How to End a Mercedes

How to terminate a Mercedes-Benz lease early
1. Contact the lender that holds your lease to find out how many monthly payments remain and what the payoff figure for the vehicle would be.
2. One option is to buy your car outright from the bank. This will end any obligations left with the lease, but will most likely cost you more money per month if you decide to finance. You will also have to pay the sales tax due on the vehicle when you purchase it.
3. Another option is to find a buyer for your car. Find out your vehicle payoff and seek out a buyer willing to pay as close to that amount as possible, in hopes of minimizing the out-of-pocket amount you will have to pay to exit the lease.
4. Transfer your lease to someone else. Websites such as swapalease.com and leasetransfer.com can held you find potential buyers interested in taking over your remaining payments. Contact your financial institution and let them know you are planning to have the lease transferred to someone else.
5. Trade in your Mercedes-Benz for a new one. Mercedes-Benz Financial will sometimes offer special deals that wipe out your last six lease payments as long as you lease or buy a new vehicle through them.

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How to Remove an Instrument Cluster on a BMW 323i

1. Pop the hood of your BMW and disconnect the battery terminals. Sit in the driver's seat and lower the steering wheel to its lowest position within the steering column.
2. Locate the bezel around the outskirts of the instrument cluster. This can come in either plastic or rubber. Remove the two screws attached to the bezel with a Phillips screwdriver. Pull the bezel out of the dashboard.
3. Remove the three mounting screws which fix the instrument cluster to the dashboard. Slide the panel out and remove the battery connector from the rear. You can either pull it out with your hand or use a screwdriver to pop it out.
4. Pull the instrument cluster fully out of the dashboard. Clean the space left in the dashboard with a cloth to ensure there is no dust or debris, which can get into the instrument cluster.
5. To reattach the instrument cluster or insert a new one, install the cluster following the removal steps in reverse.

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Mercedes Keyless Program Instructions

1. Place smart key inside of the car. The key simply needs to be in the vicinity of the car. It does not need to be connected to anything.
2. Press the 'Keyless-Go Start' button while depressing the brake pedal in order to turn on the car.
3. Press the 'Keyless-Go' button in order to move the switch into position one. Press the button twice in order to turn on the ignition.
4. Turn off the car by putting the car into park and holding the stop button.
5. Cancel the alarm by pressing the 'Keyless-Go Start-Stop' button. In order for this to work, the smart key must be within three feet of the car.

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How to Decode a VW Vin Number

Reading the World Manufacturer Index
1. Read the first character. It tells you the country where the car was manufactured. For Volkswagen, it probably reads W, which means Germany, 1 for the USA, 3 for Mexico or 9 for Brazil.
2. Examine the second character in the VIN. It tells you which manufacturer made your car. A is Audi, B is VW of Brazil and V is Volkswagen.
3. Read the third character to identify the type of vehicle. The character 1 is a pickup truck, 2 stands for multipurpose vehicle, G is for sport utility vehicles, U is Audi's passenger car and V is Volkswagen's passenger car.
Reading the Vehicle Descriptor Section
4. Find the fourth character in the following list compiled from Auto Insurance Tips and looking up Touareg VINs, to identify your vehicle type.
A: two-door base or economy
B: two-door custom or economy, sometimes Touareg
C: two-door custom, deluxe or Passat four-door GLS
D: two-door wagon GTI, Carat, Sport or Passat four-door wagon GLS
E: two-door Elienne Aigner, Sport, SLC, GLX Passat four-door, four-door economy or Touareg
F: four-door custom or Touareg
G: four-door deluxe, custom or wagon GL
H: four-door GTI 16V or four-door base
K: two-door base, four-door Golf or Eurovan GL
P: four-door sedan or base
R: four-door custom GL, Carat or economy
T: four-door GLI or GLX
U: Vanagon, transporter two-door pickup
V: three-door double-cab pickup
W: three-door delivery van
5. Check the fifth character in the VIN for the engine type. A through E indicate a gasoline engine, running from the lowest available power at A through the highest available power at E for that model car. F means it is a turbo diesel engine.
6. Figure out what kind of restraint system is in the vehicle with the sixth character. Zero is for manual seat belts, 2 is for automatic shoulder strap with manual lap belts and 4 is for fully automatic seat belts. Five stands for manual belts with front airbags, 6 for dual airbags, 8 stands for manual seat belts with dual airbags. The other option is 9, which means the vehicle has automatic seat belts and airbags.
7. Reference the following list from Auto Insurance Tips to find out what model the next two characters identify.
1C: New Beetle
4A: Audi S4/100CS/V8
7L: Touareg
8B: Audi Coupe
24: VW transporter (pickup & multivan)
44: Audi 5000/100/200/V8
70: Eurovan
78: Passat
81: Audi 4000
83: Audi 4000
85: Audi coupe GT
89: Audi 90
Reading the Vehicle Identifier Section
8. Identify the 10th character in the VIN, which, according to Auto Lemon, indicates the model year of the car. A is for 1980, B 1981 and each subsequent letter the equivalent year after that except I, O, Q, U and Z. Y is 2000. Then 1-8 are years 2001-2008.
9. Check this list from Auto Insurance Tips against the 11th character, which indicates where your car was assembled.
A: Ingolstadt
B: Brussels
E: Emden
G: Graz
H: Hanover
K: Osnabruck
M: Mexico
N: Neckarsulm
P: Brazil
S: Stuttgart
V: Westmoreland, Pennsylvania. (USA)
W: Wolfsburg
Y: Spain (SEAT)
10. Read the serial production number, which is the last six characters of the VIN. It indicates the order your car was produced in the assembly line.

