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Vehicle care261Changing tyre and wheelsize
If tyres of a different size than those
fitted at the factory are used, it may be necessary to reprogramme the
nominal tyre pressure and make
other vehicle modifications.
After converting to a different tyre
size, have the label with tyre
pressures replaced and the tyre
pressure monitoring system
reinitialised. 3 2569 Warning
The use of unsuitable tyres or
wheels may lead to accidents and will invalidate the vehicle
operating permit.
Wheel covers
Wheel covers and tyres that are
factory approved for the respective
vehicle and comply with all of the
relevant wheel and tyre combination
requirements must be used.
If the wheel covers and tyres used are
not factory approved, the tyres must
not have a rim protection ridge.
Wheel covers must not impair brake
cooling.9 Warning
Use of unsuitable tyres or wheel
covers could lead to sudden
pressure loss and thereby
accidents.
Tyre chains
Tyre chains are only permitted on the
front wheels.
Always use fine mesh chains that add no more than 10 mm to the tyre tread
and the inboard sides (including chain lock).9 Warning
Damage may lead to tyre blowout.
Tyre chains are permitted on tyres of
size 195/65 R15, 205/55 R16 and
215/55 R16.
Temporary spare wheel
The use of tyre chains is not permitted on the temporary spare wheel.
Tyre repair kit Minor damage to the tyre tread can be
repaired with the tyre repair kit.
Do not remove foreign bodies from
the tyres.
Tyre damage exceeding 4 mm or that is at tyre's sidewall cannot be repairedwith the tyre repair kit.
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262Vehicle care9Warning
Do not drive faster than 50 mph.
Do not use for a lengthy period.
Steering and handling may be
affected.
If you have a flat tyre:
Apply the parking brake and engage
first gear, reverse gear or P.
On 5-door hatchback the tyre repair
kit is on the right side in the load
compartment behind a cover.
On Sports Tourer the tyre repair kit is
in a suitcase on the right side of the
load compartment behind a cover.
The suitcase is secured with a strap.
1. Remove the sealant bottle.
2. Insert thumb into the opening and
pull out the compressor.3. Remove the electrical connection cable and air hose from the
stowage compartments on the
underside of the compressor.
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Vehicle care265dinghies etc. They can be located on
the underside of the compressor. To
remove, screw on compressor air
hose and withdraw adapter.
Wheel changing
Make the following preparations and
observe the following information:
● Park the vehicle on a level, firm and non-skid surface. The front
wheels must be in the straight-
ahead position.
● Apply the parking brake and engage first gear, reverse gear or
P .
● If the ground on which the vehicle
is standing is soft, a solid board
(max. 1 cm thick) should be
placed under the jack.
● Take heavy objects out of the vehicle before jacking up.
● No people or animals may be in the vehicle when it is jacked-up.
● Never crawl under a jacked-up vehicle.●Do not start the vehicle when it is
raised on the jack.
● Clean wheel nuts and thread with
a clean cloth before mounting the wheel.9 Warning
Do not grease wheel bolt, wheel
nut and wheel nut cone.
Jacking positions
The jacking positions shown refer to
the use of lifting arms and accessory
jacks used for changing winter /
summer tyres.
Rear arm position of the lifting
platform centrically under the rear
recess of the sill.
Front arm position of the lifting
platform centrically at the underbody.
Spare wheel The spare wheel can be classified as
a temporary spare wheel depending
on the size compared to the other
mounted wheels and country
regulations. In this case a permissible maximum speed applies, even
though no label at the spare wheel
indicates this.
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266Vehicle careOnly mount one temporary spare
wheel. Do not drive faster than
50 mph. Take curves slowly. Do not
use for a long period of time.Caution
The use of a spare wheel that is smaller than the other wheels or in
combination with winter tyres
could affect driveability. Have the defective tyre replaced as soon as
possible.
The spare wheel is located in the load
compartment beneath the floor
covering.
To remove: 1. Open the floor cover 3 81.
2. The spare wheel is secured with a
wing nut. Unscrew nut and take
out the spare wheel.
Under the spare wheel there is the box with vehicle tools.
3. When, after a wheel change, no wheel is placed in the spare wheel
well, secure the tool box by
tightening the wing nut as far as it will go and close floor cover.
4. After wheel change back to full size wheel, place the spare wheel
outside up in the well and secure
with the wing nut.
Fitting the spare wheel
Make the following preparations and
observe the following information:
● Park the vehicle on a level, firm and non-skid surface. The front
wheels must be in the straight-
ahead position.
● If necessary, place a chock under
the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to be changed.
● Apply the parking brake and engage first gear, reverse gear or
P .
● Remove the spare wheel.
● Never change more than one wheel at once.
● Use the jack only to change wheels in case of puncture, not
for seasonal winter or summer
tyre change.
● The jack is maintenance-free.
