The essentials
the wheel condition and hub mounting surfa-
c e
s.
These surfaces must be clean before fit-
ting the wheel.
Wheel bolt tightening torque
The prescribed tightening torque for wheel
bolts for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm.
After changing a wheel, have the tightening
torque checked immediately with a torque
wrench that is working perfectly.
Before checking tightening torque, have any
rusty wheel bolts that are difficult to screw re-
placed and clean the wheel hub threads.
Never apply grease or oil to wheel bolts or to
the wheel hub threads. Even if the bolts have
been tightened to the prescribed torque, they
could come loose while driving. WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not properly tightened,
they c ou
ld come loose while driving and
cause an accident, serious injury and loss of
vehicle control.
● Use only wheel bolts which correspond to
the rim in question.
● Nev
er use different wheel bolts.
● Wheel bolts and threads should be clean,
free of oi
l and grease, and it should be possi-
ble to screw them easily.
● To loosen and tighten wheel bolts, only use
the wheel wrenc
h that came with the car from
the factory. ●
Loo sen the wheel
bolts only about one turn
before raising the vehicle with the jack.
● Never apply grease or oil to wheel bolts or
to the wheel hub thr
eads. Even if the bolts
have been tightened to the prescribed tor-
que, they could come loose while driving.
● Never loosen the screwed joints of wheel
rims with bo
lted ring trims.
● If wheel bolts are tightened below the pre-
scribed t
orque, the bolts and rims could come
loose while driving. If tightening torque is too
high, the wheel bolts or threads can be dam-
aged. CAUTION
When removing/fitting the wheel, the rim
ma y
hit and damage the brake disc. For this
reason, please take care and get a second
person to assist you. Tyres with compulsory direction of ro-
t
ation A directional tread pattern can be identified
b
y
the arr
ows on the sidewall that point in
the direction of rotation. Always observe the
direction of rotation indicated when fitting
the wheel to guarantee optimum properties
of this type of tyres with regard to grip,
noises, wear and aquaplaning.
If it is absolutely necessary to fit the spare
tyre* against the direction of rotation, drive with care as this means the tyre does not of-
fer optimum drivin
g properties. This is of par-
ticular importance when the road surface is
wet.
To return to directional tread tires, replace
the punctured tyre as soon as possible and
restore the obligatory direction of rotation of
all tyres.
Subsequent work ●
Alloy wheels: rep
l
ace the wheel bolt caps.
● Plate wheels: repl
ace the wheel hubcap.
● Return all tools to their proper storing loca-
tion.
● If the replaced wheel does not fit in the
spar
e wheel housing, store it safely in the
luggage compartment ›››
page 160.
● Check the tyre pressure of the newly moun-
ted tyr
e as soon as possible.
● In vehicles fitted with a tyre pressure indi-
cator
, adjust the pressure and store it in
memory ›››
page 278.
● Have the tightening torque of the wheel
bolts c
hecked as soon as possible with a tor-
que wrench (it should be 120 Nm). Mean-
while, drive carefully.
● Have the flat tyre replaced as quickly as
pos s
ible. 69
Advice
Wheel bolts The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
rims. If diff
er
ent wheel rims are fitted, the
correct wheel bolts with the right length and
correctly shaped bolt heads must be used.
This ensures that wheels are fitted securely
and that the brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you should not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle, even if it
is the same model ››› page 247. WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not tightened correctly,
the wheel c ou
ld become loose while driving.
Risk of accident.
● The wheel bolts must be clean and turn
eas
ily. Never apply grease or oil to them.
● Use only wheel bolts which belong to the
wheel.
● If the pr
escribed torque of the wheel bolts
is t
oo low, they could loosen whilst the vehi-
cle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tight-
ening torque is too high, the wheel bolts and
threads can be damaged. CAUTION
The prescribed tightening torque for wheel
bolt s
for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm. Tyre monitoring indicator*
Fig. 234
Centre console: tyre monitoring sys-
t em b
utt
on. The tyre monitoring system compares wheel
r
ev
o
lutions alongside the wheel diameter of
each wheel, with help from the ESC. If the di-
ameter of a wheel changes, the tyre monitor-
ing indicator lights up . The wheel diame-
ter changes when:
● Tyre pressure is insufficient.
● The tyre structure is damaged.
● The vehicle is unbalanced because of a
load.
● The wheel
s of one axle are under more
pres
sure (for example, driving with a trailer or
on steep slopes).
● The vehicle is fitted with snow chains.
● The temporary spare wheel is fitted.
● The wheel on one axle is changed. Tyre pressure adjustment
After modif
ying tyre pressure or changing any
wheels, the new tyre pressure must be stored
in the Easy Connect system with the but-
t on and the S
ET
TINGS function button
› ›
›
page 34.
In vehicles without a radio, press and hold
down the button ››› Fig. 234, with the
ignition on, until an acoustic signal is heard.
If the wheels are under excessive load (for ex-
ample, driving with a trailer or heavy load),
the tyre pressure must be increased to the
recommended value for a full load (see the
sticker on the back of the left front door
frame). If the tyre monitor system button is
pressed down, the new tyre pressures are
confirmed.
The tyre pressure control lamp lights up
If the tyre pressure of a wheel is much lower
than the value set by the driver, then the tyre
pressure control lamp ››› will light up.
WARNING
● When the tyr e pr
essure control lamp lights
up, reduce speed immediately and avoid any
sudden turning or braking manoeuvre. Stop
when possible, and check the tyre pressure
and status.
● The driver is responsible for maintaining
correct
tyre pressures. For this reason, tyre
pressure must be regularly checked. 278
Technical specifications
Drawbar loads
The maximum permitt ed dr
a
wbar load on the
ball joint of the towing bracket must not ex-
ceed 50 kg.