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How to Flush Coolant in a 2002 BMW 325XI

1. Drive your BMW onto a set of ramps and secure the parking brake.
2. Allow sufficient time for the BMW to cool down before beginning. Releasing pressure on a hot coolant system can cause severe burns to your skin from coolant vapor.
3. Open the radiator cap to release pressure on the coolant system.
4. Place a drainage pan under the petcock on the bottom of the radiator. Open the petcock with pliers and drain the contents of the radiator into the drain pan. With older vehicles, the petcock often corrodes. Breaking the petcock when trying to open it is an issue; to help avoid this issue, place a container large enough to catch all the fluid (approximately 4 gallons), remove the lower radiator hose and drain the fluid from there. Reconnect the petcock or place the hose back onto the radiator once drained.
5. Disconnect the cross over tube from the overflow tank and drain the fluid from the overflow tank into the drainage pan.
6. Fill the radiator with 4 gallons of distilled water, close the cap and run the engine until the radiator fan turns on. Allow the engine to cool off, then drain the fluid again. Repeat this process again or until the fluid that drains from the radiator is relatively clear.
7. Place 2 gallons of antifreeze into the radiator and 2 gallons of distilled water in the radiator. Run the engine with the cap off for a period of 5 minutes to expel air from the coolant system. Turn off the engine and top off the radiator with antifreeze. Place the cap back onto the radiator.

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How to Remove the Front Hubs on a BMW E39

1. Set the parking brake of the BMW E39 before attempting to remove the front hubs and set wood blocks behind the rear wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving. Loosen the lug nuts on both front wheels a couple of turns with a tire tool.
2. Lift the vehicle up in the front with a floor jack and place a jack stand under both sides of the front axle near each wheel. Remove the lug nuts for both wheels with a tire tool and set the wheels out of the way.
3. Unfasten the upper and lower bolts on the driver's side brake caliper with a socket wrench and slide the bolts out of the caliper by hand. Lift the brake caliper off the rotor and remove the brake pads from the caliper.
4. Suspend the brake caliper from the vehicle frame with a wire hanger and slide the rotor off the axle shaft. Never allow the brake caliper to hang from the brake hose.
5. Locate the strut behind the brake rotor and follow it down to the bottom of the strut. Unfasten the pinch bolt that sits just below the bottom of the strut with a socket wrench and remove the bolt from the strut assembly.
6. Slide the ABS cable bracket that sits next to the bottom of the strut out of the way and remove the bolt that secures the front lower control arm to the vehicle frame with a socket wrench. Disconnect the nut on the sway bar that connects to the aluminum bracket with a socket wrench and move the sway bar out of the way.
7. Pull down on the strut just enough to slide the bottom of the strut off the retaining bolt and out of the way so you can get to the four bolts that secure the wheel hub. Remove the four wheel hub bolts with a socket wrench and take the front wheel hub off the axle of the BMW E39.
8. Repeat Steps 3 through 7 for the front wheel hub on the passenger's side of the vehicle.

