2008 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK Owners Manual

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167
Running-in notes
............................... 168
Refuelling ........................................... 168
Engine compartment ........................171
Tyres and wheels .............................. 176
Winter driving ................................... 181
Driving tips ........................................ 183
Driving abroad ................................... 185
Trailer towing* .................................. 186
Service ............................................... 191
Care .................................................... 192 Operation
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Refuelling
168 Running-in notes
The first 1,500 km
If you treat the engine with sufficient care
from the very start, you will be rewarded with
excellent performance for the remainder of
the engine's life.
R You should therefore drive at varying road
and engine speeds for the first 1,500 km.
R Avoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full throt-
tle, during this time. Do not exceed 2
/ 3 of
the maximum permissible engine speed for
each gear.
R Change gear in good time.
R Do not shift down a gear manually in order
to brake.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*:
R Try to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the pressure point (kick-
down).
R Only use ranges 3,2or 1for slow driving,
e.g. in mountainous terrain.
After 1,500 km you may gradually bring the
vehicle up to full road and engine speeds. Refuelling
Refuelling
G
Risk of explosion
Fuel is highly flammable. Fire, naked flames
and smoking are therefore prohibited when
handling fuels.
Before refuelling, always turn off the
engine. G
Risk of injury
Avoid any contact with fuels.
You can damage your health if your skin
comes into direct contact with fuel or if you
inhale fuel vapours. G
Risk of fire
Do not use petrol to refuel vehicles with a
diesel engine. Never mix diesel with petrol.
This causes damage to the fuel system and
engine and could result in the vehicle catch-
ing fire.
! Do not use petrol to refuel vehicles with a
diesel engine. Do not use diesel to refuel
vehicles with a petrol engine. Even small
amounts of the wrong fuel will cause dam-
age to the injection system. Damage result- ing from adding the wrong fuel is not cov-
ered by the warranty.
! Do not start the engine if you accidentally
refuel with the wrong fuel. Otherwise, the
fuel could enter the fuel lines. This would
require draining of the fuel tank and fuel
lines. Notify a qualified specialist workshop
and have the fuel tank and fuel lines
drained completely.
When you open or close the vehicle with the
key, the fuel filler flap is automatically
unlocked or locked.
The position of the fuel filler cap is to the rear
on the right. The fuel tank filler flap is shown
in the instrument cluster 4. The arrow onOperation
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Refuelling
169
the filling pump indicates the side of the vehi-
cle. 1
To open the fuel filler flap
2 To insert the fuel cap
3 Tyre pressure table
4 Fuel type
X To open: press the fuel filler flap in the
direction of arrow 1.
X Turn the fuel filler cap to the left and
remove it.
X Insert the fuel filler cap into the holder
bracket on the inside of filler flap 2.
X Only fill the tank until the pump nozzle
switches off.
! Overfilling the fuel tank could damage the
fuel system. X
To close: replace the fuel filler cap and turn
it clockwise. The fuel filler cap audibly
engages.
X Close the fuel filler flap.
i Vehicles with a diesel engine:
if the fuel tank has been run completely dry,
it will be necessary to bleed the fuel system
(Y page 232). Petrol (EN 228)
! Refuel using only unleaded premium
grade petrol with a minimum octane num-
ber of 95 RON/85 MON conforming to
European standard EN 228.
You could otherwise impair engine output
or damage the engine.
i As a temporary measure, only when the
recommended fuel is not available, you
may also use regular unleaded petrol,
91 RON/82.5 MO N. Thismay reduce
engine performance and increase fuel con-
sumption. Avoid driving at full throttle.
In some countries, the available petrol qual-
ity may not be adequate and could cause
coking around the inlet valve. In such
cases, and in consultation with a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre, the petrol
may be mixed with the additive recommen-
ded by Mercedes-Benz (part no.
A000989254510). You must observe the
notes and mixing ratios specified on the
container.
For further information on "Fuel" see
(Y page 292).
Turbo engines !
Refuel using only unleaded Super Plus
with a minimum octane number of
98 RON/88 MON conforming to European
standard EN 228.
You could otherwise impair engine output
or damage the engine.
i If the recommended fuel is not available
and only as a temporary measure, you may
also use premium unleaded petrol,
95 RON/85 MON. This may reduce engine
performance and increase fuel consump-
tion. You must avoid driving at full throttle. Operation
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Refuelling
170 Diesel (EN 590)
! Only use diesel that complies with the
EN 590 European standard.
You could otherwise impair engine output
or damage the engine.
You will find further information about die-
sel under "Fuel" in the index.
! When refuelling vehicles with a diesel par-
ticle filter in countries outside the EU, only
low-sulphur Euro diesel with less than
0.005 percent sulphur content by weight
should be used. In countries in which diesel
with a higher sulphur content is available
(e.g. 0.035 percent by weight), the engine
oil should be renewed at more frequent
intervals. More information about intervals
for changing the engine oil can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
! Using fuel that does not comply with
EN 590 can increase wear and damage the
engine and the exhaust system.
Do not use the following:
R marine diesel
R heating oil
R bio-diesel R
vegetable oil
R petrol
R paraffin
R kerosene
Do not add such fuels to diesel fuel and do
not use any special additives (exception:
flow improvers – see "Low outside temper-
atures").
Damage caused by the use of unapproved
fuels or additives is not covered by the war-
ranty.
For further information on "Fuel" see
(Y page 292).
Lo w outside temperatures The flow properties of diesel may be inade-
quate at low ambient temperatures.
