OPEL GT 2012 Owners Manual

15 1Self-help, vehicle care
Inspection system
In ord er to guarante e economical and sa fe
ve hic le ope ration a nd to maintain the
value of your ve hicle , it is of vital
importance tha t all maintenance work is
carried out at the p rope r intervals as
s p eci f i e d by Op e l ( se e ch a p t er " Ser v ic e,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 ). Tim e or
mile age/ kilome tre intervals - w hiche ver is
r ea c he d f i rs t - d e t er m i n e w he n y o ur v e hi c l e
is due for its nex t Se rv ice.
H a v e t h e Se rv i ce w or k t h a t i s du e ca r r i e d
out within one w eek or 500 km (300 miles).
Hav e this work carried out by a re paire r in
accordance with Ope l’s re comme nd ations ,
using O pe l genuine parts a nd acce ss orie s .The e ngine oil life m onitor lets y ou k now
when to change the e ng ine oil. Base d on
driving conditions , the time or kilom etre /
mileage interva l at which an e ng ine oil
cha ng e will b e indicate d can v ary
cons ide ra bly.
For the system to work properly, it must be
re set e very time the e ngine oil is changed.
See k the as sis tance of a workshop.
When the system has calc ulated that
engine oil life has bee n diminishe d,
"CHAN G E OI L SO ON" ap pears in the drive r
information ce ntre - s ee page 6 9 . Engine
power m ay be de creas e d. C hange e ng ine
oil immed iately.F urthe r information on Se rvice and the
Service Plan can be found in the chapter
"S er vi ce , M a i nt e n a nc e" on p a g e 16 5 .
Hav e mainte na nce work, as well as repairs
to the bodywork a nd equipme nt, carrie d
out b y a p rofessiona l. We recommend y our
O pel Servic e Partner, who is fam ilia r with
O p el veh i cl e s a n d i n p o ss es s io n o f t h e
nec es sary sp ecial tools and the lates t
s ervice ins tructions from Ope l. It is
particularly a dvis able to us e an Ope l
S ervice Partner during the warranty period,
to av oid inv alidation of warranty claims .
See the chapter "Service, Maintenance" on
pag e 165 for further inform ation.
Se pa rate anti-c orrosion se rv ice
Hav e the work pe rform ed a t the interva ls
s p ec if i e d i n t h e c ha p t er "S er vi ce ,
Mainte nance " on pag e 1 6 5.
C HA NGE OIL SOON

152 Self-help, vehicle care
Op el genuine p arts an d
ac ce ss or ie s
We recommend that you use " Opel
ge nuine parts and acce ss ories " and
convers ion parts rele ase d e xpres s ly for
your vehicle ty pe. These parts have
undergone spe cial te sts to e stablish the ir
reliab ility , safe ty and spe cific suitability for
Opel v ehicles. Desp ite continuous market
monitoring, we ca nnot a ss es s or guarante e
these attribute s for other p roducts, e ve n if
they have bee n granted approval by the
rele vant authoritie s or in some other form.
"O pel genuine pa rts and a cces s orie s" and
approve d conve rsion parts can be
obtained from your Op el S ervice Partne r,
who can provide comp rehensive advice
about pe rmitted te chnic al changes and
e ns ure that the part is installe d correctly.
A note on safety
To avoid injury from moving p arts a nd
cables conducting ignition volta ge, only
carry out engine comp artm ent che cks (e .g.
checking b ra ke/clutc h fluid or engine oil
leve l) when the ignition is s witche d off.N eve r carry out any repairs or adjustment
and m aintenance work on the vehicle
y ours elf. This es pe cially applie s to the
eng ine, chassis a nd safety p arts. You may,
out of ignorance, infringe the provisions of
the law and, by not pe rforming the work
properly, you may endanger yourself a nd
other road use rs.
C he cki ng a nd topp ing u p fl ui ds
T h e en g i n e o i l d i p st i ck ha ndl e a n d t h e
inform ation on the caps for topping up
coolant and brak e/ clutc h fluid a re ye llow,
for e ase of identification.
9 Warning
The cooling fan is controlle d by a
t h er m o s w i t ch a n d ca n th e r ef o r e s t a r t
unexp ectedly, even if the ignition is
switched off. Risk of injury.
E l ect r o n ic i g n i t io n s ys t em s u s e a ve r y
high voltage. Do not touch the ignition
system; danger to life.

