2018 OPEL ASTRA J brake

Driving and operating171SettingsSettings can be changed in the Auto
collision preparation menu in the
vehicle personalisation 3 105.
Forward collision alert based on
front camera system
Forward collision alert uses the front
camera system in the windscreen to
detect a vehicle directly ahead, in
your path, within a distance of approx. 60 metres.
Activation
Forward collision alert operates
automatically above 40 km/h, if it is not deactivated by pressing V, see
below.
Selecting the alert sensitivity
The alert sensitivity can be set to
near, medium or far.
Press V; the current setting is shown
in the Driver Information Centre.
Press V again to change the alert
sensitivity.
Alerting the driver
A green illuminated vehicle ahead
control indicator A illuminates in the
instrument cluster when the system has detected a vehicle in the driving
path.
When the distance to a preceding
moving vehicle gets too small or when
approaching another vehicle too
rapidly and a collision is imminent, the
collision alert symbol pops-up in the
Driver Information Centre.
Simultaneously a warning chime
sounds. Depress the brake pedal, if it is required by the situation.

172Driving and operatingDeactivation
The system can be deactivated.
Press V repeatedly until the following
message appears in the Driver
Information Centre.
General information for both
variants of forward collision alert
9 Warning
Forward collision alert is just a
warning system and does not
apply the brakes. When
approaching a vehicle ahead too
rapidly, it may not provide you
enough time to avoid a collision.
The driver accepts full
responsibility for the appropriate
following distance based on traffic, weather and visibility conditions.
The complete attention of the
driver is always required while
driving. The driver must always be
ready to take action and apply the
brakes.
System limitations
The system is designed to warn only for vehicles, but may react also to
other metallic objects.
In the following cases, forward
collision alert may not detect a vehicle ahead or sensor performance is
limited:
● on winding roads
● when weather limits visibility, e.g.
fog, rain, or snow
● when the sensor is blocked by snow, ice, slush, mud, dirt, or
windscreen damage
Following distance
indication
The following distance indication
displays the distance to a preceding
moving vehicle. The system uses,
depending on the vehicle equipment,
either the radar behind the radiator
grille or the front camera in the
windscreen to detect the distance of
a vehicle directly ahead in your path.
It is active at speeds above 40 km/h.
When a preceding vehicle is detected
ahead, the distance is indicated in
seconds, displayed on a page in the
Driver Information Centre 3 93 . Press
MENU on the turn signal lever to
select Vehicle Information Menu
X and turn the adjuster wheel to
choose following distance indication
page.

Driving and operating173
The minimum indicated distance is
0.5 s.
If there is no vehicle ahead or the vehicle ahead is out of range, two
dashes will be displayed: -.- s.
Active Emergency Braking
Active emergency braking can help to reduce the damage from crashes with vehicles and obstacles directly
ahead, when a collision can no longer be avoided either by manual braking
or by steering. Before the active
emergency braking applies, the driver
is warned by the forward collision
alert 3 169.
The feature uses various inputs (e.g.
radar sensor, brake pressure, vehicle speed) to calculate the probability of
a frontal collision.
Active emergency braking operates automatically above walking speed,
provided that Auto collision
preparation setting is not deactivated
in the vehicle personalisation menu
3 105.
The system includes: ● brake preparation system
● emergency automatic braking
● forward looking brake assist9Warning
This system is not intended to
replace the driver responsibility of driving the vehicle and looking
ahead. Its function is limited to
supplemental use only. The driver shall continue to apply the brake
pedal as the driving situation
dictates.
Brake preparation system
When approaching a vehicle ahead
so quickly that a collision is likely, the
brake preparation system slightly
pressurises the brakes. This reduces
the response time, when a manual or automatic braking is requested.
The brake system is prepared so that braking can occur more rapidly.
Emergency automatic braking
After the brake preparation and just
before the imminent collision, this
function automatically applies limited
braking to reduce the impact speed of the collision.
Forward looking brake assist
In addition to brake preparation
system and emergency automatic
braking, the forward looking brake
assist function makes the brake assist more sensitive. In this way,
depressing the brake pedal slightly
results immediately in a strong
braking. This function helps the driver
brake quicker and stronger before the imminent collision.

174Driving and operating9Warning
Active emergency braking is not
designed to apply strong
autonomous braking or to avoid automatically a collision. It is
designed to reduce the vehicle
speed before collision. It may not
react on stopped vehicles,
pedestrians or animals. After a
sudden lane change, the system
needs a certain time to detect the
next preceding vehicle.
The complete attention of the
driver is always required while
driving. The driver shall always be ready to take action and apply the brakes and steer to avoid
collisions. The system is designed
to work with all occupants wearing their seat belts.
System limitations
The active emergency braking has
limited or no function during rain,
snow or heavy dirt, as the radar
sensor can be covered by a water
film, dust, ice or snow. In case of
sensor blockage, clean the sensor
cover.
In some seldom cases the active
emergency braking system may
provide a short automatic braking in
situations that seem to be
unnecessary, for instance due to
traffic signs in a curve or due to
vehicles in another lane. This is
acceptable operation, the vehicle
does not need service. Firmly apply
the accelerator pedal to override the
automatic braking.
Settings
Settings can be changed in the Auto
collision preparation menu in the
vehicle personalisation, 3 105.
Fault
In the event of a system service
requirement, a message is displayed
in the Driver Information Centre.
If the system does not work as it
should do, vehicle messages are
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre.
Vehicle messages 3 99.

