Interchanging the wheels
G
WARNING
Interchanging the front and rear wheels may
severely impair the driving characteristics if
the wheels or tyres have different dimensions. The wheel brakes or suspension components may also be damaged. There is a risk of acci-
dent.
Interchange front and rear wheels only if the
wheels and tyres are of the same dimensions.
! On vehicles fitted with a tyre pressure mon-
itor, electronic components are located in the wheel.
Tyre-fitting tools should not be applied in thearea of the valve, as this could damage the
electronic components.
Only have tyres changed at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Interchanging the front and rear wheels of dif-
fering dimensions can render the general oper-
ating permit invalid.
Observe the instructions and safety notes in the "Fitting a wheel" section (Y page 321).
The wear patterns on the front and rear tyres
differ depending on the operating conditions.
Interchange the wheels before a clear wear pat-
tern has formed on the tyres. Front tyres typi-
cally wear more on the shoulders and the rear
tyres in the centre.
On vehicles that have the same size front and
rear wheels, you can interchange the wheels
every 5,000 to 10,000 km depending on the
degree of tyre wear. Ensure that the direction of
rotation is maintained.
Clean the contact surfaces of the wheel and the
brake disc thoroughly every time a wheel is
interchanged. Check the tyre pressure and, if
necessary, restart the tyre pressure loss warn-
ing system (Y page 318) or the tyre pressure
monitor (Y page 320). Direction of rotation
Tyres with a specified direction of rotation have additional benefits, e.g. if there is a risk of aqua- planing. These advantages can only be gained if
the tyres are fitted corresponding to the direc-
tion of rotation. An arrow on the sidewall of the tyre indicates its
correct direction of rotation. Storing wheels
Store wheels that are not being used in a cool,
dry and preferably dark place. Protect the tyres
against oil, grease, petrol and diesel. Fitting a wheel
Preparing the vehicle X
Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Move the front wheels to the straight-ahead
position.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal fully and engage first
or reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to position
P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
or, on vehicles with KEYLESS‑GO:
X Open the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status 0.
This is the same as the key having been
removed.
X Remove the Start/Stop button from the igni-
tion lock (Y page 132).
X If included in the vehicle equipment, remove
the tyre-change tool kit from the vehicle
(Y page 297).
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away.
i Apart from some country-specific variants,
vehicles are not equipped with tyre-changing
tools. Some tools for changing a wheel are
specific to the vehicle. For more information
on which tools are required to perform a
wheel change on your vehicle, consult a quali- fied specialist workshop.
Necessary tyre-changing tools may include,
for example:
R jack
R wheel chock Changing a wheel
321Wheels and tyres Z
R
wheel wrench
R centring pin
Securing the vehicle against rolling
away If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel chock, it
can be found in the tyre-change tool kit
(Y page 297).
The folding wheel chock is an additional secur-
ing measure to safeguard the vehicle from roll-
ing away, for example when changing a wheel.
X Fold both plates upwards :.
X Fold out lower plate ;.
X Insert the lugs on the lower plate fully into the
openings in base plate =.X
Place chocks or other suitable items under
the front and rear of the wheel that is diago-
nally opposite the wheel you wish to change.
Raising the vehicle G
WARNING
If you do not position the jack correctly at the appropriate jacking point of the vehicle, the jack could tip over with the vehicle raised.
There is a risk of injury.
Only position the jack at the appropriate jack- ing point of the vehicle. The base of the jack
must be positioned vertically, directly under
the jacking point of the vehicle.
Observe the following when raising the vehicle:
R to raise the vehicle, only use the vehicle-spe-
cific jack that has been tested and approved
by Mercedes-Benz. If the jack is used incor-
rectly, it could tip over while the vehicle is
raised.
R the jack is designed only to raise and hold the
vehicle for a short time while a wheel is being
changed. It is not permissible to use it to per- form maintenance work under the vehicle.
R avoid changing the wheel on uphill and down-
hill slopes.
R before raising the vehicle, safeguard it from
rolling away by applying the parking brake and
positioning wheel chocks. Do not release the parking brake while the vehicle is raised.
R the jack must be placed on a firm, flat and
non-slip surface. On a loose surface, a large,
flat load-bearing underlay must be used. On a
slippery surface, a non-slip underlay must be
used, e.g. rubber mats.
R do not use wooden blocks or similar objects
as a jack underlay. Otherwise, the jack will not
be able to achieve its load-bearing capacity
due to the restricted height.
R make sure that the distance between the
underside of the tyres and the ground does
not exceed 3 cm.
R never place your hands or feet under the
raised vehicle.
R do not lie under the vehicle.
R do not start the engine when the vehicle is
raised.
R do not open or close a door or the boot lid
when the vehicle is raised.
R make sure that no persons are present in the
vehicle when the vehicle is raised. 322
Changing a wheelWheels and tyres