Page 178 of 247
176Driving and operating
Eye for break-away stopping cable
Attach breakaway stopping cable to
eye.
Check that the coupling ball bar is correctly installed
■ Green marking on rotary knob must
point towards green marking on
coupling ball bar.
■ There must be no gap between the
rotary handle and the coupling ball
bar.
■ The coupling ball bar must be firmly
engaged in the opening.
■ The coupling ball bar must be locked and the key removed.9 Warning
Towing a trailer is permitted only
when a coupling ball bar is fitted correctly. If the coupling ball bardoes not engage correctly, seekthe assistance of a workshop.
Dismounting the coupling ball
bar
Open the protective flap and turn the
key to position c to unlock the
coupling ball bar.
Pull out rotary handle and turn
clockwise as far as it will go. Pull out coupling ball bar downwards.
Insert sealing plug in opening. Fold away socket.
Stow and secure the coupling ball bar
as mentioned above.
Page 179 of 247

Vehicle care177Vehicle careGeneral Information...................177
Vehicle checks ........................... 178
Bulb replacement .......................185
Electrical system ........................193
Vehicle tools .............................. 199
Wheels and tyres .......................200
Jump starting ............................. 214
Towing ....................................... 216
Appearance care .......................218General Information
Accessories and vehicle
modifications
We recommend the use of genuine parts and accessories and factory
approved parts specific for your
vehicle type. We cannot assess or
guarantee reliability of other products
- even if they have a regulatory or
otherwise granted approval.
Do not make any modifications to the electrical system, e.g. changes of
electronic control units (chip tuning).Caution
When transporting the vehicle on
a train or on a recovery vehicle, the
mud flaps might be damaged.
Vehicle storage
Storage for a long period of time
If the vehicle is to be stored for several months:
■ Wash the vehicle. Wax painted parts of the vehicle. Exterior care
3 218.
■ Have the wax in the engine compartment and underbody
checked.
■ Clean and preserve the rubber seals.
■ Fill up fuel tank completely.
■ Change the engine oil.
■ Drain the washer fluid reservoir.
■ Check the coolant antifreeze and corrosion protection.
■ Adjust tyre pressure to the value specified for full load.
■ Park the vehicle in a dry, well ventilated place. Engage first orreverse gear or set selector lever to P . Prevent the vehicle from rolling.
■ Do not apply the parking brake.
Page 201 of 247
Vehicle care199Vehicle tools
Tools Vehicles with spare wheel
Open the load floor cover. The jack,
the tools and a strap for securing a
damaged wheel are in the tool box
below the spare wheel in the load
compartment. The wheel wrench and the towing eye are in the tool bag
located in the spare wheel well near
the tool box. Spare wheel 3 211.
Vehicles with tyre repair kit
Some tools and the towing eye are
located together with the tyre repair
kit in a tool box in the load
compartment below the floor cover.
Vehicles with tyre repair kit and
flat load compartment floor
Some tools and the towing eye are
located together with the tyre repair
kit in a bag, which is fixed at the front left lashing eye in the load
compartment.
Page 213 of 247

Vehicle care211
Jacking position for lifting
platform
Rear arm position of the lifting
platform centrically under the recess
of the sill.
Front arm position of the lifting
platform at the underbody.
Spare wheel Some vehicles are equipped with a
tyre repair kit instead of a spare
wheel.
If mounting a spare wheel, which is
different from the other wheels, this
wheel might be classified as a
temporary spare wheel and the
corresponding speed limits apply,
even though no label indicates this.
Seek the assistance of a workshop to
check the applicable speed limit.
The spare wheel has a steel rim.Caution
The use of a spare wheel that is smaller than the other wheels or in combination with winter tyres
could affect driveability. Have the defective tyre replaced as soon as
possible.
Removing the spare wheel and
stowing a damaged wheel in the load compartment
The spare wheel is located in the
spare wheel well beneath the floor
cover.
The spare wheel well is not designed
for other tyre sizes than spare wheel.
To remove: 1. Close the soft top and fold in the load compartment partition by
pushing at the loop area upwards
to the inside 3 71.
Page 215 of 247