To prevent operating problems, diesel fuel
with improved cold flow qualities is available
during the winter months. Your vehicle must
be refuelled with this winter diesel at temper-
atures of -5 °C or below.
You can use this winter diesel at tempera-
tures down to about -20 °C without problems.
If only summer diesel fuel or less cold-resist-
ant winter diesel fuel (e.g. in Mediterranean
regions) is available, you should add anamount of flow improver to the fuel corre-
sponding to the outside temperature.
Mix the additive with the diesel in good time,
before the flow properties of the diesel
become inadequate. Otherwise, malfunctions
can only be rectified by heating the entire fuel
system, e.g. by parking the vehicle in a heated
garage.
G
Risk of fire
Do not use petrol to refuel vehicles with a
diesel engine. Never mix diesel with petrol.
This would damage the fuel system and
engine and could result in a vehicle fire.
Flow improver
The effectiveness of a flow improver is not
guaranteed with every fuel. Observe the infor-
mation provided by the manufacturer when
using a flow improver. Only use flow improv-
ers that have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Information about flow
improvers that have been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Operation
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Engine compartment
171Engine compartment
Bonnet
G
Risk of accident
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. The bonnet may otherwise
open and block your view.
Opening G
Risk of injury
There is a risk of injury if the bonnet is open,
even if the engine is not running.
Some engine components can become
very hot.
To avoid the risk of burns, only touch those
components described in the Operating
Instructions and observe the relevant
safety notes. G
Risk of injury
The radiator fan between the radiator and
the engine can start automatically, even if
the key has been removed from the ignition
lock. For this reason you must not reach
into the turning area of the fan. You can
otherwise be injured. Vehicles with a petrol engine:
The electronic ignition system uses high
voltage. For this reason, you must never
touch components of the ignition system
(ignition coil, ignition cable, spark plug con-
nector or test socket) when:
R
the engine is running
R the engine is being started
R the ignition is switched on and the engine
is being cranked by hand
Vehicles with a diesel engine:
The electronic injection control uses high
voltage. Therefore, never touch fuel injec-
tion system components when:
R the engine is running
R the engine is being started
R the ignition is switched on
X Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
switched off. G
Risk of injury
The windscreen wipers and wiper linkage
could be set in motion.
When the bonnet is open, you or others
could be injured by the wiper rods. Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
switched off and that the key has been
pulled out of the ignition lock before open-
ing the bonnet.
The bonnet release lever is located in the
driver's footwell. 1
Bonnet release lever
X Pull bonnet release lever 1.
The bonnet is released.
! Make sure that the windscreen wipers
are not folded out from the windscreen.
You could otherwise damage the wind-
screen wipers or the bonnet. Operation
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Engine compartment
172
The handle for opening the bonnet is located
above the radiator grille. 2
Bonnet catch handle
X Pull handle 2of the bonnet catch out-
wards from the radiator grille and lift the
bonnet from underneath by the radiator
grille. 3
Recess
4 Support strut
5 Bracket
X Pull support strut 4out of bracket 5.
X Swing support strut 4upwards and insert
it into yellow recess 3.
Closing G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped as you close the bonnet.
X Raise the bonnet slightly and remove sup-
port strut 4from yellow recess 3.
X Swing support strut 4down and press it
into bracket 5until it engages. X
Lower the bonnet and let it fall from a
height of approximately 20 cm.
X Check that the bonnet has engaged prop-
erly.
i If the bonnet can be raised slightly, it is
not properly engaged. Open it again and
close it with a little more force. Engine oil
Depending on driving style, the vehicle con-
sumes a maximum of 0.8 l oil per 1,000 km.
The oil consumption may be higher than this
when the vehicle is new or if you frequently
drive at high engine speeds. You can only
estimate the oil consumption after you have
driven a considerable distance.
For further information on engine oil see
(Y page 296). Operation
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Engine compartment
173
Checking
the engine oil level To do so:
R
the vehicle should be parked on level
ground
R the engine should be switched off for at
least five minutes if the engine was at nor-
mal operating temperature.
R the engine should be switched off for at
least 30 minutes if the engine was not at
operating temperature (i.e. if you only star-
ted the engine briefly)
Using the on-board computer*
i Only possible on vehicles with a diesel
engine. A dipstick is used to check petrol
engines (Y page 174).
X Make sure that the key is in position
2(Y page 62) in the ignition lock.
X Press the jork button to select the
following message: The measurement takes a few seconds. You
will see one of the following messages in the
display:
R Engine oil level OK
R Add 1.0 litre to reach maximum oil
level
R Add 1.5 litres to reach maximum oil
level
R Add 2.0 litres to reach maximum oil
level
X Top up the oil if necessary ( Ypage 174).
Other messages in the multi-function dis-
play
If the engine is at normal operating tempera-
ture and there is too much oil, you will see the
following message: Eng. oil level
Reduce oil level
X
Have excess oil siphoned off.
! There is a risk of damage to the engine or
the catalytic converter if there is excess oil
in the engine.
If the Switch ignition on to check
engine oil level message appears:
X Turn the key to position 2(Y page 62) in
the ignition lock.
You will see the following message if you did
not observe the required waiting period:
Observe waiting period
X Repeat the measurement after about five
minutes if the engine is at normal operating
temperature.
X Repeat the measurement after about
30 minutes if the engine is not at normal
operating temperature (if the engine was
only started briefly).
The following message appears if the engine
is running:
Engine oil level Not when engine on
X Switch off the engine and wait for five
minutes if the engine is at normal operating
temperature, or for about 30 minutes if the
engine is not at normal operating temper- Operation
* optional
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