Airbag system
175
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
When disposing of vehicle or parts of the airbag system, it is important
to comply with the national legal requirements.When are the airbags deployed?The airbag system is designed in such
a way that the driver and front passenger
airbag are deployed in the event of a
frontal collision
of major severity.
In the case of a
violent side crash
, the front side airbag* on the side of the car at
which the collision occurs, is deployed toge
ther with the rear side airbag and the
head airbag*. In certain accident situa
tions, the front airbags, side airbags as well as the relevant
head airbag may be
deployed together.
The airbags
are not deployed
in the case of
minor
frontal and side collisions, in the
case of rear-end collisi
ons and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors It is not possible to state globally which
deployment conditions apply to the airbag
system in every situation as the circumstances which exist in the case of accidents vary greatly. An important role in this case
, for example, is played by factors such as
the type of object (hard, soft) against whic
h the vehicle impacts or the type of object
against which the vehicle impa
cts, the angle of impact,
the relative vehicle speed
during the accident etc. A decisive factor for the deployment of the airbags is the deceleration which occurs during a collision. The control unit analyses
the nature of the collision and activates
the relevant restraint system. If the vehi
cle deceleration which occurs and is meas-
ured during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit, the airbags are not
deployed although the vehicle may well
suffer severe damage to the bodywork
as a consequence of the accident.
The airbags are not deployed if:•
ignition off,
•
a minor frontal collision,
•
a minor side collision,
•
a rear-end collision,
•
Rollover of the vehicleNote
•
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is
perfectly normal and is not an indi
cation of a fire in the vehicle.
•
The dash panel must be replaced afte
r the front passenger airbag has been
deployed.•
In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed: − The interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in the door contact position), − The hazard warning light is switched on, − All the doors are unlocked, − the battery in the luggage compartment* is switched off, − the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
WARNING (continued)
s2dk.1.book Page 175 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM
Wheels and Tyres
235
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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 (depending 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 bodies 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 appropriatel
y slow speed and carefully to the nearest
specialist garage in order to have your vehicle inspected.•
Also protect your tyres from contact 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 noise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Further information concerning
the use of unidi
rectional tyres
⇒page 239.
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 considerably if the tyres are insufficiently or over-inflated and this will have an advers
e effect on the handli
ng 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. 210 An opened fuel filler flap with a tyre size and tyre inflation pressure table
s2dk.1.book Page 235 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM
Wheels and Tyres
239
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Winter tyresThe handling of your vehicle will be significantly 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 partic
ularly applies 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 235, fig. 210
.
Winter tyres no longer
offer the same winter performance once the
tyre tread
has
worn down to a depth of about 4 mm. Ageing
also causes winter tyres to lose most 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 237,
⇒
.
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed ca
tegory to your vehicle provided that you
also do not drive faster than the permis
sible maximum speed fo
r 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 permissi
ble maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if
you decide to fit winter tyres
⇒page 235.
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 ti
me 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. Only then are the tyres able to provide the optimal properties in terms of grip, low 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 dire
ction or in opposite running
direction, please adopt a
cautious style of driving as the tyre is no
longer able to provide optimal grip and
handling in such a situation.
This particularly important
on wet roads. Please refer
to the notes
⇒page 245, “Spare wheel*”.
You should have the defective tyre replac
ed as soon as possible and restore the
correct direction of rotation on all tyresSnow chainsSnow chains must only be mounted on the front wheels.
s2dk.1.book Page 239 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM
Technical Data
268
Identification detailsVehicle data sticker The vehicle data sticker
⇒fig. 243
is located on the floor of the luggage compart-
ment and is also stated in the Service schedule. The vehicle data sticker co
ntains the following data:
Vehicle identification number (VIN). Vehicle type.Gearbox code, paint number, interior
equipment number, engine output,
engine code. Partial description of the vehicle.7GG, 7MB, 7MG - vehicles with DPF
⇒page 200.
Vehicle identification number (VIN) The vehicle identification num
ber - VIN (vehicle body number) is stamped into the
engine compartment on the right hand shoc
k absorber dome. This number is also
located on a sign on the lower left hand
edge below the windscreen (together with
a VIN bar code).
Engine number The engine number is stam
ped into the engine block.
Type plate (production plate) It is located on the left
middle pillar of the body.
Homologation sign The homologation sign is located on the lock carrier. Vehicles for certain countries do not have an homologation sign. Sticker on inside of fuel filler flap The stickers are affixed to the inside of the fuel filler flap. They contain 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 consumpt
ion 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.
Fig. 243 Vehicle data sticker
A1A2A3A4A5s2dk.1.book Page 268 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM