2008 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK engine

Lights
77
Make sure that:
R
you are as far away from the driver's front
airbag as possible
R you are sitting in a normal upright posi-
tion
R you can fasten the seat belt properly
R you have moved the backrest to an
almost vertical position
R you have set the seat angle so that your
thighs are gently supported
R you can depress the pedals properly
R you have adjusted the head restraint so
that the back of your head is supported
at eye level by the central area of the
head restraint
X Check whether steering wheel 1is adjus-
ted properly (Y page 70).
Make sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
R you can move your legs freely
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly
X Check whether you have fastened seat belt
2 properly (Y page 73). It should:
R
fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your
shoulder
R routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints Lights
Light switch
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you drive with the lights switched
on even during the daytime. In some coun-
tries, daytime operation of headlamps varies
due to legal and voluntary requirements. In
these countries, the constant headlamp
mode is automatically switched on when the
engine is started.
i If you drive in countries in which traffic
drives on the opposite side of the road to
the country where the vehicle is registered,
oncoming traffic may be dazzled by the
asymmetrical dipped-beam headlamps.
Have the headlamps changed to symmet-
rical dipped beam when driving in these
countries. You can obtain information
about this from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. Controls
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Lights
78$
a
Left-hand parking lamp
% g
Right-hand parking lamp 8
& M
Lights off/constant headlamp mode
( U
Automatic headlamp mode/con-
stant headlamp mode
) C
Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment lighting
* B
Dipped-beam headlamps or main-
beam headlamps
, ¥
foglamps*
. †
Rear foglamp
i The exterior lighting (except for side
lamps and parking lamps) automatically
switches off when you remove the key from
the ignition lock or open the driver's door while the ignition is switched off (ignition
key in position
0).
! Switch off the side lamps and parking
lamp when you leave the vehicle. This pre-
vents the battery from discharging.
Dipped-beam headlamps X
Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
B.
Constant headlamp mode In countries in which constant headlamp
mode is not a legal requirement, you can
make this a setting using the on-board com-
puter.
You can activate or deactivate "constant
headlamp mode" using the on-board com-
puter (Y
page 109).
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
M orU.
The dipped-beam headlamps are switched
on when the engine is running. i
When you turn the light switch to any
position other than MorU, the cor-
responding light goes on.
Automatic headlamp mode G
Risk of accident
When the light switch is set to U, the
lights are not switched on automatically in
foggy conditions. This could endanger you
and others. Therefore, turn the light switch
to B in darkness and fog.
Automatic headlamp mode is only a driving
aid. You are responsible for the vehicle
lighting at all times. G
Risk of accident
When it is dark or foggy, turn the light
switch from UtoB in good time.
Otherwise, the headlamps could switch off
temporarily and you could cause an acci-
dent.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
U.
Key in position 1in the ignition lock: the
side lamp is switched on or off automati-
cally, depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
8 You must turn the light switch beyond its resistance point when turning it from the Mposition to the gposition. Controls
* optional
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Lights
79
Starting the engine: the dipped-beam head-
lamps are also switched on or off automat-
ically, depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
When the dipped-beam headlamps are
switched on, the Bindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
Front foglamps*/Rear foglamp G
Risk of accident
If you suspect that driving conditions will be
foggy, turn the light switch to Bbefore
you start your journey. Otherwise, your
vehicle may not be visible and you could
endanger yourself and others.
When the light switch is set to Uyou can-
not switch on the front *or rear foglamps.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X To switch on the front foglamps*: turn
the light switch to the BorC posi-
tion.
X Pull the light switch out to the first detent.
The ¥ green indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up. X
To switch on the rear foglamp: turn the
light switch to BorC.
X On vehicles with front foglamps*, pull the
light switch out to the second detent.
On vehicles without front foglamps*, pull
the light switch out to the detent.
The † yellow indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up.
X To switch off the front foglamps*/rear
foglamp: push in the light switch to the
stop.
The corresponding indicator lamp goes out. Combination switch (turn signals,
main-beam headlamps and headlamp
flasher)
Turn signal lamp
X
To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 2or?.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp K orL in the instrument clus-
ter flashes.
i If you only wish to indicate a minor change
of direction, press the combination switch
briefly in the appropriate direction. The cor-
responding turn signal flashes three times. Controls
* optional
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Lights
80
Main-beam headlamps X
Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to BorU 9
.
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1.
The A main-beam indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch off: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The A main-beam indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Headlamp flasher X
To switch on: briefly pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow =. Hazard warning lamps
The hazard warning lamps still operate if the
ignition is switched off. They switch on auto-
matically if an airbag is deployed or if you
brake sharply and bring the vehicle to a halt
from a speed of more than 70 km/h.
X
To switch on: press button1.
All turn signals flash. If you now switch on
a turn signal using the combination switch
(Y page 79), only the turn signal lamp on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
X To switch off: press button1. Adjusting the headlamp range (halo-
gen headlamps)
The headlamp range control allows you to
adjust the cone of light from the headlamps
to suit the vehicle load.
