brakes VAUXHALL ASTRA J 2016 Owner's Manual

18In briefStarting off
Check before starting off ● Tyre pressure and condition 3 261, 3 307.
● Engine oil level and fluid levels 3 228.
● All windows, mirrors, exterior lighting and number plates are
free from dirt, snow and ice and
are operational.
● Proper position of mirrors, seats, and seat belts 3 30, 3 39,
3 47.
● Brake function at low speed, particularly if the brakes are wet.Starting the engine
● Turn key to position 1.
● Move the steering wheel slightly to release the steering wheel
lock.
● Operate clutch and brake.
● Automatic transmission in P or N.
● Do not operate accelerator pedal.
● Diesel engines: turn the key to position 2 for preheating and wait
until control indicator !
extinguishes.
● Turn key to position 3 and
release.
Starting the engine 3 165.
Stop-start system
If the vehicle is at a low speed or at a
standstill and certain conditions are
fulfilled, activate an Autostop as
follows:
● Depress the clutch pedal.
● Set the lever in neutral.
● Release the clutch pedal.
An Autostop is indicated by the
needle at the AUTOSTOP position in
the tachometer.
To restart the engine, depress the
clutch pedal again.
Stop-start system 3 166.

Instruments and controls127The system displays messages
regarding the following topics:
● fluid levels
● anti-theft alarm system
● brakes
● drive systems
● ride control systems
● cruise control
● object detection systems
● lighting, bulb replacement
● wiper/washer system
● doors, windows
● radio remote control
● seat belts
● airbag systems
● engine and transmission
● tyre pressure
● diesel particle filter
● vehicle battery statusVehicle messages on the Colour-
Info-Display
Some important messages appear
additionally in the Colour-Info-
Display. Press the multifunction knob to confirm a message. Some
messages only pop-up for a few
seconds.
Warning chimes When starting the engine or whilst
driving
Only one warning chime will sound at a time.
The warning chime regarding
unfastened seat belts has priority
over any other warning chime.
● If seat belt is not fastened.
● If a door or the tailgate is not fully
closed when starting off.
● If a certain speed is exceeded with parking brake applied.
● If a programmed speed is exceeded.● If a warning message or awarning code appears in the
Driver Information Centre (DIC).
● If the parking assist detects an object.
● If an unintended lane change occurs.
● If the reverse gear is engaged and the rear carrier sytem
extended.
● If the diesel particle filter has reached the maximum filling
level.
When the vehicle is parked and/or the driver's door is opened
● With exterior lights on.
During an Autostop ● If the driver's door is opened.
Battery voltage
When the vehicle battery voltage is
running low, a warning message or
warning code 174 will appear in the
Driver Information Centre.

138Instruments and controlsOn-demand diagnostics
At any time e.g. if the vehicle displays a service message, press Z to
contact an OnStar advisor and ask to
complete a real-time diagnostic check to directly determine the issue.
Depending on the results, the advisor
will provide further support.
Monthly vehicle diagnostics
The vehicle automatically transmits
diagnostic data to OnStar which
sends a monthly email report to you
and your preferred workshop.
Notice
The workshop notification function
can be disabled in your account.
The report contains the status of key
operating systems of the vehicle like
engine, transmission, airbags,
antilock brakes, and other major
systems. It also provides information on possible maintenance items and
tyre pressure (only with tyre pressure
monitoring system).
To look at the information in greater
detail, select the link within the email
and log into your account.Destination download
A desired destination can be directly
downloaded to the navigation system.
Press Z to call an OnStar advisor and
describe the destination or point of
interest.
The OnStar advisor can look up any
address or point of interest and
directly download the destination to
the built-in navigation system.
OnStar settings
OnStar PIN
To have full access to all OnStar
services, a four-digit PIN is required. The PIN has to be personalised when first talking to an OnStar advisor.
To change the PIN, press Z to call an
OnStar advisor.
Account data
An OnStar subscriber has an
account, where all the data is stored.
To request a change of the account
information, press Z and talk to an
OnStar advisor or logon to your
account.If the OnStar service is used on
another vehicle, press Z and request
that the account be transferred to the
new vehicle.
Notice
In any case, if the vehicle is disposed of, sold or otherwise transferred,
immediately inform OnStar about
the changes and terminate the
OnStar service on this vehicle.
Vehicle location
The vehicle location is transmitted to OnStar when service is requested ortriggered. A message on the Info-
Display informs about this
transmission.
To activate or deactivate the
transmission of the vehicle location,
press and hold j until an audio
message is heard.
The deactivation is indicated by the
status light flashing red and green for
a short period of time and each time
the vehicle is started.
Notice
If the transmission of the vehicle
location is deactivated, some
services are no longer available.

