110SAFETYWhen are the side airbags de-
ployed?In the event of a major side collision , the
side airbag on the side of vehicle impact is
deployed.
The effective range of the side airbag sys-
tem is shown in the illustration.
It is possible, in certain accident situations,
that both the front as well as the side air-
bags are deployed. Operating principle
If the system is activated, the airbags fill
with propellant gas.
The airbag is inflated in a split second at a
high speed in order to offer additional pro-
tection in the event of an accident.
When the airbag is fully inflated, the move-
ment of the occupant is cushioned and the
risk of injury to the upper body on the side
of the impact is reduced.
The specially developed airbags allow the
propellant gas to exit in a controlled flow
under the weight of the occupant to thus
softly cushion head and upper body.
Smoke is produced when the airbag is in-
flated. This is perfectly normal and is not
an indication of a fire in the car.
Safety informationWarning
To ensure that the side airbags are
able to provide their full protection,
it is important that the occupants al-
ways maintain the seat position set
by the seat belts - see page 94 - dur-
ing the entire journey.
No persons, animals or objects
should be located between the front
seat occupants and the effective
range of the airbags. In addition, no
accessory parts, such as drink hold-
ers, should be attached to the doors
if the car is fitted with side airbags.
165
DO-IT-YOURSELF
Jack up car until the wheel is just clear
of the ground.
Remove wheel bolts (after slackening)
1),
place them down on a clean surface (cloth,
paper, wheel cap) next to the car jack and
take off wheel.
Fit on spare wheel and attach wheel
bolts
1).
Tighten all the wheel bolts slightly. The
wheel bolts should be clean and turn freely.
On no account grease or oil them!
Lower car and tighten the wheel bolts
diagonally.
Press on the full wheel trim* first at the
valve opening and then apply pressure
around the entire circumference so that the
trim locks in position.
1)In order to accelerate the screwing out and in,
use the handle part of the screwdriver from the
car tool kit, which has on its end a hexagon
socket for the screw head.
Place the wheel removed in the spare
wheel well and secure with the handwheel.
Notes
After changing a wheel, pay attention to
the following points:
- Check the inflation pressure of the spare wheel fitted.
- Have the tightening torque of the wheel bolts checked with a torque wrench as
soon as possible. The tightening torque
for steel and light alloy wheels is 120 Nm.
Have the faulty wheel repaired as quickly
as possible. Warning
In case of incorrect treatment of the
wheel bolts, the wheel can loosen
when the car is moving - risk of acci-
dent!
Wheel bolts must be clean and must
turn easily. However
, they must never
be treated with grease or oil.
If the wheel bolts are tightened to a
too low tightening torque, the trims
can loosen when the car is moving -
risk of accident! A tightening torque,
which is too high, can damage the
bolts and threads and this can result
in permanent deformation of the con-
tact surfaces on the trims.
If it is intended to subsequently fit
wheels or tyres other than the factory-
fitted versions to the car, it is essen-
tial to read the remarks on page 156.
