
!Do not fold the windshield wipers away from
the windshield unless the hood is closed. Oth-
erwise, you could damage the hood.
!Do not pull the wiper blade. Otherwise, the
wiper blade could be damaged.
!Do not clean wiper blades too often and do
not rub them too hard. Otherwise, the graph-
ite coating could be damaged. This could
cause wiper noise.
!Hold the wiper arm securely when folding
back. The windshield could be damaged if the
wiper arm smacks against it suddenly.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 0in the ignition
lock or remove the SmartKey.
XFold the windshield wiper arms away from the
windshield until you feel them engage.
XCarefully clean the wiper blades with a damp
cloth.
XFold back the wiper arms before switching on
the ignition.
Cleaning the exterior lighting
!Only use cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
which are suitable for plastic light lenses.
Unsuitable cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
could scratch or damage the plastic light len- ses.
XClean the plastic covers of the exterior light-
ing with a damp sponge and a mild cleaning
agent, e.g. car shampoo for Sprinter vehicles,
or with cleaning cloths.
Cleaning the mirror turn signal
!Only use cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
that are suitable for plastic lenses. Unsuitable
cleaning agents or cleaning cloths could
scratch or damage the plastic lenses of the
mirror turn signals.
XClean the plastic lenses of the mirror turn sig-
nals in the exterior mirror housing using a wet
sponge and mild cleaning agent, e.g. car
shampoo or cleaning cloths.
Cleaning the sensors
!Do not use dry, coarse or hard cloths and do
not scrub. You will otherwise scratch or dam-
age the sensors. If you clean the sensors with a power washer
or steam cleaner, observe the information
provided by the manufacturer regarding the
distance to be maintained between the vehi-
cle and the nozzle of the power washer.
PARKTRONIC sensors (example: front bumper, left
side of vehicle)
XClean all sensors :in the front and rear
bumpers with water, shampoo and a soft
cloth.
Cleaning the rear view camera
!Do not use dry, coarse or hard cloths and do
not scrub. You could otherwise scratch or
damage the lens of the reversing camera.
When cleaning the vehicle with a high-pres-
sure or steam cleaner, observe a minimum
distance of 1.6 ft (50 cm) to the rear view
camera. Do not aim directly at the rear view
camera. You could otherwise damage the rear
view camera.
Rear view camera in the middle of the roof above
the high-mounted brake lamp
:
Camera lens
XClean camera lens :with clean water and a
soft cloth.
232Care
Maintenance and care

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 6 years at the latest,
regardless of wear. This also applies to the
spare wheel.
Operation in winter
General notes
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Prior to the onset of winter, ensure that snow
chains are stowed in the vehicle (
Ypage 246).
Also observe the notes in the "Changing a
wheel" section (
Ypage 262).
Regularly check the vehicle and remove snow or ice when traveling in wintry conditions.
An accumulation of snow and ice, particularly
when frozen, caught in the area around the air
intake slots, moving parts, the axles and the
wheel arches may:
Rrestrict air intake
Rdamage vehicle parts
Rcause malfunctions by restricting the mobility
intended by the design (e.g. reduced possible
steering input).
If there is any damage, inform a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehicle
to M+S tire. Using summer tires at very cold
temperatures could cause tears to form,
thereby damaging the tires permanently. We
cannot accept responsibility for this type of
damage.
M+S tires
GWARNING
Wheel and tire dimensions as well as the type of tire can vary between the spare wheel and
the wheel to be replaced. When the spare
wheel is mounted, driving characteristics may
be severely affected. There is a risk of an acci- dent.
In order to reduce risks:
Ryou should therefore adapt your driving
style and drive carefully.
Rnever mount more than one spare wheel
that differs from the wheel to be replaced.
Ronly use a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel to be replaced for a short time.
Rdo not deactivate ESP®.
Rhave a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel that has been changed replaced at
the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
You must observe the correct wheel and
tire dimensions as well as the wheel type.
GWARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than ãin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
Use winter tires or all-season tires at tempera-
tures below 45 ‡ (+7 †). Both types of tire are
identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking provide
the best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tires will allow driving safety systems
such as ABS and ESP
®to function optimally in
winter. These tires have been developed specif-
ically for driving in snow.
For safe driving, use M+S tire sof the same make
and tread pattern on all wheels.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
If you install M+S tires that have a lower maxi-
mum permissible speed than the maximum per-
missible speed of the vehicle, affix an appropri-
ate warning sign in the driver's field of vision.
You can obtain this at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Operation in winter245
Wheels and tires
Z

