214 Trailer towing
Tire pressure
When towing a trai ler, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located either on the
driver's side B-pillar (visible when the door is
open) or inside the fuel filler flap. Inflate
trailer tires to trailer and tire manufacturers'
specifications .
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con-
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve-
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per-
mit turn ing corners . When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from droppi ng in case of
separation from the hitch .
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trai ler, please note the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it-
self is not loaded .
.. Be especia lly careful when passing other ve-
hicles.
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early .
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car re-
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, dr ive at very
low speeds on ly to avoid the risk of losing
steering contro l.
A "ba lanced " rig is easier to operate and con-
trol. This means t hat the tow vehicle should
be load ed to the extent possible and permissi-
ble, while keeping t he trai ler as light as possi-
ble under the circumstances . Whenever poss i-
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com-
partment of the tow vehicle while observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be -
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re-
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions a re unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail-
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing .
Do not
try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
for vehicles tow ing tra ilers are lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving
downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en-
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle. Use of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coo lant temperature gauge r=>page 10
must be observed carefully. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re-
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner .
If the coolant temperature warning light .
in the instrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
about two minutes to prevent heat build-up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrai ned in a mov-
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
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