Page 206 of 247

204Vehicle care
For safety reasons it is recommended
that the tread depth of the tyres on
one axle should not vary by more than 2 mm.
The legally permissible minimum
tread depth (1.6 mm) has been
reached when the tread has worn
down as far as one of the tread wear
indicators (TWI). Their position is
indicated by markings on the
sidewall.
If there is more wear at the front than
the rear, swap round front wheels and
rear wheels periodically. Ensure that
the direction of rotation of the wheels
is the same as before.
Tyres age, even if they are not used.
We recommend tyre replacement
every 6 years.
Changing tyre and wheel
size If tyres of a different size than those
fitted at the factory are used, it may be necessary to reprogramme the
speedometer as well as the nominal
tyre pressure and make other vehicle
modifications.
After converting to a different tyre
size, have the label with tyre
pressures replaced.9 Warning
Use of unsuitable tyres or wheels
may lead to accidents and will
invalidate the vehicle type
approval.
Wheel covers
Wheel covers and tyres that are
factory approved for the respective
vehicle and comply with all of the
relevant wheel and tyre combination requirements must be used.
If the wheel covers and tyres used are
not factory approved, the tyres must
not have a rim protection ridge.
Wheel covers must not impair brake
cooling.9 Warning
Use of unsuitable tyres or wheel
covers could lead to sudden
pressure loss and thereby
accidents.
Vehicles with steel wheels: When
using locking wheel nuts, the wheel
covers might not be attached to the
steel wheels.
Page 207 of 247

Vehicle care205Tyre chains
Use tyre chains only on front wheels.
Tyre chains are permitted on tyres of
size 225/55 R 17. Always use fine
mesh chains that add no more than
10 mm to the tyre tread and the
inboard sides (including chain lock).
Tyre chains are also permitted on
tyres of size 245/45 R 18. Always use fine mesh chains that add no more
than 7 mm to the tyre tread and the
inboard sides (including chain lock).
9 Warning
Damage may lead to tyre blowout.
The use of tyre chains is not permitted
on the temporary spare wheel.
Tyre repair kit
Minor damage to the tyre tread can be
repaired with the tyre repair kit.
Do not remove foreign bodies from
the tyres.
Tyre damage exceeding 4 mm or that
is at tyre's sidewall cannot be repaired with the tyre repair kit.
9 Warning
Do not drive faster than 50 mph.
Do not use for a lengthy period.
Steering and handling may be
affected.
If you have a flat tyre:
Apply the parking brake and engage
first gear, reverse gear or P.
The tyre repair kit is in a box under the
floor cover in the load compartment.
Page 211 of 247
Vehicle care209
■ Do not start the vehicle when it israised on the jack.
■ Clean wheel nuts and thread with a
clean cloth before mounting the
wheel.9 Warning
Do not grease wheel bolt, wheel
nut and wheel nut cone.
1. Disengage wheel nut caps with a screwdriver and remove. Pull off
the wheel cover with the hook.
Vehicle tools 3 199.
Alloy wheels: Disengage wheel
nut caps with a screwdriver and
remove. To protect the wheel,
place a soft cloth between the
screwdriver and the alloy wheel.
Alloy wheels with centre wheel
bolt cap: Disengage centre cap by
inserting and pulling the extractor
3 199 in the recess of the brand
emblem.
2. Install the wheel wrench ensuring that it locates securely and looseneach wheel nut by half a turn.
The wheels might be protected by
locking wheel nuts. To loosen
these specific nuts first attach the key adapter onto the head of the
nut before installing the wheel
wrench. The key adapter is
located in the glovebox.
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 217 of 247

Vehicle care215
■ The vehicles must not come intocontact with each other during the
jump starting process.
■ Apply the parking brake, transmission in neutral, automatic
transmission in P.
■ Open the positive terminal protection caps of both batteries.
Lead connection order:
1. Connect the red lead to the positive terminal of the booster
battery.
2. Connect the other end of the red lead to the positive terminal of the
discharged battery.
3. Connect the black lead to the negative terminal of the booster
battery.
4. Connect the other end of the black
lead to a vehicle grounding point,
such as the engine block or an
engine mounting bolt. Connect as far away from the discharged
battery as possible, however at
least 60 cm.
Route the leads so that they cannot
catch on rotating parts in the engine
compartment.
To start the engine: 1. Start the engine of the vehicle providing the jump.
2. After 5 minutes, start the other engine. Start attempts should be
made for no longer than
15 seconds at an interval of
1 minute.
3. Allow both engines to idle for approx. 3 minutes with the leads
connected.4. Switch on electrical consumers (e.g. headlights, heated rear
window) of the vehicle receiving
the jump start.
5. Reverse above sequence exactly when removing leads.
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.
Page 220 of 247

218Vehicle careAppearance care
Exterior care Locks
The locks are lubricated at the factory using a high quality lock cylinder
grease. Use de-icing agent only when absolutely necessary, as this has adegreasing effect and impairs lockfunction. After using a de-icing agent,
have the locks regreased by a
workshop.
Washing The paintwork of your vehicle is
exposed to environmental influences,
therefore wash your vehicle regularly.
When using automatic vehicle
washes, prefer one with textile
brushes and select a programme
without wax additives.
When doing hand wash, use clear
water and a soft brush, cleaning in
grain direction of the textile hood.
Never use a a steam-jet or high-
pressure jet cleaner for the soft top
and the engine compartment.Wax painted parts of the vehicle regulary.
Bird droppings, dead insects, resin,
pollen and the like should be cleaned
off immediately, as they contain
aggressive constituents which can
cause paint and fabric damage.
If using a vehicle wash, comply with
the vehicle wash manufacturer's
instructions. The windscreen wiper must be switched off. Remove
additional antenna and external
accessories.
If you wash your vehicle by hand, make sure that the insides of the
wheel housings are also thoroughly
rinsed out.
Clean edges and folds on opened
doors and the bonnet as well as the
areas they cover.Caution
Always use a cleaning agent with
a pH value of 4 to 9.
Do not use cleaning agents on hot surfaces.
Caution
After washing or cleaning, the softtop must be completely dried
before opening. If a wet soft top
remains opened for a longer time,
it would be damaged by water
spotting and mould growth.
When cleaning with a high-pressure
jet cleaner ensure a minimum
distance of 30 cm to the rear brand
emblem to prevent unintended
unlocking.
Thoroughly rinse and leather-off the
vehicle. Rinse leather frequently. Use
separate leathers for painted and
glass surfaces: remnants of wax on the windows will impair vision.
Have the door hinges of all doors
greased by a workshop.
Exterior lights
Headlight and other light covers are
made of plastic. Do not use any
abrasive or caustic agents, do not use
an ice scraper, and do not clean them dry.