transport fuel to use for your lawn mower,
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers. Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F8S2 -86) .
@ Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty. The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalyt ic converter.
Refuelling
Fig. 165 Right rear vehicle s ide: Opening the fuel filler
flap
Fig. 166 Fuel filler flap with attached fuel cap
When activating the central locking, the fuel
f ill er flap is automatically un locked or locked.
Refuel the vehicle with the ignition switched
off.
Taking the fuel cap off
• Press the left side of the fuel filler flap to
open it¢
fig. 165 -arrow-.
• Unscrew fuel filler cap counter-clockwise
and hang it on the fuel filler flap
~ fig. 166 .
Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank 217
Refuelling procedure
• Insert the fuel nozzle from the gasoline
pump into the fuel filler neck as far as it will
go.
• Select a medium refuelling rate so that the
nozzle switches off automatically when the
tank is full.
Putting the fuel cap back on
• After filling your tank, twist the fuel filler
cap clockwise as far as it will go.
• Close the fuel filler flap.
To avoid fuel spill ing or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap proper ly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp ¢
page 28
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fue l to spray out of filler neck or to over
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire.
- Never use a cellular telephone while re
fue ling. The electromagnet ic radiation
can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va
pors and cause a fire.
- Never get back into your vehicle while re
fueling.
If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors
released during refueling.
- Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refu
eling or filling a portable fue l container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
218 Fuel supply and filling your fuel tank
fuel container in your vehicle. The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container
while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici
ty can bui ld up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling.
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozz le must always be
in contact with the container. This will
help prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire .
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel conta iners .
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F8S2 -86) .
d) Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediate ly to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated noz zle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol
lute the environment.
(D Tips
-Running your engine whi le refue lling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spi ll out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may otherwise not ind icate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the ins ide .
Fuel filler flap emergency release
You can open the fuel filler flap by hand if the
power locking system should fail.
Fig. 167 Lug g ag e compar tmen t: o pe ning th e side tri m
Fig. 168 Rig ht s ide t rim p an el in t he luggage compart
ment : emer gen cy re lease mech anism
Opening the side trim
.. To r emove th e right side trim, first remove
the retainer from the mounts¢
fig. 167.
.. Turn both locking mechanisms 90° to the
left using a coin or a similar object and re-
move the locking mechanisms. ..,_
