Taking care of your vehicle and cleaning the vehicle
212
Automatic vehicle wash systemsThe paintwork of the vehicle is sufficiently resistant that the vehicle can be washed normally in automatic vehicle wash plants without any problem. The actual stress to which the paintwork is subjected, however, depends greatly on the design of the vehicle wash system, the filtering of the water and the type of washing and care products used. If the paintwork of your
vehicle appears mat after being washed or
even has scratches, point this out to the operator of the vehicle wash plant. Use a different vehicle wash plant, if necessary. There are no particular points to note be
fore washing your vehicle in an automatic
vehicle wash system other than the usua
l precautionary measures (closing the
windows and the sliding/tilting roof, etc.). If you have any particular atta
ch e d p a r t s f i t te d t o y o u r c a r - s u ch a s s p o i l e r, ro o f ra ck
system, two-way radio aerial - it is best to
first of all consult the operator of the car
wash plant. It is important to degrease the lips of
the windscreen wiper rubbers after passing
through the automatic vehicle wash system.Washing vehicle by handIt is important to first soften the dirt with
plenty of water and
rinse it off as thor-
oughly as possible before wa
shing your vehi
cle by hand.
One should then clean the vehicle using a soft
washing sponge
, washing glove
or
a washing brush
and only slight pressure. Work
from the top to the bottom -
beginning with the roof. Only place slight
pressure on the vehicle paintwork during
cleaning Only use a
car shampoo
for stubborn dirt.
Wash out the sponge or washing glove thoroughly at short intervals.Clean wheels, door sills and similar parts
last. Use a second sponge for such areas.
Rinse off the vehicle well after giving it a
wash and dry it off using a chamois leather.
WARNING
•
The ignition should always be switched off when you wash your vehicle -
risk of accident!•
Protect your hands and arms from sharp-edged metal parts when you
are cleaning the underfloor, the inside
of the wheel housings or the wheel
trims - risk of cuts.
Caution
•
Do not wash your vehicle in bright
sunlight - risk of paint damage.
•
Ensure that the jet of water is not aimed directly at the locks or at the door and
panel joints if you spray your
vehicle in winter down with
a hose - risk of freezing.
•
Do not use any insect sponges, rough ki
tchen sponges or simi
lar cleaning prod-
ucts - risk of damage to the surface of paintwork.
For the sake of the environment
Only wash your vehicle at washing bays specifically reserved for this purpose. This ensures that no water which may be cont
aminated by oil flow
s into the sewage
system. It is not even permitted to wash your vehicle in certain areas except at such specific washing bays.Washing with a high-pressure cleanerWhen you wash your vehicle with a high-pre
ssure cleaner, it is
essential to comply
with the instructions for use of the cleaning equipment. This applies in particular to the
pressure
used and to the
spraying distance
. Maintain a sufficiently large
distance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses or insulation material.
On no account use
circular spray nozzles
or so-called
dirt cutters
!
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Wheels and Tyres
238
Wheels and TyresWheelsGeneral information•
New tyres do not offer optimal grip at first and should therefore be run in for
about 500 km at a moderate speed and an appropriately cautious style of driving. You will also profit from longer tyre life.•
The tread depth of new tyres may differ because of design features and the
configuration of the tread (d
epending on the type of tyre and the manufacturer).
•
Drive over curbs on the side of the road
and other such obstacles slowly and,
where possible, at a right angle in order
to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.
•
Inspect your tyres from time to time
for damage (punctures, cuts, splits and
bulges). Remove foreign bodi
es from the tyre profile.
•
Damage to tyres and wheels is frequent
ly not visible. Unus
ual vibrations or
pulling of the vehicle to one side
could be a sign of tyre damage.
Please reduce
your speed immediately and stop if
you suspect that a wheel is damaged.
