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182Vehicle care
Make the following preparations and
observe the following information:
■ Park the vehicle on a level, firm and
non-skid surface. The front wheels
must be in the straight-ahead
position.
■ Apply the parking brake and engage first gear, reverse gear or
P .
■ Remove the spare wheel 3 184.
■ Never change more than one wheel
at once.
■ Use the jack only to change wheels
in case of puncture, not for
seasonal winter or summer tyre
change.
■ If the ground on which the vehicle is standing is soft, a solid board
(max. 1 cm thick) should be placed
under the jack.
■ No people or animals may be in the
vehicle when it is jacked-up.
■ Never crawl under a jacked-up vehicle.■ Do not start the vehicle when it is
raised 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.
2. Fold out the wheel wrench and install ensuring that it locates
securely and loosen each wheel
nut by half a turn.
3. Ensure the jack is correctly positioned under the relevant
vehicle jacking point.
Depending on the equipment, first
remove the covers from the
jacking points.
4. Set the jack to the necessary height. Position it directly below
the jacking point in a manner that
prevents it from slipping.
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Vehicle care183
Attach wheel wrench and with the
jack correctly aligned rotate wheel wrench until wheel is clear of the
ground.
5. Unscrew the wheel nuts. 6. Change the wheel. Spare wheel 3 184.
7. Screw on the wheel nuts.
8. Lower the vehicle and remove jack.
9. Install the wheel wrench ensuring that it locates securely and tighten
each nut in a crosswise
sequence. Tightening torque is
140 Nm.
10. Align the valve hole in the wheel cover with the tyre valve before
installing.
Install wheel nut caps.
Install centre cap on alloy wheels.
11. Install vehicle jacking point cover on versions with sill panelling.
12. Stow the replaced wheel 3 184
and the vehicle tools 3 172.
13. Check the tyre pressure of the installed tyre and the wheel nut
torque as soon as possible.
Have the defective tyre renewed or
repaired as soon as possible.Jacking position for lifting
platform
Rear arm position of the lifting
platform centrically under the recess
of the sill.
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184Vehicle care
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.
A spare wheel can be classified as a
temporary spare wheel depending on the size compared to the other
mounted wheels and country
regulations.
The spare wheel always 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.
The spare wheel is located in the load
compartment beneath the floor
covering. It is secured with a wing nut.
Stowing a damaged full size
wheel in the load compartment The spare wheel well is not designed
for other tyre sizes than the spare
wheel.
A damaged full size wheel must be
stowed in the load compartment and
secured with a strap. Vehicle tools
3 172. To secure the wheel:
1. Position the wheel in the middle of
the load compartment.
2. Place the loop end of the strap through the lashing eye on one
side.
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Vehicle care185
3. Place the hook end of the strapthrough the loop and pull it until
the strap is fastened securely to
the lashing eye.
4. Insert the strap through the spokes of the wheel as shown in
the illustration.
5. Mount the hook to the opposite lashing eye.
6. Tighten the strap and secure it using the buckle.
9 Danger
Always drive with folded up and
engaged rear seat backrests when stowing a damaged full size wheel
in the load compartment.
Temporary spare wheel
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.
Only mount one temporary spare
wheel. Do not drive faster than
80 km/h. 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 size tyre in the
rear.
Tyre chains 3 178.
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.
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188Vehicle care
Screw in the towing eye 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
Never tow your vehicle equipped
with All Wheel Drive (AWD) with the front or rear tyres on the road.
If you tow the vehicle equipped with AWD while the front or rear
tyres are rolling on the road the
drive system in the vehicle could
be severely damaged. When
towing vehicles equipped with
AWD all 4 tyres may not be in
contact with the road.
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 system 3 116 and
close the windows.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
The vehicle must be towed facing
forwards. The maximum speed is
80 km/h . In all other cases, and when
the transmission is defective, the front axle must be raised off the ground.
Vehicle with automatic transmission:
Do not tow the vehicle using tow eye.
Towing with a tow rope could cause
severe automatic transmission
damage. When towing vehicle with
automatic transmission, use flat bed or wheel lift equipment.
Seek the assistance of a workshop.
After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap and close cap.
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190Vehicle 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.
Wash and wax your vehicle regularly.
When using automatic vehicle
washes, select a programme that
includes waxing.
Bird droppings, dead insects, resin,
pollen and the like should be cleaned
off immediately, as they contain
aggressive constituents which can
cause paint damage.If using a vehicle wash, comply with
the vehicle wash manufacturer's
instructions. The windscreen wiper
and rear window wiper must be
switched off. Remove antenna and
external accessories such as roof
racks etc.
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.
Have the door hinges of all doors
greased by a workshop.
Do not clean the engine compartment with a steam-jet or high-pressure jet
cleaner.
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.
Do not use hard objects to remove
spots of tar. Use tar removal spray on
painted surfaces.
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.
Polishing and waxing Wax the vehicle regularly (at the
latest when water no longer beads).
Otherwise, the paintwork will dry out.
Polishing is necessary only if the paint
has become dull or if solid deposits
have become attached to it.
Paintwork polish with silicone forms a
protective film, making waxing
unnecessary.
Plastic body parts must not be treated with wax or polishing agents.
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Vehicle care191
Windows and windscreen wiperblades
Use a soft lint-free cloth or chamois
leather together with window cleaner
and insect remover.
When cleaning the rear window from
inside, always wipe in parallel to the
heating element to prevent damage.
For mechanical removal of ice, use a
sharp-edged ice scraper. Press the
scraper firmly against the glass so
that no dirt can get under it and
scratch the glass.
Clean smearing wiper blades with a
soft cloth and window cleaner.
Wheels and tyres
Do not use high-pressure jet
cleaners.
Clean rims with a pH-neutral wheel
cleaner.
Rims are painted and can be treated
with the same agents as the body.Paintwork damage
Rectify minor paintwork damage with
a touch-up pen before rust forms.
Have more extensive damage or rust areas repaired by a workshop.
Underbody Some areas of the vehicle underbody
have a PVC undercoating while other
critical areas have a durable
protective wax coating.
After the underbody is washed, check the underbody and have it waxed if
necessary.
Bitumen/rubber materials could
damage the PVC coating. Have
underbody work carried out by a
workshop.
Before and after winter, wash the
underbody and have the protective
wax coating checked.Liquid gas system9 Danger
Liquid gas is heavier than air and
can collect in sink points.
Take care when performing work
at the underbody in a pit.
For painting work and when using a
drying booth at a temperature above
60 °C, the liquid gas tank must be
removed.
Do not make any modifications to the
liquid gas system.
Towing equipment Do not clean the coupling ball bar with
a steam-jet or high-pressure jet
cleaner.
Rear carrier system Clean the rear carrier system with a
steam-jet or high-pressure jet cleaner
at least once a year.
Operate the rear carrier system
periodically if not in regular use, in
particular during winter.
Page 204 of 217
202Technical dataPerformanceEngineA14NETA16XERA18XERA17DTSMaximum speed2)
[km/h]Manual transmission186170180190/185 3)Automatic transmission––1801842)
The maximum speed indicated is achievable at kerb weight (without driver) plus 200 kg payload. Optional equipment
could reduce the specified maximum speed of the vehicle.
3) Vehicles with All-wheel drive system.