Vauxhall Astra Owner's Manual page 238

Eng ine oi l level and consum ption
It is normal for every engine to consume
som e oil. Engine oil consumption cannot b e
reliab ly ascertained until the vehicle has
covered a substantial mileage. In the
running-in phase it may b e ab ov e the
specified lev el. Freq uent running at high
engine sp eeds increases oil consumption.
For this rea son the engine oil level should
be check ed every 600 m iles (1, 000 km) or
before sta rting a long trip.
This a lso app lies to vehicles with check
control 3, in which the oil level is monitored
automatically – see page 44. If the
message "Eng ine Oil Level" appears in the
display, check the oil lev el using the
dipstick and top up as necessary.
236
Checking the engine oil lev el ,
topping up engine oil
The illustrations show chec king and
top ping up of various petrol and diesel
engines.
The oil lev el m ust be check ed with the
vehicle horizontal and with the engine
(w hich m ust be at operating temp erature)
switched off. Wait at least five minutes
before checking the level to allow the
normal oil accumulation in the engine to
drain back into the oil pan.
Im porta nt : I t is the owner's responsibility
to maintain the proper level of an
appropriate quality oil in the engine.
To check the level, remove the oil gauge
(dipstick), wipe it clean and reinsert it as far
as it will g o. Top up if the oil level has
dropped to just above the "a dd oil" m ark
MI N.
The oil level must not go above the upper
ma rk MAX on the d ipstick. Ex cess oil must
be dra ined or extracted by suction. If the oil
level does go above the mark MAX there is
a risk of damage to the engine or ca ta ly tic
converter.
The amount filled must be between the
MI N and M AX mark s – see pag es 285, 286.