You can only adjust the headlamp range while
the engine is running. Position Load
0
Driver's seat and front-
passenger seat occupied
1
Driver's seat, front-
passenger seat and rear
seats occupied
9
In the Uposition, the main-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. Controls
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Lights
81Position Load
2
Driver's seat, front passenger
seat and rear seats occupied,
luggage compartment laden
3
Not required
X
Turn headlamp range control 1to the
position which corresponds to the load in
your vehicle. Headlamp cleaning system*
The headlamps are cleaned automatically if
the "Wipe with windscreen washer fluid" func-
tion is operated five times while the lights are
on and the engine is running. When you
switch off the ignition, the automatic head-
lamp cleaning system is reset and counting is
resumed from 0. Cornering light function* (bi-xenon
headlamps*)
Specially designed headlamps light up the
area into which you are driving when turning
corners.
If you are driving at speeds below 40 km/h,
the cornering light function is activated either
by the turn signals or when the steering wheel
is turned. If you are driving at speeds above
40 km/h the cornering light function is deac-
tivated.
Activating X
Start the engine.
X Switch on the dipped-beam headlamps.
X Switch off the foglamps*.
X Switch on the turn signal.
The cornering lamp on the same side as the
turn signal comes on, even if you turn the
steering wheel in the opposite direction
after indicating.
or
X Turn the steering wheel in the desired
direction.
When in a forwards gear: the cornering
lamp on the inside of the bend comes on. When in reverse gear: the cornering lamp
on the outside of the bend comes on.
Deactivating X
Turn the steering wheel back to the straight
ahead position.
The turn signal goes off. The cornering lamp
may remain lit for a short time.
or
X Switch off the turn signal.
The cornering lamp may remain lit for a
short time.
The cornering light will go out after a maxi-
mum of three minutes. Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 87
X
Point the tip of the key at the driver's door
handle.
X Lock the vehicle with the jbutton.
X Press and hold the jbutton until the
side windows and the panorama louvred
sliding sunroof* are fully closed.
X Make sure that all the side windows and the
panorama louvred sliding sunroof* are
closed. Driving and parking
Starting the engine
G
Risk of accident
Do not keep any objects in the driver's foot-
well. If you use a floormat or carpet in the
driver's footwell, make sure that they are
correctly secured and that there is suffi-
cient clearance for the pedals.
Objects could otherwise get between the
pedals in the event of sudden braking or
acceleration. You may then no longer be
able to brake, change gear or accelerate as
intended. This may result in an accident and
injury. G
Risk of poisoning
Never leave the engine running in enclosed
spaces. The exhaust gases contain carbon
monoxide. Inhaling exhaust fumes consti-
tutes a health hazard and could lead to loss
of consciousness or even death.
! Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine. i
If you depress the brake when starting the
engine, pedal travel will be unusually long
and there will be less pedal resistance.
Manual transmission Vehicles without ECO Start-Stop-Function
*(5-
speed manual transmission) Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 88Vehicles with ECO Start-Stop-Function*
Vehicles without ECO Start Stop function* (6-
speed manual transmission)
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Depress the clutch pedal.
X Shift to neutral.
X Start the engine. Further information about the manual trans-
mission (Y
page 92).
AUTOTRONIC* P
Park position with selector lever lock
R To select reverse gear
N To select neutral
D Drive position
X Before starting, make sure Pis selected.
i The engine can also be started when the
selector lever is in position N.
Further information about AUTOTRONIC
(Y page 94). Starting the engine i
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*:
You can also use the touch-start function.
To do this, turn the key to position 3and
release it immediately. The engine then
starts automatically.
X To start a petrol engine: turn the key to
position 3in the ignition lock (Y page 62)
and release it as soon as the engine is run-
ning.
X To start a diesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 62).
The q preglow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X When the qpreglow indicator lamp
goes out, turn the key to position 3and
release it as soon as the engine is running.
i You can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm.
X Release the parking brake (Y page 90).Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 89Automatic engine start (ECO start/
stop function)
The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches on the engine as soon as you pre-
pare to pull away, e.g. by engaging a gear.
X Depress the clutch pedal.
The engine starts automatically.
X Shift to either first or reverse gear and pull
away.
! Do not engage a gear without depressing
the clutch as this disables the automatic
engine start function. As a result, the bat-
tery cannot be recharged and the demister
function of Thermotronic* is not available.
i When manoeuvring in and out of parking
spaces, the ECO start/stop function will
not automatically switch off the vehicle's
engine. The engine will only be switched off
automatically if the vehicle has reached a
speed of at least 15 km/h before coming
to a standstill again.
i The system can differentiate between
starting the engine with the key and the
automatic engine start via the ECO start/
stop function. Pulling away
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature (Y page 111).
Manual transmission X
Depress the brake pedal.
X Depress the clutch pedal.
X Shift to either first or reverse gear.
X Release the parking brake (Y page 90).
X Slowly release the clutch pedal and
depress the accelerator pedal. !
Change gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
AUTOTRONIC* i
It is only possible to move the selector
lever to the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the selector
lever lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
The selector lever lock is released.
X Release the parking brake.
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
i Wait until the shift process is completed
before pulling away.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly. Controls
* optional
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