
Automatic gearbox*
134
immediately start off - also when the handbrake is firmly applied -
risk of an accident!
•You must move the selector lever into position P and firmly
apply the handbrake first before you or any other person opens the
bonnet and starts working on the engine when it is running - risk
of accident! It is also essential to observe all warnings ⇒page 219,
“Working in the engine compartment”.
Note
•Take your foot off the accelerator if you inadvertently shift into N when
driving and wait until the engine speed has dropped to the idling speed
range before shifting into D.
•If you shift gear manually it is possible to select positions 4, 3 and 2 ,
but the automatic gearbox will not shift down until there is no risk of the
engine overrevving.
Selector lever lock
Automatic selector lever lock
With the ignition on, the selector lever is locked when it is in the positions
P and N . You must depress the brake pedal first and press the Shiftlock
button at the same time in order to move the selector lever out of these
positions. The following will be displayed in the information display*:
"Apply foot brake when selecting gear with vehicle stationary"
Symbol
also lights up in the selector lever cover until the brake pedal
is actuated.
A time delay element ensures that the selector lever is not blocked when
rapidly switching over the position N (e.g. from R to D). This does, for example, allow one to seesaw out a stuck vehicle. The selector lever lock
will click into place if the lever is in the
N position for more than 2 seconds
without the brake pedal being pressed.
The selector lever lock is only active if the vehicle is stationary or moving
at speed of less than 5 km/hour. The lock is switched off automatically into
position N when the car is travelling at a higher speed.
Shiftlock button
The Shiftlock button in the handle of selector lever prevents certain
selector lever positions being engaged inadvertently. The selector lever
lock is cancelled when you press the Shiftlock button.
Keylock - Ignition key withdrawal lock
You can only withdraw the ignition key after switching off the ignition if the
selector lever is in position P. If the ignition key is withdrawn, the selector
lever is blocked in position P.
Kickdown function
The kickdown function provides you with maximum accel-
eration power.
Depressing the accelerator pedal beyond the pressure point casues the
automatic gearbox to shift down into a lower gear (in line with vehicle
speed and engine speed). The gearbox shifts up into the next higher gear
when the engine has reached its maximum revolutions.
WARNING
Please note that using the kickdown function can result in the
driven wheels spinning on a smooth or slippery road surface - risk
of skidding!
WARNING (continued)
s3ec.book Seite 134 Montag, 2. Mai 2005 3:42 15

Towing a trailer201
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Distribution of the load
Distribute the load in the trailer in such a way that any heavy items are
located as close as possible to the axle. Secure the items to prevent them
slipping.
Tyre pressure
Select the tyre inflation pressure on your vehicle for that of “fully laden”,
⇒
page 236. The inflation pressure of the tyres fitted to the trailer adjust
in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation.
Exterior mirrors
You have to have additional exterior mirrors fitted if you are not able to see
the traffic behind the trailer with the standard rear-view mirrors. Both exte-
rior mirrors should be attached to folding arms. Adjust the mirrors so that
they provide you with an adequate field of view to the rear.
Headlights
Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the head-
lights. Alter the setting as necessary with the aid of the headlight beam
adjuster ⇒page 59.
Detachable ball head
The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing
device. It is stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare
wheel well in the luggage compartment of the vehicle.
Further information on the towing device ⇒page 202.
Note
•We recommend that you also have your vehicle inspected between
service intervals if you tow a trailer frequently.
•The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling
and decoupling the trailer.
Driving Tips
Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.
– Do not, as far as possible, drive with your vehicle unladen and the trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.
– Keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if the outside temperature is high.
Distribution of weight
The distribution of the weight is very poor if your vehicle is unladen and
the trailer is laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid
driving with this combination.
Driving speed
Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies
for countries in which higher speeds are allowed.
The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination
reduces with increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed
should not be used when there are unfavourable road, weather or wind
conditions, particularly near accident black spots.
You must always reduce your speed immediately as soon as you detect
even just the slightest swaying of the trailer. On no account attempt to
stop the trailer from “swaying” by accelerating.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a trailer brake,
apply the brakes gently at first and then brake firmly. This will avoid brake
jolts resulting from the trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears in good
s3ec.book Seite 201 Montag, 2. Mai 2005 3:42 15