Vehicle care213
9. Insert the strap through thespokes of the wheel as shown in
the illustration.
10. Mount the hook to the right rear lashing eye.
11. Tighten the strap and secure it using the buckle.
12. Deposit the floor cover on the wheel.
13. If equipped, secure coupling ball bar in the bag at a lashing eye in
the load compartment.
14. Fold out the load compartment partition before opening the soft
top.
Stowing the spare wheel back in
the well after replacing the
damaged wheel
1. Close the soft top and fold in the load compartment partition.
2. Remove floor cover, untwist and remove wing nut and conus.
3. Stow the tools in the tool box and the bag.
4. Place spare wheel outside up in the well.
5. Insert and turn the excentricconus in the recess of the spare
wheel so that the wheel is
positioned as far as possible to
the front. Secure the wheel by
turning the wing nut clockwise.
6. Insert and close floor cover.9 Warning
Storing a jack, a wheel or other
equipment in the load
compartment could cause injury if they are not fixed properly. During a sudden stop or a collision, loose
equipment could strike someone.
Store jack and tools always in the
respective storage compartments
and secure them by fixing.
Damaged wheel placed in the load
compartment must always be
secured by the strap.
Temporary spare wheel
Caution
The use of a spare wheel that is smaller than the other wheels or in combination with winter tyres
Page 216 of 247

214Vehicle carecould affect driveability. Have thedefective tyre replaced as soon as
possible.
Only mount one temporary spare
wheel. Do not drive faster than
50 mph. Take curves slowly. Do not
use for a long period of time.
If your vehicle gets a flat tyre on the
rear while towing another vehicle,
mount the temporary spare wheel in
the front and the full tyre in the rear.
Tyre chains 3 205.
Directional tyres
Fit directional tyres such that they roll in the direction of travel. The rolling
direction is indicated by a symbol
(e.g. an arrow) on the sidewall.
The following applies to tyres fitted
opposing the rolling direction:
■ Driveability may be affected. Have the defective tyre renewed or
repaired as soon as possible.
■ Drive particularly carefully on wet and snow-covered road surfaces.
Jump starting
Do not start with quick charger.
A vehicle with a discharged vehicle
battery can be started using jump
leads and the vehicle battery of
another vehicle.9 Warning
Be extremely careful when starting
with jump leads. Any deviation
from the following instructions can
lead to injuries or damage caused
by battery explosion or damage to the electrical systems of both
vehicles.
9 Warning
Avoid contact of the battery with
eyes, skin, fabrics and painted
surfaces. The fluid contains
sulphuric acid which can cause
injuries and damage in the event
of direct contact.
■ Never expose the battery to naked flames or sparks.
■ A discharged vehicle battery can already freeze at a temperature of
0 °C. Defrost the frozen battery
before connecting jump leads.
■ Wear eye protection and protective
clothing when handling a battery.
■ Use a booster battery with the same voltage (12 Volts). Its
capacity (Ah) must not be much less than that of the discharged
battery.
■ Use jump leads with insulated terminals and a cross section of at
least 16 mm 2
(25 mm 2
for diesel
engines).
■ Do not disconnect the discharged battery from the vehicle.
■ Switch off all unnecessary electrical
consumers.
■ Do not lean over the battery during jump starting.
■ Do not allow the terminals of one lead to touch those of the other
lead.
Page 218 of 247

216Vehicle careTowing
Towing the vehicle
Insert a screwdriver in the slot at the
lower part of the cap. Release the cap
by carefully moving the screwdriver
downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 199.
Screw in the towing eye anticlockwise
as far as it will go until it stops in a
horizontal position.
Attach a tow rope – or better still a tow rod – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for
towing and not for recovering the
vehicle.
Switch on ignition to release steering
wheel lock and to permit operation of
brake lights, horn and windscreen
wiper.
Transmission in neutral.
Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
When the engine is not running,
considerably more force is needed to
brake and steer.
To prevent the entry of exhaust gases from the towing vehicle, switch on the
air recirculation and close the
windows, when soft top is closed.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: The vehicle must be towed facing
forwards, not faster than 50 mph nor further than 60 miles. In all other
cases and when the transmission is
defective, the front axle must be
raised off the ground.
Seek the assistance of a workshop. After towing, unscrew the towing eye
clockwise.
Insert cap at the top and engage
downwards.
Page 219 of 247
Vehicle care217Towing another vehicle
Insert a screwdriver in the slot at the
lower bend of the cap. Release the
cap by carefully moving the
screwdriver downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 199.
Screw in the towing eye anticlockwise
as far as it will go until it stops in a
horizontal position.
The lashing eye at the rear
underneath the vehicle must never be used as a towing eye.
Attach a tow rope – or even better a
tow bar – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for
towing and not for recovering a
vehicle.
Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
After towing, unscrew the towing eye clockwise.
Insert cap at the top and engage
downwards.