Page 201 of 259

Wheels and Tyres
200
Ty re l i fe
The life of your tyres very much depends on the following points:
Tyre pressure
The working life of tyres will be shortened considerably if the tyres are insufficiently
or over-inflated and this will have an advers e effect on the handling of your vehicle.
Correctly inflated tyres are of particular importance when travelling at high speeds .
It is therefore good to check the pressure at least once a month and also before
setting off on a long trip. Please do not forget the spare wheel when checking the
tyres. The tyre inflation pressures for summer tyres are indicated on the inside of the fuel
filler flap
⇒fig. 183 . The inflation pressures for winter tyres are 20 kPa (0.2 bar)
higher than those for summer tyres ⇒page 203.
The tyre pressure should be at the highest pressure specified for your vehicle at all
times.
On cars with full wheel trim, valve extensions are fitted in place of dust caps
⇒ fig. 184 . It is not nece ssary to unscrew the valve extensions in order to check and
alter the inflation pressure of the tyre.
Always check the inflation pressure of ty res when cold. Do not reduce the higher
pressure of warm tyres. Adapt the inflation pressure of the tyres accordingly if your
vehicle is carrying a signi ficantly higher payload.
Driving style
Fast cornering, sharp acceleration and brak ing (squealing tyres) increase wear-and-
tear on your tyres.
Balancing wheels
The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. There are a wide range of influences
when driving which may result in an imbalance and which makes themselves felt
through vibration in the steering.
You should have the wheels rebalanced since any imbalance increases wear-and-
tear on the steering, the suspension and tyres. A wheel must also be rebalanced
when a new tyre is fitted and each time a tyre is repaired.
Wheel alignment errors
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front and rear will not only increase wear-and-tear
on the tyres but will also has an adverse effect on vehicle safety. Contact your
specialist garage if you no tice any unusual tyre wear.
WARNING
•If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre must perform a greater flexing
work. At higher speeds the tyre will warm up as a result of this. This can
result in tread separation and even a tyre blowout.
•Immediately replace the damaged rims or tyres.
B1Z-0042HB1Z-0042H
Fig. 183 An opened fuel
filler flap with the tyre
inflation pressure table
Fig. 184 Wheel with full
trim and extended valve
NKO B5 20.book Page 200 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM
Page 210 of 259

Breakdown assistance209
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
•The factory-supplied lifting jack is only intended for your model of
vehicle. On no account attempt to lift a heavier vehicle or other loads - risk
of injury!
•Ensure that the vehicle tool kit is safely attached in the luggage
compartment.
Spare wheel
The spare wheel is stowed in the spare wheel well in the luggage
compartment below the floor covering.
The spare wheel lies in a well in the luggage compartment under floor covering and
is fixed in place using special screws ⇒fig. 191 .
One should check the inflation pressure in the spare wheel (at best when generally
checking the tyre air pressures - see sign on the fuel filler flap ⇒page 200) to
ensure that the spare wheel is always ready to use.
Temporary spare wheel*
If you have such tyres on your vehicle, please refer to the notes below:
•The spare wheel provided with a car fitted with unidirectional tyres has different
dimensions. The wheel is provided with a warning sticker.
•After fitting on the wheel, the warning st icker must not be concealed (e.g. by the
wheel trim).
•D o n o t d r i v e w i t h th i s s p a re w h e e l a t m o re th a n 8 0 k m / h - ri s k o f a c c i d e n t. Av o i d
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 specialist garage 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 occu-
pants of the vehicle should not stan d on the road (e.g. 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 209 out of the
luggage compartment.
WARNING (continued)
B1Z-0042HB1Z-0042H
Fig. 191 Luggage
compartment: Spare
wheel
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Page 229 of 259

Technical Data
228
Gearbox code, paint number, interior equipment number, engine output,
engine code
Partial description of the vehicle
7GG - vehicles with DPF ⇒page 160
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
The vehicle identification number - VIN (v ehicle body number) is stamped onto the
partition between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment and
on a sign on the lower left hand edge below the windscreen.
Engine number
The engine number is stamped into the engine block.
Type plate (production plate)
The type plate is affixed to the rear cross panel in the engine compartment on the
right looking in the direction of travel.
Vehicles for certain export countries do not have a type plate.
Sticker on inside of fuel filler flap
The sticker is affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap. The sticker contains the
following data:
•The prescribed types of fuel,
•Tyre s iz e ,
•Tyre pressure.
Fuel consumption according to the regulations
(99/100/EU)
Depending on the range of the special equipment, style of driving, traffic situation,
weather influences and vehi cle condition, the consumption values which in prac-
tice result when using the vehicle ca n deviate from the indicated values.
Urban traffic
The consumption measurement in urban traf fic begins with starting of the cold
engine. Afterwards the normal urban traffic is simulated.
Non-urban traffic
For the consumption measurement in non-ur ban traffic the vehicle, as in daily
motoring, is accelerated and braked several times in all gears. The vehicle speed
changes within the range from 0 to 120 km/h.
Combined traffic
The consumption value in the combined traf fic consists of 37% from the value for
the urban traffic and of 63% from the value for the non-urban traffic.
Dimensions
Dimensions (mm)
A3
A4
A5
Length4803
Width1765
Width including exterior mirror1895
NKO B5 20.book Page 228 Friday, March 2, 2007 1:46 PM