Spring Cleaning: Best Start to the Warmer Months with Opel

• After snowfall and road salt: Now is the right time to prepare the car for spring
• Intelli-Air in the Opel Grandland: Highly efficient air quality system with automatic air exchange
• Effective against hay fever: Powerful activated carbon filters stop unwanted particles

When the winter coat is put back in the wardrobe and people start getting their T-shirts out, it is high time to give one’s car a thorough check and get it ready for spring. After all, the Easter holiday trip should be safe and comfortable – whether driving the top-of-the-line Opel Grandland SUV or the best-selling Opel Corsa small car. Meanwhile, the challenging time for those suffering from allergies has already begun. Therefore, it is good to drive an Opel model with Intelli-Air and a strong activated carbon combination filter.

Bye, bye winter: Exterior and interior care, changing tyres and wiper blades

For many, changing from winter to summer tyres is mandatory. As soon as temperatures rise permanently, this offers significant safety and performance advantages such as shorter braking distances, less wear and tear, and higher fuel efficiency. Opel partners offer a comprehensive selection of summer tyres suitable for every model. At the same time, car owners can take action themselves when it comes to caring for their vehicles. It is important to remove road salt residues with a thorough car wash – including the underbody – to prevent possible corrosion. The interior also needs a thorough cleaning. After the cold season, a lot of dirt has accumulated, especially in the footwell, which now needs to be removed to increase the feel-good factor for all passengers.

What many people often forget is that the snow and ice of the past few months have also put a lot of strain on windscreen wipers. They may have become porous or leave unsightly streaks after wiping over ice residues on the windscreen, which can be a safety hazard, especially in poor visibility or at night. Opel dealers across Europe will gladly check the wiper blades and replace them if necessary.

Allergy-free travel: With Intelli-Air and activated carbon combination filters

As beautiful as the reawakening flora may be, for allergy sufferers, the ‘hard times’ have already begun. To ensure that this discomfort is minimalised for drivers and passengers while travelling, Opel offers highly effective solutions for clean air in the passenger cabin.

In the top-of-the-line Opel Grandland SUV, Intelli-Air ‘Clean Cabin’ is available as an intelligent air quality system that ensures an optimal interior climate. It combines highly effective air and particulate filters with an air quality monitoring system. It continuously controls the state of the interior air, initiating an automatic exchange when the air becomes stale. The standard of the air in the passenger compartment is monitored by a PM 2.5 sensor that can detect particulates up to 2.5 micrometres in size and is controlled by the position of the recirculation vent. When the exterior air quality is poor, the car’s air quality sensor (AQS) closes the vent so that no pollutants can enter the car’s interior. However, if the interior air is stale or tainted, e.g. through dust on clothing, the vent opens to supply the passengers with fresher air. Thanks to Intelli-Air, the interior air of the new Grandland remains as clean as possible. The passengers can even see this for themselves: the system informs them of the air quality via the large colour touchscreen.

Intelli-Air ensures good air quality standards in the Grandland in combination with Opel original particulate and activated carbon combination filters, that are also available in many other Opel models. These consist of two layers and can therefore not only keep particles out the interior, but also filter out odours and gases such as ozone. Best of all, pollen is almost 100 per cent eliminated.

The quality of the filters meets the highest standards. The filter material is water-repellent, which prevents it from freezing in winter or becoming home to bacteria. Despite the high filter performance, good air permeability is ensured. The filter should be changed once every 12 months to ensure clean interior air all year round. A filter management system informs the driver when an exchange is necessary.