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Driving hints
Driving hints
The first 600 miles (1000 km)
Drive your vehicle at various speeds. Do
not use full throttle. Never allow the engine
to labour at low revs.
Make good use of all gears. Depress the
accelerator pedal a maximum of around
three quarters of the available pedal travel
in all gears.
Do not drive faster than three quarters of
maximum speed.
Do not brake unnecessarily hard for the
first 125 miles (200 km).
Never coast with engine not
running
Many units will not function in this situation
(
e.g. brake servo unit, Electro-Hydraulic
Power-assisted Steering (EHPS)). Driving in
this manner is a danger to yourself and
others.
Brake servo unit
When the engine is not running, the brake
servo unit is no longer effective once the
brake pedal has been depressed once or
twice. Braking effect is not reduced, but
significantly greater force is required for
braking.
Electro-Hydraulic Power-assisted
Steering (EHPS)
If the power-assisted steering fails when
being towed with the engine switched off,
the vehicle can still be steered, but
considerably more force is required.
Driving in mountainous terrain or
with a caravan / trailer
The cooling fan is electrically operated. Its
cooling power is therefore independent of
the engine speed.
Since a considerable amount of heat is
generated at high engine speeds and less
at slower speeds, do not shift down when
climbing hills whilst the vehicle is still coping
with the gradient in the higher gear.
Driving with a roof load
Do not exceed the permissible roof load –
see pages 234, 318. For reasons of safety,
distribute the load evenly and secure it
properly with retaining straps. Adjust the
tyre pressure to the load conditions. Do
not drive faster than 75 mph (120 km/h).
Check and re-tighten the straps frequently.
Observe country-specific regulations. Roof
loads are not permitted on the Astra
TwinTop.
Switching off the engine
When you switch off, fans in the engine
compartment may continue running for a
time to cool the engine.
If the engine temperature is very high, e.g.
after driving in mountainous terrain: allow
the engine to idle for approximately two
minutes in order to prevent heat
accumulation.