15 3Self-help, vehicle care
Engine oil
Information on engine oils is available in
the c hap ter "S ervice , Ma inte nanc e" on
page 1 65 .
E ng ine oi l le ve l and consum ption
Ev er y en g i n e co ns u m es e n g i ne o i l f o r
t ec hn i ca l r e a s on s . T h e en g i n e oi l
consump tion cannot be assessed until a
fairly long dis tance has be en driv en, a nd
m a y be a bo ve t h e sp e ci f i ed va l u e w h en t h e
ve hic le is first b eing drive n (run-in pe riod ).
Frequent d riv ing at high revs increases
engine oil consumption.
Be fore em barking on a long journe y, it is
adv isable to chec k the e ngine oil le vel.Engine oil l ev el chec k, top ping up engi ne
oil
The e ngine oil lev el mus t be check ed w ith
the ve hicle on a le ve l surface and with the
engine (which m us t be at ope rating
tempe rature ) s witched off. W ait at leas t
5 minute s before c he cking the leve l to
allow the normal e ngine oil acc um ulation
in the e ngine to flow into the oil pan.
To che ck the engine oil leve l, ins ert wipe d
oil gauge (dips tick) into dipstick tube as far
as it will go. Top e ngine oil up if the lev el
ha s d ropp ed into the ra ng e of the top -up
mark MI N.T h e en g i n e o i l l e ve l m u st no t e xce ed t he
uppe r mark MAX on the dipstick. Exce ss
e ng ine oil must be drained off or extracte d.
If the engine oil leve l is above the MAX
ma rk there is a risk of damage to the
e ng ine or the catalytic conve rte r.
C apacity b etwe en MI N and MAX marks –
s ee page 1 82 .
9 Wa r ning
Do not a llow the e ngine oil lev el to drop
below the minimum le vel!

154 Self-help, vehicle care
Top up with the sam e b rand of engine
oil that was used d uring the previous
e ngine oil change, following the
instructions in the chapter " Se rv ice,
Maintenance " on page 1 65 .
To close, p osition the cap and screw it
into place .
Ca pacities – se e p age 18 2 .Engine oil c hange , e ngine oil filte r c hange
Pe rform change in accordance w ith the
cha pter " Servic e, M ainte nance" on
page 16 5 .
Engine oil c hange s are to b e ca rrie d out
depe nding on time or kilometre /mile age
inte rvals , or whe n the e ngine oil life monitor
indica tes that engine oil life has be en
diminished , s ince e ng ine oil lose s its
lubrication prope rtie s not only through
engine ope ration but also through age ing .
We rec om mend us ing an original O pel
engine oil filte r.
Reme mbe r to reset the e ngine oil life
monitor whenever the engine oil is
cha ng ed. See k the as sis tance of a
work shop.
C oolant
D u r i n g o p e r a t i o n t h e sy st e m i s p r es su r i z e d .
T h e t em p er a t u r e m a y t h e re f o re r is e t o ov er
100 °C.
The glycol-bas ed coolant p rov id es
excellent corrosion protection for the
hea ting and cooling sy ste ms as well a s
antifree ze prote ction down to –28 °C. It
re mains in the cooling sy ste m throug hout
the yea r and nee d not be changed.
Us e of certain antifre ez es can le ad to
eng ine damage. We therefore recommend
the use of antifre eze s tha t ha ve bee n
app rov ed.
9 Warning
E mpty engine oil cans m us t not be placed
in the domes tic refus e. We rec om mend
that you entrus t engine oil and e ngine oil
filter change s to a works hop who is
familiar with the legal requirem ents
concerning the disposal of used engine
oil and filters , a nd can thus he lp protect
t h e en vi r o n m en t a n d yo ur he a l t h .9 Wa r nin g
Antifree ze is a dange r to health; it m ust
the refore be ke pt in the original container
and out of the reach of children.

15 5Self-help, vehicle care
Antifreeze and corrosion protecti on
Be fore the start of the cold we ather se ason,
have the coolant che cked for corre ct
concentration.
T h e a m o un t o f a n t i f r ee ze m u st p r ov i de
protection up to ap prox . – 28 °C . If the
antifre ez e conce ntration is too low, this
red uces protection from freezing and
corrosion. Top up antifre eze if nece ss ary.
If coolant loss is toppe d up with wate r,
have concentration checke d and add
a n t i - f re ez e i f n e ces sa ry .Coolant lev el
Hardly a ny loss es occur s ince the cooling
sy ste m is se aled and it is thus rare ly
ne cessary to top up the coolant.
The coolant should be just ab ov e the arrow
marke d CO LD F IL L in the e xpansion tank
with a cold cooling s ys tem. The coolant
leve l can be rea d from the outs ide of the
exp ansion tank.W h en t h e en g i n e is a t op er a t i n g
te mperature the coolant le vel rises. I t falls
aga in when the system cools. If it falls
be low the COLD FILL mark when the
system is cold, top up to the mark.
Top up a ntifreeze. If no antifreeze is
av ailable, top up with cle an tap wate r.
If tap water is unavailab le, distilled water
can b e used.
After topping up with drink ing water or
dis tilled w ater, c he ck the antifre eze le vel
and a dd antifree ze if re quired. Have the
caus e of the coolant loss rectifie d by a
workshop.
Too low a coolant le ve l can caus e e ngine
dam age.
To close , pos ition the cap and s crew it into
place .
9 Warning
Allow e ngine to cool down be fore
rem oving coola nt filler cap . Rem ov e filler
cap care fully s o that p res sure can es cape
s low ly, otherwis e the re is a risk of
scalding.