Driving and operating163Driving and
operatingDriving hints ............................... 164
Control of the vehicle ...............164
Steering ................................... 164
Starting and operating ...............164
New vehicle running-in ............164
Ignition switch positions ...........165
Retained power off ..................165
Starting the engine ..................165
Overrun cut-off ........................ 166
Stop-start system ....................166
Parking .................................... 168
Engine exhaust .......................... 169
Diesel particle filter ..................169
Catalytic converter ...................170
Automatic transmission ..............171
Transmission display ...............171
Selector lever .......................... 172
Manual mode ........................... 173
Electronic driving programmes 173
Fault ........................................ 173
Interruption of power supply ....174
Manual transmission ..................175Brakes........................................ 175
Antilock brake system .............175
Parking brake .......................... 176
Brake assist ............................. 178
Hill start assist ......................... 178
Ride control systems .................178
Traction Control system ..........178
Electronic Stability Control ......179
Interactive driving system ........180
Driver assistance systems .........183
Cruise control .......................... 183
Speed limiter ........................... 185
Adaptive cruise control ............186
Forward collision alert .............193
Following distance indication ...196
Active Emergency Braking ......196
Parking assist .......................... 198
Side blind spot alert .................206
Rear view camera ...................207
Traffic sign assistant ................209
Lane departure warning ..........212
Fuel ............................................ 213
Fuel for petrol engines .............213
Fuel for diesel engines ............213
Fuel for liquid gas operation ....214
Refuelling ................................ 215
Fuel consumption - CO 2-
Emissions .............................. 219Trailer hitch................................ 219
General information .................219
Driving characteristics and towing tips .............................. 220
Trailer towing ........................... 220
Towing equipment ...................221
Trailer stability assist ...............224

Driving and operating175Manual transmission
To engage reverse, with the vehicle
stationary, depress clutch pedal,
press the release button on the
selector lever and engage the gear.
If the gear does not engage, set the
lever to neutral, release the clutch
pedal and depress again; then repeat
gear selection.
Do not slip the clutch unnecessarily.
When operating, depress the clutch
pedal completely. Do not use the
pedal as a foot rest.
Caution
It is not advisable to drive with the hand resting on the selector lever.
Upshift indication 3 114.
Brakes
The brake system comprises two
independent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can
still be braked using the other brake
circuit. However, braking effect is
achieved only when the brake pedal
is depressed firmly. Considerably
more force is needed for this. The
braking distance is extended. Seek
the assistance of a workshop before
continuing your journey.
When the engine is not running, the
support of the brake servo unit
disappears once the brake pedal has
been depressed once or twice.
Braking effect is not reduced, but
braking requires significantly greater
force. It is especially important to bear this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 113.
Antilock brake system
Antilock brake system (ABS)
prevents the wheels from locking.

178Driving and operatingApply electric parking brake: pull and
hold the switch m for more than
5 seconds. If control indicator m
illuminates, electric parking brake is
applied.
Release electric parking brake: push
and hold the switch m for more than
2 seconds. If control indicator m
extinguishes, electric parking brake is
released.
Control indicator m flashes: electric
parking brake is not fully applied or
released. When continuously
flashing, release electric parking
brake and retry applying.
Brake assist If the brake pedal is depressed
quickly and forcefully, maximum
brake force is automatically applied
(full braking).
Maintain steady pressure on the brake pedal for as long as full braking
is required. Maximum brake force is
automatically reduced when the
brake pedal is released.Hill start assist
The system helps prevent unintendedmovement when driving away on
inclines.
When releasing the foot brake after
stopping on an incline, the brakes
remain on for a further two seconds.
The brakes release automatically as
soon as the vehicle begins to
accelerate.
The hill start assist is not active during
an Autostop.Ride control systems
Traction Control system
The Traction Control system (TC) is a component of the Electronic Stability
Control (ESC) 3 179.
TC improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip, by
preventing the drive wheels from spinning.
As soon as the drive wheels starts to
spin, engine output is reduced and
the wheel spinning the most is braked
individually. This considerably
improves the driving stability of the
vehicle on slippery road surfaces.
TC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When TC operates b flashes.

