Contents: Preparing to start moving ↡ Battery Care ↡ Using antifreeze ↡ Removal water from the cooling system ↡ Parking in winter ↡ Refueling a car in cold weather ↡ Driving on snowy roads and in icy…↡ Using a Windshield Wiper in Snow ↡ Winter tires ↡ Anti-skid chains ↡ Rocking the car ↡ Operation of diesel models in winter…↡
As the winter season approaches, try to have the appropriate equipment and inventory on board your car in case of unexpected situations: anti-skid chains, a scraper for cleaning the glass, extra sand, a flashlight, a small shovel and a set of electrical wiring for starting the engine from an auxiliary power source.
Use engine oil of the appropriate grade and viscosity, designed for cold weather (see Chapter Routine maintenance). Thick summer oil can cause difficulties when starting the engine.
Treat the locking mechanisms and door lock cylinders with glycerin or a special de-icer.
Forcibly opening a frozen door may cause the rubber door seal to separate. Before opening, a frozen door should be warmed up with hot water, then wiped dry.
To wash the windshield and headlight lenses, use only fluids that provide the required resistance to freezing.
Attention! Never add cooling system antifreeze to the washer fluid reservoir, as it can damage the paintwork if it gets on body parts.
Preparing to start moving
Remove any snow or ice build-up from under the fenders that may interfere with the operation of the steering gear.
Note: When driving in snow, stop regularly and clear snow from under the fenders.
Before entering the car, brush off any snow from your shoes, as it may melt and make the pedals dangerously slippery.
While the engine is warming up, check the proper functioning of the gas pedal, brake pedal, clutch pedal and other controls.
Battery Care
Remember that at low temperatures the efficiency of the battery is reduced.
If the battery charge level is insufficient in frosty weather, there is a risk of freezing of the electrolyte. Regularly check the condition and charge level of the battery, if necessary, service and recharge it (see Chapter Routine maintenance).
Using antifreeze
With the onset of the winter season, when the ambient temperature can drop below 0°C, the engine cooling system should be filled with ethylene glycol-based antifreeze (see Chapter Cooling and heating systems).
Removal water from the cooling system
If you do not plan to operate your vehicle in winter, you must either fill the cooling system with antifreeze or completely remove water from the cooling system - drain plugs are located under the radiator and on the engine block. Before you start operating your vehicle, do not forget to fill the cooling system.
Parking in winter
Warning! Deep snow can cause dangerous concentrations of exhaust gases under the vehicle. To prevent this from happening, remove snow from areas around the exhaust pipe and underneath the vehicle when parked in cold weather with the engine running.
When parking for long periods in cold weather, avoid using the parking brake, the cable drive of which is prone to freezing.
When parking the vehicle in snow or during snowfall, move the wiper arm away from the windshield to avoid damaging the blade.
When parking the vehicle after driving on a heavily snow-covered road or when parking in a snowstorm, frost may form on the brake system components, which may reduce its efficiency. Before driving, make sure there is no snow or frost on the suspension units, brake discs and hoses. If necessary, carefully remove the snow - try not to damage the brake discs and hoses, the ABS mounting unit and the air suspension components.
Refueling a car in cold weather
To prevent moisture from forming in the fuel system and from freezing, use special fuel additives.
Note: The effectiveness of additives increases when they are added to a half-empty tank when refueling the car.
When not using the vehicle for a long period of time, leave the fuel tank full.
Driving on snowy roads and in icy conditions
Warning! Do not use cruise control on slippery roads.
To prevent slipping and skidding, avoid sudden braking, acceleration and maneuvering, and maintain safe speed limits.
Always maintain a safe distance from vehicles directly ahead of you. Try to use engine braking more actively, and switch to a lower gear as necessary.
Avoid abrupt downshifts to avoid wheel locking and loss of control.
The ABS system improves the efficiency of the braking system on snowy and icy roads, but it should be remembered that excessive self-confidence is always fraught with the most serious consequences - be careful. Remember that the activation of ABS increases the braking distance.
Using a Windshield Wiper in Snow
Before driving, make sure that the wiper blade is not frozen to the windshield. If necessary, preheat the glass by selecting the defrost function of the air conditioning system (see Comfort).
If, when driving in snowfall, the windshield wiper blades do not provide the required cleaning of the windshield and ice begins to form on it, turn on the heating.
If necessary, use the washer after sufficient heating and thawing of the snow.
Snow freezing to the windshield wiper arm prevents it from functioning properly. If necessary, stop the car in a safe place and remove the snow.
Note: When stopped on the side of the road, be sure to turn on the hazard warning lights.
Winter tires
Attention! When changing wheels, use only tires of the appropriate size (see the nameplate on the rear pillar of the driver's door).
All four winter tires must be identical in size, circumference, design, model and load index.
Using different tires can cause serious mechanical damage to the wheel drive and loss of control.
Do not fit radial bias/bias ply tires on the same axle of the vehicle at the same time.
When using winter tires (speed symbol Q, T or H) never exceed the maximum speed limit (160, 190 and 210 km/h, respectively).
Anti-skid chains
Driving on snowy slopes or icy roads may require the installation of anti-skid chains on the wheels. Chains should be installed on the front wheels only. To avoid damage to the car body or suspension, use chains that match the size of your tires.
The speed of a vehicle equipped with chains must not exceed 30 km/h.
When driving with chains, exercise extreme caution - remember that excessive self-confidence is fraught with the most serious consequences. Be extremely careful.
Rocking the car
If you need to rock the car to get out of snow or mud, press the accelerator pedal lightly and (with AT) move the selector between the "D" and "R" positions. Do not press the accelerator too hard. When driving out of snow or mud, avoid wheel spin to ensure optimum traction.
On very slippery road surfaces, transmission position "2" provides better traction than position "1" (which applies to both manual and automatic transmissions).
Operation of diesel models in winter conditions
Material based on data from the portal mercedesman.ru
When using summer diesel fuel at temperatures below 0°C, engine misfires may occur due to increased fuel viscosity resulting from paraffin formation.
At sub-zero temperatures, special "winter" diesel fuel should be used. Depending on the brand, winter fuel ensures uninterrupted operation at temperatures from -15°C to -22°C.
Attention! It is not allowed to use gasoline or similar thinners as additives to diesel fuel!
If the fuel quality is low, the fuel filter may need to be replaced more often than specified in the maintenance schedule.