Brakes
Important safety notes
WARNING
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in
order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle
control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent
this type of control loss.
Do not engage the transfer case in position
LOW when driving on ice or packed snow. At
speeds below 18 mph (30 km/h) vehicle
steering is adversely affected by the Off-road
ABS.
WARNING
Make sure that you do not endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Downhill gradients
On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting
early to a lower gear. This allows you to take
advantage of the engine braking effect and
helps avoid overheating and excessive
wear of the brakes.
When you take advantage of the engine braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Heavy and light loads
WARNING
Depressing the brake pedal constantly results
in excessive and premature wear to the brake
pads.
It may also cause the brakes to overheat,
seriously impairing their effectiveness. It may
then not be possible to stop the vehicle in
sufficient time to avoid an accident.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but drive on for a short while. This allows the airflow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
WARNING
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through water
deep enough to wet brake components, the
first braking action may be somewhat
reduced. You have to depress the brake pedal
more firmly. Maintain a safe distance from
vehicles in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle washed, brake firmly while paying attention to the traffic conditions. This will warm up the brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt treated roads
WARNING
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause a delay in the
braking effect, resulting in a significantly
longer braking distance, which could lead to
an accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
• occasionally brake carefully,
without
putting other road users at risk, when you
are driving on salted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
• maintain a greater distance to the
vehicle
ahead and drive with particular care.
• carefully apply the brakes at the
end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
If the brake warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster and you hear a warning
tone even though the parking brake has
been released, the brake fluid level may be
too low. Observe additional warning
messages in the multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately. Have this work carried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
All checks and maintenance work on the brake system must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop. This work should be carried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Have the brake pads and brake fluid installed or replaced at a qualified specialist workshop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
WARNING
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that safe
braking is substantially impaired. This could
result in an accident.
A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a 2-axle
dynamometer. If you are planning to have
the vehicle tested on such a dynamometer,
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to obtain further information first.
Otherwise, you could damage the drive train or the brake system.
As the ESP® system operates
automatically, the engine and the ignition
must be switched off (SmartKey in position
0 or 1 in the ignition lock or Start/Stop
button in position 0 or 1) while the parking
brake is being tested on a brake
dynamometer (maximum 10 seconds).
Braking maneuvers triggered automatically by ESP® may seriously damage the brake system.
If your brake system is subject only to moderate loads, you should test the functionality of your brakes at regular intervals by pressing firmly on the brake pedal at high speeds. This improves the grip of the brake pads.
WARNING
Make sure that you do not endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
You can find a description of Brake Assist (BAS) on.
Parking brake
If you drive on wet roads or dirt-covered surfaces, road salt and/or dirt could get into the parking brake.
In order to prevent corrosion and a reduction in the braking power of the parking brake, observe the following:
• Gently depress the parking brake from time
to time before beginning the journey.
• Drive a distance of approximately 110 yds
(100 m) with a maximum speed of 12 mph
(20 km/h).
WARNING
While performing this procedure please
assure that the vehicle is stopped before
applying the parking brake. Otherwise the
rear wheels could lock up. You could lose
control of the vehicle and cause an accident.
In addition, the vehicle's brake lights do not
light up when the parking brake is engaged.
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when you engage the parking brake.
See also:
Cordless headphones
Overview
The cordless headphones for the rear compartment can be recognized by the
"DIGITAL AUDIO"
inscription on the battery compartment cover and by the fact that there is no
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You can activate the HOLD function if:
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- the engine is running.
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