The essentials
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
● The tow rope must be taut before you drive
off .
● Rel
ease the clutch very carefully when start-
ing the v
ehicle (manual gearbox), or acceler-
ate gently (automatic gearbox).
Driving style
Towing requires some experience, especially
when using a tow rope. Both drivers should
realise how difficult it is to tow a vehicle. In-
experienced drivers should not attempt to
tow.
Do not pull too hard with the towing vehicle
and take care to avoid jerking the tow rope.
When towing on an unpaved road, there is al-
ways a risk of overloading and damaging the
anchorage points.
The towline anchorages are located under
the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
Switch on the ignition so that the turn sig-
nals, windscreen wipers and windscreen
washer can work. Ensure that the steering
wheel is unlocked and moves freely.
Place the gear lever in neutral on vehicles
with a manual gearbox. With an automatic
gearbox, place the lever in N.
To brake, press the brake pedal firmly. The
brake servo does not work when the engine
is switched off. The power steering only works when the igni-
tion is sw
itched on and the vehicle is moving,
provided that the battery is sufficiently charg-
ed. Otherwise, it will need more force.
Ensure that the tow rope remains taut at all
times.
››› page 79 Tow-starting
If the engine will not start, first try starting it
u
s
in
g the battery of another vehicle
››› page 52. You should only attempt to tow-
start a vehicle if charging the battery does
not work. This is done by leveraging wheel
movement.
When tow-starting a vehicle with a petrol en-
gine, do not tow it more than a short dis-
tance, otherwise unburned fuel can enter the
catalytic converter.
● Engage 2nd or 3rd gear before moving off.
● Press the clutch and hold the pedal down.
● Switch the ignition on.
● Once both vehicles are moving, release the
clutc
h.
● As soon as the engine has started, press
the clutc
h and move the gear lever to neutral. How to jump start
Jump lea
ds The jump lead must have a sufficient wire
cr
o
ss section.
If the engine fails to start because of a dis-
charged battery, the battery can be connec-
ted to the battery of another vehicle to start
the engine.
Both batteries need to have nominal voltage
of 12 V. The capacity (Ah) of the back-up bat-
tery should not be notably less than the
drained battery.
Jump leads must comply with standard DIN
72553 (see cable manufacturer's instruc-
tions). The wire cross section must be at least
25 mm 2
for petrol engines and at least
35 mm 2
for diesel engines.
Jump leads
Positive cable – usually red
Negative cable – usually black WARNING
● A flat b
attery can also freeze at tempera-
tures slightly below 0°C (+32°F). Do not at-
tempt to start the vehicle with a frozen bat-
tery. Risk of explosion! 52
The essentials
Starting Star
t
the engine of the vehicle with the
boosting battery and let it run at idling
speed.
Start the engine of the vehicle with the
flat battery and wait for 2 or 3 minutes
until the engine is running.
Removing the jump leads Before you remove the jump leads,
switch off the dipped beam headlights if
they are switched on.
Turn on the heater blower and heated
rear window in the vehicle with the flat
battery. This helps minimise voltage
peaks which are generated when the
leads are disconnected.
When the engine is running, disconnect
the leads in reverse order to the details
given above.
Make sure the battery clamps have sufficient
metal-to-metal contact with the battery termi-
nals.
If the engine fails to start after about 10 sec-
onds, switch off the starter and try again after
about 1 minute. WARNING
● Ple a
se note the safety warnings referring to
working in the engine compartment
››› page 204. 7.
8.
9.
10.
11. ●
The batt er
y providing assistance must have
the same voltage as the flat battery (12V) and
approximately the same capacity (see imprint
on battery). Failure to comply could result in
an explosion.
● Never use jump leads when one of the bat-
teries
is frozen. Danger of explosion! Even af-
ter the battery has thawed, battery acid could
leak and cause chemical burns. If a battery
freezes, it should be replaced.
