2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL55AMG brake light

181 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic displays in the speedometer
dialSet speedIf Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments light up around the set speed.
SegmentsIf Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments from the speed of the
vehicle ahead to set speed light up.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision

the distance warning lamp
l
in the
instrument cluster lights up red


an intermittent warning sounds

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See warning
note on the next page.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red distance warning
lamp
l
goes out when the neces-
sary distance to the vehicle ahead is
again established.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the
speedometer can briefly vary from the
speed setting on the Distronic system.


184 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if

you are driving between 25 mph
(40 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)


the ESP is activated (
page 73)
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever you will
see the message
---
in the multifunction
display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine


when you brake


if you have set the parking brake


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R or N


if the ESP is switched offSetting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift or depress the cruise control
lever.
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 (
page 183) to in-
crease vehicle speed in increments of
5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 183), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
light up on the speedometer
(
page 181).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: DISTRONIC OVERRIDE
.
Distronic will not work to maintain the
distance to slower moving vehicle in
front of you. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accel-
erator pedal position.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate Distronic. After brief ac-
celeration (e.g. for passing), the cruise
control will resume the last speed set.

187 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Distance warning function on / off
switch
2Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel2 towards
¯
.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a shorter following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel2 towards
®
.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a stationary obstacle or a slower
vehicle moving in the vehicle’s path and
the danger of a collision exists:


The distance warning lamp
l
in the
instrument cluster lights up


An intermittent warning sounds.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead. When pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound stops. The warning sound also
stops when the distance to the vehicle
ahead is sufficient again without applying
the brake pedal. In this case the distance
warning lamp
l
also extinguishes.
Warning!
G
If the distance warning lamp
l
in the in-
strument cluster lights up while driving
and / or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required.
As required by the traffic situation, apply the
brakes and navigate around a possible ob-
stacle. However, do not drive by relying on
the distance warning function, as this will re-
sult in an emergency braking application.
Especially depending on road surface condi-
tions and driver reaction, this will not always
enable you to avoid a collision.

188 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating
Press switch1.
Indicator lamp on the switch lights up.
A loudspeaker symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 183).
Deactivating

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp on the switch goes out.
No loudspeaker symbol appears in the
multifunction display.Driving with Distronic
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations. This will
deactivate the Distronic system.iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it, then your vehicle could accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.

195 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Front sensors
Rear sensorsMinimum distance
If the system detects an obstacle in this
range, all the warning lamps light up and
you hear a warning signal. If the obstacle is
closer than the minimum distance, the ac-
tual distance might no longer be indicated
by the system.
Warning indicators
1Left front area warning indicator2Right front area warning indicator
Visual signals indicate to the driver the rel-
ative distance between the sensors and an
obstacle. The warning indicators for the
front area are located above the left air
vents1 and center air vents2 in the dash-
board. The warning indicator for the rear
area is integrated in the rear trim.
Each warning indicator is divided into six
yellow and two red segments for either
side of the vehicle. The Parktronic system
is ready when the border around the indi-
cator is illuminated.Center
approx. 40 in (100 cm)
Corners
approx. 24 in (60 cm)
Center
approx. 48 in (120 cm)
Corners
approx. 32 in (80 cm)
!During parking maneuvers, pay special
attention to objects located above or
below the height of the sensors (e.g.
planters or trailer hitches). The Park-
tronic system will not detect such ob-
jects at close range and damage to
your vehicle or the object may result.
Ultrasonic signals from outside sourc-
es (e.g. truck air brakes or jackham-
mers) may impair the operation of the
Parktronic system.
Center
approx. 8 in (20 cm)
Corners
approx. 6 in (15 cm)

236OperationAt the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
More information on refilling the reser-
voir (
page 244).
2Brake fluid
More information on brake fluid can be
found in the “Technical data” section
on (
page 340).
3Coolant level
More information on coolant
(
page 242).Engine oil level
More information on engine oil
(
page 238).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness.More infor-
mation on replacing light bulbs can be
found in the “Practical hints” section on
(page 302).
Tire inflation pressure
More information on tire inflate pressure
(page 247).
Opening hood (
page 237).
Exterior lamp switch (
page 108).
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the
?
lamp to
illuminate.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 268).

265 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
l
The red distance indicator lamp
lights up while driving.
You are too close to the vehicle in front of you
to maintain selected speed.

Apply the brakes immediately to in-
crease the following distance.
l
The red distance indicator lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.


You are gaining too rapidly on the vehicle
ahead of you.


The distance warning system has recog-
nized a stationary obstacle on your prob-
able line of travel.

Apply the brakes immediately.

Carefully observe the traffic situation.
You may need to brake or maneuver
to avoid hitting an obstacle.
-
The yellow ABS malfunction indi-
cator lamp comes on while driv-
ing.
The ABS has detected a malfunction and has
switched off. The BAS and the ESP are also
switched off (see messages in display).
The brake system is still functioning normally
but without the ABS available.
If the ABS control unit control unit is malfunc-
tioning, other systems such as Parktronic*,
Distronic*, the navigation system and the au-
tomatic transmission can also malfunction.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts and the ABS has switched off.

When the voltage is above this value
again, the ABS is operational again.

If necessary, have the generator and
battery checked.

267 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
Except Canada:;Canada only:3
The red brake warning
lamp lights up while
driving and you hear a
warning sound.
You are driving with the parking brake set.

Release the parking brake.
The red brake warning
lamp lights up while
driving.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.

Risk of accident! Carefully stop the
vehicle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Don’t add
brake fluid before checking the brake
system.
Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can re-
sult in spilling brake fluid on hot engine
parts and the brake fluid catching fire. You
can be seriously burned.
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.