2018 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS SALOON maintenance

Checking
the coolant le vel &
WARNING Risk of bu rns from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain components in the engine compart‐
ment can be very hot, e.g. the engine, the
ra diator and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in the
fo llowing. &
WARNING Risk of scalding from hot
coolant
The engine cooling sy stem is pressurised,
particularly when the engine is warm. If you
open the cap, you could be scalded byhot
coolant spr aying out. #
Let the engine cool down before open‐
ing the cap. #
When opening the cap, wear pr otective
gl ove s and saf etygl asses. #
Open the cap slowly torelease pres‐
sure. #
Park theve hicle on a le vel sur face. #
Check the coolant temp erature display in the
instrument clus ter.
The coolant temp erature must be below
70 °C. #
Slowly turn cap 1anti-clockwise torelease
ove rpressure. #
Continue turning cap 1anti-clockwise and
re mo veit.
The coolant le vel is cor rect in thefo llowing
cases:
R ifth e engine is cold, the coolant is up to
mar ker bar 2.
R ifth e engine is warm,th e coolant is up to
1. 5 cm overth e mar ker bar 2. #
If necessar y,top up with coolant that has
been appr ovedfo r Mercedes-Benz.
R Further information on coolant
(/ page 503). To
pping up the windsc reen washer sy stem &
WARNING Risk of bu rns from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain components in the engine compart‐
ment can be very hot, e.g. the engine, the
ra diator and parts of theex haust sy stem. Maintenance and care
435

#
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in the
fo llowing. &
WARNING Danger of bu rns when open‐
ing the bonn et
If yo u open the engine bonn etwhen the
engine has overheated or during a fire inthe
engine compartment, you could come into
contact with hot gases or other escaping
operating fluids. #
Before opening the bonn et, allow the
engine tocool down. #
Intheeve nt of a fire inthe engine com‐
partment, keep the engine bonn et
closed and call thefire service. &
WARNING ‑ Risk of fire and injury due to
windscreen washer concentrate
Wi ndsc reen washer concentrate is highly
fl ammable. It could ignite if it comes into
con tact wi thhot engine component parts or
th eex haust sy stem. #
Make sure that no windsc reen washer
concentrate spills out next tothefiller
opening. #
Remo vethe cap 1bytheta b. #
Top up thewa sher fluid. Ke
eping the air-water duct free #
Keep the area between the bonn etand the
windscreen free of deposits, e.g. ice, sn ow
and lea ves. Cleaning and care
Information on
washing theve hicle in a car
wa sh &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
re duced braking po wer af terwa shing the
ve hicle
Braking ef ficiency is reduced af terwa shing
th eve hicle. #
Afterth eve hicle has been washed,
brake carefully while paying attention to
th e traf fic conditions until braking
po we r has been fully restored. 436
Maintenance and care

*
NO
TEDama gedue tounsuitable car
wa sh #
Before driving into a car wash make
sure that the car wash is suitable for
th eve hicle dimensions. #
Ensure there is suf ficient ground clear‐
ance between the underbody and the
guide rails of the car wash. #
Ensure that the clearance width of the
car wash, in particular the width of the
guide rails, is suf ficient. To
avo id damage to yourvehicle when using a
car wash, ensure thefo llowing beforehand:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC and the
HOLD function are deactivated.
R the 360° Camera or there ve rsing camera is
switched off.
R the side windo wsand sliding sun roof are
comple tely closed.
R the blo werfo rth eve ntilation/heating is
switched off. R
the windscreen wiper switch is in position
g.
R in car washes with a con veyo r sy stem: neu‐
tral iis engaged.
R theke y is at a minimum dis tance of 3 m
aw ay from theve hicle, otherwise the boot lid
could open unintentionally.
% Ifyo uwo uld like tolea vetheve hicle while it
is being washed, make sure theke y is loca‐
te d in theve hicle. The jgear is otherwise
automatically engaged.
% If, af terth e car wash, youre mo vethewax
from the windscreen and wiper rubbers, this
will pr event smearing and reduce wiper
noise. Information on using a high-p
ressure cleaner &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
using high-pressure cleane rswith circu‐
lar jet nozzles
The wate r jet of a circular jet nozzle (dirt
grinder) can cause extern ally invisible dam‐
age tothe tyres or chassis parts.
Components damaged in this wa y may unex‐
pec tedly fail. #
Do not use high-pressure cleaners with
circular jet nozzles toclean theve hicle. #
Have damaged tyres or chassis parts
re placed immediatel y. To
avo id damage to yourvehicle, obser vethefo l‐
lowing when using a high-pressure cleaner:
R keep theke y at least 3 m away from theve hi‐
cle. Otherwise the boot lid could open unin‐
te ntional ly.
R maintain a dis tance of at least 30 cm tothe
ve hicle. Maintenance and care
437

R
vehicles with deco rative foil: parts of your
ve hicle are co vered with a decorative foil.
Maintain a dis tance of at least 70 cm
between thefo il-c ove red parts of theve hicle
and the nozzle of the high-pressure cleaner.
Mo vethe high-pressure cleaner nozzle
around whilst cleaning. The waterte mp era‐
ture of the high-pressure cleaner must not
exc eed 60 °C.
R obser vethe information on the cor rect dis‐
ta nce in the equipment manufacturer's oper‐
ating instructions. R
do not point the nozzle of the high-pressure
cleaner directly at sensitive parts such as
tyres, slits, electrical components, bat teries,
light bulbs and ventilation sl ots. Wa
shing the vehicle byhand Obser
vethe legal requirements, e.g. in a number
of countries, washing byhand is only permitted
in specially designated wash ba ys. #
Use a mild cleaning agent, e.g. car shampoo. #
Washtheve hicle with luk ewarmwate r using
a soft car sponge. When doing so, do not
ex pose theve hicle todirect sunlight. #
Carefully hose theve hicle off with water and
dry using a chamois. Take care not topoint
th ewate r jet directly towa rdsth e air inlet
grille. 438
Maintenance and care

