Wheels and tyres221
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
Wheels and tyresWheelsGeneral notesAvoiding damage
– If you have to drive over a kerb or similar obstacle, drive very
slowly and as near as possible at a right angle to the kerb.
– Keep grease, oil and fuel off the tyres.
– Inspect the tyres regularly for damage (cuts, cracks or blisters, etc.). Remove any foreign objects embedded in the treads.
Storing tyres
– Mark tyres when you remove them to indicate the direction of rotation. This ensures you will be able to install them correctly
when you replace them.
– When removed, the wheels and/or tyres should be stored in a cool, dry and preferably dark location.
– Store tyres in a vertical position if they are not fitted on wheel rims.New tyres
New tyres have to be run in ⇒page 178.
The tread depth of new tyres may vary, according to the type and make of tyre
and the tread pattern. Concealed damage
Damage to tyres and rims is often not readily visible. If you notice unusual
vibrations or the car pulling to one side, this may indicate that one of the tyres
is damaged. The tyres should be checked immediately by an Authorised
Service Centre.
Tyres with directional tread pattern
An arrow on the tyre sidewall indicates the direction of rotation on tyres with
directional tread. Always observe the direction of rotation indicated when
fitting the wheel. This guarantees optimum grip and helps to avoid aqua-
planing, excessive noise and wear.
WARNING
•
New tyres do not have maximum grip in the first 500 km. Drive particu-
larly carefully to avoid risk of accident.
•
Never drive with damaged tyres. This may cause an accident.
•
If you notice unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side when
driving, stop the vehicle immediately and check the tyres for damage.
Checking tyre pressure
The correct tyre pressure can be seen on the sticker on the
inside of the tank flap.1. Read the required ty re inflation pressure from the sticker. The
values refer to Summer tyres. For Winter tyres, you must add 0.2
bar to the values given on the sticker.
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Wheels and tyres
224Changing wheels around
If the front tyres are worn considerably more than the rear ones it is advisable
to change them around as shown ⇒page 223, fig. 152. All the tyres will then
last for about the same time.
Wheel balance
The wheels on new vehicles are balanced. However, various factors encoun-
tered in normal driving can cause them to become unbalanced, which results
in steering vibration.
Unbalanced wheels should be rebalanced, as they otherwise cause excessive
wear on steering, suspension and tyre s. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tyre is fitted.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment causes excessiv e tyre wear, impairing the safety of
the vehicle. If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the wheel align-
ment checked by an Authorised Service Centre.
WARNING
There is a serious danger of accidents if a tyre bursts during driving!•
The tyres must be replaced at the latest when the tread is worn down to
the tread wear indicators. Failure to do so could result in an accident. Worn
tyres do not grip well at high speeds on wet roads. There is also a greater
risk of “aquaplaning”.
•
At continuously high speeds, a tyre with insufficient pressure flexes
more. This causes it to overheat. This can cause tread separation and tyre
blow-out. Risk of accident. Always observe the recommended tyre pres-
sures.
•
If tyres show excessive wear, you should have the running gear checked
by an Authorised Service Centre.
•
Keep chemicals such as oil, fuel and brake fluid away from tyres.
•
Damaged wheels and tyres must be replaced immediately!
For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption.Puncture proof tyres
Anti-puncture tyres allow you to continue driving even with a
punctured tyre, in the majority of cases.Vehicles that are factory-fitted with puncture proof tyres
21)
indicate
on the instrument panel when there is a loss of tyre pressure.
Driving with anti-puncture tyres (emergency gear)
– Leave the ESP/TCS (electronic stabilisation programme) switched on, or switch on ⇒page 173.
– Continue driving carefully and slowly (80 km/h maximum).
– Avoid sudden manoeuvres and sharp turns.
– Avoid driving over obstacles (for example kerbs) or potholes.
– Look out for the ESP/TCS intervening often, smoke coming from the tyres or the smell of rubber, the vehicle vibrating or a clat-
tering noise. If any of these occur, stop the vehicle.
The anti-puncture tyres have a tag on the side of the tyre, with the description:
“DSST”, “Eufonia”, “RFT”, “ROF”, “RSC”, “SSR” or “ZP”.
The sides of this type of tyre are reinforced. When the tyres lose air they are
supported on the sides (emergency driving).21)Depending upon version and country.
