towing VAUXHALL ASTRA J GTC 2018.5 User Guide

198Vehicle careVehicle careGeneral Information...................199
Accessories and vehicle modifications .......................... 199
Vehicle storage ........................199
End-of-life vehicle recovery .....200
Vehicle checks ........................... 200
Performing work ......................200
Bonnet ..................................... 200
Engine oil ................................. 201
Engine coolant ......................... 202
Power steering fluid .................203
Washer fluid ............................ 203
Brakes ..................................... 204
Brake fluid ............................... 204
Vehicle battery ......................... 204
Diesel fuel system bleeding .....206
Wiper blade replacement ........206
Bulb replacement .......................207
Halogen headlights ..................207
Adaptive forward lighting .........210
Fog lights ................................. 211
Front turn lights .......................213
Tail lights ................................. 215
Side turn lights ......................... 218
Number plate light ...................220Interior lights ............................ 220
Instrument panel illumination ...220
Electrical system ........................221
Fuses ....................................... 221
Engine compartment fuse box . 222
Instrument panel fuse box .......224
Load compartment fuse box ....225
Vehicle tools .............................. 226
Tools ........................................ 226
Wheels and tyres .......................228
Winter tyres ............................. 228
Tyre designations ....................228
Tyre pressure .......................... 229
Tyre pressure monitoring system .................................... 230
Tread depth ............................. 233
Changing tyre and wheel size . 233
Wheel covers ........................... 234
Tyre chains .............................. 234
Tyre repair kit .......................... 234
Wheel changing .......................237
Spare wheel ............................ 241
Jump starting ............................. 245
Towing ....................................... 246
Towing the vehicle ...................246
Towing another vehicle ...........247Appearance care .......................248
Exterior care ............................ 248
Interior care ............................. 251

226Vehicle careNo.Circuit1–2Trailer outlet3Parking assist4–5–6–7Power seat8–9–10–11Trailer module/Trailer socket12Trailer module13Trailer outlet14Rear seat/Electrical folding15–16Interior mirror17Power outletNo.Circuit18–19Steering wheel heating20Sunroof21Heated front seats22–23–24–25–26Deactivated logistic mode27–28–29–30–31Amplifier/Subwoofer32Active damping system/Lane
departure warningVehicle tools
Tools
Vehicles without spare wheel Some tools and the towing eye are
located in a tool box in the load
compartment below the floor cover.

Vehicle care227Vehicles with spare wheelVariant 1a: 3-door hatchback with
rigid wheel wrench
The jack, the tools and a strap for
securing a damaged wheel are in the
tool box below the spare wheel in the load compartment. The wheel wrenchand the towing eye are in the tool bag
located in the spare wheel well near
the tool box. Spare wheel 3 241.
Variant 1b: 3-door hatchback with
foldable wheel wrench
Same content as variant 1a, but with
a foldable wheel wrench instead of
the rigid wheel wrench located in the
tool bag.
Variant 2: 4-door saloon
The jack and the tools are in the tool
box below the spare wheel in the load
compartment. The wheel wrench, the towing eye and an extension bolt for
securing a damaged wheel (only
vehicles with temporary spare wheel)
are in the tool bag located in the spare wheel well near the tool box. Spare
wheel 3 241.

242Vehicle careStowing a damaged full size
wheel in the load compartment,
3-door hatchback
The spare wheel well is not designed for other tyre sizes than the spare
wheel. A damaged full size wheel
must be stowed in the load
compartment and secured with a
strap. Vehicle tools 3 226. To secure
the wheel:
1. Position the wheel facing upwards, close to one sidewall of
the load compartment.
2. Place the loop end of the strap through the front lashing eye on
the appropriate side.
3. Place the hook end of the strap through the loop and pull it until
the strap is fastened securely to
the lashing eye.
4. Insert the strap through the spokes of the wheel as shown in
the illustration.
5. Mount the hook to the rear lashing
eye.
6. Tighten the strap and secure it using the buckle.
9 Danger
Always drive with folded up and
engaged rear seat backrests when stowing a damaged full size wheel
in the load compartment.
Stowing a damaged full size
wheel in the spare wheel well,
4-door saloon
Vehicles equipped with a full size spare wheel:
A damaged full size wheel must be
stowed facing upwards in the spare
wheel well secured with the wing nut.

Vehicle care243The floor cover can be placed on the
projecting wheel.Vehicles equipped with a temporary
spare wheel:
Secure a damaged full size wheel
facing upwards with the wing nut in the spare wheel well after exchanging
the thread bolt by an extension bolt,
placed in the tool bag 3 226. To
replace the bolt:
1. Install the hexagon key of the wheel wrench ensuring that it
locates securely on the bolt.
2. Turn the wheel wrench anticlockwise to loosen the bolt.
Remove the bolt.
3. Take the extension bolt from the tool bag 3 226 and screw it in
hand-tight using the hexagon key
of the wheel wrench.
4. Store the tool box and the damaged wheel outside up in the
spare wheel well and secure it by
turning the wing nut clockwise on the bolt.
The floor cover can be placed on the
projecting wheel.
Replace the extension bolt with the
short bolt before placing the
temporary spare wheel in the well
after renewing or repairing the
defective wheel.
Stowing the spare wheel back in
the well after replacing the
damaged wheel
1. Open the floor cover, loosen and remove wing nut.
Only 3-door hatchback: open floor
cover, remove rear storage,
loosen and remove wing nut and
conus.
2. Only 4-door saloon with temporary spare wheel: replace
the extension bolt with the short
bolt by using the hexagon key of
the wheel wrench.
3. Place the tools in the tool box or the tool bag 3 226.
4. Place spare wheel facing upwards, in the wheel well and
secure by tightening the wing nut.