Note
s on paint work/matt finish paint workcare Obser
vethefo llowing information: Cleaning and car
eA voiding paintwork damage
Pa intwork R
Insect remains: soak with insect remo ver and rinse off the
trea ted areas af terw ards.
R Bird droppings: soak with water and rinse off af terw ards.
R Tree resin, oils, fuels and greases: remo veby rubbing gen‐
tly wi tha clo thsoaked in petroleum ether or lighter fluid.
R Coolant and brake fluid: remo vewith a damp clo thand
clean water.
R Tarst ains: use tarre mo ver.
R Wax: use silicone remo ver. R
Do not attach sticke rs,fi lms or similar.
R Remo vedirt immediatel y,where possible. Maintenance and care
439

Cleaning and car
eA voiding paintwork damage
Matt finish R
Only use care products appr ovedfo r Mercedes-Benz. R
Do not polish theve hicle and light-alloy wheels.
R Only use car washes that cor respond tothe latest engi‐
neering standards.
R Do not use car wash programmes with a final hot wax
treatment.
R Do not use paint cleane rs, buf fing or polishing products,
gl oss preser vers, e.g. wax.
R Alw ays ha vepaintwork repairs car ried out at a qualified
specialist workshop. Note
s on cleaning decorative foils Obser
vethe no tes on matt finish care in the
ch ap ter "No tes on paintwork/matt finish paint‐ wo
rkcare" (/ page 439). They also apply to
matt decorative foils. 440
Maintenance and care

Obser
vethefo llowing information: Cleaning
Avoiding dama getothe decorative foil
R For cleaning, use plenty of water and a mild cleaning agent without
additives or abrasive substances, e.g. a car sha mpoo appr ovedfor
Mercedes-Benz.
R Remo vedirt immediately, where possible, whilst avoiding rubbing
to o hard. There is otherwise a risk of damaging the decorative foil
ir re parably.
R Ifth ere is dirt on thefinish or if the decorative foil is dull: use the
Pa int Cleaner recommended and appr ovedfo r Mercedes-Benz.
R Insect remains: soak with insect remo ver and rinse off the treated
areas af terw ards.
R Bird droppings: soak with water and rinse off af terw ards.
R Toprev ent waterst ains, dry a foil-wrapped vehicle with a soft,
absorbent clo thafte reve rycar wash. R
The service life and colouring of decorative foils are impaired by:
- sunlight
- temp erature, e.g. hot air blo wer
- weather conditions
- stone chippings and dirt
- chemical cleaning agents
- oily products
R Do not use polish on matt decorative foil. Po lishing will ha vethe ef fect of
shining thefo il-wrapped sur face.
R Do not treat matt or stru ctured deco rative foils with wax.Pe rm anent
st ains may occur. Sc
ratches, cor rosive deposits, areas af fected by
cor rosion and damage caused byincor rect care
cannot al ways be comple tely repaired. In such
cases, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
Yo u can obtain more information on care and
cleaning products from the manufacturer. In
the case of foil-wrapped sur faces, optical dif‐
fe re nces may occur between the sur faces that
we renot pr otected bya decorative foil af ter
re moving a decorative foil. %
Have wo rkor repairs todecorative foils car‐
ri ed out at a qualified specialist workshop,
e.g. in a Mercedes-Benz service centre. Maintenance and care
441

Note
s on care of car parts &
WARNING Risk of entrapment if the
windscreen wipers are swit ched on while
th e windscreen is being cleaned
If th e windscreen wipers are set in motion
while you are cleaning the windscreen or
wiper blades, you can be trapped bythe
wiper arm. #
Alw ays switch off the windscreen wip‐
ers and the ignition before cleaning the
windscreen or wiper blades. &
WARNING Risk of bu rning from theta il‐
pipe or tailpipe trim
The tailpipe and tailpipe trim can become
ve ry hot. If you come into contact with these
car parts, you could burn yourself. #
Alw ays be particular lycareful when in
th e vicinity of theta ilpipe and tailpipe
trims and supervise children very
closely when in this area. #
Before any con tact, allow the car parts
to cool down. Obser
vethefo llowing information: Note
s on cleaning and car eA voiding vehicle damage
Wheels/rims Usewate r and acid-free wheel cleaners. R
Do not use acidic wheel cleaners toremo vebrake dust.
This could damage wheel bolts and brake components.
R Toavoid cor rosion of the brake discs and brakepads, drive
th eve hicle for a few minutes af ter cleaning before parking
it. The brake discs and brakepads warm up and dry out.
Wi ndo ws
Cleanthe windo wsonthe inside and outside using a damp
clo thand cleaning agents recommended byMercedes-Benz. Do not use dry clo
ths or abrasive or sol vent-based cleaning
agents toclean the inside of windo ws.
Wi per blades
Fold out the wiper blades and clean them using a damp clo th.D o not clean the wiper blades too of ten. 442
Maintenance and care