Jump-starting
For the jump-starting procedure, use only the jump-starting connection point, consisting of a pos-
itive terminal and a ground point, in the engine compartment.
GWARNING
Battery acid is caustic. There is a risk of injury.
Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Do not inhale any battery gases. Do not lean over the
battery. Keep children away from batteries. Wash away battery acid immediately with plenty of
clean water and seek medical attention.
GWARNING
During charging and jump-starting, explosive gases can escape from the battery. There is a risk of an explosion.
Particularly avoid fire, open flames, creating sparks and smoking. Ensure there is sufficient ven-
tilation while charging and jump-starting. Do not lean over a battery.
GWARNING
During the charging process, a battery produces hydrogen gas. If a short circuit occurs or sparks
are created, the hydrogen gas can ignite. There is a risk of an explosion.
RMake sure that the positive terminal of a connected battery does not come into contact with
vehicle parts.
RNever place metal objects or tools on a battery.
RIt is important that you observe the described order of the battery terminals when connecting
and disconnecting a battery.
RWhen jump-starting, make sure that the battery poles with identical polarity are connected.
RIt is particularly important to observe the described order when connecting and disconnecting
the jumper cables.
RNever connect or disconnect the battery terminals while the engine is running.
GWARNING
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures below freezing point. When jump-starting the
vehicle or charging the battery, gases can escape from the battery. There is a risk of an explosion. Allow the frozen battery to thaw out before charging it or jump-starting.
!Vehicles with a gasoline engine: avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise, the
catalytic converter could be damaged by non-combusted fuel.
If, at low temperatures, the indicator lamps/warning lamps in the instrument cluster do not light up,
it is highly likely that the discharged battery has frozen. In this case you may neither jump-start the
vehicle nor charge the battery.
Once the battery has thawed out, its service life may be dramatically reduced.
The starting characteristics can be impaired, particularly at low temperatures.
Have the thawed-out battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
254Jump-starting
Breakdown assistance
severe corrosion on wheels, for example.
Damaged wheels can cause a loss of tire pres-
sure.
RRegularly check the tire tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width
of the tire (
Ypage 263). In order to inspect
the inner side of the tire surface, turn the
steering wheel to full lock.
RAll wheels must have a valve cap to protect
the valve against dirt and moisture. Do not
install anything onto the valve other than the
standard valve cap or a valve cap approved by Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle.
Do not install anything onto the valve, such as
tire pressure monitoring systems.
RYou should regularly check the pressure of all
your tires including the spare wheel, particu-
larly prior to long trips. Adjust the tire pres-
sure as necessary (
Ypage 270).
The service life of tires depends, among other
things, on the following factors:
RDriving style
RTire pressure
RDistance covered
Tire tread
GWARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire traction.
The tire is no longer able to dissipate water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk
of hydroplaning increases, in particular where speed is not adapted to suit the driving con-
ditions. There is a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low, tires
may exhibit different levels of wear at differ-
ent locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
RSummer tires: âin (3 mm)
RM+S tires: ãin (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached.
Marking :shows the tread wear indicator
(TWI). The arrow indicates the placement of the
tire tread.
Do not drive with tires which have too little tread
depth. tire traction on wet road surfaces decrea-
ses significantly when the tread depth is less
than
1/8in (3 mm).
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by law.
Six indicators are positioned over the tire tread.
They are visible once the tread depth is approx-
imately
1/16in (1.6 mm). If this is the case, the
tire is so worn that it must be replaced.
The recommended tread depth for summer tires
is at least
1/8in (3 mm). The recommended
tread depth for winter tires is at least1/6in
(4 mm).
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
ROnly mount tires and wheels of the same type
and make.
ROnly mount approved tires of the correct size
onto the wheels.
RTires are supplied with a protective layer from
the factory. Break in new tires at moderate
speeds for the first 60 miles (100 km). They
only reach their full performance after this
distance.
RDo not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth, as this significantly reduces the
traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
RReplace the tires after six years at the latest,
regardless of wear. This also applies to the
spare wheel.
Operation263
Wheels and tires
Z
