fuel additives SATURN ASTRA 2008 Owners Manual

Driving and
Operating
Starting and Operating
Your Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In.........8-2
Ignition Positions................8-2
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP).....................8-3
Starting the Engine.............8-3
Engine Heater....................8-4
Automatic Transmission
Operation..........................8-5
Manual Transmission
Operation..........................8-9
Parking Brake...................8-10
Shifting Into Park..............8-11
Shifting Out of Park..........8-13
Parking the Vehicle...........8-13
Parking Over Things
That Burn........................8-13
Engine Exhaust.................8-14
Running the Vehicle
While Parked..................8-14
Driving Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving..............8-16
Drunk Driving....................8-16
Control of a Vehicle..........8-17
Braking.............................8-17
Antilock Brake
System (ABS).................8-18
StabiliTrak®System..........8-19
Steering............................8-20
Off-Road Recovery............8-22
Passing.............................8-23
Loss of Control.................8-23
Driving at Night.................8-24
Driving in Rain and on
Wet Roads......................8-25
Before Leaving on a
Long Trip........................8-26
Highway Hypnosis.............8-26
Hill and Mountain
Roads.............................8-26
Winter Driving...................8-27
If Your Vehicle is Stuck
in Sand, Mud, Ice,
or Snow
..........................8-29
Rocking Your Vehicle to
Get It Out.......................8-30
Loading the Vehicle..........8-30
Fuel
Fuel..................................8-35
Gasoline Octane...............8-35
Gasoline Specications.....8-35
California Fuel..................8-35
Additives...........................8-36
Fuels in Foreign
Countries........................8-36
Filling the Tank.................8-37
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container........................8-38
Driving and Operating 8-1
ProCarManuals.com

Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel
is an important part of the proper
maintenance of your vehicle. To help
keep the engine clean and maintain
optimum vehicle performance, we
recommend the use of gasoline
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline.
Gasoline Octane
Use regular unleaded gasoline with
a posted octane rating of 87 or
higher. If the octane rating is less
than 87, you might notice an audible
knocking noise when you drive,
commonly referred to as spark
knock. If this occurs, use a gasoline
rated at 87 octane or higher assoon as possible. If you are using
gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher
and you hear heavy knocking, the
engine needs service.
Gasoline Specications
At a minimum, gasoline should
meet ASTM specication
D 4814 in the United States or
CAN/CGSB-3.5 or 3.511 in Canada.
Some gasolines contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). We recommend
against the use of gasolines
containing MMT. SeeAdditives on
page 8-36for additional information.
California Fuel
If your vehicle is certied to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions
standards, your vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal
specications, but emission control
system performance might be
affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp could turn on and your vehicle
might fail a smog-check test. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 4-20. If this occurs, return to
your authorized dealer/retailer for
diagnosis. If it is determined that the
condition is caused by the type of
fuel used, repairs might not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Driving and Operating 8-35
ProCarManuals.com

Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines
in the United States are now required
to contain additives that help prevent
engine and fuel system deposits
from forming, allowing the emission
control system to work properly.
In most cases, you should not have
to add anything to the fuel. However,
some gasolines contain only the
minimum amount of additive required
to meet U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency regulations.
To help keep fuel injectors and intake
valves clean, or if your vehicle
experiences problems due to dirty
injectors or valves, look for gasoline
that is advertised as TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline. Also, your
dealer/retailer has additives that
will help correct and prevent most
deposit-related problems.
Gasolines containing oxygenates,
such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines might
be available in your area.We recommend that you use these
gasolines, if they comply with the
specications described earlier.
However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than
10% ethanol must not be used in
vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels.
Notice:Your vehicle was not
designed for fuel that contains
methanol. Do not use fuel
containing methanol. It can
corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
would not be covered under your
warranty.
Some gasolines that are
not reformulated for low
emissions can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT); ask the attendant
where you buy gasoline whether the
fuel contains MMT. We recommend
against the use of such gasolines.Fuels containing MMT can reduce
the life of spark plugs and the
performance of the emission control
system could be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp might turn
on. If this occurs, return to your
dealer/retailer for service.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If you plan on driving in another
country outside the United States or
Canada, the proper fuel might be
hard to nd. Never use leaded
gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text
on fuel. Costly repairs caused
by use of improper fuel would not
be covered by your warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask
an auto club, or contact a major oil
company that does business in
the country where you will be
driving.
8-36 Driving and Operating
ProCarManuals.com