Inspecting and Replenishing219
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
– Allow the bonnet to drop from a height of about 30 cm into the
lock - bonnet do not press down on it!
The bonnet is held in the opened position by a pressurized gas spring.
WARNING
•Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is
flowing out of the engine compartmen t - risk of scalding! Wait long
enough until the steam or coolant has stopped escaping.
•For safety reasons, the bonnet must always be properly closed
when driving. One should therefore check that the lock has in fact
engaged properly after closing the bonnet.
•Stop your vehicle immediately while driving if you notice that
the lock is not properly engaged and close the bonnet properly -
risk of an accident!
Caution
•Never open the bonnet using the handle - danger of causing damage.
•Before opening the bonnet, ensure that the arms of the windscreen
wipers are correctly in place against the windscreen. Otherwise, there is
a risk of damage to the paintwork.
Working in the en gine compartment
Particular care is required when carrying out any work in
the engine compartment!
There is a risk of injuries, scalding , accidents and fire when working
in the engine compartment, e.g. inspecting and replenishing oil and
other fluids. For this reason, it is essential to comply with the warning instructions stated below and with the general applicable
rules of safety. The engine compartment of your car is a hazardous
area
⇒ .
WARNING
•Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is
flowing out of the engine compartment - risk of scalding! Wait long
enough until the steam or coolant has stopped escaping.
•Switch off the engine and pull out the ignition key.
•Apply the handbrake firmly.
•If your vehicle is fitted with a manual gearbox, move the gear-
shift lever into Neutral, or if it is fitted with automatic gearbox,
move the selector lever into position P.
•Allow the engine to cool down.
•Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
•Do not touch any hot engine parts - risk of burns!
•Never spill oil and other fluids over the hot engine. Such fluids
(e.g. the antifreeze contained in the coolant) may ignite!
•Avoid short circuits in the electrical system - particularly on the
battery.
•Never place your hand into the radiator fan as long as the
engine is still warm. The fan might suddenly start running!
•Never open the cap of the coolant expansion bottle as long as
the engine is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!
•Cover over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir with a
large cloth when opening it as protection for your face, hands and
arms from hot steam or hot coolant.
•Do not let objects, such as e.g cleaning cloth or tools lie in the
engine compartment.
s3ec.book Seite 219 Montag, 2. Mai 2005 3:42 15

Breakdown assistance
248
•Do not drive with this spare wheel at more than 80 km/h - risk of acci-
dent. Avoid accelerating at full throttle, sharp braking and fast cornering.
•The inflation pressure for this spare wheel is identical to the inflation
pressure of the standard tyres.
•Use this spare wheel only to reach the nearest service station as it is
not intended for continuous use.
Changing a wheel
Preliminary work
The following steps should be carried out before actually
changing the wheel.
– If it is necessary to change a wheel, park the vehicle as far away as possible from the traffic flow. The place you choose
should be level.
– Have all the occupants get out. While changing a wheel, the
occupants of the vehicle should not stand on the road (it is
better behind a crash barrier).
– Apply the handbrake firmly.
– Engage 1st gear or if your vehicle is fitted with an automatic
gearbox, position the selector lever into position P .
– If a trailer is coupled, uncouple it.
– Take the vehicle tool kit and the spare wheel ⇒ page 247
out of the luggage compartment.
WARNING
•If you find yourself in flowing traffic switch on the hazard
warning lights system and place the warning triangle on the side of
the road at the prescribed distance from your vehicle while
observing all national legal provisions. In this way you are
protecting not only yourself but also other road users.
•Never start the engine with the vehicle sitting on the raised jack
- danger of suffering injury!
Caution
If you have to change a wheel on a slope first block the opposite wheel
with a stone or similar object in order to secure the vehicle from unexpect-
edly rolling away.
Note
Comply with the national legal regulations.
Changing a wheel
Always change a wheel on a level surface as far as possible.
– Take off the full wheel trim* ⇒page 249 or the caps
⇒ page 251.
– In the case of light alloy wheels remove the wheel trim cap ⇒page 250.
– Slacken the wheel bolts ⇒page 251.
s3ec.book Seite 248 Montag, 2. Mai 2005 3:42 15

Index271
Index
A
Abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
ABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Adjusting seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Adjusting front seats manually . . . . . . . . . 73
electrically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Adjusting the steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 deactivate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Head airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
An overview Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Antilock Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Antilock brake system - ABS Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Ashtray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Auto Check Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Auto Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Automatic gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Emergency programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Kickdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Tiptronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Automatic seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Automatic vehicle wash systems . . . . . . . . . 206
Avoiding damage to your vehicle . . . . . . . . . 199
B
Before setting off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Biofuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Boot lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Brake Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Brake booster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Brake pads Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Brake system
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Button on the driver's door Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
C
Car jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
CargoFlex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
CargoFlex folding box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Changing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Changing oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Changing wheels around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Chassis number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Child safety locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
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Index273
Electronic immobiliser
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Electronic stability programme (ESP) . . . . . 185 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Emergency operation Fuel filler flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Engine Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
switch off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Engine compartment Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine electronics EPC warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Engine revolutions counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Environmental compatibility . . . . . . . . . 194, 198
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Exhaust gas inspection Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Exhaust gases Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70F
First-aid box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
folding box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Folding down rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
For the first 1 500 kilometres . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Front armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 194 Saving energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Fuel reserve Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Full wheel trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Fuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
G
GearboxAutomatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Glass roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Glow plug system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
H
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Hazard warning light system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Hazard warning lights system . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Head airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Head restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Headlight cleaning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Headlight flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Headlights Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Headlight cleaning system . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Heated windscreen washer nozzles . . . . . . . 66
Heating Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
The air conditioning system . . . . . . . . . . 109
Heating of the external mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
I
Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Information display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Inspecting the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Instrument cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Instrument lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
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