186Driving and operating
Change speed limit
With speed limiter active, turn thumb
wheel to RES/+ to increase or SET/-
to decrease the desired maximum
speed.
Exceeding the speed limit
In the event of an emergency, it is
possible to exceed the speed limit by
depressing the accelerator pedal
firmly beyond the point of resistance.
The limited speed will flash in the DIC and (depending on vehicle)
additionally a chime sounds during
this period.
Release the accelerator pedal and the speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation Press y: speed limiter is deactivated
and the vehicle can be driven without
speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the DIC.
Resume limit speed Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off
Press L, the speed limit indication in
the DIC extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise
control or adaptive cruise control or
by switching off the ignition, speed limiter is also deactivated and the
stored speed is deleted.Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control is an
enhancement to traditional cruise
control with the additional feature of maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Adaptive cruise control automatically
decelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle. It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases
to follow the vehicle in front, but will
not exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store and maintain speeds over approx.
31 mph and brakes automatically to
follow a slower vehicle driving ahead
to a minimum speed of 18 mph.

188Driving and operatingOnce the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC).
Increase speed
With adaptive cruise control active, hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+:
speed increases continuously in large increments, or activate repeatedly
RES/+ : speed increases in small
increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive cruise control active much faster than
the desired speed, e.g. after
depressing the accelerator pedal,
then the current speed can be stored and maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:
speed decreases continuously in
large increments, or activate
repeatedly SET/-: speed decreases in
small increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive cruise control active much slower
than the desired speed, e.g. because
of a slower vehicle ahead, then the
current speed can be stored and
maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Resume stored speed
If the system is switched on but
inactive, then turn thumb wheel to
RES/+ at a speed above 31 mph to
resume the stored speed.
Setting the following distance
When adaptive cruise control detects
a slower moving vehicle in the driving path, it will adjust the vehicle speed to
maintain the following distance
selected by the driver.The following distance can be set to
near, medium or far.
Press E; the current setting is shown
in the DIC. Press E again to change
the following distance. The setting is
also displayed in the top line of the
DIC.

190Driving and operating● There is no traffic and nothingdetected on the road sides forseveral minutes. In this case,
there are no radar echoes and
the sensor may report that it is
blocked.
● The collision imminent braking system is applying the brakes.
● The radar sensor is blocked by an ice or water film.
● A fault is detected in the radar, engine or brake system.
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated automatically, the control indicator m illuminates white and a
warning symbol is displayed as a pop-
up in the DIC.
The stored speed is maintained.
9 Warning
When adaptive cruise control is
deactivated, the driver must take
over full brake and engine control.
Switching off
Press C to switch off adaptive cruise
control. The control indicator m
extinguishes. The stored speed is
deleted.
Switching off the ignition also
switches off adaptive cruise control
and deletes the stored speed.
Driver's attention
● Use adaptive cruise control carefully on bends or mountain
roads, as it can lose the vehicle
ahead and need time to detect it
again.
● Do not use the system on slippery roads as it can create
rapid changes in tyre traction
(wheel spinning), so that you
could lose control.
● Do not use adaptive cruise control during rain, snow or
heavy dirt, as the radar sensor
can be covered by a water film,
dust, ice or snow. This reduces or suppresses completely the
visibility. In case of sensor
blockage, clean the sensor
cover.
System limits ● The system's automatic brake force does not permit hard
braking and the braking level
may not be sufficient to avoid a
collision.

Driving and operating195
Press V; the current setting is shown
in the DIC. 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
DIC.
Simultaneously a warning chime sounds. Depress the brake pedal, if it is required by the situation.
Deactivation
The system can be deactivated.
Press V repeatedly until the following
message appears in the DIC.
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