tow VAUXHALL MERIVA 2015 Owner's Guide

Driving and operating163
The permissible gross train weight
must not be exceeded. This weight is
specified on the identification plate
3 220.
Vertical coupling load The vertical coupling load is the load
exerted by the trailer on the coupling
ball. It can be varied by changing the
weight distribution when loading the
trailer.
The maximum permissible vertical
coupling load (75 kg) is specified on
the towing equipment identification
plate and in the vehicle documents
Always aim for the maximum load,
especially in the case of heavy
trailers. The vertical coupling load
should never fall below 25 kg.Rear axle load
When the trailer is coupled and the
towing vehicle fully loaded, the
permissible rear axle load (see
identification plate or vehicle
documents) may be exceeded by
80 kg (vehicles with LPG system:
110 kg), the gross vehicle weight
rating may be exceeded by 70 kg
(vehicles with LPG system: 95 kg). If the permissible rear axle load is
exceeded, a maximum speed of
60 mph applies.
Towing equipmentCaution
When operating without a trailer,
remove the coupling ball bar.
Stowage of the detachable
coupling ball bar
The bag with the coupling ball bar is
stowed in the rear stowage
compartment on the floor.
Run the strap through the lashing eye and tighten the strap to secure the
bag.

164Driving and operating
Fitting the detachable coupling
ball bar
Disengage and fold down the socket. Remove the sealing plug from the
opening for the coupling ball bar and
stow it.
Checking the tensioning of the
coupling ball bar
■ Red marking on rotary knob must
point towards green marking on
coupling ball bar.
■ The gap between the rotary knob and the coupling ball bar must beapprox. 5 mm.
Otherwise, the coupling ball bar must be tensioned before being inserted:
Pull out rotary knob and turn
clockwise as far as it will go.
Inserting the coupling ball bar

Driving and operating165
Insert the tensioned coupling ball bar
in the opening and push firmly
upwards until it audibly engages.
The rotary handle snaps back into its
original position resting against the
coupling ball bar without a gap.9 Warning
Do not touch rotary handle during
insertion.
Lock the coupling ball bar by turning the key clockwise. Remove the key
and close the protective flap.
Eye for break-away stopping cable
Attach 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.9 Warning
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 detachable
coupling ball bar

Vehicle care167Vehicle careGeneral Information...................167
Vehicle checks ........................... 168
Bulb replacement .......................175
Electrical system ........................185
Vehicle tools .............................. 190
Wheels and tyres .......................192
Jump starting ............................. 209
Towing ....................................... 211
Appearance care .......................213General Information
Accessories and vehicle
modifications
We recommend the use of genuine parts and accessories and factory
approved parts specific for your
vehicle type. We cannot assess or
guarantee reliability of other products
- even if they have a regulatory or
otherwise granted approval.
Do not make any modifications to the electrical system, e.g. changes of
electronic control units (chip tuning).Caution
When transporting the vehicle on
a train or on a recovery vehicle, the
mud flaps might be damaged.
Vehicle storage
Storage for a long period of time
If the vehicle is to be stored for several months:
■ Wash and wax the vehicle.
■ Have the wax in the engine compartment and underbody
checked.
■ Clean and preserve the rubber seals.
■ Fill up fuel tank completely.
■ Change the engine oil.
■ Drain the washer fluid reservoir.
■ Check the coolant antifreeze and corrosion protection.
■ Adjust tyre pressure to the value specified for full load.
■ Park the vehicle in a dry, well ventilated place. Engage first orreverse gear or set selector lever to P . Prevent the vehicle from rolling.
■ Do not apply the parking brake.

198Vehicle care9Warning
Damage may lead to tyre blowout.
Tyre chains are only permitted on
tyres of size 195/65 R 15,
205/55 R 16 and 225/45 R 17.
Tyre chains are not permitted on tyres of size 225/40 R 18.
The use of tyre chains is not permitted on the temporary spare wheel.
Tyre repair kit
Minor damage to the tyre tread can be
repaired with the tyre repair kit.
Do not remove foreign bodies from
the tyres.
Tyre damage exceeding 4 mm or that
is at the tyre's sidewall near the rim
cannot be repaired with the tyre repair kit.
9 Warning
Do not drive faster than 50 mph.
Do not use for a lengthy period.
Steering and handling may be
affected.
If you have a flat tyre:
Apply the parking brake and engage
first gear, reverse gear or P.
The tyre repair kit is stowed in the load
compartment.
Depending on the equipment, the tyre repair kit is in a compartment in the
right sidewall or in a compartment
under the floor cover.
Vehicles with tyre repair kit in
the sidewall
To open the compartment, disengage the cover and open it.

200Vehicle care
8. Press on/off switch on thecompressor. The tyre is filled withsealant.
9. The compressor pressure gauge briefly indicates up to 6 bar whilst
the sealant bottle is emptying
(approx. 30 seconds). Then the
pressure starts to drop.
10. All of the sealant is pumped into the tyre. Then the tyre is inflated.
11. The prescribed tyre pressure should be obtained within
10 minutes. Tyre pressure
3 232 . When the correct pressure
is obtained, switch off the
compressor by pressing the on/off switch again.
If the prescribed tyre pressure is
not obtained within 10 minutes,
remove the tyre repair kit. Move
the vehicle one tyre rotation.
Reattach the tyre repair kit and
continue the filling procedure for
10 minutes. If the prescribed tyre pressure is still not obtained, the
tyre is too badly damaged. Seek
the assistance of a workshop.
Release excess tyre pressure
using the ] button.
Do not run the compressor longer
than 10 minutes.
12. Push catch on bracket to remove sealant bottle from bracket. Screwthe tyre inflation hose to the free
connection of the sealant bottle.
This prevents sealant from
escaping. Stow tyre repair kit in
load compartment.
13. Remove any excess sealant using a cloth.14. Take the label indicatingmaximum permitted speed from
the sealant bottle and affix in the
driver's field of view.
15. Continue driving immediately so that sealant is evenly distributedin the tyre. After driving approx.
6 miles (but no more than
10 minutes), stop and check tyre
pressure. Screw compressor air
hose directly onto tyre valve and
compressor when doing this.
If tyre pressure is more than 1.3 bar , set it to the correct value.
Repeat the procedure until there
is no more loss of pressure.
If the tyre pressure has fallen
below 1.3 bar, the vehicle must
not be used. Seek the assistance
of a workshop.
16. Stow away tyre repair kit in load compartment.

