2008 DODGE SPRINTER ESP

172 Controls in detailOperating system with steering wheel buttons*
3
Switching the locator lighting on or
off*If you switch the locator lighting to
On,
the following lamps light up in the dark
after you have unlocked the vehicle us-
ing the key:
\4
The parking lamps
\4
The tail lamps
\4
The license plate lamp
\4
The front foglampsThe locator lighting automatically
switches off after 40 seconds or when
you:
\4
open the driver’s door
\4
insert the key into the ignition lock
\4
lock the vehicle with the key
\1
Press the
æ
or
ç
to select the
Lighting
submenu.
\1
Press the
j
or
k
button re-
peatedly until you see the
Loc.
lighting
message in the display.
The current setting is highlighted. USA only:
If you turn the light switch to
C

or
B
, the corresponding light
switches on. Constant headlamp
mode remains activated if the light
switch is turned to
U
.
Canada only:
If you turn the light switch to
B
,
the low-beam headlamps are
switched on. Constant headlamp
mode remains activated if the light
switch is turned to
C
or
U
.
nf_BA.book Page 172 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

188 Controls in detailDriving and parking
3
Do not accelerate to prevent your vehi-
cle from rolling backwards on an uphill
gradient. Instead, you should either use
the handbrake or depress the brake ped-
al. This prevents excessive wear on the
clutch.
Select a lower gear (shift range
3, 2 or
1)
(
\2
page 204) in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if
towing a trailer. This prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too rapidly.
It is best not to stop the vehicle immedi-
ately after the brakes have been subject-
ed 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 af-
ter a long period of driving in heavy rain
without braking, it is possible that:
\4
there will be a delayed braking
response
\4
you will need to depress the brake
pedal more firmly
You should therefore maintain a greater
distance from the vehicle in front.
BrakingWarning
G
There is no power assistance for the ser-
vice 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 acci-
dent.
Never switch off the engine while driving.
Warning
G
Make sure that other road users are not
put at risk by your braking.
nf_BA.book Page 188 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

189 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
3
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 corrosion.
If you make only moderate use of the
service 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 re-
sult.For safety reasons, the manufacturer
recommends that you only have brake
pads / linings installed on your vehicle
that have been approved for the Sprinter
Vehicle.
Brake pads /linings that have not been
approved for the Sprinter Vehicle could
affect your vehicle’s operating safety.
iIn exceptional cases, the handbrake
can be used for emergency braking if
the service brake fails (
\2
page 192).
ParkingWarning
G
Only remove the key from the ignition
lock when the vehicle is stationary, since
it is not possible to steer the vehicle with
the key removed.
Always apply the handbrake after parking
the vehicle.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the hand-
brake. This could lead to a serious or fatal
accident.
nf_BA.book Page 189 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

195 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
3
Driving in wet conditions Driving on flooded roads
If you are forced to drive on stretches of
road on which water has collected,
please note that:\4
the water level must not reach above
the lower edge of the front bumper
\4
the maximum speed at which you
may drive is walking speed
TiresThe tires are particularly important for
the operating and road safety of the ve-
hicle. You should therefore check the
pressure, tread and condition of the tires
on a regular basis.
A tire dealer, a qualified specialist work-
shop or any authorized Sprinter Dealer
will be able to provide further informa-
tion regarding the:\4
list of recommended makes of tire
\4
tire load-bearing capacity (LI Load
Index)
\4
maximum tire speed (SI Speed In-
dex)
\4
tire age
Warning
G
The vehicle may hydroplane despite hav-
ing adequate tire tread depth and being
driven at low speeds, depending on the
depth of water on the road surface.
For this reason, avoid tire ruts and brake
carefully.
!
CAUTION
Note that vehicles in front or oncom-
ing vehicles create waves.
This may mean that the maximum
permitted water depth is exceeded.
These notes must be observed to
avoid the risk of engine damage.
nf_BA.book Page 195 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

199 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
3
Tire speed ratingRegardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to pre-
vailing conditions.The vehicles are factory equipped with "L"
(vehicle models type 2500 only) or "N"-rat-
ed tires, which have a speed rating of
74 mph (120 km / h) or 87 mph (140 km /
h) respectively.
For information on speed ratings or for
additional general information on tire
speed markings on the tire side wall, see
"Tire speed rating" (
\2
page 386).
Alignment and balancePoor suspension alignment may result
in:\4
Fast tire wear
\4
Uneven tire wear, such as feathering
and one-sided wear
\4
Vehicle pulling to the left or right
Tires may also cause the vehicle to pull
to the left or right. Alignment will not
correct this condition. See an authorized
Sprinter Dealer for proper diagnosis.
Warning
G
Even when permitted by law, never oper-
ate a vehicle at speeds greater than the
maximum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and
possibly resulting in an accident and / or
serious injury and possible death, for you
and for others.
nf_BA.book Page 199 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

203 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
3
When the selector lever is in position
D,
you can perform gearshifts yourself,
even on vehicles with automatic trans-
mission.
Downshifting
\1
Press the selector lever to the left to-
wards
D–
.
The automatic transmission restricts
the shift range (
\2
page 204) by one
gear. The automatic transmission
shifts to the next gear down, depend-
ing on the gear currently engaged.
If ASR is deactivated or ESP
®
has malfunctioned: only
move the selector lever to N
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê

Drive

The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically.
All 5 forward gears are avail-
able.
One-touch gearshifting
Warning
G
Do not downshift for additional engine
braking on a slippery surface. The drive
wheels may lose their grip and the vehicle
could skid.iThe automatic transmission does not
shift down if you press the selector
lever towards
D–
and the speed of
the vehicle is too high. The engine
could otherwise overrev.
nf_BA.book Page 203 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

208 Controls in detailGood visibility
3
\3 Good visibilityBefore starting off, adjust the rear-view
mirror and the exterior mirrors in such a
way that you can get a good overview of
road and traffic conditions.Rear-view mirror*
\1
Adjust the rear-view mirror manually.
Setting the rear-view mirror to anti-
dazzle mode1Anti-dazzle lever\1
Flick anti-dazzle lever
1
to the rear.
Exterior mirrors
\1
Adjust the exterior mirrors manually.
Mirrors
Warning
G
The exterior mirrors reduce the size of the
image. Objects therefore appear further
away than they really are. You could
therefore cause an accident if you only
observe traffic in the exterior mirrors.
For this reason, you should pay attention
to traffic behind you by also using the
main exterior mirror and, if necessary, the
rear-view mirror, especially while maneu-
vering or overtaking.
nf_BA.book Page 208 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

248 Controls in detailDriving systems
3
\3 Driving systemsDriving systems which may form part of
your vehicle are described on the follow-
ing pages:\4
Cruise control* (
\2
page 248), which
you can use to control the speed of
your vehicle
\4
Parktronic system*, which is an aid
for parking and maneuvering
(\2
page 253)
\4
Rear view camera*, which is an aid
for parking and maneuvering
(\2
page 258)
\4
Reverse warning feature*, which
helps you ensure the safety of other
road users (
\2
page 271)The ABS, BAS, ESP
®, ASR and EBV driv-
ing safety systems are described in the
"Driving Safety Systems" section
(
\2
page 33).
Cruise control maintains the speed of
the vehicle for you.
Use cruise control if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period.
You can set any speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h) in 1-mph increments (1-km/
h increments).Cruise control*
iThe increments for setting speed and
the threshold values for switching on
or automatically switching off cruise
control depend on the digital speed-
ometer setting, mph or km/h
(\2
page 165).
nf_BA.book Page 248 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM