
Winter time
The vehicle battery only has a proportion of the starting power in lower tem-
peratures. A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures
just below 0 °C .
We therefore recommend that you have the battery checked and, if necessary,
recharged by a specialist garage before the start of the winter.
Note
The battery acid level is also checked regularly by a specialist garage as part of
the inspection service.
Charging
Read and observe
and on page 201 first.
A properly charged vehicle battery is essential for reliably starting the engine.A charging operation can be performed if the following conditions are satis-
fied.
The engine is turned off.
The ignition is switched off.
All consumers are turned off.
The bonnet is open.
“Fast charging” with high currents
›
Disconnect both battery cables (first of all “negative”, then “positive”).
›
Attach the terminal clamps of the charger to the battery terminals (red =
“positive”, black = “negative”).
›
Plug the mains cable of the charger into the power socket and switch on the
device.
›
After charging has been successful: Switch off the charger and remove the
mains cable from the power socket.
›
Only then disconnect the charger's terminal clamps.
›
Reconnect the cables to the battery (first of all “positive”, then “negative”).
Charging with low voltages
It is not necessary to disconnect the cables from the battery if you recharge
the vehicle battery, for example from a mini-charger.
Refer to the instructions of the charger manufacturer .
A charging current of 0.1 multiple of the total vehicle battery capacity (or low-
er) must be used until full charging is achieved.
The vent plugs of the vehicle battery should not be opened for charging.WARNING■ When you charge a battery, hydrogen is released, and a highly explosive
gas mixture is also produced. An explosion can be caused through sparkling
over during unclamping or loosening of the cable plug while the ignition is
on.■
Creating a bridge between the poles on the battery (e.g. with metal ob-
jects - cables) creates a short circuit - risk of damage to the battery, explo-
sion and burning of the battery, jets of acid spurting out.
■
Avoid creating sparks when working with cables and electrical devices.
Strong sparking represents a risk of injury.
■
Before carrying out any work on the electrical system, switch off the en-
gine, the ignition and all electrical components and disconnect the negative
terminal
.
■
“Quick-charging” the vehicle battery is dangerous and requires a special
charger and specialist knowledge.
■
We therefore recommend that vehicle batteries be “rapidly charged” by a
specialist garage.
CAUTION
On vehicles with the START/STOP system or additional heating (auxiliary heat-
ing), do not connect the pole terminal of the charger directly to the negative
terminal of the vehicle battery, but rather only to the engine earth » page 219,
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle .
Replacing
Read and observe
and on page 201 first.
The new vehicle battery must have the same capacity, voltage, current and
size as the original battery. Suitable vehicle battery types can be purchased
from a specialist garage.
We recommend you have the battery replaced by a specialist garage.
Disconnecting and reconnecting
Read and observe
and on page 201 first.
Disconnecting
›
Switch off the ignition.
203Inspecting and replenishing

WARNING■If the tyre cannot be inflated to at least. 2.0 bar, the damage is too great.
The sealing agent cannot be used to seal the tyre. Do not drive the vehi-
cle. Seek help from a specialist garage.■
The tyre inflation hose and air compressor may get hot as the tyre is be-
ing inflated – risk of burning.
CAUTION
Switch off the air compressor after running 8 minutes at the latest – risk of
overheating! Allow the air compressor to cool a few minutes before switching
it on again.
Notes for driving with a repaired tyre
Read and observe
on page 217 first.
The inflation pressure of the repaired tyre must be checked after driving for 10
minutes.
If the tyre inflation pressure is 1.3 bar or less
›
Do not drive the vehicle! You cannot properly seal with tyre with the
breakdown kit.
If the tyre inflation pressure is 1.3 bar or more
›
Set the tyre pressure back to the correct value.
›
Continue driving carefully to the nearest specialist garage at a maximum
speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).
WARNING■ A tyre filled with sealant has the same driving characteristics as a stand-
ard tyre.■
Do not drive faster than 80 km/h (50 mph).
■
Avoid accelerating at full throttle, sharp braking and fast cornering.
Jump-starting
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle
219The battery of another vehicle can be used to jump-start your vehicle if the en-
gine will not start because the battery is flat.WARNING■ Pay attention to the warning instructions relating to working in the en-
gine compartment » page 194.■
A discharged vehicle battery may already freeze at temperatures just be-
low 0 °C. If the battery is frozen, do not carry out a jump start with the bat-
tery of another vehicle – risk of explosion!
■
Keep any sources of ignition (naked flame, smouldering cigarettes, etc.)
away from the battery – risk of explosion!
■
Never jump-start vehicle batteries with an electrolyte level that is too low
– risk of explosion and caustic burns.
■
The vent screws of the battery cells must be tightened firmly.
Note
We recommend you buy jump-start cables from a car battery specialist.
Jump-starting using the battery from another vehicle
Fig. 224
Jump-starting: A – flat battery, B
– battery providing current
219Emergency equipment, and self-help

Fig. 225
Engine earth: START-STOP sys-
tem
Read and observe on page 219 first.
The starting process using the battery of another vehicle requires the use of
jumper cables.
The jump-start cables must be attached in the following sequence.
›
Attach clamp
1
to the positive terminal of the discharged battery
A
» Fig. 224 .
›
Attach clamp
2
to the positive terminal of the battery supplying power
B
.
›
Attach clamp
3
to the negative terminal of the battery supplying power
B
.
›
Attach the clamp
4
to a solid metal part which is connected firmly to the en-
gine block or to the engine block itself.
On vehicles with the START-STOP system » Fig. 225, connect the jump-start
cable to the engine's earthing point.
Starting engine
›
Start the engine on the vehicle providing the power and allow it to idle.
›
Start the engine of the vehicle with the discharged battery.
›
If the engine does not start, terminate the attempt to start the engine after
10 seconds and wait for 30 seconds before repeating the process.
›
Remove the jump-start cables exactly in the reverse sequence as for attach-
ing.
Both batteries must have a rated voltage of 12 V. The capacity (Ah) of the bat-
tery supplying the power must not be significantly less than the capacity of
the discharged battery in your vehicle.
Jump-start cables
Only use jump-start cables which have an adequately large cross-section and
insulated terminal clamps. Observe the instructions of the jumper lead manu-
facturer.
Positive cable – colour coding in the majority of cases is red.
Negative cable – colour coding in the majority of cases is black.WARNING■
Do not clamp the jump-start cable to the negative terminal of the dis-
charged battery. There is the risk of detonating gas seeping out the battery
being ignited by the strong spark which results from the engine being star-
ted.■
The non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps must never touch each
other – risk of short circuit!
■
The jump-start cable connected to the positive terminal of the battery
must not come into contact with electrically conducting parts of the vehicle
– risk of short circuit!
■
Route the jump-start cables so that they cannot be caught by any rotat-
ing parts in the engine compartment.
Towing the vehicle
Introduction
Fig. 226
Braided tow ropes/spiral tow rope
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Front towing eye
221
Rear towing eye
222
Vehicles with a tow hitch
222
A braided tow rope must be used for towing » Fig. 226-
.
When towing, the following guidelines must be observed.
Vehicles with manual transmission may be towed in with a tow bar or a tow
rope or with the front or rear wheels raised.
220Do-it-yourself