Vehicle care201
Vehicles with tyre repair kit
under the floor cover
1. Take the tyre repair kit from the compartment.
2. Remove the compressor.
3. Remove the electrical connection cable and air hose from the
stowage compartments on the
underside of the compressor.
4. Screw the compressor air hose to
the connection on the sealant
bottle.
5. Fit the sealant bottle into the retainer on the compressor.
Set the compressor near the tyre
in such a way that the sealant
bottle is upright.
6. Unscrew valve cap from defective
tyre.
7. Screw the filler hose to the tyre valve.
8. The switch on the compressor must be set to J.

202Vehicle care
9. Connect the compressor plug tothe power outlet or cigarette
lighter socket.
To avoid discharging the battery,
we recommend running the
engine.
10. Set the rocker switch on the compressor to I. The tyre is filled
with sealant.
11. The compressor pressure gauge briefly indicates up to 6 bar whilstthe sealant bottle is emptying
(approx. 30 seconds). Then the
pressure starts to drop.
12. All of the sealant is pumped into the tyre. Then the tyre is inflated.
13. The prescribed tyre pressure should be obtained within
10 minutes. Tyre pressure
3 232 . When the correct pressure
is obtained, switch off the
compressor.
If the prescribed tyre pressure is
not obtained within 10 minutes,
remove the tyre repair kit. Move
the vehicle one tyre rotation.
Reattach the tyre repair kit and
continue the filling procedure for
10 minutes. If the prescribed tyre
pressure is still not obtained, the
tyre is too badly damaged. Seek
the assistance of a workshop.
Drain excess tyre pressure with
the button over the pressure indicator.
Do not run the compressor longer
than 10 minutes.
14. Detach the tyre repair kit. Push catch on bracket to remove
sealant bottle from bracket. Screw the tyre inflation hose to the freeconnection of the sealant bottle.
This prevents sealant from
escaping. Stow tyre repair kit in
load compartment.
15. Remove any excess sealant using a cloth.
16. Take the label indicating maximum permitted speed from
the sealant bottle and affix in the
driver's field of view.
17. Continue driving immediately so that sealant is evenly distributedin the tyre. After driving approx.
6 miles (but no more than
10 minutes), stop and check tyre
pressure. Screw compressor air

Vehicle care203
hose directly onto tyre valve and
compressor when doing this.
If tyre pressure is more than
1.3 bar , set it to the correct value.
Repeat the procedure until there
is no more loss of pressure.
If the tyre pressure has fallen
below 1.3 bar, the vehicle must
not be used. Seek the assistance
of a workshop.
18. Stow away tyre repair kit in load compartment.
General information
Notice
The driving characteristics of the
repaired tyre are severely affected,
therefore have this tyre replaced.
If unusual noise is heard or the
compressor becomes hot, turn
compressor off for at least
30 minutes.
The built-in safety valve opens at a
pressure of 7 bar (102 psi).
Note the expiry date of the kit. After
this date its sealing capability is no
longer guaranteed. Pay attention to
storage information on sealant
bottle.
Replace the used sealant bottle. Dispose of the bottle as prescribed
by applicable laws.
The compressor and sealant can be used from approx. -30 °C.
The adapters supplied can be used
to pump up other items e.g.
footballs, air mattresses, inflatable
dinghies etc. They are located on theunderside of the compressor. To
remove, screw on compressor air hose and withdraw adapter.
Wheel changing
Some vehicles are equipped with a
tyre repair kit instead of a spare wheel 3 198.
Make the following preparations and
observe the following information:
■ Park the vehicle on a level, firm and
non-skid surface. The front wheels
must be in the straight-ahead
position.
■ Apply the parking brake and engage first gear, reverse gear or
P .
■ Remove the spare wheel 3 207.
■ Never change more than one wheel
at once.
■ Use the jack only to change wheels
in case of puncture, not for
seasonal winter or summer tyre
change.
■ The jack is maintenance-free.

206Vehicle care
Set the jack to the necessary
height. Position it directly below
the jacking point in a manner that
prevents it from slipping.
Attach wheel wrench and with the
jack correctly aligned rotate wheel wrench until wheel is clear of the
ground.
5. Unscrew the wheel bolts. 6. Change the wheel.
7. Screw on the wheel bolts.
8. Lower vehicle.
9. Install the wheel wrench ensuring that it locates securely and tighten
each bolt in a crosswise
sequence. Tightening torque is
110 Nm.
10. Align the valve hole in the wheel cover with the tyre valve before
installing.
Install wheel bolt caps.
11. Stow the replaced wheel 3 207,
the vehicle tools 3 190 and the
key adapter 3 61.
12. Check the tyre pressure of the installed tyre and also the wheel
bolt torque as soon as possible.
Have the defective tyre renewed or
repaired.Jacking position for lifting
platform
Rear arm position of the lifting
platform at the underbody.