2015 VAUXHALL ADAM Owner's Manual

Climate control119Air vents
Adjustable air vents
At least one air vent must be open
while the cooling is on.
Adjust the air amount at the vent
outlet by turning the adjuster wheel.
The vent is closed when the adjuster wheel is turned close to the left or
right.
Direct the flow of air by tilting and
swivelling the slats.
9 Warning
Do not attach any objects to the
slats of the air vents. Risk of
damage and injury in case of an
accident.
Fixed air vents
Additional air vents are located
beneath the windscreen and door windows and in the foot wells.
Maintenance
Air intake
The air intake in front of the
windscreen in the engine
compartment must be kept clear to
allow air intake. Remove any leaves,
dirt or snow.
Pollen filter
The pollen filter cleans dust, soot,
pollen and spores from the air
entering the vehicle through the air
intake.

120Climate controlAir conditioning regular
operation In order to ensure continuously
efficient performance, cooling must
be operated for a few minutes once a
month, irrespective of the weather
and time of year. Operation with
cooling is not possible when the
outside temperature is too low.
Service
For optimal cooling performance, it is recommended to annually check the
climate control system, starting
three years after initial vehicle
registration, including:
■ functionality and pressure test
■ heating functionality
■ leakage check
■ check of drive belts
■ cleaning of condenser and evaporator drainage
■ performance check

Driving and operating121Driving and operatingDriving hints............................... 121
Starting and operating ...............121
Engine exhaust .......................... 126
Manual transmission ..................127
Brakes ........................................ 127
Ride control systems .................129
Driver assistance systems .........132
Fuel ............................................ 146Driving hints
Control of the vehicleNever coast with engine not
running
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.
Stop-start system 3 123.
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.
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.Starting and operating
New vehicle running-in Do not brake unnecessarily hard for
the first few journeys.
During the first drive, smoke may
occur because of wax and oil
evaporating off the exhaust system. Park the vehicle in the open for a
while after the first drive and avoid
inhaling the fumes.
During the running-in period fuel and engine oil consumption may be
higher.
Autostop may be inhibited to allow for charging the vehicle battery.

122Driving and operatingIgnition switch positions0=ignition off1=steering wheel lock released,
ignition off2=ignition on3=starting
Retained power off
The following electronic systems can
work until the driver's door is opened
or at the latest for 10 minutes after the
ignition is switched off:
■ power windows
■ power outlets
■ power sunroof
Power to the Infotainment system will continue to operate for 30 minutes or
until the key is removed from the
ignition switch, regardless of whether
any door will be opened.
Starting the engine
Operate clutch.
Do not operate the accelerator pedal.
Turn key briefly to position 3 and
release: an automatic procedure operates the starter after a brief
delay, until the engine is running. See
Automatic Starter Control.
Before restarting or to switch off the
engine, turn the key back to position
0 .
During an Autostop, the engine can
be started by depressing the clutch
pedal.
Starting the vehicle at low
temperatures
The start of the engine without
additional heaters is possible down to -30 °C . Required is an engine oil with
the correct viscosity, the correct fuel,
performed services and a sufficiently
charged vehicle battery.
Automatic Starter Control
This function controls the engine
starting procedure. The driver does
not have to hold the key in position 3.
Once applied, the system will go on starting automatically until the engine

Driving and operating123
is running. Because of the checking
procedure, the engine starts running after a short delay.
Possible reasons for a non-starting engine:
■ Clutch pedal is not operated.
■ Timeout occurred.
Turbo engine warm-up Upon start-up, engine available
torque may be limited for a short time,
especially when the engine
temperature is cold. The limitation is
to allow the lubrication system to fully protect the engine.
Overrun cut-off The fuel supply is automatically cut off
during overrun, i.e. when the vehicle
is driven with a gear engaged but
accelerator is released.Stop-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 when
the LED in the button extinguishes.
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.

124Driving and operating
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.
Conditions for an Autostop
The stop-start system checks if each
of the following conditions is fulfilled:
■ The stop-start system is not manually 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 above -5 °C.
■ The climate control system allows an Autostop.
■ The brake vacuum is sufficient.
■ The vehicle was driven at least at walking speed since the last
Autostop.
Otherwise an Autostop will be
inhibited.
Certain settings of the climate control
system may inhibit an Autostop. See
Climate control chapter for more
details 3 114.
Immediately after motorway driving
an Autostop may be inhibited.
New vehicle running-in 3 121.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, e.g. the 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 86.

Driving and operating125
Restart of the engine by the
stop-start system
The selector lever must be in neutral
to 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.
■ The engine temperature is too low.
■ The charging level of the vehicle battery is below a defined level.
■ The brake vacuum is not sufficient.
■ The vehicle is driven at least at walking speed.
■ 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.
Parking9 Warning
■ Do not park the vehicle on an
easily ignitable surface. The
high temperature of the exhaust
system could ignite the surface.
■ Always apply the parking brake.
Activate the parking brake
without pressing the release
button. Apply as firmly as
possible on a downhill slope or
uphill slope. Depress foot brake
at the same time to reduce
operating force.
■ Switch off the engine.
■ If the vehicle is on a level surface or uphill slope, engage
first gear before removing the ignition key. On an uphill slope,
turn the front wheels away from
the kerb.
If the vehicle is on a downhill
slope, engage reverse gear
before removing the ignition
key. Turn the front wheels
towards the kerb.
■ Close the windows.
■ Remove the ignition key. Turn the steering wheel until the
steering wheel lock is felt to
engage.
■ Lock the vehicle.
■ Activate the anti-theft alarm system.
■ The engine cooling fans may run after the engine has been switchedoff 3 153.
■ After running at high engine speeds
or with high engine loads, operate
the engine briefly at a low load or
run in neutral for
approx. 30 seconds before
switching off, in order to protect the turbocharger.

126Driving and operating
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.
Catalytic converter
The catalytic converter reduces the
amount of harmful substances in the
exhaust gases.
Caution
Fuel grades other than those listed on pages 3 146, 3 209 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
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.