156 Self-help, vehicle care
Coola n t te mpe rat u re
During operation the system is pressurized.
T h e t em p er a t u r e m a y t h er e f or e r i s e t o o v er
100 °C.
Co n tro l in dicato rW illuminates in the
instrume nt panel whe n coolant
t em p er a t u r e i s t o o h i g h . C h eck co ol a nt
lev el im mediate ly:
zCoolant leve l low:
Top up coolant. Pay a tte ntion to the
instruc tions given under " Antifreeze and
corrosion protection" and "C oolant
level". H ave the cause of coolant loss
re me died by a workshop.
zCoolant level O K:
Have the caus e of incre ase d coolant
temperature remedied. Conta ct a
work shop.
Br ake and c lutch f lu id
Brake and clutch fluid le ve l
The fluid lev el in the containe r must be
neither higher than the MAX mark nor
low er than the MIN mark.Use of c ertain brake/clutch fluids can lead
to dam age or reduce d braking e ffect.
We therefore recommend that you use
only high pe rform anc e brak e/ clutch fluid
app rov ed.
W hen topping up, ens ure max imum
cle anline ss , as contamination of the b ra ke/
clutch fluid can lead to function problems
in the braking s ys te m.
After corre cting the brak e/clutch fluid lev el,
have the cause of brake/clutch fluid loss
re medie d by a works hop.
9 Warning
Brake /clutch fluid is poisonous and
corrosive . Do not allow it to c ontact e yes,
s kin, fabrics or painted surface s. Dire ct
contact ma y caus e injuries and da mage .

15 7Self-help, vehicle care
Brak e/clut ch fluid c ha nge
Brake /clutch fluid is hygroscopic, i.e . it
absorbs water. If the brak es be come hot,
s uc h as whe n driving on long downhill
stretches, va pour bubbles can occur in the
water, which can have an extrem ely
adv ers e e ffe ct on braking power
( dep en di n g o n t h e p ro p o r t i o n o f w a t e r) .
The fluid change intervals s pecifie d in the
chapter "Service, Maintenance" on
page 1 65 m us t there fore be obs erve d.
Power steering fluid
The power steering fluid does not require
any additional ma inte na nce than that
detaile d in the c hap te r "S ervice ,
Mainte nance" on page 16 5 .
If the fluid in the re s ervoir falls below the
HOT mark on the dipstick, consult a
work shop.
Windscreen wipers
C lear v is ion is es se ntial for safe driving.
Pe rform re gular check s on the windsc re en
wipe rs to ens ure they are ope rating
correc tly . W e recomme nd wipe r blade
re placem ent at le ast once a year.
If t h e w i n dsc re en i s di r t y, o p er a t e t h e
windscreen washer system b efore
s witching on the winds cree n wipers . This
will av oid wipe r blade wea r.
Do not switch on the windscree n wipers if
the wind scre en is ice d up, as this could
dam age the wipe r blade s or the wipe r
system.
If the wipers b ecome froze n on to the glass,
w e r e c om m e n d th a t th e y b e r e l e a s e d w i t h
t h e a i d o f O p el D e - i cer S p r a y.
S mearing wiper blades c an be cle ane d with
a soft cloth a nd Opel C leaning Solvent and
Antifreez e.
W iper blades whos e lips have be come
harde ne d, crack ed or covere d with s ilicone
mus t be replac ed. This may be nece ss ary
as a re sult of the e ffe cts of ic e, thawing s alt
or hea t, or the incorrect use of cleaning
age nts.
S witc h off the windsc re en w ip ers in
car washe s – s ee page s 15 , 1 6 1.
W indscre en w ip er care – se e p age 163.
9 Wa r ning
We r ec o m m en d t h a t y o u ha v e b r a k e/
clutch fluid change d by a works hop who
is familiar with the req uire ments of the
la w as rega rd s d ispos al of brake /clutch
fluid a nd can thus he lp to protect the
en vi r o n m en t a n d y o ur he a l t h .

