2018 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS SALOON ESP

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion due toelec‐
tros tatic charge
Electros taticch arge can cause spa rks which
may ignite the highly flammable gas mixture
in the batter y. #
Todischar geany electros tatic charge
th at may ha vebuilt up, touch the me tal
ve hicle body before handling the bat‐
te ry. The highly
flammable gas mixture is created
while the battery is charging and during starting
assis tance. &
WARNING Danger of chemical burns
from the battery acid
Battery acid is caustic. #
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or
clo thing. #
Do not lean overth e batter y. #
Do not inhale battery gases. #
Keep children away from the batter y. #
Immedia tely rinse battery acid off thor‐
oughly with plenty of clean water and
seek medical attention immediately. +
ENVIRONMENTAL
NOTEEnvironmental
dama gedue toimproper disposal of bat‐
te ries Batteries conta
in pollutants. It is
illegal todispose of them with the household
ru bbish. #
Dispose of batteries in an
environmen tally responsible manner.
Ta ke dischar ged batteries toaqu alified
specialist workshop or toa collection
point for used batteries. If
yo u ha vetodisconnect the12 V batter y,con‐
ta ct a qualified specialist workshop. Comply with saf
ety no tes and take protective
measures when handling batteries. Risk of
explosion. Fire, naked
flames and smoking are
prohibi ted when handling the batter y.
Av oid creating spar ks. Electrolyte
or battery acid is cor ro‐
sive. Avoid contact with the skin, eyes
or clo thing. Wear suitable pr otective
clo thing, in particular glove s, an
apron and a face mas k.Immedia tely
ri nse electrolyte or acid splashes off
with clean water.Consult a doc tor if
necessar y. We
ar saf etygl asses. 456
Breakdown assis tance

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from a fro‐
zen battery
A dischar ged battery may freeze at temp era‐
tures slightly abo veor below freezing point.
During starting assis tance or battery charg‐
ing, bat tery gas may be released. #
Alw aysth aw a frozen bat tery out first
before charging it or per form ing start‐
ing assis tance. If
th e indicator/warning lamps in the instrument
clus ter do not light up at low temp eratures, it is
ve ry likely that the dischar ged battery has fro‐
zen. In this case you may neither jump-s tart the
ve hicle nor charge the batter y.
The service life of a battery that has been
th awe d may be dramatically shor tened. The
st arting characteristics may be impaired, espe‐
cially at low temp eratures.
It is recommended that you ha veathaw ed bat‐
te ry checked at a qualified specialist workshop. *
NO
TEDama gecaused bynumerous or
ex tended attem ptsto start the engine Nume
rous or extended attem ptsto start the
engine may damage the catalytic con verter
due tonon-combu sted fuel. #
Avoid numerous and extended attem pts
to start the engine. Obser
vethefo llowing points during starting
assis tance and when charging the battery:
R Only use undamaged jump lead/charging
cables with a suf ficient cross-section and
insula tedte rm inal clamps.
R Non- insulated parts of thete rm inal clamps
must not come into con tact wi thother me tal
parts while the jump lead/charging cable is
connected tothe battery/jump-s tart connec‐
tion point.
R The jump lead/charging cable must not
come into contact wi thany parts which may
mo vewhen the engine is running.
R Alw ays make sure that nei ther you nor the
battery is elect rostatically charge d. R
Keep away from fire and naked flames.
R Do not lean overth e batter y.
Obser vethe additional following points when
ch arging the battery:
R Only use battery charge rs tested and
appr oved for Mercedes-Benz.
R Read the battery charge r's operating instruc‐
tions before charging the batter y.
Obser vethe additional following points during
st arting assis tance:
R Starting assis tance may be pe rformed using
only batteries with a nominal voltage of 12V.
R The vehicles must not touch.
R Petrol engine: only acceptstarting assis‐
ta nce if the engine and exhaust sy stem are
cold. 458
Breakdown assis tance

