2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON traction control

Driving safety sys
tems 69ESP
®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot overrid e
the laws of physics .
! If the vehicle is to be towed with the front
or rear axle raised, the ignition must be
switched off (key in position 0or 1in the
ignition lock). Application of the brakes by
ESP ®
could otherwise destroy the brake
system on the front or rear axle.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC* may not be towe d
with the front or rear axle raised .
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly .
ESP ®
trailer stabilisin g If your trailer begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly .
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and detect s
if the trailer begins to snake. ES P®
slows the
vehicle down by braking and limiting the
engine output until the vehicle/trailer com-
bination has stabilised. Trailer stabilising is active from about
65 km/h. G
Risk of accident
If the road and weather conditions are bad,
trailer stabilising will not be able to prevent
the trailer from lurching or reduce the ris k
of accident. Trailers with a high centre of
gravity can tip over before ESP ®
can detect
this .
Trailer stabilising does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or switched off because of a mal-
function .
ETS (Electronic Traction Support) Traction control is part of ES
P®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active when you
deactivate ESP ®
. G
Risk of accident
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of
an accident if you drive too fast. Traction
control cannot override the laws of physics .Deactivating/activating ESP
® ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate ES P®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chain s
R in deep sno w
R on sand or gravel G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the reason for
deactivation is longer present. ES P®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehi -
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R The engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R Traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake. Safety
* optional
204_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
mkalafa,
2007-06-26T23:11:51+02:00 - Seite 69

Transmission
12
0 ç To use the braking effect of the
engine on downhill gradients and
for driving:
R
on steep mountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions æ To use the braking effect of the
engine on extremely steep downhill
gradients and long downhill
stretches.
Program selector button
1
Program selector button S
Spor t For all normal driving con-
ditions
C
Comfort For comfort mod
e !
Only press program selector button 1
when the selector lever is in position P,N
or D.
X Press program selector button 1repeat-
edly until the letter (C/S)for the desired
gearshift program appears in the speed-
ometer display.
Comfort mode Cis characterised by the fol-
lowing :
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully.
R an increase in traction. This improves th e
driving stability of the vehicle on slippery
road surfaces, for example.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner; consequently, the vehicle is driven
at lower engine speeds and the wheels ar e
less likely to spin . Driving tips Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear :
R little throttle: early upshift s
R more throttle: late upshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off on the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up .
Trailer towin g
X Drive in the middle of the engine spee d
range on uphill gradients.
X Shift down to shift range 3or 2
( Y page 119) depending on the incline of
the uphill or downhill gradient, even if
cruise control* is activated. Controls
* optional
204_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
mkalafa,
2007-06-26T23:11:51+02:00 - Seite 120

Driving sys
tems 14
6 Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated
.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for th e
vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time. G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control :
R in road and traffic conditions which do
not allow you to maintain a constant
speed (e.g. heavy traffic or windin g
roads). You could otherwise cause an
accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerat-
ing could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
fog, heavy rain or snow
Cruise control display in speedometer
(vehicles with 12-button luxury multi-
function steering wheel* )When cruise control is activated, the seg-
ments light up in the multi-function display
from the set speed to the maximum speed. 1
Segments
Cruise control leve r You can operate cruise control and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever
.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise control is selected
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected 1
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To select the current or last stored speed
4 To store the current speed or a lower
speed
5 To switch between cruise control and var-
iable Speedtronic
6 To deactivate cruise control
When cruise control is activated, the stored
speed is displayed in the multi-function dis-
play for five seconds. In vehicles with the 4-
button multi-function steering wheel, the
stored speed is then permanently displayed
in the status indicator together with the
Ñ symbol. Controls
* optional
204_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
mkalafa,
2007-06-26T23:11:51+02:00 - Seite 146

Troubleshooting
28
0 Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
v
The yellow ESP ®
warning
lamp flashes while th e
vehicle is in motion. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
or traction control has
intervened because at least one
wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control* is switched off. X
Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as necessary when pull-
ing away.
X Release the accelerator pedal while you are driving.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
Exceptions (Y page 68). G
Risk of accident
At least one tyre is spinning and
ETS is deactivated to prevent the
brakes on the drive wheels from
overheating. X
Observe the additional messages in the multi-function display
(Y page 236).
ETS switches back on again as soon as the brakes have cooled down.
The display message disappears and the vwarning lamp goes
out. 3
The red brake system
warning lamp lights up
while you are driving. You
will also hear a warning
tone. You are driving with the parking
brake on. X
Release the parking brake (Y page 116).
The warning lamp goes out and the warning tone ceases. Practical advice
* optional
204_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
mkalafa,
2007-06-26T23:11:51+02:00 - Seite 280