113 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
3
Do not accelerate to prevent your vehicle
from rolling backwards on an uphill gradi-
ent. Instead, you should either use the
handbrake or depress the brake pedal.
This prevents excessive wear on the
clutch.
Select a lower gear (shift range 3, 2 or 1)
(\2page 123) in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if tow-
ing a trailer. This prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too rapidly.
It is best not to stop the vehicle immediate-
ly after the brakes have been subjected to
an extreme load; continue driving for a
short time instead. The brakes are cooled
down more quickly in the airflow.The first time the brakes are applied after
a long period of driving in heavy rain with-
out braking, it is possible that:
\4there will be a delayed braking
response
\4you will need to depress the brake
pedal more firmly
You should therefore maintain a greater
distance from the vehicle in front.
Apply the brakes so that you can feel their
response after a journey on wet roads,
especially if the road has been salted. The
brake discs will be warmed, dry more
quickly and be protected against corro-
sion.
If you make only moderate use of the ser-
vice brake, check from time to time that it
is fully functional. To do this, brake more
sharply at a higher vehicle speed. The
brake will grip better as a result.For safety reasons, the manufacturer rec-
ommends that you only have brake pads /
linings installed on your vehicle that have
been approved for the Sprinter.
Brake pads /linings that have not been ap-
proved for the Sprinter could affect your
vehicle’s operating safety.BrakingWarning
G
There is no power assistance for the service
brake when the engine is not running.
You will need to use significantly more force
to brake and could therefore lose control of
the vehicle and cause an accident.
Never switch off the engine while driving.
Warning
G
Make sure that other road users are not put
at risk by your braking.
iIn exceptional cases, the handbrake
can be used for emergency braking if
the service brake fails (\2page 115).
