208 Checking and Filling
snow blower, etc., be very careful and al
ways observe local and state laws regard
ing the use, transportation and storage of
such fuel containers . Make certain the con
tainer meets industry standards (ANSI/
ASTM F852 -86) .
(D Note
Never drive your vehicle until the fuel tank
is completely empty . The irregular supply
of fuel can cause misfiring. Gasoline could
enter the exhaust system and damage the
catalytic converter.
Fueling procedure
Fig. 144 Rig ht rear side of the vehicle: opening the
fue l filler door
Fig. 145 Fu el filler door w ith atta ched fuel cap
The fuel filler door is unlocked or locked by
the central locking system.
Opening the fuel filler door
.,. Press the left side of the fuel filler door to
open it -arrow-
c::> fig . 144 .
• Unscrew the tank cap counterclockwise.
• Place the cap from above on the open fuel
filler door
c::> fig . 145. Closing the fuel cap
.,.
Turn the fuel cap clockwise until you hear it
lock.
.,. Close fuel filler door until it latches.
Once the pump nozzle switches off , the fuel
tank is "full". Do not fill the tank more. Other
wise the expansion space in the tank will be
filled.
The correct fuel type for your vehicle can be
found on a label located on the inside of the
fuel filler door. Additional information on fuel
c::>page206.
The fuel tank capacity of your vehicle is in the
Technical Data c::> page 266.
To avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the
fuel tank always close fuel filler cap properly
and completely. An improperly closed fuel fill
er cap may also cause the MIL lamp
c::> page 29
to come on.
A WARNING
Improper refueling or handling of fuel can
cause fire, explosion and severe burns.
- Fuel is highly flammable and can cause
severe burns and other injuries.
- Failure to shut the engine off while refu
eling and/or to insert the pump nozzle
fully into the fuel filler neck could cause
fuel to spray out of filler neck or to
over
flow. Fuel spray and overflowing fuel can
cause a fire .
- Never use a cellular telephone while re
fueling. The electromagnetic radiation can cause sparks that can ignite fuel va
pors and cause a fire .
- Never get back into your vehicle while re
fueling . If in exceptional circumstances
you must get back in your vehicle while
refueling, make certain that you close
the door and touch metal to discharge
static electricity before touching the fill
er nozzle again. Static electricity can
cause sparks that can ignite fuel vapors released during refueling .
-Never smoke or have an open flame any
where in or near your vehicle when refu
eling or filling a portable fuel container.
- For your safety, we strongly recommend
that you do not travel with a portable
fuel container in your vehicle. The con
tainer, full or empty may leak and could
cause a fire, especially in a crash.
- If, under exceptional circumstances, you
must transport a portable fuel container,
please observe the following:
- Never fill a portable fuel container while it is anywhere in or on the vehicle
(for example, in the luggage compart
ment, or on the trunk). Static electrici
ty can build up while filling and can ig
nite fuel vapors causing a fire .
- Always place a portable fuel container
on the ground before filling .
- Always keep the filler nozzle complete
ly inside the portable container before
and during filling.
- If filling a portable container made of
metal, the filler nozzle must always be
in contact with the container . This will
help prevent static electricity from dis
charging and cause a fire.
- Never spill fuel inside the vehicle or
luggage compartment. Fuel vapors are
highly flammable.
- Always observe local and state/provin
cial laws regarding the use, storage
and transportation of fuel containers.
- Make certain the fuel container meets
industry standards (ANSI/ ASTM
F852-86).
(D Note
If any fuel has spilled onto the car, it
should be removed immediately to prevent
damage to the paint.
@ For the sake of the environment
As soon as the correctly operated nozzle
switches off automatically for the first
time, the tank is full. Do not try to add
more fuel because fuel may spill out. In
Checking and Filling 209
addition, the expansion space in the fuel
tank will be filled -causing the fuel to
overflow when it becomes warm and pol
lute the environment.
@ Tips
-Running your engine while refuelling
may cause vapors to escape or even
cause fuel to spill out of the tank. This
would then shut off the fuel nozzle be
fore the tank is full.
- Do not refuel your vehicle with the igni
tion switched on. The fuel gauge may
otherwise not indicate the correct fuel
level after refuelling .
- The fuel filler flap of your vehicle is not
locked when you lock the vehicle from
the inside.
Fuel filler door emergency release
If the central locking system is faulty, the
fuel filler door can be unlocked manually .
Fig. 146 Rig ht rea r lu g g ag e compar tme nt: emergency
release
The emergency release mechanism is located
behind the right side trim panel in the lug
gage compartment .
.,. Remove the cover in the side panel.
.,. Loosen the loop from the retainer and then
pull on the loop carefully -arrow -
c:>(D . The
fuel filler door is released .
.,. To open the fuel filler door, press on the left
side
c:> page 208, fig. 144 . i,..
210 Check ing and F illin g
Only pull on the loop until you fee l resist
ance. You will not hear it release . Other
w ise you could damage the emergency re
lease mechanism .
Hood
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in
the engine compartment
F o r w ork in th e engine co mpartm ent such as
c h ec king an d filling fluids, there i s a ri sk of
inj ury, sca lding, a ccid ent s, and b urn s. For
t hi s re ason , fo llow all th e followin g lis te d
warn in gs a nd ge neral safe ty pr eca utions.
Th e e ngine compartment is a d ange rous
area .¢ .& .
&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury, before you
check anyth ing under the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector leve r in the P position.
- Remove the ignit io n key .
- Let the engine coo l down.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or hea rd before ca re
fully opening the hood.
- Keep chi ldren away from the engine com
partment .
- Never spill flu ids on a hot engine. These
fluids (such as the freeze protection con
tained in the coolant) can catch fi re.
- Avoid short circuits in the electrical sys
tem, especially the battery.
- When working in the engine compart
ment, remembe r that the radiator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
switched off, which increases the risk of
persona l injury . -
Never open the cap on the coolant ex
pans ion tank when the eng ine is warm.
The coolant system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms
from hot steam or coolant, cover the cap
with a large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances . This increases the
risk of burns .
- If tests need to be performed with the
engine runn ing , there is add itional dan
ger due to moving components (such as
the ribbed belt, generator and radiator
fan) and from the high voltage ignit ion
system.
- Never touch the rad iator fan . The auxili
ary electric fan is temperature controlled
and can switch on suddenly.
- Pay attention to the fo llow ing warnings
listed when wo rk on the fuel system or
on the e lectr ica l equipment is req uired.
-A lways disconnect the vehicle battery
from the vehicle electr ical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a wo rk ing fire exting uisher
nearby
- To avo id e lectr ica l sho ck and pe rsonal in
jury whi le the engine is running or being
started, never touch:
- Ign it ion cables
- Other components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair
with the eng ine running:
- First, fully app ly the parking brake,
move selector lever to P (Park).
- Always use extreme caut io n to prevent
cl othing, jewelry, or long hair from get
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-be lts
o r other moving parts, o r from contact
ing hot parts. Tie back hair before
starting, and do not wear clothing that
will hang or droop into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and
chemical hazards¢,& . ..,.