Note
s on noise or unusual handling charac‐
te rist ics
While driving, pay attention tovibrations, noises
and unusual handling characteristics, e.g. pulling
to one side. This may indicate that the wheels or
tyres are damaged. If you suspect that a tyre is
defective, reduce your speed immediatel y.Stop
th eve hicle as soon as possible tocheck the
wheels and tyres for dama ge. Hidden tyre dam‐
age could also be causing the unusual handling
ch aracteristics. If youfind no signs of damage,
ha ve the tyres and wheels checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Note
s onregular lyinspecting wheels and
tyres &
WARNING Risk of accident from dam‐
aged tyres
Dama ged tyres can cause tyre pressure loss.
As a result, you could lose cont rol of your
ve hicle. #
Check the tyres regularly for signs of
dama geand replace any damaged tyres
immediatel y. Car
ryout thefo llowing checks on all wheels reg‐
ularly, at least once a month or as requ ired, e.g.
prior toa long journey or driving off- road:
R Check the tyre pressure (/ page470).
R Visually inspect tyres and wheels for dam‐
age.
R Check theva lve caps.
The valves must be pr otected against mois‐
ture and dirt bytheva lve caps appr oved
especially foryo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
R Visual check of the tyre tread dep thand the
tyre contact su rface across the entire width.
The minimum tread dep thfor summer tyres
is 3 mm and for winter tyres 4 mm. Note
s on snow chains &
WARNING Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct snow chain fitting
If yo ufit snow chains tothere ar wheels, the
snow chains may grind against theve hicle
body or chassis components.
This could cause damage totheve hicle or
th e tyres. #
Neverfit snow chains tothere ar
wheels. #
Alw aysfit snow chains tothe front
wheels in pairs. *
NO
TEDama getothe wheel trim from fit‐
te d snow chains If sn
ow ch ains are fitted tosteel wheels, the
wheel trims can be damaged. #
Remo vethe wheel trims of steel wheels
before fitting snow chains. Wheels and tyres
469

Obser
vethefo llowing no tes when using snow
ch ains:
R Snow ch ains are on ly permissible for cer tain
wheel/tyre combinations. You can obtain
information about this from a Mercedes-Benz
Service Cent re.
R For saf etyre asons, on lyuse sn ow chainsthat
ha ve been specifically appr ovedfo ryo ur
ve hicle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains
with the same quality standard.
R If sn ow ch ains are fitted, the maximum per‐
missible speed is 50 km/h.
R Vehicles with Active Park ing Assis t:do
not use Active Parking Assist when snow
ch ains are fitted.
% You can permanently limit the maximum
ve hicle speed for driving with winter tyres
(/ page 205).
% You can deactivate ESP ®
to pull away
( / page194). This allo ws the wheels to
spin, achieving an increased driving forc e. Ty
re pressure Note
s on tyre pressure &
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient or excessive tyre pressure
Underinfla ted or overinfla ted tyres pose the
fo llowing risks:
R The tyres may bur st, especially as the
load and vehicle speed increase.
R The tyres may wearexc essively and/or
une venly, which may greatlyimpair tyre
traction.
R The driving characteristics, as well as
st eering and braking, may be greatly
impaired. #
Comply with there commended tyre
pressure and check the tyre pressure of
all tyres including the spare wheel regu‐
larly:
R at least once a month
R when the load changes R
before embarking on a lon ger journey
R if operating conditions change, e.g. off-
ro ad driving #
Adjust the tyre pressure as necessar y. Driving wi
thtyre pressu rethat is too high or too
low can:
R Sho rten the service life of the tyres.
R Cause increased tyre damage.
R Adversely af fect driving characteristics and
th us driving saf ety, e.g. due toaquaplaning. &
WARNING Risk of accident from repea‐
te d tyre pressure drop
If th e tyre pressure drops repeatedl y,the
wheel, valve or tyre may be damaged.
Insuf ficient tyre pressure can cause the tyres
to bur st. #
Inspect the tyre for signs of fore ign
objects. 47 0
Wheels and tyres