● Keep sparks, flames and lighted cigarettes
awa
y from batteries, danger of explosion.
Failure to comply could result in an explo-
sion.
● Observe the instructions provided by the
manufact
urer of the jump leads.
● Do not connect the negative cable from the
other vehic
le directly to the negative terminal
of the flat battery. The gas emitted from the
battery could be ignited by sparks. Danger of
explosion.
● Never attach the negative cable to fuel sys-
tem component
s or the brake lines in the oth-
er vehicle.
● The non-insulated parts of the battery
clamp
s must not be allowed to touch. The
jump lead attached to the positive battery
terminal must not touch metal parts of the ve-
hicle, this can cause a short circuit.
● Position the leads in such a way that they
cannot c
ome into contact with any moving
parts in the engine compartment.
● Do not lean on the batteries. This could re-
sult
in chemical burns. Note
The vehicles must not touch each other, oth-
erw i
se electricity could flow as soon as the
positive terminals are connected. Changing the windscreen wiper
bl
a
des
Changing the wiper blades Fig. 70
Windscreen wiper blades. Set the windscreen wiper arms to the service
po
s
ition bef
ore changing the blades.
Service position
● Close the bonnet.
● Switch the ignition on and off. 54
Advice
●
A short c
ircuit is produced if the battery ter-
minals are bridged, e.g. using metal objects,
cables, etc. Possible consequences of a short
circuit: melting of lead plates, battery explo-
sion and fire, splashing acid.
● The following is forbidden while working on
the batter
y: fire and open flames, smoking
and activities that could produce sparks.
Avoid causing sparks when handling cables
or electrical apparatus. Risk of injury in the
event of large sparks.
● Before working on the electrical system,
you mus
t switch off the engine, the ignition
and all electrical components and disconnect
the cable from the negative terminal (-) of the
battery. To change a bulb, simply switch off
the corresponding light.
● Never charge a frozen or thawed out bat-
tery
. Risk of explosion and acid burns! Re-
place a frozen battery.
● Never use the jump leads on batteries in
which the electr
olyte level is too low. Risk of
explosion and acid burns!
● Never use a damaged battery. Risk of ex-
plos
ion! Replace a damaged battery immedi-
ately. CAUTION
● Never di s
connect the battery when the igni-
tion is switched on, as the electrical system
(electronic components) of the vehicle could
be damaged. When disconnecting the battery
from the vehicle electrical system, disconnect its negative terminal (-) first. Only then may
the pos
itiv
e terminal (+) be disconnected.
● When connecting the battery, first connect
the positiv
e terminal (+) and then the nega-
tive terminal (-). The battery cables must nev-
er be connected to the wrong battery termi-
nals. Risk of burning the electrical installa-
tion!
● Make sure the battery acid does not come
into cont
act with the bodywork. Risk of paint-
work damage.
● Do not expose the battery to direct sunlight
to prot
ect it from ultraviolet radiation.
● If the vehicle is not used for 3 or 4 weeks,
the batter
y could run flat. This is because
some components use electricity even in
standby mode (e.g. control units). Prevent the
battery from running flat by disconnecting its
negative terminal or leave it charging at a low
current.
● If you frequently use the vehicle for short
trips, the batt
ery may not fully charge and
could run flat. For the sake of the environment
A flat battery is particularly harmful waste for
the env ir
onment. It must therefore be dis-
posed of according to current local law. Note
Replace a battery once it is older than 5
ye ar
s. Control lamp
If the
control lamp is illuminated while the
en gine i
s running, the battery is not charg-
ing.
Go to a technical service. Have the car's elec-
trical equipment inspected. CAUTION
Additionally, if the warning lamp lights up
whi
le driving, the warning lamp also lights
up (cooling system fault). Stop the vehicle
and switch off the engine – Risk of engine
damage! Lifting the battery cover
Fig. 210
Battery: Opening the cover. The battery is located beneath a plastic cover
in the en
gine c
omp
artment.
214