ignition, speed
limiter is also deactivated and the
stored speed is deleted.Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control is an
enhancement to traditional cruise control with the additional feature of
maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Adaptive cruise control automatically
decelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle.
It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases to follow the vehicle in front, but willnot exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store and maintain speeds over approx.
31 mph and brakes automatically to
follow a slower vehicle driving ahead to a minimum speed of 18 mph.

184Driving and operating
The accelerator pedal can be
released. Adaptive cruise control
remains activated while gearshifting.
Overriding set speed It is always possible to drive faster
than the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
desired distance if a slower vehicle is
ahead. Otherwise it returns to the
stored speed.
Once the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC).
Increase speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+:
speed increases continuously in large increments, or activate repeatedly
RES/+ : speed increases in small
increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much faster than
the desired speed, e.g. after
depressing the accelerator pedal,
then the current speed can be stored
and maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With adaptive cruise control active, hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:
speed decreases continuously in
large increments, or activate
repeatedly SET/-: speed decreases in
small increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much slower
than the desired speed, e.g. because
of a slower vehicle ahead, then thecurrent speed can be stored and
maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Resume stored speed
If the system is switched on but
inactive, then turn thumb wheel to
RES/+ at a speed above 31 mph to
resume the stored speed.
Setting the following distance When adaptive cruise control detects
a slower moving vehicle in the driving path, it will adjust the vehicle speed to
maintain the following distance
selected by the driver.
The following distance can be set to
near, medium or far.

186Driving and operating
The green illuminated vehicle ahead
control indicator A is displayed in the
speedometer when the system
detects a vehicle in the driving path.
If this symbol does not display, or
displays briefly, adaptive cruise
control will not respond to vehicles
ahead.
Deactivation Adaptive cruise control is deactivated
by the driver when:
■ y is pressed.
■ The brake pedal is depressed.
■ The clutch pedal is depressed for more than four seconds.
■ The gear selector lever of automatic transmission is moved to
N .
The system is also automatically
deactivated when:
■ Vehicle speed slows down below 28 mph or accelerates above
120 mph.
■ The Traction Control system (TC) is
operating for more than
20 seconds.■ The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is operating.
■ There is no traffic and nothing detected on the road sides for
several minutes. In this case, there
are no radar echoes and the sensor may report that it is blocked.
■ The collision imminent braking system is applying the brakes.
■ The radar sensor is blocked by an ice or water film.
■ A fault is detected in the radar, engine or brake system.
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated automatically, the control indicator m illuminates white and a
warning symbol is displayed as a pop-
up in the DIC.
The stored speed is maintained.
9 Warning
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated, the driver must take
over full brake and engine control.
Switching off
Press C to switch off adaptive cruise
control. The control indicator m
extinguishes. The stored speed is
deleted.
Switching off the ignition also
switches off adaptive cruise control
and deletes the stored speed.