Inspect the tyres for signs of damage (bulges,
splits, etc.). If no
visible damage is
present, please drive at an appropriately slow speed and carefully to the nearest specialist garage in order to have your vehicle inspected.•
Also protect your tyres from cont
act with oil, grease and fuel.
•
Immediately replace any dust caps of
the valves which have got lost.
•
Mark wheels before removing them so th
at their previous direction of running
can be maintained when
mounted them again.
•
Always store wheels or tyres which been removed in a cool, dry and, where
possible, dark place. Tyres which are not
fixed to a wheel trim should be stored
upright. Unidirectional tyres* The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by arrows on the wall of the tyre. This indicates the direction of rotation of the tyre, and it is essential that the tyres are fitted on to run in this direction. Only then are the tyres able to provide the optimal properties in terms of grip, low no
ise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Further information concerning th
e use of unidirectional tyres
⇒page 242.
WARNING
•
New tyres during the first 500 km do not offer optimal grip and should
therefore be run appropriately - risk of accident!•
Never drive with damaged tyres - risk of accident!Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.Tyre lifeThe life of your tyres very much depends on the following points: Tyre pressure The working life of tyres will be shortened co
nsiderably 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 partic
ular importance when travelling at
high speeds
.
It is therefore good to check the pressure
at least once a month and also before
Fig. 218 An opened fuel filler flap with a tyre size and tyre inflation pressure table
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Wheels and Tyres
242
•
The 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 rim
can lossen 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 contact surfaces on the rims.
Caution
The prescribed tightening torque of the wheel bolts for steel and light alloy wheels is 120 Nm.Winter tyresThe handling of your vehicle will be signi
ficantly improved when driving on wintry
roads if you fit winter tyres. Summer tyres do not offer the same grip on ice, snow and at temperatures below 7 °C because of
their construction (width, rubber blend,
tread pattern). This particularly applie
s to vehicles which
are equipped with
low-
profile tyres
or high-speed tyres
(code index H or V on wall of tyre).
Winter tyres must be mounted on all four
wheels to obtain the
best handling char-
acteristics. You must only fit those types of winter tyre
which are approved for your vehicle. The
permissible
sizes of winter tyres
are stated in your vehicle documents. Approvals
may differ because of
national legislation.
Please remember that the tyres should be in
flated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar) more than is
the case for summer tyres
⇒page 238.
Winter tyres no longer offer the
same winter performance once the
tyre tread
has
worn down to a depth of about 4 mm. Ageing
a l s o c a u s e s w i n t e r t y re s t o l o s e m o s t
of their winter performance properties
- even in cases where the remaining tread depth is still clearly more than 4 mm. Speed restrictions
apply to winter tyres as
well as to summer tyres
⇒page 240,
⇒
.
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed ca
tegory to your vehicle provided that you
also do not drive faster than the permissible maximum speed for such tyres, even if the possible maximum speed of your ve
hicle is higher. The
corresponding tyre
category can damage the tyres when ex
ceeding the permissible maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if
you decide to fit winter tyres
⇒page 238.
You can also fit so-called “all-year tyres” instead of winter tyres.Please contact your specialist garage if there are any points which are not clear who will be able to provide you with information regarding the maximum speed for your tyres.
WARNING
You must on no account drive your car at more than the permissible maximum speed for your winter tyres -
risk of an accident resulting from
tyre damage and loss of control over your car.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres on again in good time since summer tyres offer you better grip and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well as ar tempera- tures below 7 °C - the braking distance is shorter, there is less tyre noise, tyre wear is reduced and fuel consumption is reduced.
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.Unidirectional tyres*The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by
arrows on the wall of the tyre
.
This indicates the direction of
rotation of the tyre, and it is essential that the tyres
are fitted on to run in this direction. On
ly then are the tyres able to provide the
optimal properties in terms of grip, lo
w noise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Should it be necessary to fit on a spare
wheel in exceptional cases with a tyre not
dedicated to the running direction or in o
pposite running direct
ion, please adopt a
WARNING (continued)
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