Jump-starting
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 suffi-
cient ventilation 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 con-
necting and disconnecting a battery.
RWhen jump-starting, make sure that the battery poles with identical polarity are con-
nected.
RIt is particularly important to observe the described order when connecting and dis-
connecting 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.
!Avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise, the catalytic converter could be
damaged by the 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. The service life of a thawed-out battery may be
shorter. The starting characteristics can be impaired, particularly at low temperatures. Have
the thawed-out battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
168Jump-starting
>> Breakdown assistance.
Regular checking of wheels and tires
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation
pressure loss. As a result, you could lose
control of your vehicle. There is a risk of
accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of dam- age and replace any damaged tires imme-
diately.
Regularly check the wheels and tires of your
vehicle for damage, at least once a month, as
well as after driving on rough roads. Damaged
wheels can cause a loss of tire pressure. Pay
particular attention to damage such as:
Rcuts in the tires
Rpunctures in the tires
Rtears in the tires
Rbulges on tires
Rdeformation or severe corrosion on wheels
Regularly check the tire tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width
of the tire (
Ypage 178). If necessary, turn the
front wheels to full lock in order to inspect
the inner side of the tire surface.
All wheels must have a valve cap to protect the
valve against dirt and moisture. Do not fit
anything onto the valve other than the stand-
ard valve cap or other valve caps approved for
your vehicle by smart. Do not use any other
valve caps or systems, e.g. tire pressure mon-
itoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tires
particularly prior to long trips. Adjust the
tire pressure as necessary (
Ypage 180).
The service life of tires depends, among
other things, on the following factors:
RDriving style
RTire pressure
RDistance covered
Notes on tire profile
GWARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire
traction. The tire is no longer able to dis-
sipate water. This means that on wet road
surfaces, the risk of hydroplaning increa-
ses, in particular where speed is not adap- ted to suit the driving conditions. There is
a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low,
tires may exhibit different levels of wear
at different 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: 00CEin (3 mm)
RM+S tires: 00CFin (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the mini-
mum tire tread depth is reached.
Indicator 0043shows which position the bar
marking (arrow) for tread wear is integrated
into the tire tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire
tread. They are visible once a tread depth of
approximately 00CDin (1.6 mm) has been
reached. If this is the case, the tire is so worn
that it must be replaced.
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
ROnly mount tires and wheels of the same
type and make.
Exception: it is permissible to fit a dif-
ferent type or make in the event of a flat
tire.
ROnly mount tires of the correct size onto the
wheels.
178Operation
>> Wheels and tires.
