tire MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK 2008 Owner's Manual

Towing and tow-starting
268 Towing and tow-starting
Points to remember
G
Risk of accident
If you have the vehicle towed, you must use
a rigid towing bar if:
R the engine is not running.
R there is a brake system malfunction.
R there is a malfunction in the voltage sup-
ply or the vehicle's electrical system.
The electric power steering and the brake
force booster do not work when the engine
is not running. Greater braking force will
then be required and brake pedal travel will
be longer. If necessary, depress the brake
pedal with full force.
Do not tow the vehicle if the key cannot be
turned in the ignition lock. If this is the case,
the steering is locked and the vehicle can-
not be steered.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum per-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehi-
cle.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed. When towing, observe the legal requirements
in all countries concerned.
!
When towing, pull away slowly and with-
out jerking. If the tractive power is too high,
the vehicles could be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! You may tow the vehicle for a maximum
of 50 km. A towing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
With towing distances over 50 km, the
entire vehicle needs to be lifted up and
transported.
! Only secure the tow cable or towing bar
to the towing eyes. You may otherwise
damage the vehicle.
R Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC* must not be
tow-started.
R If the engine does not start, try jump-start-
ing it (Y page 266).
R If it is not possible to jump-start the vehicle,
have it towed to the nearest qualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre. R
The selector lever must be in position N
when towing a vehicle with AUTO-
TRONIC*.
R If you are towing the vehicle over a consid-
erable distance, this must only be done
with the front axle raised.
R The ignition must be switched off if you are
towing the vehicle with the front/rear axle
raised. Intervention by ESP ®
could other-
wise damage the brake system.
R Before towing the vehicle, make sure that
the battery is connected and charged. Oth-
erwise:
-you cannot switch on the ignition
- you cannot move the selector lever
to N(on vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*)
- you have no support when braking
i Switch off the automatic locking feature
before the vehicle is towed (Y page 111).
You could otherwise be locked out when
pushing or towing the vehicle. Practical advice
* optional
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann,
Version: 2.10.6
2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 268 Dateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight

Towing and tow-starting
269Fitting the towing eye
Vehicles with a trailer tow hitch: if you
intend to use the vehicle for towing, fit the ball
coupling (Y page 186) and connect the tow-
bar to this.
Opening the front cover The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are in the bumpers. They are located at the
front and rear behind covers on the right-hand
side of the vehicle when viewed in the direc-
tion of travel.
1
Cover
X Press cover 1back in the direction of the
arrow.
X Take cover 1off the opening. Opening the rear cover
1
Cover
X Press cover 1back in the direction of the
arrow.
X Take cover 1off the opening.
Securing the towing eye X
Take the towing eye and the wheel wrench
from the vehicle tool kit ( Ypage 200).
X Screw in the towing eye clockwise to the
stop.
X Insert the wheel wrench handle into the
towing eye and tighten it. Towing the vehicle
! You may tow the vehicle for a maximum
of 50 km. A towing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
With towing distances over 50 km, the
entire vehicle needs to be lifted up and
transported.
! The engine must be switched off (key in
ignition lock in position 0or position 1) if
the vehicle is being towed with the front
axle raised or if the parking brake is being
tested on a dynamometer. Intervention by
ESP ®
could otherwise damage the brake
system.
Vehicles with manual transmission X
Turn the key to position 2(Y page 62) in
the ignition lock.
X Fully depress the clutch pedal.
X Shift to neutral. Practical advice
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann,
Version: 2.10.6 2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 269 ZDateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight

Tyres and wheels
282 Tyres and wheels
Points to remember
! For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you only use tyres which
have been approved specifically for your
vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. These tyres are
specially adapted for use with the control
systems, such as ABS or ESP ®
, and are
marked as follows:
R MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
R MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Exten-
ded* (with run-flat characteristics)
If you use other tyres, Mercedes-Benz can-
not accept any responsibility for damage
which may occur. Information about tyres can be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre.
i Vehicles with MOExtended run-flat sys-
tem are not equipped with the TIREFIT
kit* 35
.
Therefore, it is recommended that you
additionally equip your vehicle with the
TIREFIT kit* when fitting tyres that do not
feature run-flat properties, e.g. winter
tyres.
i A TIREFIT kit* is available from any quali-
fied specialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre.
! If you fit tyres other than those tested and
recommended by Mercedes-Benz, charac- teristics such as handling, noise levels and
fuel consumption, etc. may be adversely
affected. In addition, when driving with a
load, tyre dimensional variations could
cause the tyres to come into contact with
the bodywork and axle components. This
could result in damage to the tyres or the
vehicle.
i Further information about tyres and
wheels can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
You will find a table of tyre pressures on the
inside of your vehicle's fuel filler flap. You
will find further information about tyre pres-
sures in the "Operation" section
(Y page 178).
35 Only for certain countries. Techni
cal data
* optional
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann,
Version: 2.10.6
2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 282 Dateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight

Tyres and wheels
285Spare wheel*
Your vehicle may be equipped with TIREFIT, a "Minispare" emergency spare wheel* or a spare wheel*, depending on the country, the engine
and the wheels fitted.
i Vehicles with MOExtended tyres (tyres with run-flat characteristics) are not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the factory. A 150 /
A 150 BlueEFFICIENCY /
A 170 /
A 170 BlueEFFICIENCY /
A 160 CDI /
A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY /
A 180 CDI A 200 /
A 200 CDI A 200 TURBO
15" Remove the spare
wheel* Summer tyres
185/65 R15 88T – –
Steel spare
wheel
6J x 15 H2 ET 44 – –
16" Remove the spare
wheel* Summer tyres
– 195/55 R16 87H 195/55 R16 87V
Steel spare
wheel
– 6J x 16 H2 ET 46 6J x 16 H2 ET 46
16" "Minispare " emergency
spare wheel*
45 Tyres
T 125/90 R16 98M T 125/90 R16 98M T 125/90 R16 98M
Tyre pressure
4.2 bar 4.2 bar 4.2 bar
Wheels
3.5B x 16 H2 ET 32 3.5B x 16 H2 ET 32 3.5B x 16 H2 ET 32
45
Use of snow chains not possible. Techni
cal data
* optional
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann,
Version: 2.10.6
2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 285 ZDateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight