Page 236 of 279

234Vehicle careAfter initialisation system
automatically calibrates to new tyre
pressures during driving. After longer
drive the system will adopt and
monitor new pressures.
Always check tyre pressure with cold
tyres.
System has to be reinitialised when: ● Tyre pressure has been changed
● Load condition has been changed
● Wheels have been swapped or exchanged
The system will not warn
instantaneously on a tyre blow out or a rapid deflation. This is due to
required calculation time.
Tread depth
Check tread depth at regular
intervals.
Tyres should be replaced for safety
reasons at a tread depth of 2-3 mm
(4 mm for winter tyres).For safety reasons, it is
recommended that the tread depth of
the tyres on one axle should not vary
by more than 2 mm.
The legally permissible minimum
tread depth (1.6 mm) has been
reached when the tread has worn
down as far as one of the tread wear
indicators (TWI). Their position is
indicated by markings on the
sidewall.
If there is more wear at the front than
the rear, swap round front wheels and rear wheels periodically. Ensure that
the direction of rotation of the wheels
remains the same.
Tyres age, even if they are not used.
We recommend tyre replacement
every six years.
Changing tyre and wheel size
If tyres of a different size than those
fitted at the factory are used, it may be necessary to reprogramme the tyre
deflation detection system and make
other vehicle modifications.
Tyre deflation detection system
3 233.
Have the label with tyre pressures
replaced.9 Warning
The use of unsuitable tyres or
wheels may lead to accidents and will invalidate the vehicle
operating permit.
Page 237 of 279

Vehicle care235Wheel 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.
Vehicles with steel wheels: When
using locking wheel nuts, do not
attach wheel covers.
Tyre chains
Tyre chains are only permitted on the
front wheels.
Always use fine mesh chains that add no more than 9 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 all tyres
sizes allowed for the vehicle.
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 repaired with the tyre repair kit.9 Warning
Do not drive faster than 50 mph.
Do not use for a lengthy period.
Steering and handling may be
affected.
In the case of a flat tyre:
Apply the parking brake and engage
first gear, reverse gear or P.
Open the cover of the footwell storage
3 73.
Page 238 of 279
236Vehicle care
The tyre repair kit is located in the
storage compartment underneath the passenger front seat.
1. Remove the sealant bottle and the
compressor.
2. Pull speed limit label from sealant
bottle and place it in driver's
visible area.3. Remove the electrical connection cable and air hose from the
storage compartments on the
underside of the compressor.
4. Screw the compressor air hose to
the connection on the sealant
bottle.
5. Fit the sealant bottle into the bracket on the compressor.
Set the compressor near the tyre
in such a way that the sealant
bottle is upright.
6. Unscrew valve cap from defective
tyre.
7. Screw the filler hose to the tyre valve.
8. The switch on the compressor must be set to J.
Page 242 of 279

240Vehicle careThe front arm position of the lifting
platform is centrically under the
relevant vehicle jacking point.
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.
Only 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 a holder
beneath the vehicle floor.
1. Depending on the version, open the tailgate or the rear doors 3 30,
3 31.
2. Fit the wheel wrench on one
hexagon bolt. Turn it
anticlockwise until the spare wheel holder is low enough allow
the catch to be unhooked.
3. Lift the spare wheel holder and unhook the catch.
Lower the spare wheel holder.
4. Remove the spare wheel.
Page 247 of 279

Vehicle care245Towing
Towing the vehicle
Wrap a cloth around the tip of a flat
screwdriver to prevent paint damage. Insert the screwdriver in the slot at the
lower part of the cap. Release the cap carefully.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 230.
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 3 179, otherwise the
vehicle may automatically brake during towing.
Switch the selector lever to neutral.
Release the parking brake.
Caution
Never tow a vehicle equipped with All Wheel Drive (AWD) with the
front or rear tyres on the road. If
you tow a vehicle equipped with
AWD while the front or rear tyres
are rolling on the road, the drive
system in the vehicle could be
severely damaged. When towing
vehicles equipped with AWD, all
four tyres must not be in contact
with the road.
Page 248 of 279

246Vehicle careCaution
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
cases and when the transmission is
defective, the front axle must be
raised off the ground.
Seek the assistance of a workshop. After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap with the flange into the
recess and fix cap by pushing.
Towing another vehicle
Wrap a cloth around the tip of a flat
screwdriver to prevent paint damage. Insert the screwdriver in the slot at the
lower part of the cap. Release the cap carefully.
The towing eye is stowed with the
vehicle tools 3 230.
Screw in the towing eye as far as it will
go until it stops in a horizontal
position.
The lashing eye at the rear
underneath the vehicle must never be used as a towing eye.
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 a
vehicle.
Page 249 of 279

Vehicle care247Caution
Drive slowly. Do not drive jerkily.
Excessive tractive force can
damage the vehicle.
After towing, unscrew the towing eye.
Insert cap with the upper flange into
the recess and fix cap by pushing.
Appearance care
Exterior care LocksThe locks are lubricated at the factoryusing a high quality lock cylinder
grease. Use a de-icing agent only
when absolutely necessary, as this
has a degreasing effect and impairs
lock function. After using a de-icing
agent, have the locks regreased by a
workshop.
WashingThe paintwork of your vehicle is
exposed to environmental influences.
Bird droppings, dead insects, resin,
pollen and the like should be cleaned
off immediately, as they contain
aggressive constituents which can
cause paint damage.
If using a vehicle wash, comply with
the vehicle wash manufacturer's
instructions. The windscreen wiper and rear window wiper must beswitched off. Remove antenna and
external accessories such as roof
racks etc.
If you wash your vehicle by hand,
make sure that the insides of the
wheel housings are also thoroughly
rinsed out.
Wax painted parts of the vehicle regularly.
Clean edges and folds on opened
doors and the bonnet as well as the
areas they cover.
Clean bright metal mouldings with a
cleaning solution approved for
aluminium to avoid damages.Caution
Always use a cleaning agent with
a pH value of 4 to 9.
Do not use cleaning agents on hot surfaces.
Do not clean the engine compartment
with a steam-jet or high-pressure jet
cleaner.
Page 252 of 279
250Vehicle carereplaced by certified floor mats.
Always check that the floor mats
do not interfere with the pedals.
● Use the floor mat with the correct
side up. Do not turn it over.
● Do not place anything on top of the driver's side floor mat.
● Use only a single floor mat on the
driver's side.
Installing and removing the floor
mats
The driver's side floor mat and the
passenger's side floor mat are each
held in place by two retainers.
To install the floor mat: 1. Move the seat backwards as far as possible.
2. Align slots in the mat with the retainers, as shown.
3. Push the mat to the floor.
To remove the floor mat: 1. Move the seat backwards as far as possible.
2. Pull the floor mat upwards to remove.