Vauxhall VECTRA Owner's Manual page 278

Winds creen wipe r blade s
Sm earing w ip er b la des ca n be clea ned w ith
a soft cloth and Vaux hall Windscreen
Wash Solvent, and replaced if necessa ry –
see page 268.
Locks
Before they lea ve the factory, the lock s are
lubricated with a high-grade lock cylinder
grease. Vauxhall lock c ylind er grease
prevents the locks from freezing up. Use
de-icing agents only in emergencies, as
they have a degreasing effect and will
impair the functioning of the locks. After
using d e-icing agents re-grea se the locks.
Engine compartment
Look after pa inted areas in the engine
compartment like any other painted a reas.
It is adv isable to wash the engine
compartment before and after winter and
preserve with wax. Cover alternator and
brake fluid reserv oir with plastic sheeting
before washing the eng ine.
When washing the engine with a steam-jet
cleaner, do not d irect the steam jet at
components of the a ntilock brake sy stem,
the automatic a ir c onditioning sy stem, the
auxiliary heating sy stem heater or the belt
drive and its components.
276
Protective wax that has been ap plied is
also removed during the engine wash. For
this reason, have the engine, brak e system
components in the engine compartment,
axle com ponents with steering, body parts
and cavities thoroughly preserved with
protective wax after the wash. We
recommend that you consult a Va ux ha ll
Authorised Repairer.
An engine w ash ca n be p erformed in the
spring in order to remov e dirt that has
adhered to the engine comp artment,
whic h may also have a high salt content.
Check protectiv e w ax la yer and ma ke good
if necessary.
Do not use high-pressure jet clea ners on
wheels and tyres.
Underbody
Your vehicle has a factory-app lied PVC
undercoating in the wheel arches
(including the longitudinal mem bers) which
prov ides permanent protec tion and needs
no special maintenance. The surfaces of
the vehicle underbody not covered by PVC
are provided with a durable p rotective wax
coating in critic al areas.
O n vehicles w hich are washed frequently in
automatic c ar washes with underbody
washing facility, the protective wax
coating may be im paired by dirt-dissolving
add itiv es, so check the underb od y after
washing and have it wax ed if necessary.
Before the sta rt of the cold weather season,
check the PVC coating and protectiv e wax
coating and, if necessary, ha ve them
restored to perfect condition.
C aution – com mercially available bitumen/
rubber materials can damage the PVC
coating. We recom mend that y ou ha ve
underbody work carried out by a Vauxhall
Authorised Repa irer. The Vauxhall
Authorised Repa irer knows the prescribed
ma terials and has ex perience in the use
thereof.
The underbody should be washed
following the end of the cold weather
season to remov e any dirt adhering to the
underbody since this may also contain salt.
C heck p rotective wax c oa ting and , if
nec essary , have it restored to perfec t
condition.