Curb weight
The weight of a vehicle with standard equipment
including the maximum filling capacity of fuel,
oil, and coolant. It also includes the air-condi-
tioning system and optional equipment if these
are installed on the vehicle, but does not include
passengers or luggage.
Maximum tire load
The maximum tire load in kilograms or pounds is
the maximum weight for which a tire is
approved.
Maximum permissible tire pressure
Maximum permissible tire pressure for one tire.
Maximum load on one tire
Maximum load on one tire. This is calculated by
dividing the maximum axle load of one axle by
two.
PSI (Pounds per square inch)
Standard unit of measurement for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio
Relationship between tire height and width in
percent.
tire pressure
Pressure inside the tire applying an outward
force to every square inch of the tire's surface.
Tire pressure is specified in pounds per square
inch (psi), in kilopascal (kPa) or in bar. Tire pres-
sure should only be corrected when the tires are
cold.
Cold tire pressure
The tires are cold:
Rif the vehicle has been parked for at least
three hours without direct sunlight on the
tires, and
Rif the vehicle has not been driven further than
1 mile (1.6 km)
Tire tread
The part of the tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tire bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sits securely
on t
he wheel. There are several steel wires in the
bead to prevent the tire from coming loose from
the wheel rim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the tread and the
tire bead.
Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
parts and more than 2.3 kg (5 lbs). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, a roof rack or a high-performance bat-
tery, are not included in the curb weight and the
weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
A unique identification number which can be
used by a tire manufacturer to identify tires, for
example for a product recall, and thus identify
the purchasers. The TIN is composed of the
manufacturer identification code, tire size, tire
model code and manufacturing date.
Load bearing index
The load bearing index (also load index) is a code
that contains the maximum load bearing capa-
city of a tire.
Traction
Traction is the result of friction between the tires
and the road surface.
TWR (permissible trailer drawbar load)
The TWR is the maximum permissible weight
that may act on the ball coupling of the trailer
tow hitch.
Wear indicator
Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are distrib-
uted over the tire tread. If the tir e tread is level
with the bars, the wear limit of áin (1.6 mm)
has been reached.
Distribution of the vehicle occupants
The distribution of vehicle occupants over des-
ignated seat positions in a vehicle.
Maximum permissible payload weight
Nominal load and goods/luggage load plus
68 kg (150lbs) multiplied by the number of
seats in the vehicle.
What you should know about wheels and tires261
Wheels and tires
Z

Cargo tie-down rings
The maximum tensile load of the cargo tie-down
rings is:
Cargo tie-down
ringsPermissible nomi-nal tensile load
Passenger Vans786.5 lbf
(3500 N)
Cargo Van1124.0 lbf (5000 N)
Load rails
The maximum tensile loads of the cargo tie-
down points in the cargo compartment are:
Cargo tie-down
pointPermissible nomi- nal tensile load
Load rails on cargo
compartment floor1124.0 lbf
(5000 N)
Lower load rail on
sidewall562.0 lbf(2500 N)
Upper load rail on
sidewall337.0 lbf(1500 N)
The values specified apply only to loads placed
on the cargo compartment floor if:
Rthe load is secured to 2 cargo tie-down points
on the rail and
Rthe distance to the nearest load-securing
point on the same rail is approximately 3 ft
(1 m).
Roof carrier
GWARNING
When you load the roof, the center of gravity
of the vehicle rises and the driving character-
istics change. If you exceed the maximum roof
load, the driving characteristics, as well as
steering and braking, will be greatly impaired.
There is a risk of an accident.
Never exceed the maximum roof load and
adjust your driving style.
GWARNING
If you distribute the load unevenly in the vehi- cle, the handling as well as the steering and
braking characteristics are severely affected.
There is a risk of an accident.
Distribute the load evenly in the vehicle.
Secure the load to prevent it from slipping.
!The weight of any load carried on the roof,
including the roof carrier, must not exceed
the maximum permissible roof load.
The roof carrier supports must be mounted at
equal distances.
We recommend that you have a stabilizer
installed on the front axle.
!For safety reasons, we recommend that you
only use roof carrier systems that have been
tested and approved for the Sprinter. This will
help to avoid damage.
The data is valid for a load distributed evenly
over the entire roof area. Maximum roof load
and minimum number of pairs of roof carrier
supports on vehicles with:
Maximum roof loadMinimum
number of
pairs of sup- ports
Standard
roof660 lbs
(300 kg)6
High roof330 lbs
(150 kg)3
Reduce the load on shorter roof carriers pro-
portionately. The maximum load per pair of roof
carrier supports is 110 lbs (50 kg).
Loading directions and other information con-
cerning load distribution and load securing can
be found in the "Transporting" section
(
Ypage 208).
Trailer tow hitch
General notes
We recommend that you have the trailer tow
hitch mounted at an authorized Sprinter Dealer. Use only a trailer tow hitch that has been tested
and approved specially for your vehicle by the
282Vehicle data
Technical data