256 Tires and wheels
the time it was manufactured . For the
location of the label~
page 253, fig . 204.
Most tires lose air naturally over time. They
can also lose some air if you drive ove r a pot
hole or hit a curb while parking . It is usually
not possible to see whether the radial tires
used today are under inflated just by looking
at them.
Therefore, be sure to check tire pressures at
least once a month and always before going
on a long tr ip. Make sure to take the number
of people and the amount of luggage into ac
count when adjusting tire pressure for a trip -
even one that you would not consider to be
"long." See~
page 257, Tires and vehicle
load limits
for more important information.
Always use an accurate tire pressure gauge
when checking and adjusting inflation pres
sures. Check all of the tires and be sure not to
forget the spare t ire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
l oad (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do.
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
difference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the air
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your vehicle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manual and the kind
of dr iving you plan to do .
Never exceed the maximum inflation pres
sure listed on the tire sidewall for any rea
son.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufacturer, determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the tires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires are cold.
- Read the req uired ti re pressure from the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pi llar . -
Tu rn the va lve stem cap counter -clockwise
to remove it from the tire va lve .
- Place the air pressure gauge on the va lve.
- The tire pressu res should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold. The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reins tall the valve stem cap on the valve.
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is especially impor
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and always before starting a jour ney. Do not
f orget to check the tire pressure for the spare
whee l
~page 272.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying. After changing a wheel
or replacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all whee ls. In addition, you m ust then
store the new tire pressures in the tire pres
sure monitoring system*~
page 267.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
Rt] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the tires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping abi lity.
- Incorrect tire pressures and/or underin
flation can also lead to su dden t ire fail
ure, including a blowout and sudden de
flation, causing loss of veh icle control.
- The driver is responsible for the correct
tire pressures for all tires on the vehicle.
The applicable pressure values are locat ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil-
la~
~
Spare wheel
Applies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
F ig. 21 6 Luggag e compartme nt: spare wheel
Taking out the sp are whee l
• Lift the cargo floor by the plast ic handle
c:> fig . 216.
• Hook the hand le into the luggage compart
ment weather strip .
• Turn the large screw
c:> fig. 216 counter
clockwise.
• Take out the spare tire.
• Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire i n the luggage com
partment
c:> page 140 .
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
& WARNING
Loose items in the passenger compa rt
ment can cause serious pe rsonal in jury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
@ Tips
Check the inflat io n press ure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
-
What do I d o now ? 273
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang
ing a wheel.
• After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from mov ing traffic and try to
reach
le vel ground before you stop c:> ,&.
• All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for ins tance, behind
t he guardra il)
c:> ,& .
• Engage the parking brak e to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally
c:> ,& .
• Move sele ctor lever to po sit ion Pc:> &_ .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail
er from your vehicle.
• Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment
c:> page 271,
c:> page
272 .
& WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be i njured
while changing a wheel if you do not fo l
low these safe ty pre caut ions :
-I f you have a flat tire, move a safe d is
tance off the road. Turn off the e ngine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to a lert other mo
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
place away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always full y set the parking brake
a nd b lock the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac ing the Au tomatic Transmission in "P"
( P ar k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing .
- Before you chang e a whee l, be s ure the
g round is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board un der the jac k.
-