158 Self-help, vehicle care
To re place wipe r bla de, lift wipe r a rm aw ay
from windscree n. Move rele ase le ver a nd
de tach wipe r blade.Windscreen washer system
The fluid reservoir fille r ne ck for the
w i nd sc r e en w a s he r sy st e m i s l o c a t e d in t h e
engine c om partment.
Capacitie s – s ee page 1 82 .
Fill only with clean wa te r to preve nt the
nozzles from clogging. To improv e cleaning
efficie ncy, w e re com mend that you add a
little Opel Cleaning Solvent and Antifreeze.The wind scre en was her s ys tem will not
f r ee ze i n w i n t er :
W h en cl o s i ng t h e co n t a i n er , p r es s th e l i d
f i r m l y ov er t h e bea ded edg e a l l t h e w a y
round.
Fr e eze
protection
down toM i xt u r e - Op el
C leaning Solvent
And Antifreeze :
Water
- 5 °C 1 : 3
- 10 °C 1 : 2
- 20 °C 1 : 1
- 30 °C 2 : 1

15 9Self-help, vehicle care
Ba ttery
T h e b a t t er y i s m a i nt e n a nc e- f r ee .
Re trofitted ele ctric al or ele ctronic
acce ss ories can pla ce an additional loa d
on the battery or even discharge the
batte ry. C onsult a workshop rega rd ing
tec hnical p ossibilitie s, such a s fitting
a m ore powe rful b attery.Lay ing up the v ehicle for m ore than
4 wee ks can lead to batte ry discharge,
which may reduce the service life of the
battery. Disconnect battery from on-board
power s upply b y de taching negative
terminal.
Ensure that the ignition is switche d off
before conne cting battery. Then pe rform
the follow ing actions:
zSe t date and time in the ra dio disp la y –
see section “Infota inm ent system 3” on
page 7 8 .
In order to pre ve nt the batte ry from
d i sc h a r g i n g , so m e c o n su m e r s su c h a s t h e
courte sy lamps automatically switch off
afte r approx . 2 0 minute s.
Protection o f
elec tro nic components
In o r de r t o p r ev en t f a u l t s in el ec tr o n i c
compone nts in the e lectrical system, neve r
connect or d isconnect b attery w ith the
eng ine running or the ignition sw itched on.
N eve r sta rt engine w ith b attery
disconnected, e.g. when starting using
jump le ads.
To av oid damaging the vehic le, d o not
ma ke a ny modifications to the ele ctrical
s ys tem, e. g. connecting ad ditional
consum ers or tampe ring with ele ctronic
control units (chip tuning).
Disconnecting/connecting the b attery
f r o m /t o th e el e c tr i c a l s y st em
Disconne ct the b attery from the ve hic le
e lectrical s ys tem before charging :
F irst de tach the ne gative and then the
positive lea d. Do not reve rse the p ola rity of
the battery, i.e . do not confuse the
te rm ina ls for the positive and ne gative
le ads. W he n connecting, s tart with the
positive le ad a nd the n connect the
neg ative lead.
9 Wa r ning
Have battery changes carrie d out by a
work shop who knows the la ws
concerning the disposal of used ba tteries
a nd t h er ef o r e p r o t ect s t h e e n vi r o nm en t
and your health.
9 Wa r nin g
Electronic ignition systems use a very
hig h voltage. Do not touch the ignition
sy st e m ; d a ng er t o l i f e.

160 Self-help, vehicle care
Vehicle decomm issioning
O bse rve na tional re gulations.
If the vehicle is decomm issioned for several
months, the follow ing work must be ca rried
out by a workshop in orde r to pre vent
dam age.
zWash and preserve the vehicle –
see pa ge 161.
zCh eck p r es er v a t io n i n e n g i ne
com partment a nd on unde rbody a nd
make good where nec essary .
zCl ea n a nd p r es er v e r u bbe r s ea l s o n
bonne t and doors.
zChange engine oil – se e page 15 4 .
zCheck antifre eze and c orros ion
prote ction – s ee page 1 55 .
zCheck the coolant lev el, top up with
antifree ze if nece ss ary – s ee page 1 55 .
zEm p t y w i n d sc re en w a sh e r sy st e m .
zInc rease tyre pressures to value specified
for full load – se e page 18 0 .Ve h ic le s to r a g e
zPark v ehicle in a dry, well ventilated
place . E ngage firs t or re vers e gear. Use
chocks or the like to prevent the vehicle
from rolling .
zDo not apply hand brake .
zDis conne ct battery by dise ngaging
neg ativ e te rminal from ve hicle e lectrical
s ys tem – s ee page 1 59 .
Vehicle recommissioning
O bse rve national re gulations .
Perform the following work before
recommissioning the vehicle:
zConnect ba tte ry – se e page 15 9 .
zCheck tyre pressure s and correct if
ne ce ss ary – se e page 18 0 .
zFill up w inds cre en was her s ys tem –
se e page 72 .
zCheck engine oil leve l – se e p age 15 3 .
zCheck the coolant le vel; top up with
antifre eze if nece s sary – s ee page 1 55 .
F it the lice nse plate if nece ss ary.