244Vehicle care
Only 3-door hatchback: position
the excentric conus in the recess
of the spare wheel before
tightening the wing nut.
5. Close floor cover and insert rear storage (only 3-door hatchback).
9 Warning
Storing a jack, a wheel or other
equipment in the load
compartment could cause injury if they are not secured properly.
During a sudden stop or a
collision, loose equipment could strike someone.
Always store jack and tools in the
respective storage compartments
and secure them by fixing.
Damaged wheel placed in the load compartment must always be
secured with the strap.
Temporary spare wheel
Caution
The use of a spare wheel that is smaller than the other wheels or in combination with winter tyres
could affect driveability. Have the defective tyre replaced as soon as
possible.
Only mount one temporary spare
wheel. Do not drive faster than
50 mph. Take curves slowly. Do not
use for a long period of time.
If your vehicle gets a flat tyre on the
rear while towing another vehicle,
mount the temporary spare wheel at
the front and the full tyre at the rear.
Tyre chains 3 234.
Spare wheel with directional tyre
Fit directional tyres such that they roll in the direction of travel. The rolling
direction is indicated by a symbol
(e.g. an arrow) on the sidewall.
The following applies to tyres fitted
opposing the rolling direction:
● Driveability may be affected. Have the defective tyre renewed
or repaired as soon as possible
and fit it instead of the spare
wheel.
● Drive particularly carefully on wet
and snow-covered road
surfaces.

246Vehicle care3. Connect the black lead to thenegative terminal of the booster
vehicle battery.
4. Connect the other end of the black
lead to a vehicle grounding point,
such as the engine block or an
engine mounting bolt. Connect as far away from the discharged
vehicle battery as possible,
however at least 60 cm.
Route the leads so that they cannot
catch on rotating parts in the engine
compartment.
To start the engine: 1. Start the engine of the vehicle providing the jump.
2. After five minutes, start the other engine. Start attempts should be
made for no longer than
15 seconds at an interval of one
minute.
3. Allow both engines to idle for approx. three minutes with the
leads connected.4. Switch on electrical consumers (e.g. headlights, heated rear
window) of the vehicle receiving
the jump start.
5. Reverse above sequence exactly when removing leads.Towing
Towing the vehicle
Wrap a cloth around the tip of a flat
screwdriver to prevent paint damage.
Insert the screwdriver in the slot at the
lower part of the cap. Release the cap by carefully moving the screwdriver
downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 226.

Vehicle care247
Screw in the towing eye as far as it will
go until it stops in a horizontal
position.
Attach a tow rope – or better still a tow
rod – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for towing and not for recovering the
vehicle.
Switch on ignition to release steering
wheel lock and to permit operation of
brake lights, horn and windscreen
wiper.
Switch the selector lever to neutral.
Release the parking brake.
Caution
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 50 mph nor further than 60 miles. 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
Wrap a cloth around the tip of a flat
screwdriver to prevent paint damage. Insert the 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 3 226.

248Vehicle care
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.
Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap at the top and engage
downwards.
Appearance care
Exterior care Locks
The locks are lubricated at the factory using a high quality lock cylinder
grease. Use de-icing agent only when absolutely necessary, as this has a
degreasing effect and impairs lock function. After using a de-icing agent,
have the locks regreased by a
workshop.
WashingThe paintwork of your vehicle is
exposed to environmental influences.
Wash and wax your vehicle regularly.
When using automatic vehicle
washes, select a programme that
includes waxing.
Bird droppings, dead insects, resin,
pollen and the like should be cleaned
off immediately, as they contain
aggressive constituents which can
cause paint damage.

250Vehicle careIce residues, pollution and continuouswiping on dry windows will damage or
even destroy the wiper blades.
Sunroof Never clean with solvents or abrasive
agents, fuels, aggressive media
(e.g. paint cleaner, acetone-
containing solutions etc.), acidic or
highly alkaline media or abrasive
pads. Do not apply wax or polishing
agents to the sunroof.
Glass panel Never clean with solvents or abrasive
agents, fuels, aggressive media
(e.g. paint cleaner, acetone-
containing solutions etc.), acidic or
highly alkaline media or abrasive
pads. Do not apply wax or polishing
agents to the glass panel.
Wheels and tyres Do not use high-pressure jet
cleaners.
Clean rims with a pH-neutral wheel
cleaner.Rims are painted and can be treated
with the same agents as the body.
Paintwork damage
Rectify minor paintwork damage with a touch-up pen before rust forms.
Have more extensive damage or rust areas repaired by a workshop.
Underbody Some 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.
Air shutter Clean the shutter system in the front
bumper to maintain correct
functionality.