2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E WAGON ESP

99 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Note on driving with the
electrohydraulic brake system

Following extended periods of only
minor loads to your brake system, you
should occasionally apply the brakes
when traveling at high speeds. This
improves the grip of the brake pads.


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
prevent 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
installed on your vehicle. Brake pads
not approved by Mercedes-Benz may
impair the safety of your vehicle.Four wheel electronic traction system
(4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves vehicle’s ability to
use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under snowy
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.
Warning!
G
Be very careful not to endanger other road
users when you apply the brakes.

100 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsWarning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the speedometer, proceed as fol-
lows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
!Performance testing must only be con-
ducted on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.!Because of the ESP’s
® automatic oper-
ation, the engine and the ignition must
be shut off (SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or1 or KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button* in position0 or1)
when the parking brake is being tested
on a brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through ESP
®
may otherwise seriously damage the
front or rear axle brake system.
Operational tests with the engine
running can only be conducted on a
two-axle dynamometer.

102 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsArming the alarm system
The indicator lamp located in the central
locking switch in the center console.
1Indicator lamp

Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the alarm system is
armed. The indicator lamp1 begins to
flash after approximately 30 seconds
after arming the alarm system.Disarming the alarm system

Unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey
or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed.
Canceling the alarm
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or

Press button Œ or ‹ on the
SmartKey.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid system (
page 282) provided
Tele Aid service was subscribed to and
properly activated, and that necessary
cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, one of the following ele-
ments may not be properly closed:

a door


the tailgate


the hood
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally after approximately 40 seconds if
neither a door nor the tailgate was
opened.

103 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
With KEYLESS-GO*
Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 37).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
Tow-away alarm
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle.Arming tow-away alarm

Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*.
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about 30 seconds.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered, for example, if the vehicle is lift-
ed on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid system* (
page 282), provid-
ed that the Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and
that necessary cellular service and GPS
coverage are available.

106 Controls in detailIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the
basic functions of your vehicle, this section
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are
given at the beginning of each segment.Locking and unlocking
For more information on locking and un-
locking, see “Getting started” (
page 34)
and (
page 59).
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key. The locking
tabs for the mechanical key portion of the
two SmartKeys are a different color to help
distinguish each key unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks

the doors


the tailgate


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control1‹ Lock button
2Š Unlock button* for the tailgate
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 90)

119 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Front doors
Pull on door handle2 on the
respective front door to open door.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will
move up.Rear doors

Pull up locking knob1 on the
respective rear door to unlock door.

Pull on door handle2 on the
respective rear door to open door.iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*, opening a door from the
inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm
system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:

Press button Œ or ‹ on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 38).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be inside the vehicle.


Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be within 3 ft (1 m) of the ve-
hicle.

123 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
1Strap in vehicles with folding bench
seat
Pull the tailgate down from the inside of
the vehicle using strap1.Closing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch.
1Tailgate closing switch

Press tailgate closing switch 1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the cargo
compartment opening when closing the tail-
gate. Be especially careful when small chil-
dren are around.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked visi-
bility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.iTo prevent an inadvertent lockout, do
not place the SmartKey in the cargo
compartment.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
To prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is rec-
ognized inside the vehicle.

124 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIf the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press the tailgate closing switch1
(page 123)


press button Š on the SmartKey


pull the remote tailgate switch (on the
driver’s door) (
page 121)
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the tailgate closing switch
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked visi-
bility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
cargo compartment. You may lock
yourself out.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it.
To confirm locking all turn signal lamps
flash three times.