2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS COUPE traction control

Driving safety systems
59ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tyres
and the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle.
The engine output is also modified, if
necessary, to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within the scope of the laws of phys-
ics. ESP ®
assists the driver when pulling away
on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also sta-
bilise the vehicle during braking.
When ESP ®
intervenes, the v warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. G
Risk of accident
If the v
warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R
Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R Only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
The vehicle could otherwise go into a skid. ESP
®

cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override
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 0 or 1 in the
ignition lock). Application of the brakes by
ESP ®
could otherwise destroy the brake
system on the front or rear axle.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
To deactivate/activate ESP ® ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described
above no longer apply. ESP ®
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 Engine torque is not limited and the drive
wheels are able to spin. The spinning
wheels produce a cutting effect for better
traction.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the v warning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. ESP ®
does not, stabilise the vehicle. Safety
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Transmission
107S Sport For all normal driving con-
ditions
C Comfort For comfort mode
!
Only press program selector button 1
when the selector lever is in position P, N
or D.
X Press program selector button 1 repeat-
edly until the letter (C/S) for the desired
gearshift program appears in the speed-
ometer display.
Comfort mode C is 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 the
driving stability of the vehicle on slippery
road surfaces, for example.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. The vehicle is driven at lower
engine speeds and the wheels are 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 upshifts
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. Steering wheel gearshift paddles*
and manual gearshift program*
Steering wheel gearshift paddles It is possible to shift gear using either the
steering wheel gearshift paddles or the selec-
tor lever.
1
Left-hand paddle: to shift down
2 Right-hand paddle: to shift up
Upshifting
X Pull right-hand paddle 2.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. If you are not driving in manual
gearshift program M, then the shift range
will be extended. Controls
* optional
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Driving systems
133Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the
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 winding
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 the speedom-
eter When cruise control is activated, you will see
the set speed for approximately five seconds
in the multi-function display. The segments
light up constantly from the set speed to the
maximum speed. 1
Segments
Cruise control lever 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
Selecting cruise control X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2 is off.
If it is off, cruise control is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2 in the cruise control
lever goes out. Cruise control is selected. Controls
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Air conditioning
166
i
The auxiliary heating/ventilation is auto-
matically deactivated after about 30
minutes, or when:
R the ignition is switched on
R the battery voltage drops Auxiliary heating/ventilation*
G
Risk of poisoning
Exhaust fumes are produced when the aux-
iliary heating is in operation. Inhaling these
exhaust fumes can be poisonous. You
should therefore switch off the auxiliary
heating in confined spaces without an
extraction system, e.g. a garage. G
Risk of fire
When operating the auxiliary heating, parts
of the vehicle may become very hot, and
highly inflammable material such as fuels
could be ignited. Operating the auxiliary
heating is thus prohibited at filling stations
or when your vehicle is being refuelled. You
must therefore switch off the auxiliary heat-
ing at filling stations.
The auxiliary heating heats the air in the vehi-
cle interior to a temperature between 20 °C and 24 °C without using the heat of the run-
ning engine. The auxiliary heating is operated
using fuel directly from the vehicle's fuel tank.
For this reason, the tank content must be at
least at reserve fuel level to ensure that the
auxiliary heating functions.
The auxiliary heating/ventilation automati-
cally adjusts to changes in temperature and
weather conditions. For this reason, the aux-
iliary heating could automatically switch over
from ventilation mode to heating mode or
from heating mode to ventilation mode.
You cannot use the auxiliary ventilation to
cool the vehicle interior to a temperature
lower than the outside temperature.
Before activating
X
Set the temperature to a value between
20 † and 24 †.
The auxiliary heating/ventilation can be acti-
vated even when the air conditioning is being
controlled manually. Optimum comfort can
be attained when the system is set to auto-
matic mode. Set the desired temperature
within this range. If a higher temperature is
set, the vehicle is heated to 24 †. If a lower
temperature is set, the vehicle is heated to
20 †. Activating or deactivating the auxiliary
heating/ventilation The auxiliary heating/ventilation can be acti-
vated or deactivated via the remote control
or the button on the centre console.
The on-board computer can be used to spec-
ify up to three departure times, one of which
may be preselected (
Y page 128).
Button on the centre console 1
Button for auxiliary heating/ventilation
The indicator lamps in the button may light up
in blue, red or yellow.
R Blue: auxiliary ventilation activated
R Red: auxiliary heating activated
R Yellow: departure time preselected Controls
* optional
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Tyres and wheels
198 Tyres and wheels
Points to remember
! For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you only use tyres and
wheels which have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz specifically for your vehi-
cle. These tyres have been specially adap-
ted for use with the control systems, such
as
ABS or ESP ®
, and are marked as follows:
R MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
R MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended
(with run-flat characteristics)*
Mercedes-Benz Original Extended tyres*
should only be used on wheels that have
been specifically approved by Mercedes-
Benz.
If you use other tyres and wheels,
Mercedes-Benz cannot accept any respon-
sibility for damage that may result from
this. Further information about tyres,
wheels and approved combinations can be
obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
If you use tyres other than those tested and
recommended for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles, characteristics such as handling, vehi-
cle noise emissions and fuel consumption may be adversely affected. In addition, the
wheels may come into contact with the
body

or axle components when heavily loa-
ded or when driving with snow chains. This
could result in damage to the tyres or the
vehicle.
! Retreaded tyres are neither tested nor
recommended by Mercedes-Benz, since
previous damage cannot always be detec-
ted on retreaded tyres. As a result,
Mercedes-Benz cannot guarantee vehicle
safety if retreaded tyres are fitted. Do not
fit used tyres if you have no information
about their previous usage. G
Risk of accident
If wheels or tyres other than those which
have been tested are fitted:
R the

brakes or chassis components could
be damaged
R wheel and tyre clearances can no longer
be guaranteed
This could cause an accident.
Modification work on the brake system and
wheels is not permitted, nor is the use of
spacer plates or brake dust shields. This inva-
lidates the General Operating Permit for the
vehicle. Notes on selecting, fitting and replacing
tyres R
Only fit tyres and wheels of the same type
and make.
R Only fit tyres of the correct size onto the
wheels.
R After

fitting new tyres, run them in at mod-
erate speeds for the first 100 km as they
only reach their full performance after this
distance.
R Fit new tyres on the front wheels first if
tyres of the same size are required on the
front and rear wheels.
R Replace the tyres after six years at the lat-
est, regardless of wear. This also applies to
the spare wheel*.
R Do not drive with tyres which have too little
tread depth as this significantly reduces
the traction on wet roads (aquaplaning).
! Store tyres that are not being used in a
cool, dry and preferably dark place. Protect
the tyres against oil, grease, petrol and die-
sel. Operation
* optional
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Troubleshooting
245Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
v
The yellow ESP ®
warning
lamp flashes while the
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 or Distronic* is
deactivated. 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 59).3
The red brake system
warning lamp comes on
while you are driving. You
will also hear a warning
tone. You are driving with the parking
brake applied. X
Release the parking brake.
The warning lamp goes out and the warning tone ceases. 3
The red brake system
warning lamp comes on
while the engine is run-
ning. You will also hear a
warning tone. G
Risk of accident
There is insufficient brake fluid in
the fluid reservoir. X
Do not continue driving under any circumstances.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
X Observe the additional messages in the multi-function display
(Y page 219).
X Under no circumstances should you top up the brake fluid. This will
not rectify the fault. l
The red distance warning
lamp* lights up while the
vehicle is in motion. G
Risk of accident
The distance to the vehicle in
front is too short for the speed
selected. X
Increase the distance. Practical advice
* optional
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