Driving and operating187The driver assistance systems donot relieve the driver from full
responsibility for vehicle
operation.
Lane departure warning
The lane departure warning system
observes the lane markings between
which the vehicle is driving via a front camera. The system detects lane
changes and warns the driver in the
event of an unintended lane change
via visual and acoustic signals.
Criteria for the detection of an
unintended lane change are:
● No operation of turn signals.
● No brake pedal operation.
● No active accelerator operation or speeding-up.
● No active steering.
If the driver is active, no warning will
be issued.
Activation
The lane departure warning system is activated by pressing ). The
illuminated LED in the button
indicates that the system is switched
on. When control indicator ) in the
instrument cluster illuminates green, the system is ready to operate.
The system is only operable at
vehicle speeds above 56 km/h and if lane markings are available.
When the system recognises an
unintended lane change, the control
indicator ) changes to yellow and
flashes. Simultaneously a chime
sound is activated.
Deactivation
The system is deactivated by
pressing ), the LED in the button
extinguishes.
At speeds below 56 km/h the system
is inoperable.
Fault The lane departure warning system
may not operate properly when:
● The windscreen is not clean.
● There are adverse environmental
conditions like heavy rain, snow,
direct sunlight or shadows.

194Driving and operatingThe figures are provided only for the
purpose of comparison between different vehicle variants and mustnot be taken as a guarantee for the
actual fuel consumption of a
particular vehicle. Additional
equipment may result in slightly
higher results than the stated
consumption and CO 2 figures.
Furthermore, fuel consumption is dependent on personal driving style
as well as road and traffic conditions.Trailer hitch
General information
Only use towing equipment that has
been approved for your vehicle.
Entrust retrofitting of towing
equipment to a workshop. It may be
necessary to make changes that
affect the cooling system, heat
shields or other equipment.
The bulb outage detection function for trailer brake light cannot detect a
partial bulb outage, e.g. in case of 4 x
5 Watt bulbs, the function only detects
lamp outage when only a single
5 Watt lamp remains or none remain.
Fitting of towing equipment could
cover the opening of the towing eye.
If this is the case use the coupling ball
bar for towing. Always keep the
coupling ball bar in the vehicle.Driving characteristics and
towing tips
Before attaching a trailer, lubricate
the coupling ball. However, do not do
so if a stabiliser, which acts on the coupling ball, is being used to reduce snaking movements.
For trailers with low driving stability
and caravan trailers with a permitted
gross vehicle weight of more than
1300 kg the use of a stabiliser is
strongly recommended when driving
above 80 km/h.
If the trailer starts snaking, drive more
slowly, do not attempt to correct the
steering and brake sharply if
necessary.
When driving downhill, drive in the
same gear as if driving uphill and
drive at a similar speed.
Adjust tyre pressure to the value
specified for full load 3 271.

198Driving and operatingAttach breakaway stopping cable to
eye.
Check that the coupling ball bar is correctly installed
● Green marking on rotary knob must point towards green
marking on coupling ball bar.
● There must be no gap between the rotary handle and the
coupling ball bar.
● The coupling ball bar must be firmly engaged in the opening.
● The coupling ball bar must be locked and the key removed.9Warning
Towing a trailer is permitted only
when a coupling ball bar is fitted correctly. If the coupling ball bardoes not engage correctly, seekthe assistance of a workshop.
Dismounting the coupling ball bar
Open the protective flap and turn the
key to position c to unlock the
coupling ball bar.
Pull out rotary handle and turn
clockwise as far as it will go. Pull out coupling ball bar downwards.
Insert sealing plug in opening. Fold away socket.
All versions except 3-door hatchback:
Attach the rear side of the cover into
the recess of the bumper and fold the
front side upward.
Press fastenings outward.
Trailer stability assist
If the system detects snaking
movements, engine power is reduced
and the vehicle/trailer combination is selectively braked until the snaking
ceases. While system is working keep steering wheel as still as possible.
Trailer stability assist (TSA) is a
function of the Electronic Stability
Control 3 155.

Vehicle care199Vehicle careGeneral Information...................200
Accessories and vehicle modifications .......................... 200
Vehicle storage ........................200
End-of-life vehicle recovery .....201
Vehicle checks ........................... 201
Performing work ......................201
Bonnet ..................................... 201
Engine oil ................................. 202
Engine coolant ......................... 203
Power steering fluid .................204
Washer fluid ............................ 204
Brakes ..................................... 205
Brake fluid ............................... 205
Vehicle battery ......................... 205
Diesel fuel system bleeding .....207
Wiper blade replacement ........207
Bulb replacement .......................208
Halogen headlights ..................208
Adaptive forward lighting .........211
Fog lights ................................. 212
Front turn signal lights .............214
Tail lights ................................. 216
Side turn signal lights ..............219
Number plate light ...................221Interior lights ............................ 221
Instrument panel illumination ...221
Electrical system ........................222
Fuses ....................................... 222
Engine compartment fuse box . 223
Instrument panel fuse box .......225
Load compartment fuse box ....226
Vehicle tools .............................. 227
Tools ........................................ 227
Wheels and tyres .......................229
Winter tyres ............................. 229
Tyre designations ....................229
Tyre pressure .......................... 229
Tyre pressure monitoring system .................................... 231
Tread depth ............................. 234
Changing tyre and wheel size . 234
Wheel covers ........................... 235
Tyre chains .............................. 235
Tyre repair kit .......................... 235
Wheel changing .......................238
Spare wheel ............................ 242
Jump starting ............................. 246
Towing ....................................... 247
Towing the vehicle ...................247
Towing another vehicle ...........248Appearance care .......................249
Exterior care ............................ 249
Interior care ............................. 252