If
th e preceding tyre sizes are complemented by
th e+ symbol, the tyre pressure information
fo llowing sho wsalternative tyre pressures.
These tyre pressures may impr oveyour vehicle's
ri de comfort. Fuel consum ption may then
increase slightl y.
The load conditions "partially laden" and "fully
laden" are defined in theta ble for dif fere nt num‐
be rs of passengers and amounts of luggage. The
actual number of seats may dif fer from this.
Be sure toalso obse rveth efo llowing fur ther
re lated subjects:
R Notes on tyre pressure (/ page470) Ty
re pressure moni toring sy stem Fu
nction of the ty repressure moni toring sys‐
tem
The sy stem checks the tyre pressure and the
tyre temp erature of the tyres fitted totheve hicle
by means of a tyre pressu resensor.
New tyre pressure sensors, e.g. in winter tyres,
are automatically taught-in during thefirs t jour‐
ney they are used. The tyre pressure and
the tyre temp erature
appear in the multifunction display
(/ page472).
If th ere is a subs tantial pressure loss or if the
tyre temp erature is excessive, you will be
wa rned in thefo llowing ways:
R via display messa ges (/ page545)
R viatheh warning lamp in the instrument
clus ter (/ page571)
The tyre pressu remonitoring sy stem is only an
aid. It is the driver's responsibility toset the tyre
pressure tothere commended cold tyre pressure
suitable forth e operating situation. Set the tyre
pressure for cold tyres using a tyre pressu re
ga uge. Notethat the cor rect tyre pressure for
th e cur rent operating situation mu stfirs t be
ta ught-in tothe tyre pressure monitoring sys‐
te m.
In most cases, the tyre pressure monitoring sys‐
te m will auto matically update the new refere nce
va lues af teryo u ha vechanged the tyre pressure.
Yo u can, ho wever,also update there fere nce val‐
ues byrestarting the tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem manually (/ page473). Sy
stem limitations
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing situations:
R ifth e tyre pressure is set incor rectly
R ifth ere is a sudden pressure loss caused, for
ex ample, byafo re ign object penetrating the
tyre
R ifth ere is a malfunction caused byano ther
ra dio signal source
Make sure toobser vethefo llowing fur ther rela‐
te d subjec t:
R notes on tyre pressure (/ page470)
Checking the ty repressure with the tyre
pressure moni toring sy stem
Re quirements:
R The ignition is switched on.
On-board computer: 4 Service 5
Tyres
One of thefo llowing displa ysappears:
R Cur rent tyre pressure and tyre temp erature
of the individual wheels: 472
Wheels and tyres

These tyres are specially adap
tedto the con‐
trol sy stems, such as ABS, ESP ®
and
4MATIC, and mar ked as follo ws:
R MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
R MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended
(run-flat tyres only for cer tain wheels)
R MO1 = Mercedes-Benz Original (only cer‐
ta in AMG tyres)
Cer tain characteristics, such as handling,
ve hicle noise emissions, fuel consum ption,
et c. may otherwise be adversely af fected.
Fu rthermore, other tyre sizes could result in
th e tyres rubbing against the body and axle
components when loaded. This could result
in damage tothe tyre or theve hicle.
Only use tyres, wheels and accessories that
ha ve been checked and recommended by
Mercedes-Benz. *
NO
TERisk todriving saf ety from retrea‐
ded tyres Re
treaded tyres are nei ther tested nor rec‐
ommended byMercedes-Benz, since pr evi‐
ous damage cannot alw ays be de tected on
re treaded tyres.
Fo rth is reason driving saf ety cannot be guar‐
anteed. #
Do not use used tyres if you ha veno
information about their pr evious usage. *
NO
TEPossible damage towheels or
tyres when driving over obs tacles Large wheels ha
vea lo wer tyre section width.
The lo werth e tyre section width, the greater
is therisk of damage towheels or tyres when
driving over obs tacles. #
Avoid obs tacles or drive pa rticular ly
carefully. *
NO
TEDama getoelectronic component
parts from the use of tyre-fitting tools Ve
hicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: electronic component parts are
located in the wheel. Tyre-fitting tools should
not be applied in the area of theva lve.
The tools could damage the electronic com‐
ponent parts. #
Have the tyres changed at a qualified
specialist workshop onl y. *
NO
TEDama getosummer tyres at low
ambient temp eratures At
low ambient temp eratures, tears could
fo rm when driving with summer tyres, caus‐
ing permanent damage tothe tyre. #
Attemp eratures below 7 °C, use M+S
tyres. Ac
cessory pa rts th at are not appr ovedfo ryo ur
ve hicle byMercedes-Benz or are not being used
cor rectly can impair the operating saf ety. 480
Wheels and tyres

