Page 185 of 314

Tires and wheels
184
>> Operation
1
TWI (T
read W
ear I
ndicator)
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Storing tires
!
Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry place
with as little exposure to light as possible.
Protect tires from contact with oil, grease and
gasoline.Cleaning tires
!
Never use a round nozzle to power wash
tires. The intense jet of water can result in
damage to the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.
Direction of rotationUnidirectional tires offer added advantages,
such as better hydroplaning performance.
To benefit, however, you must make sure the
tires rotate in the direction specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the
intended direction of rotation (spinning) of
the tire.
G
Warning!
Although the applicable federal motor
safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the treadwear indicators (TWI) be
come visible at approximately
1/16in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not
allow your tires to wear down to that
level. As tread depth approaches 1/8in
(3 mm), the adhesion properties on a wet
road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction
varies widely.
Page 198 of 314

Tires and wheels
>> Operation
197
General:
Depending on the design standards used, the
tire size molded into the sidewall may have no
letter or a letter preceding the tire size des
ignation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter "P" preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter "LT" preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter "T" preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only.
Tire width
Tire width1
(page 196) indicates the
nominal tire width in mm.Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio2
(page 196) is the dimen
sional relationship between tire section
height and section width and is expressed in
percentage. The aspect ratio is arrived at by
dividing section height by section width.
Tire code
Tire code3 (
page 196) indicates the tire
construction type. The "R" stands for radial
tire type. Letter "D" means diagonal or bias
ply construction; letter "B" means belted
bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a "ZR" in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see "Tire speed
rating" (
page 198)
.
Rim diameter
Rim diameter4 (
page 196) is the diameter
of the bead seat, not the diameter of the rim
edge. Rim diameter is indicated in inches (in).Tire load rating
Tire load rating5 (
page 196) is a numeri
cal code associated with the maximum load a
tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corresponds
to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs (615 kg) the
tire is designed to support.
See also "Maximum tire load" (
page 201)
where the maximum load associated with the
load index is indicated in kilograms and lbs.
G
Warning!
The tire load rating must always be at
least half of the GAWR (
page 205) of
your vehicle. Otherwise, tire failure may
result and cause an accident and/or seri
ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the
same designation, manufacturer and type
as shown on the original part.
Page 201 of 314

Tires and wheels
200
>> Operation Load identification
1
Load identification
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may
vary from data shown in above illustration.
In addition to the tire load rating, special load
identification1 may be molded into the tire
sidewall following the letter designating the
tire speed rating (
page 196).No specification given: absence of any text
(like in above example) indicates a standard
load (SL) tire.
XL (Extra Load): designates an extra load
(or reinforced) tire.
Light Load: designates a light load tire.
C, D, E: designates load range associated with
the maximum load a tire can carry at a speci
fied pressure.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S. tire regulations require each new tire
manufacturer or tire retreader to mold a TIN
into or onto a sidewall of each tire produced.
The TIN is a unique identifier which facilitates
efforts by tire manufactures to notify
purchasers in recall situations or other
safety matters concerning tires and gives
purchasers the means to easily identify such
tires.
The TIN is comprised of "Manufacturer’s
identification mark", "Tire size", "Tire type
code", and "Date of manufacture".
1
DOT
2
Manufacturer’s identification mark
3
Tire size
4
Tire type code (at the option of the tire
manufacturer)
5
Date of manufacture
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may
vary from data shown in above illustration.
Page 220 of 314

Driving instructions
>> Operation
219
Road salts and chemicals can adversely affect
braking efficiency. Increased pedal force may
become necessary to produce the normal
braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically when
traveling at length on saltstrewn roads can
bring roadsaltimpaired braking efficiency
back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven on
salttreated roads, the braking efficiency
should be tested as soon as possible after
driving is resumed.For more information, see "Winter driving"
(
page 208).
Standing water!
Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Before driving
through water, determine its depth. Never
accelerate before driving into water. The bow
wave could force water into the engine and
auxiliary equipment, thus damaging them.
If you must drive through standing water,
drive slowly to prevent water from entering
the passenger compartment, the front com
partment, or the engine compartment. Water
in these areas could cause damage to electri
cal components or wiring of the engine or
transmission, or could result in water being
ingested by the engine through the air intake,
causing severe internal engine damage.
Any such damage is not covered by the smart
Limited Warranty.
G
Warning!
Make sure not to endanger any other
road users when carrying out these
braking maneuvers.
G
Warning!
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
make sure snow is kept clear of the
exhaust pipe and from around the vehicle
with the engine running. Otherwise,
deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon
sciousness and death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the
vehicle not facing the wind.G
Warning!
The outside temperature display is not
designed to serve as an icewarning
device and is therefore unsuitable for
that purpose. Indicated temperatures
just above the freezing point do not
guarantee that the road surface is free of
ice.
Page 227 of 314

