Opel Antara Owner's Manual page 206

206 Self-help, vehicle care
Windscreen wiper bl ades
Wax, such as that used in car wa shes, c an
cause streak s to form on the windsc reen
when the wipers are used.
Sm earing w ip er b la des ca n be clea ned w ith
a soft cloth and O pel C leaning S olvent and
Antifreeze, and replaced if necessary –
see page 199. Do not use a brasive
cleaners.
Locks
The locks are lubrica ted with a high-grade
lock cy lind er grease at the factory. O pel
Loc k Cy lind er Grease prevents the locks
from freezing up.
O nly use de-icing agents in em ergencies,
as they have a degreasing effect and will
impair the function of the locks. After using
a de-icing agent, have the loc ks re-greased
by a workshop .
Engine com partm ent
Areas of the engine compa rtm ent that are
painted in the sa me c olour as the vehicle
must be looked after like a ny other painted
surface.
It is advisable to wash the engine
compartment before a nd after winter and
preserve it with wax . C over a lternator and
fluid reservoirs with plastic sheets before
washing the engine.
When w ashing the engine with a steam-jet
cleaner, do not direc t the steam -jet at
components of the Anti-lock Brak e Sy stem
(ABS ), the a ir cond itioning system or the
belt driv e and its comp onents.
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.
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.
Underbod y
Y our v ehicle ha s a factory -applied PVC
undercoating in the wheel arches
(including the longitudinal members) whic h
provides perma nent protection and needs
no special maintenance. The surfa ces of
the v ehicle underb od y not cov ered by PVC
are provided with a durable protective wax
coating in critical a reas.
O n vehicles whic h are wa shed frequently
in automatic ca r washes with underbody
washing facility, the protective wax
coating may be im paired by dirt-dissolving
add itiv es. C heck the und erbody 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 comm ercially available bitumen/
–
rubber materials can damage the PVC
coating. We recom mend that y ou ha ve
underbody work ca rried out by a
workshop, who knows the p rescrib ed
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.