Before pu
rchasing and using non-appr oved
accesso ries, visit a qualified specialist workshop
and enquire about:
R Suitability
R Legal stipulations
R Factory recommendations &
WARNING Risk of accident wi thhigh
per form ance tyres
The special tyre tread in combination with
th e optimised tyre compound, means that
th erisk of skidding or hydroplaning on wet
ro ads is inc reased.
In addition, the tyre grip is greatly reduced at
a low outside temp erature and tyre running
te mp erature. #
Switch on the ESP ®
and adapt your
driving style accordingly. #
Use M+S tyres at outside temp eratures
of less than 50 °F. Obse
rveth efo llowing when selecting, fitting and
re placing tyres:
R Countr y-specific requirements for tyre
appro valth at define a specific tyre type for
yo ur vehicle.
Fu rthermore, the use of cer tain tyre types in
cer tain regions and areas of operation can
be highly beneficial.
R Only use tyres and wheels of the same type
(summer tyres, winter tyres, MOEx tended
tyres) and the same make.
R Only fit wheels of the same size on one axle
(left and right).
It is only permissible tofit a di fferent wheel
size in theeve nt of a flat tyre in order to
drive tothe specialist workshop.
R Only fit tyres of the cor rect size onto the
wheels.
R Do not make any modifications tothe brake
sy stem, the wheels or the tyres.
The use of shims or brake dust shields is not
permitted and may in validate theve hicle's
ge neral operating pe rmit. R
Vehicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: allfitted wheels mu stbe equipped
with functioning sensors forth e tyre pres‐
sure monitoring sy stem.
R Attemp eratures below 7 °C, use winter tyres
or all-season tyres mar ked M+S for all
wheels.
Wi nter tyres bearing thei snowflake
symbol in addition tothe M+S marking pro‐
vide the best possible grip in wintry road
conditions.
R For M+S tyres, only use tyres with the same
tread.
R Obser vethe maximum permissible speed for
th e M+S tyres fitted.
If th is is below theve hicle's maximum speed,
th is must be indicated byan appropriate
label in the driver's field of vision.
R Run in new tyres at moderate speeds forthe
fi rs t10 0 km.
R Replace the tyres af ter six years at the latest,
re ga rdless of wear. Wheels and tyres
481

Emer
gency spare wheel Note
s onthe emer gency spare wheel &
WARNING Risk of accident caused by
incor rect wheel and tyre dimensions
The wheel or tyre size and the tyre type of
th e emer gency spa rewheel or spare wheel
and the wheel tobe replaced may dif fer.
Mounting an emer gency spa rewheel/spare
wheel may se verely impair the driving char‐
acteristics.
To preve nt hazardous situations: #
Adapt your driving style according lyand
drive carefull y. #
Neverfit more than one emer gency
spa rewheel or spare wheel that dif fers
in size. #
Only use an emer gency spa rewheel or
spare wheel of a dif fere nt size brie fly. #
Do not switch off ESP ®
. #
Have the emer gency spa rewheel or
spare wheel of a dif fere nt size replaced
at the nearest qualified specialist work‐ shop. The new wheel must ha
vethe
cor rect dimensions. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes on removing an
emergency spare wheel:
R Before stowingthe emer gency spa rewheel,
make sure there is no air left in the tyre.
If necessar y,allow the air toescape.
R Torelease air from the ty re:re mo vethe
va lve cap of the tyre.
R Press down the me tal inse rtin theva lve
using a pointed object, e.g. a pen.
R Screw theva lve cap onto theva lve.
R Stow the deflated emer gency spa rewheel in
th e emer gency spa rewheel bag in the boot
(/ page 490).
Obser vethefo llowing no tes on fitting an emer‐
ge ncy spa rewheel:
R Fitthe emer gency spa rewheel when it is
deflated (/ page 487).
R Inflate the emer gency spa rewheel af terfit‐
ting it (/ page 490). The maximum permissible speed with an emer‐
ge ncy spa rewheel fitted is 80 km/h.
Do not fit th e emer gency spa rewheel with sn ow
ch ains.
Re place the emer gency spa rewheel af ter six
ye ars at the latest, rega rdless of wear.
% Ve
hicles with a tyre pressure loss warn‐
ing sy stem: if an emer gency spa rewheel is
fi tted the tyre pressure loss warning sy stem
cann otfunction reliabl y.Only restart the sys‐
te m again when the emer gency spa rewheel
has been replaced with a new wheel.
Ve hicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: if an emer gency spa rewheel is fit‐
te dth e tyre pressure monitoring sy stem can‐
not function reliabl y.Only restart the sy stem
again when the emer gency spa rewheel has
been replaced with a new wheel.
Ve hicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: for a few minutes af ter an emer‐
ge ncy spa rewheel is fitted, the sy stem may
st ill display the tyre pressure of there mo ved
wheel. Wheels and tyres
489