Vehicle care
226
>> Operation
Vehicle careContact an authorized smart center for rec
ommended and approved care products.i
Advice on caring for the soft top system,
see (page 230).
!
To avoid damage to interior equipment and materials: Never rub roughly or use cleaning spirits on the cloth upholstery, never use strong
agents, stain remover etc. on the leather upholstery. Never scour ore use solvent on plastic parts. Never use strong and aggressive agents on
windows, do not touch the inside of the windows with hard objects such as an ice scraper or ring, doing so may damage the windows.
G
Warning!
After washing the vehicle, the brakes may
still be wet and thus their functionality
impaired. Therefore, when you start off,
brake lightly several times without en
dangering traffic.
Interior
Special considerations
Light soiling
Heavy soiling
Cloth upholstery
Use a clean, lintfree cloth
Light soap suds
Stain remover (test on an incon
spicuous place first)
Plastic parts
Use a colorfast cloth
Damp, clean cloth, cockpit spray
Damp, clean cloth, cockpit spray
Leather upholstery
Use a clean, colorfast cloth
Clean cloth with lukewarm water,
leather care product
Leather care product
Windows
Damp, clean cloth, microfiber
cloth, glass cleaner
Microfiber cloth, glass cleaner
Page 228 of 314

Vehicle care
>> Operation
227
!
To avoid damage to exterior surfaces never do the following: Use aggressive paint cleaner, machine polish, abrasive cleanser, acidic, highly
alkaline agents, abrasive sponges, highpressure or hot water cleaning equipment
Exterior
Special considerations
Lightly soiled
Hand/Automatic car washes
Heavily soiled
Hand/Automatic car washes
tridion safety cell, black
Powder coated singlecoat paint
finish
Car shampoo concentrate, insect
remover for insect remains, polish
Car shampoo concentrate, hard
wax, insect remover for insect re
mains, polish
tridion safety cell, silver
Powder coated singlecoat paint
finish and clearcoat
Highly polished plastic parts
(body panels)
Body panels with base coat and
clearcoat or clearcoat only
Wheels and wheel covers
Twolayer metallic paint (high
gloss)
Car shampoo concentrate, rim
care
Car shampoo concentrate, rim
care
Retractable soft top
PAC fabric
Car shampoo concentrate, soft top
cleaner, impregnation spray
Car shampoo concentrate, soft top
cleaner, impregnation spray
Page 229 of 314

Vehicle care
228
>> Operation Removing insects
Remove insect remains before you start to
wash the vehicle.
>Spray insect remover on.
>Allow insect remover to work in briefly.
>Rub in gently with a soft cloth or sponge.
>Rinse with plenty of water.
>Treat the cleaned surface with hard wax.
Removing tar
Remove any tar marks before washing the
vehicle.
>Apply tar remover with a soft cloth.
>Allow tar remover to work in briefly.
>Rub in gently.
>Rinse with plenty of water.
>Treat the cleaned surface with hard wax.Vehicle washing
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces of
road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the vehicle underbody, do not
forget to clean the inner sides of the wheels.
Washing your vehicle by hand
>Wash the vehicle using car shampoo
concentrate and a sponge.
>Rinse with clean water.
>Towel dry the vehicle.
!
Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.
The body panel surfaces and paint finish may
be damaged.
Washing your vehicle in an automatic car wash
i
When running your vehicle through an
automatic car wash, water droplets can run
down the inside of the side windows.Unscrew your vehicle’s antenna before
driving into an automatic car wash.
1
Antenna
>Removing: Unscrew antenna
1 counter
clockwise.
>Fitting: Screw antenna
1 in clockwise. P82.62309131
Page 255 of 314
Replacing bulbs
254
>> Practical hints.
About replacing bulbsSafe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is therefore
essential that all bulbs and lamp assemblies
are in good working order at all times.
Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. Contact an autho
rized smart center for headlamp adjustment.
i
If the headlamps or front fog lamps* are
fogged up on the inside as a result of high
humidity, driving the vehicle a distance with
the lights on should clear up the fogging.
G
Warning!
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot.
Allow the lamp to cool down before
changing a bulb. Otherwise you could be
burned if you touch them.
Keep bulbs out of the reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas.
Abulb can explode if you:
• touch or move it when hot
•drop the bulb
• scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.