2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS parking brake

80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems

After driving on wet or snow-covered
roads, you should apply your brakes
firmly before parking your vehicle. This
produces heat which serves to dry the
brake disks and help prevent corro-
sion.


On long and steep grades, shift to a
lower gear (gear range1, 2 or 3) to pre-
vent the brakes from overheating and
to reduce brake wear.


After hard braking, it is advisable to
drive on for some time so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes fast-
er.


Only Mercedes-Benz approved compo-
nents (e.g. brake pads) should be in-
stalled on your vehicle. Brake pads not
approved by Mercedes-Benz may im-
pair the safety of your vehicle.
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154 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
P
Park position
Selector position when the vehicle
is parked. Only place selector lever
in positionP when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not in-
tended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the park-
ing brake in addition to placing the
selector lever in positionP to se-
cure the vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the starter switch with the selector
lever in positionP. With the key re-
moved the selector lever is locked
in positionP.
Effect
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in positionR only
when vehicle is stopped.
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engageN while driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or malfunc-
tioning:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with selector lever inN
can result in transmission damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, positionP alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 45).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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202 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if:

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


the ESP is activated (
page 75)
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 201) 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 201), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
light up on the speedometer
(
page 199).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: Distronic override
. The distance to a
slower moving vehicle in front of you
will not be set. 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), cruise con-
trol will resume the last speed set.
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204 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 201).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(Canada: 40 km/h)


the ESP is active (
page 75) or you de-
activate the ESP


you move the transmission selector le-
ver into positionN
A si gnal wi ll s ound. T he
Distronic off

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
Distronic off
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approx. 25 mph
( 40 km / h) by operation of the system. At
that time the driver must apply the brakes in
order to reduce vehicle speed further or
bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.
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212 Controls in detailDriving systemsSuspension for sporty driving style I
The setting for sporty driving I is selected
when one indicator lamp2 is illuminated.
Press button1.
One indicator lamp2 comes on.
Suspension for sporty driving style II
The setting for sporty driving II is selected
when two indicator lamps2 are illuminat-
ed.

Press button1 twice.
Two indicator lamps2 come on.
Suspension for regular driving style
The setting for regular driving is selected
when the two indicator lamps2 are off.

Press button1 repeatedly until all indi-
cator lamps go out.
The indicator lamps2 go out.
PARKTRONIC system*
The Parktronic system is an electronic aid
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically ac-
tivated when you switch on the ignition
and release the parking brake. The Park-
tronic system deactivates at speeds over
11 mph (18 km/h). At lower speeds the
Parktronic system turns on again.Warning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
having smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or
street curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
can be affected by dirty sensors, especially
at times of snow and ice. See "Cleaning the
Parktronic system sensors" (
page 284).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.
Warning!
G
Be sure that no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.
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213 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The Parktronic system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with six sensors
in the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors in the front bumperRange of the sensors
To function properly, the sensors must be
free of dirt, ice, snow and slush. Clean the
sensors regularly, being careful not to
scratch or damage the sensors.
Front sensors
Rear sensorsMinimum distance
If the system encounters an obstacle in
this range, all the warning lamps light up
and you hear a warning signal. If the obsta-
cle is closer than the minimum distance,
the actual distance may no longer be indi-
cated by the system.
Center
approx. 40 in (100 cm)
Corners
approx. 23 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)
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231 Controls in detail
Useful features
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
Opening ashtray
Briefly press the marking on the bot-
tom of cover1.
The ashtray opens automatically.Removing ashtray insert

Secure vehicle from movement by set-
ting the parking brake. Move the selec-
tor lever to positionN.
Now you have more room to take out
the insert.

Push sliding button2 to the right and
hold.

Grip and remove insert from ashtray
frame.
Reinstalling ashtray insert

Install insert by pushing it back into
frame until it engages again.Rear seat ashtray
Opening ashtray

Briefly press the top of the ashtray.
The ashtray opens.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to se-
cure vehicle from movement. Move gear se-
lector lever to positionN. With gear selector
lever in positionN turn off the engine.
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251 Operation
Driving instructions
To help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
jected to moderate loads, you should occa-
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads. If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter stays on, there is a malfunction in the
SBC brake system (
page 77) or the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.
Have the brake system inspected at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only install brake pads and brake fluid rec-
ommended by Mercedes-Benz.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so that the air stream will cool
down the brakes faster.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effec-
tiveness. It may not be possible to stop the
vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an acci-
dent.!Be very careful not to endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Refer to the description of the Brake
Assist System (BAS) (
page 74).
Warning!
G
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.
Be certain to read and observe the warning
notices on brake pad replacement
(page 305).!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear.
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