A
Accessories and
Modications...................... 9-3
Accessory Power Outlets......4-10
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle....1-35
Additives, Fuel.....................8-36
Add-On Electrical
Equipment.......................9-33
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.......9-11
Air Conditioning..................... 7-1
Airbag
Passenger Status
Indicator.......................4-15
Readiness Light................4-14
System, Replacing Parts
After a Crash................1-36
Airbag System.....................1-23
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-35
Check.............................1-36
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?.....................1-28
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-34Airbag System (cont.)
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?........................1-28
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?........1-29
When Should an Airbag
Inate?........................1-27
Where Are the
Airbags?..............1-25, 1-30
Antenna, Fixed Mast............6-25
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)..................8-18
Anti-lock Brake, System
Warning Light...................4-18
Appearance Care
Chemical Paint Spotting.....9-79
Exterior Cleaning..............9-75
Finish Damage.................9-79
Interior Cleaning...............9-72
Sheet Metal Damage........9-78
Underbody Maintenance....9-79
Vehicle Care/Appearance
Materials
......................9-80
Appointments, Scheduling
Service...........................11-8Audio System........................ 6-1
Audio Steering Wheel
Controls.......................6-24
Fixed Mast Antenna..........6-25
Radio Reception...............6-25
Theft-Deterrent Feature......6-24
Audio System(s).................... 6-2
Automatic Transmission
Fluid...............................9-12
Operation.......................... 8-5
B
Battery...............................9-25
Run-Down Protection.......... 5-4
Brakes...............................9-22
System Warning Light.......4-17
Braking...............................8-17
Break-In, New Vehicle............ 8-2
Bulb Replacement................9-28
Front Turn Signal Lamps . . . 9-28
Halogen Bulbs..................9-28
Headlamp Aiming..............9-26
License Plate Lamps.........9-32
Replacement Bulbs...........9-33
Taillamps.................9-29, 9-30
Buying New Tires.................9-54
INDEX i-1
ProCarManuals.com

F
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner............9-11
Finish Damage....................9-79
Fixed Mast Antenna.............6-25
Flashers, Hazard Warning....... 4-4
Flash-to-Pass........................ 4-8
Flat Tire..............................9-60
Flat Tire, Changing...............9-60
Flat Tire, Storing..................9-66
Fluid..................................9-12
Automatic Transmission.....9-12
Power Steering.................9-20
Windshield Washer...........9-20
Fog Lamp
Fog .................................. 5-2
Fog Lamp Light...................4-23
Fuel...................................8-35
Additives.........................8-36
California Fuel..................8-35
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container.....................8-38
Filling the Tank.................8-37
Fuels in Foreign
Countries.....................8-36Fuel (cont.)
Gage ..............................4-25
Gasoline Octane...............8-35
Gasoline Specications......8-35
Low Warning Light............4-25
Fuses.................................9-34
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block...................9-34
Rear Compartment
Fuse Block...................9-36
Windshield Wiper..............9-34
G
Gage
Fuel................................4-25
Speedometer...................4-13
Tachometer......................4-13
Gasoline
Octane............................8-35
Specications...................8-35
Glove Box............................ 3-1
GM Mobility
Reimbursement
Program..........................11-5
H
Hazard Warning Flashers........ 4-4
Head Restraints..................... 1-5
Headlamp
Aiming ............................9-26
Headlamp Wiring.................9-33
Headlamps
Bulb Replacement.............9-28
Daytime Running Lamps..... 5-2
Delayed............................ 5-2
Exterior Lamps................... 5-1
Flash-to-Pass..................... 4-8
Front Turn Signal Lamps . . . 9-28
Halogen Bulbs..................9-28
High/Low Beam Changer..... 4-8
Heater................................. 7-1
Engine.............................. 8-4
Height Adjuster, Seat.............. 1-2
Highbeam On Light..............4-24
High-Speed Operation,
Tires...............................9-47
Highway Hypnosis................8-26
Hill and Mountain Roads.......8-26
i-4 INDEX
ProCarManuals.com