Vauxhall Vectra Operation & Maintenance Instructions Manual

Also see for Vectra: Owner's manual Quick reference guide Owner's manual

Contents

186 Driving hintsDriving hints The first 600 miles / 1000 kmDrive your vehicle at various speeds. Donot use full throttle. Never allow the engineto labour at low revs.Make good use of all gears. Depress theaccelerator pedal a maximum of aroundthree quarters of the available pedal travelin all gears.Do not drive faster than three quarters ofmaximum speed.Do not brake unnecessarily hard for thefirst 120 miles (200 km).Never coast with engine notrunningMany units will not function in this situation(e.g. brake servo unit, electro-hydraulicpower steering). Driving in this manner is adanger to yourself and others.Brake servo unitWhen the engine is not running, the brakeservo unit is no longer effective once thebrake pedal has been depressed once ortwice. Braking effect is not reduced, butsignificantly greater force is required forbraking.Electro-hydraulic power assistedsteeringIf the power-assisted steering fails whenbeing towed with the engine switched off,the vehicle can still be steered, butconsiderably more force is required.Driving in mountainous terrain orwith a trailer/caravanThe cooling fan is electrically operated. Itscooling power is therefore independent ofthe engine speed.Since a considerable amount of heat isgenerated at high engine speeds and lessat slower speeds, do not shift down whenclimbing hills whilst the vehicle is still copingwith the gradient in the higher gear.Diesel engine: On rising gradients of 10% ormore, do not drive faster than 20 mph(30 km/h) in 1st gear or 30 mph (50 km/h)in 2nd gear; with automatictransmission 3, do not exceed 25 mph(40 km/h) in position 1.Driving with a roof loadDo not exceed the permissible roof load –see pages 220, 293. For reasons of safety,distribute the load evenly and secure itproperly with retaining straps. Adjust thetyre pressure to the load conditions. Do notdrive faster than 75 mph (120 km/h). Checkand retighten the straps frequently.Observe country-specific regulations.Switching off the engineWhen you switch off, fans in the enginecompartment may continue running for atime to cool the engine.