›Secure all items of luggage
» page 91, Luggage compartment .
› Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedals.
› Adjust the mirrors, the front seat and head restraint to your body size.
› Advise your passengers to adjust the head restraints to their body size.
› Protect children in suitable child seats with correctly fastened seat
belts » page 193 , Transporting children safely .
› Adopt the correct seated position
» page 177, Correct seated position . Tell your
passengers to assume the correct seated position.
› Correctly fasten the seat belt. Also inform passengers to fasten the seat belt
correctly » page 180 , Using seat belts .
What influences driving safety?
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 176.
The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety
is effected, you place yourself and the oncoming traffic at risk.
The following guidelines must therefore be observed. › Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
passengers or mobile phone calls.
› Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication, alco-
hol or drugs.
› Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
› Always adjust the driving speed to the road, traffic and weather conditions.
› Take regular breaks on long journeys – at least every two hours.
Correct seated position
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Correct seated position for the driver
178
Correct seated position for the front passenger
178
Correct seated position for the passengers in the rear seats
178
Examples of an incorrect seated position
179WARNINGGeneral information■At all times, the front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to match
the person's body size and the seat belt must be attached properly to provide
the most effective levels of protection to passengers.■
If the occupant adopts an incorrect seated position, he is exposed to life-
threatening injuries, in case he is hit by a deployed airbag.
■
If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is
increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
■
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system –
risk of injury!
WARNINGInformation for the driver■Always assume the correct seated position before setting off and do not
change this position while driving. Also advise your passengers to adopt the
correct seated position and not to change this position while the car is mov-
ing.■
Maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel, and a dis-
tance of at least 10 cm between the legs and the dash panel at the height of
the knee airbag. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you – hazard!
■
When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel in
the 12 o'clock position or in any other way (e.g. in the middle or inner edge of the steering wheel). In such cases, you could severely injure the arms, handsand head when the driver airbag is deployed.
■
Ensure that there are no objects in the driver's footwell as they may get
caught behind the pedals when driving or applying the braking. You would
then no longer be able to operate the clutch, brake or accelerate.
177Passive Safety
WARNING“Quick-charging” the vehicle battery is dangerous and requires a special
charger and specialist knowledge.
CAUTION
On vehicles with the START/STOP system, the pole terminal of the charger must
not be connected directly to the negative terminal of the vehicle battery, but only
to the engine earth » page 244, Jump-starting in vehicles with the START-STOP
system .
Note
We therefore recommend that vehicle batteries be rapid charged by a specialist
garage.
Replacing
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 224.
When replacing a battery, the new vehicle battery must have the same capacity,
voltage, amperage and be the same size. Suitable vehicle battery types can be
purchased from a specialist garage.
We recommend having the battery replaced by a specialist garage, where the
new vehicle battery will be installed properly and the original battery will be dis-
posed of in accordance with national regulations.
Disconnecting and reconnecting
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 224.
On disconnecting and reconnecting the vehicle battery, the following functions
are initially deactivated or are no longer able to operate fault-free:
OperationOperating measureElectrical power window (operational faults)» page 49Enter the radio/navigation system code num-
ber» Operating instructions for Info-
tainment Radio or » Operating
instructions for Infotainment
NavigationSetting the clock» page 14Data in the multifunction display are deleted» page 29
Note
We recommend having the vehicle checked by a specialist garage in order to en-
sure full functionality of all electrical systems.
Automatic load deactivation
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 224.
The vehicle voltage control unit automatically prevents the battery from discharg-
ing when the bettery is subjected to heavy loads. This manifests itself by the fol-
lowing.
› The idling speed is raised to allow the generator to deliver more electricity to
the electrical system.
› Where appropriate large convenience consumers, e.g. seat heaters, rear win-
dow heaters, have their power limited or in case of emergency shut off com-
pletely.
CAUTION
■ Despite such intervention by the vehicle electric system management, the vehi-
cle battery may be drained. For example, when the ignition is switched on a long
time with the engine turned off or the side or parking lights are turned on during longer parking.■
Consumers which are supplied via a 12 V socket can cause the vehicle battery to
discharge when the ignition is switched off.
Note
Driving comfort is not disrupted by any shutting off of consumers. Often the driv-
er is not aware of it having taken place.
227Inspecting and replenishing
›The wheels of one axle are loaded more heavily (e.g. when towing a trailer or
when driving uphill or downhill).
› Snow chains are mounted.
› The spare wheel is mounted.
› One wheel per axle was changed.
For vehicles with Infotainment 1)
it can be determined which tyres should be
checked » Manual Infotainment , chapter Vehicle settings (key CAR) .WARNING■
When the warning light illuminates, immediately reduce the speed and
avoid sudden steering and brake manoeuvres. Stop the vehicle as soon as
possible and inspect the tyres and their inflation pressure.■
Under certain circumstances (e.g. sporty style of driving, wintry or unpaved
roads) the may light up after a delay, or not at all.
CAUTION
■
The tyre control display does therefore not replace the regular tyre inflation
pressure control, as the system cannot detect an even loss of pressure.■
The system cannot warn in case of very rapid tyre inflation pressure loss, e.g. in
case of sudden tyre damage. In this case carefully bring the vehicle to a standstill
without sudden steering movements or sharp braking.
■
To ensure a proper functioning of the tyre control display, it is necessary to re-
peat the basic setting every 10000 km or once a year.
Spare wheel
Fig. 192
Luggage compartment: Spare
wheel
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 228.
The spare wheel is located in a well under the floor covering in the boot and is
fixed in place with a special bolt » Fig. 192.
Take out wheel
›
Open the boot lid.
›
Raise the floor covering in the boot » page 99.
›
Remove the box with the tool kit.
›
Pull out safety lock
1
» Fig. 192 in the direction of the arrow.
›
Unscrew the
2
bolt in a counterclockwise direction.
›
Remove the wheel.
Store wheel away
›
Place the replaced wheel into the spare wheel well with the wheel rim pointing
downward.
›
Screw in bolt
2
» Fig. 192 in a clockwise direction, until the wheel is secure.
›
Insert safety lock
1
» Fig. 192 in the opposite direction to which the arrow is
pointing.
›
Place the box with the tool kit back into the spare wheel and secure it with the
tape.
›
Fold back the floor covering in the boot » page 99.
›
Shut the boot lid.
Install a wheel having the appropriate version and dimensions as soon as possi-
ble.
If the dimensions or design of the spare wheel differ from the tyres fitted to the
vehicle (e.g. winter tyres or low-profile tyres), it must only be used briefly in the
event of a puncture and if an appropriately cautious style of driving is adop-
ted »
.
Temporary spare wheel
A yellow warning label is displayed on the rim of the temporary spare wheel.
Please note the following if you intend to use the temporary spare wheel. › The warning label must not be covered after installing the wheel.
› Be specially attentive when driving.
› The inflation pressure for the temporary spare wheel is identical to the maxi-
mum inflation pressure of the standard tyres.
› Only use this temporary spare wheel to reach the nearest specialist garage, as it
is not intended for long-term use.
1)
Does not apply to vehicles with the Infotainment Blues and Swing system.
232General Maintenance