tow bar OPEL ASTRA J 2015 Manual user

90Storage
Note■ If mounted in position 2 or 3, the
space between the rear floor
cover and the height adjustable
cover can be used as a stowage
compartment.
■ The height adjustable cover can be lifted and hooked in with the
strap when it is mounted in
position 1 or 2.
■ If mounted in position 2, an almost
completely flat load bay is created
if the rear seat backrests are
folded forwards.
■ Opening the side covers (e.g. when exchanging the rear light
bulbs) is only possible with the
height adjustable cover mounted
in position 1 or 2.Caution
The height adjustable cover is
able to withstand a load of no more
than 100 kg.
Rear floor cover, Sports tourer
Lift the rear floor cover by pulling the
handle. Fold and place the cover
behind the rear seats.
The storage compartment below the rear floor cover can be divided by a
bar.
Insert the bar into the recesses at the
sidewalls.
Caution
Insert the bar into the rearmost
recess when transporting heavy objects in the load compartment.Otherwise the rear floor cover
might be damaged.

Driving and operating217Trailer 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 (Sports tourer: 1200 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 3 309.Trailer towing
Trailer loads
The permissible trailer loads are
vehicle and engine-dependent
maximum values which must not be exceeded. The actual trailer load is
the difference between the actual
gross weight of the trailer and the
actual coupling socket load with the
trailer coupled.
The permissible trailer loads are
specified in the vehicle documents. In general, they are valid for gradients
up to max. 12 %.
The permitted trailer load applies up to the specified incline and up to an
altitude of 1000 metres above sea
level. Since engine power decreases
as altitude increases due to the air
becoming thinner, therefore reducing
climbing ability, the permissible gross
train weight also decreases by 10 %
for every 1000 metres of additional
altitude. The gross train weight does
not have to be reduced when driving
on roads with slight inclines (less than
8 %, e.g. motorways).

218Driving and operating
The permissible gross train weight
must not be exceeded. This weight is
specified on the identification plate
3 287.
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
60 kg , the gross vehicle weight rating
may be exceeded by 60 kg. If the
permissible rear axle load is
exceeded, a maximum speed of
100 km/h applies.
Towing equipmentCaution
When operating without a trailer,
remove the coupling ball bar.
Stowage of coupling ball bar
The bag with the coupling ball bar is
stowed in the rear stowage
compartment on the floor.
Place the strap through the lashing
eye, wrap around twice and tighten
the strap to secure the bag.

Driving and operating219
Fitting the coupling ball bar
All versions except 3-door hatchback:
Press fastenings inward and fold the
cover downward at the front. Remove
cover.
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. 6 mm.
■ The key must be in position c.
Otherwise, the coupling ball bar must be tensioned before being inserted:
■ Unlock coupling ball bar by turning key to position c.

220Driving and operating
■ Pull out rotary knob and turnclockwise as far as it will go.
Inserting the coupling ball bar
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 to position e. 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.

Driving and operating221
■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 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 3 175.

Vehicle care267
10. Set the rocker switch on thecompressor 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
3 309 . 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 free
connection 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.
10 km (but no more than
10 minutes), stop and check tyre
pressure. Screw compressor air
hose directly onto tyre valve and
compressor when doing this.

268Vehicle care
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.
Note
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.
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 the
underside 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 3 265.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 3 272.
■ 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.
■ If the ground on which the vehicle is standing is soft, a solid board
(max. 1 cm thick) should be placed
under the jack.
■ Take heavy objects out of the vehicle before jacking up.
■ No people or animals may be in the
vehicle when it is jacked-up.

Vehicle care279Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
When the engine is not running,
considerably more force is needed to
brake and steer.
To prevent the entry of exhaust gases from the towing vehicle, switch on the
air recirculation and close the
windows.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: The vehicle must be towed facing
forwards, not faster than 80 km/h nor further than 100 km. In all other cases
and when the transmission is
defective, the front axle must be
raised off the ground.
Seek the assistance of a workshop.
After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap at the top and engage
downwards.
Towing another vehicle
Insert a screwdriver in the slot at the
lower bend of the cap. Release the
cap by carefully moving the
screwdriver downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 256.
Screw in the towing eye as far as it will
go until it stops in a horizontal
position.
The lashing eye at the rear
underneath the vehicle must never be used as a towing eye.
Attach a tow rope – or even better a
tow bar – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for
towing and not for recovering a
vehicle.

282Vehicle care
Paintwork damageRectify minor paintwork damage with
a touch-up pen before rust forms.
Have more extensive damage or rust
areas repaired by a workshop.
UnderbodySome areas of the vehicle underbody
have a PVC undercoating while other
critical areas have a durable
protective wax coating.
After the underbody is washed, check
the underbody and have it waxed if
necessary.
Bitumen/rubber materials could
damage the PVC coating. Have
underbody work carried out by a
workshop.
Before and after winter, wash the
underbody and have the protective
wax coating checked.Liquid gas system9 Danger
Liquid gas is heavier than air and
can collect in sink points.
Take care when performing work
at the underbody in a pit.
For painting work and when using a
drying booth at a temperature above
60 °C, the liquid gas tank must be
removed.
Do not make any modifications to the
liquid gas system.
Towing equipment Do not clean the coupling ball bar with
a steam-jet or high-pressure jet
cleaner.
Rear carrier system Clean the rear carrier system with a
steam-jet or high-pressure jet cleaner
at least once a year.
Operate the rear carrier system
periodically if not in regular use, in
particular during winter.
Air shutter
Clean the shutter system in the front
bumper to maintain correct
functionality.
Interior care Interior and upholsteryOnly clean the vehicle interior,
including the instrument panel fascia
and panelling, with a dry cloth or
interior cleaner.
Clean the leather upholstery with
clear water and a soft cloth. In case of
heavy soiling, use leather care.
The instrument cluster and the
displays should only be cleaned using
a soft damp cloth. If necessary use a weak soap solution.
Clean fabric upholstery with a
vacuum cleaner and brush. Remove
stains with an upholstery cleaner.
Clothing fabrics may not be
colourfast. This could cause visible
discolourations, especially on light-