● If the ground on which the vehicle
is standing is soft, a solid board
(max. 1 cm thick) should be
placed under the jack.
● Take heavy objects out of the vehicle before jacking up.
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Vehicle care271● Do not lean over the vehiclebattery during jump starting.
● Do not allow the terminals of one
lead to touch those of the other
lead.
● The vehicles must not come into contact with each other during
the jump starting process.
● Apply the parking brake, transmission in neutral,
automatic transmission in P.
● Open the positive terminal protection cap of your vehicle in
the engine compartment and of
the booster vehicle battery.Lead connection order:
1. Connect the red lead to the positive terminal of the booster
vehicle battery.
2. Connect the other end of the red lead to the positive terminal of
your vehicle near the fuse box in
the engine compartment.
3. Connect the black lead to the negative terminal of the booster
vehicle battery.
4. Connect the other end of the black
lead to a vehicle grounding point
of your vehicle in the engine
compartment.
Route the leads so that they cannot
catch on rotating parts in the engine
compartment.
To start the engine: 1. Start the engine of the vehicle providing the jump.
2. After five minutes, start the other engine. Start attempts should be
made for no longer than
15 seconds at an interval of one
minute.3. Allow both engines to idle for approx. three minutes with the
leads connected.
4. Switch on electrical consumers (e.g. headlights, heated rear
window) of the vehicle receiving
the jump start.
5. Reverse above sequence exactly when removing leads.
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272Vehicle careTowingTowing the vehicle
Wrap a cloth around the tip of a flat
screwdriver to prevent paint damage.
Insert a screwdriver in the slot at the
lower part of the cap. Release the cap
by carefully moving the screwdriver
downwards.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 253.
Screw in the towing eye as far as it will
go until it stops in a horizontal
position.
Attach a tow rope – or better still a tow rod – to the towing eye.
The towing eye must only be used for
towing and not for recovering the
vehicle.
Switch on ignition to release steering wheel lock and to permit operation of
brake lights, horn and windscreen
wiper.
Caution
Deactivate the driver assistance
systems like active emergency
braking 3 197, otherwise the
vehicle may automatically brake during towing.
Switch the selector lever to neutral.
Release the parking brake.
Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
When the engine is not running,
considerably more force is needed to
brake and steer.
To prevent the entry of exhaust gases from the towing vehicle, switch on the
air recirculation and close the
windows.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: The vehicle must be towed facing
forwards, not faster than 50 mph nor further than 60 miles. In all other
Page 282 of 315
280Service and maintenanceWasher fluid
Use only washer fluid approved for
the vehicle to prevent damage of wiper blades, paintwork, plastic and
rubber parts. Consult a workshop.
Brake and clutch fluidOver time, brake fluid absorbs
moisture which will reduce braking
effectiveness. The brake fluid should therefore be replaced at the specified
interval.
Page 307 of 315

Customer information305Operating data in the vehicleControl units process data for
operation of the vehicle.
This data includes, e.g.: ● vehicle status information (e.g. wheel rotation rate, speed,
movement delay, lateral
acceleration, "seatbelts
fastened" display),
● ambient conditions (e.g. temperature, rain sensor,
distance sensor).
As a rule such data is transient, not
stored for longer than an operational
cycle, and only processed on board
the vehicle itself. Control units often
include data storage (including the
vehicle key). This is used to allow information to be documented
temporarily or permanently on vehicle
condition, component stress,
maintenance requirements and
technical events and errors.Depending on the technical
equipment level, the data stored is as follows:
● system component operating states (e.g. fill level, tyre
pressure, battery status)
● faults and defects in important system components (e.g. lights,
brakes)
● system reactions in special driving situations (e.g. triggering
of an airbag, actuation of the
stability control systems)
● information on events damaging the vehicle
● for electric vehicles the amount of
charge in the high-voltage
battery, estimated range
In special cases (e.g. if the vehicle
has detected a malfunction), it may be
necessary to save data that would
otherwise just be volatile.
When you use services (e.g. repairs,
maintenance), the operating data
saved can be read together with the
vehicle identification number and
used when necessary. Staff working
for the service net-work ( e.g. garages,manufacturers) or third parties (e.g.
breakdown services) can read the
data from the vehicle. The same
applies to warranty work and quality
assurance measures.
Data is generally read via the OBD
(On-Board Diagnostics) port
prescribed by law in the vehicle. The operating data which is read out,
documents the technical condition of
the vehicle or individual components
and assists with fault diagnosis,
compliance with warranty obligations
and quality improvement. This data,
in particular information on
component stress, technical events,
operator errors and other faults, is
transmitted to the manufacturer
where appropriate, together with the
vehicle identification number. The
manufacturer is also subject to
product liability. The manufacturer
potentially also uses operating data
from vehicles for product recalls. This
data can also be used to check
customer warranty and guarantee
claims.
Fault memories in the vehicle can be
reset by a service company when
carrying out servicing or repairs.