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How to Connect a Phone in an E46

1. Power on your BMW E46. The vehicle will automatically enter pairing mode for approximately two minutes.
2. Select the "Bluetooth" option on your phone and set the Bluetooth to the "On" position.
3. Select the option on your phone to search for new Bluetooth devices.
4. Select the BMW vehicle from the list of Bluetooth devices displayed on your phone.
5. Enter the four-digit Bluetooth passkey for your BMW. You can find the passkey listed in your vehicle's documentation.
6. Wait while your phone completes the Bluetooth pairing process. The phone will prompt once a successful connection has been established with your BMW E46.

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How to Replace the Cabin Air Filter on Audi A3

1. Remove the cowling cover from rear of the engine compartment that covers the firewall. The cowling is secured with screws to the frame of the vehicle. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws and set the cowling off to the side.
2. Locate the cabin air filter compartment on the left side of the firewall, next to the heater fan. The air filter is 6-by-9 inches in size and 2 inches thick. It should be mounted vertically against the firewall. Remove the cover by using a screwdriver to lightly unfasten the lid.
3. Remove the cabin air filter from the compartment. Clean out the compartment by vacuuming out any dust. Wipe it down with a clean damp cloth.
4. Replace the old cabin air filter with the new filter and make sure filter is seated properly. Secure the lid on the filter compartment, making sure the pins snap into place.
5. Reattach the cowling cover over the firewall with screws. Remove all tools from the engine compartment.

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How to Shift Into 5th Gear in the Mercedes Benz Motorhome

1. Start the motor home engine and press on the brake.
2. Move the gear shift into the 'D' position. When your gear shift is in 'D,' the vehicle will move up and down from first to fifth gear, depending on the current speed and conditions. For the simplest driving experience, and one that gives you the option of being in fifth, simply leave your gear shift in 'D' all the time.
3. Shift your gears up manually, if you so desire, by pressing the gear shift to the right toward the 'D+' symbol. Move your gears up or down by pressing the shifter toward 'D+' to shift up, or toward 'D-' to shift down. The gear shown on the display after moving the lever is the highest gear the motor home is set to. If your display shows '4' for example, but now you want to shift to fifth, simply press the lever toward 'D+' until the 'D' symbol displays. This allows the use of all possible gears, including fifth. That function still does not guarantee your motor home will shift up to fifth, since the transmission is still automatic, but it gives the motor home the option of shifting into fifth.

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How to Install the BMW 540i E39 Short Shifter

1. Park the vehicle on a level surface. Raise the front end of the BMW with a jack and lower the car onto jack stands for support. If you have a pair of ramps, drive the front of the car up on those.
2. Remove the shift knob inside the BMW by pulling it straight up. Be careful so you avoid smacking yourself in the face when the knob pops off. Remove the shift boot by pulling it to the side and then out of the console. Remove the insulation and the rubber boot located under the outer boot.
3. Remove the linkage retaining C-clip from under the BMW by pushing it off with a long screwdriver. The kit will come with a new clip, so don't worry about damaging it while removing it.
4. Use the tool provided with the shift kit to move the lock on the shifter 1/4 turn counterclockwise. Remove the shifter.
5. Adjust the height of the shift lever that came with the shifter kit to the desired height with an Allen wrench. Loosen the screw at the bottom of the shifter, adjust the height and tighten the screw.
6. Install the bearings that came with the kit on the new shifter. Consult the directions that came with the shifter to determine the correct order to install the bearings and bushings.
7. Install the new shifter. The shifter snaps into place, so you do not need to use the tool that was used to remove the old shifter. Install the new shift lever retaining clip by pressing it on with both hands. This may take considerable effort.
8. Reinstall the rubber boot and the insulation over the shift lever from the interior side. Ensure that the boot and insulator are snugly and properly installed. Reinstall the outer shift boot. Reattach the shift knob.

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