In the interest of road safety, we recommend
that you always tow approaching the maxi-
mum drawbar load. The response of the trail-
er on the road will be poor, if the drawbar
load is too small.
If the maximum permissible drawbar load
cannot be met (e.g. with small, empty and
light-weight single axle trailers or tandem
axle trailers with a wheelbase of less than 1
metre), a minimum of 4% of the actual trailer
weight is legally required for the drawbar
load. WARNING
● For s af
ety reasons, you should not drive at
speeds above 80 km/h (50 mph) when towing
a trailer. This also applies in countries where
higher speeds are permitted.
● Never exceed the maximum trailer weights
or the drawb
ar load. If the permissible axle
load or the permissible total weight is excee-
ded, the driving characteristics of the vehicle
may change, leading to accidents, injuries
and damage to the vehicle. Wheels
Ty
r
e pressure, snow chains and wheel
bolts Tyre pressure
The stic
k
er with the tyre pressure values can
be found on the back of the left front door
frame. The tyre pressure values given there
are for cold tyres. Do not reduce the slightly
raised pressures of warm tyres ››› .
The pre s
sure for winter tyres is 0.2 bar higher
than that of summer tyres (2.9 psi / 20 kPa).
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front
wheels, and only for the following tyres:
185/70 R14Chains with links of maximum 13.5
mm
185/65 R15Chains with links of maximum 13.5
mm
195/55 R16Chains with links of maximum 9 mm Wheel bolts
Af
t
er the wheel
s have been changed, the
tightening torque of the wheel bolts should
be checked as soon as possible with a torque
wrench ››› . The tightening torque for steel
and al lo
y
wheels is 120 Nm. WARNING
● Check the ty
re pressure at least once per
month. Checking the tyre pressure is very im-
portant. If the tyre pressure is too high or too
low, there is an increased danger of accidents
- particularly at high speeds.
● If the tightening torque of the wheel bolts
is t
oo low, they could loosen while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tight-
ening torque is too high, the wheel bolts and
threads can be damaged. Note
We recommend that you ask your Technical
Serv ic
e for information about appropriate
wheel, tyre and snow chain size. 283
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Index
Start-Stop system driv er me
s
sages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
starting and stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . 205
switching off and on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Start-Stop System the engine does not switch off . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
the engine starts by itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Starter button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175, 176 after the fuel tank has run dry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Starting the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Steel wheel rims cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 197 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
electromechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
power-assisted steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
steering column lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Steering wheel adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
gear shift paddles (automatic gearbox) . . . . . 192
Steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Steering wheel height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Storage compartment of front door panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
on the front passenger side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
right front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
storage pocket in the seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Sun blinds Anti-trap function (sunroof) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
sliding sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
anti-trap fu nction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
operating malfunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Switch hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Switching off the lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Switching on the lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Switching the ignition on and off . . . . . . . . 31, 175
T Tail light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Tail lights summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Taking care of your vehicle interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Technical data roof load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Temperature display engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
outside temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Temporary spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Textiles: cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Tightening torque wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Tightening torque of wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Tiptronic (automatic gearbox) . . . . . . . . . . 190, 192
Top speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Top Tether . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 30
Top Tether system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 30
Tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 100
Tow-starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Tow
ing bracket
retrofitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Towing bracket device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 ball coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Towing device bracket operation and care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Towing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 100
Towline anchorages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Tow rope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Traction control system . . . . . . . . . . . 183, 184, 185 control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 connecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243, 244
driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
electrical socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
hitching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
rear lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
safety lug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
tow rope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Trailer turn signals control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Trailer weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Transporting children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Transporting items fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
roof carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
roof carrier system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Transporting objects roof carrier system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Turn signal lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Turn signals control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
306
Index
Tyre Mobility Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 components
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
99
inflating a tyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
sealing a tyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Tyre Mobility System see Anti-puncture kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Tyre pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276, 283
Tyre profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Tyre repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Tyre repair kit see Anti-puncture kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
new tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275, 276, 278
service life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
wear indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
with directional tread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
with directional tread pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Tyre tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Tyre wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
U Unfastening your seat belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Unfasten the seat belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Unlocking and locking by remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
with Keyless Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
with the central lock button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Unlocking manually rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Upholstery: cleaning alcantara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
upholstery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
USB/AUX-IN Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 V
Vanity mirr or . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Vehicle data label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
identification data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
identification number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
raising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
unlocking and locking with Keyless Access . . 135
vehicle identification number . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 272 assisted starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
connecting and disconnecting . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
disconnect and connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
electrolyte level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
winter conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Vehicle care windscreen wipers service position . . . . . . . . . 73
Vehicle documentation compartment . . . . . . . . 158
Vehicle interior monitoring and anti-tow system 140 activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Vehicle paint code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Vehicle paintwork maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
polishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
products for vehicle maintenance . . . . . . . . . . 248
Vehicle seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Vehicle tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Vehicle underbody protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Vehicle washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Ventilation slits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 W
Warning and c ontrol lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
applying the brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
audible warning signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
engine management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
engine pre-heating/fault system . . . . . . . . . . . 203
gear change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
instrument panel display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
seat belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Start-Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Warning messages red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Warning symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 see also Control and warning lamps . . . . . . . . 122
Warning triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Washing care of the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Washing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 adhesive sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
high pressure cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
What negatively affects driving safety? . . . . . . . . 75
Wheel balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Wheel bolts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 283 anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
tightening torque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69, 278
Wheel cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274, 283 central wheel trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 66
chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
new wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
removing and fitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
307