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Wheels and tyres227
Safety First
Operating instructions
Tips and Maintenance
Te c h n i c a l D a t a
heads must be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted securely and that the
brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you may not
use wheel bolts from a different car -
even if it is the same model ⇒page 199.
After the wheels have been changed, the tightening torque of the wheel bolts
should be checked as soon as possible with a torque wrench ⇒. The tight-
ening torque for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm.
WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not tightened correctly, the wheel could become
loose while driving. Risk of accident.•
The wheel bolts must be clean and turn easily. Never apply grease or oil
to them.
•
Use only wheel bolts which belong to the wheel.
•
If the torque of the wheel bolts is too low, they could loosen whilst the
vehicle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tightening torque is too high,
the wheel bolts and threads could be damaged.Caution
The prescribed torque for wheel bolts for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm.Winter tyres
Winter tyres will improve the vehicles handling on snow and
ice.In winter conditions winter tyres will considerably improve the vehicles
handling. The design of summer tyre s (width, rubber compound, tread
pattern) gives less grip on ice and snow. Winter tyres must be inflated to a
pressure 0.2 bar higher than the pressures
specified for summer tyres (see sticker on tank flap).
Winter tyres must be fitted on all four wheels.
Information on permitted winter tyre sizes can be found in the vehicle's regis-
tration documents. Use only radial winter tyres. All tyre sizes listed in the
vehicle documentation also apply to winter tyres.
Winter tyres lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to a depth
of 4 mm.
The speed rating code ⇒page 225, “New tyres and wheels” determines the
following speed limits: ⇒ ⇒
Q max. 160 km/h
S max. 180 km/h
T max. 190 km/h
H max. 210 km/h
In some countries, vehicles which can exceed the speed rating of the fitted
tyre must have an appropriate sticker in the driver's field of view. These
stickers are available from your Authorised Service Centre. The legal require-
ments of each country must be followed.
Do not have winter tyres fitted for unnecessarily long periods. Vehicles with
summer tyres handle better when the roads are free of snow and ice.
If you have a flat tyre, please refer to the notes on the spare wheel
⇒ page 225, “New tyres and wheels”.
WARNING
The maximum speed for the winter tyres must not be exceeded. Otherwise,
this could lead to tyre damage and thus, an accident risk.
leon ingles.book Seite 227 Dienst ag, 11. September 2007 1:47 13
Index
294Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Engine fault
Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Engine management Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Checking level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Engine oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Engine oil pressure Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 78
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Environmental friendliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Environmental tip Avoiding pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81, 173
Example of menu use Open the configuration menu . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Program a speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . 67
To activate and deactivate the speed limit warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Examples of menu use Open the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Open the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
To close the winter tyres menu . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Exhaust gasses purification system . . . . . . . . 178
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
FFastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
First-aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
folding table* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Foot brake Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Safety notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Front drinks holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Front interior light Switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Switching on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Front passenger airbag deactivation . . . . . . . . . 44
Front reading lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Front seat adjustment Lumbar support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Fuel Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Fuel level Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Fuel Tank Opening the fuel tank flap . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Fuel tank
See Fuel reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Fuel: save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
GG 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Gear shift pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
General overview of the engine compartment 266
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Glow plug system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81HHandbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 164
Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
head restraints Adjusting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128, 129
adjustment of the head restraint angle . . . 129
Removing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
head restraints, correct adjustment . . . . . . . . . 13 In-use and non-use positions . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Headlight flasher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Headlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Fog lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Headlight washer system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
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Index295
Heated front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Heated window
2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Heating and ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
High pressure cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55IIdentification number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Ignition key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Indicator lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Indicator lights indication lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Information texts in the display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Instrument and switch lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Instrument lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instrument panel menu Configuration menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Example of menu use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Lights and visibility menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Instrument panel menus Principal menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Vehicle status menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Intermittent wipe, windscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
ISOFIX and Toptether systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
JJump leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255KKey tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99LLights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Load compartment See Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Locker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 139 See also Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . 16
Luggage compartment cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140MMain beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Main beam headlights Indicator lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Main headlight lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Manual mode 2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
MFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Mileage display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors, electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Interior mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Make-up mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Mobile telephones and radiotelephones . . . . 200
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Multi-function display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
NNumber of seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19OObservations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Octane number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Oil change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Oil properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
One-touch opening and closing Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Opening and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Overview Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
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