2008 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON warning lights

Driving sys
tems 146 Distronic does not react to:
R
pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. sta-
tionary or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
Distronic may not detect narrow vehicles
driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehi-
cles driving on a different line. Therefore,
always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic causes your vehicle to brake and
maintain a preset distance to the vehicle in
front. G
Risk of accident
Distronic cannot take account of road and
traffic conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, Distronic if it does not detect the
vehicle in front, or if it no longer detects it.
This is especially the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes R
when changing to a lane with faster mov-
ing traffic
R in complex driving situations or where
the lanes are diverted, e.g. at motorway/
roadway construction sites
Otherwise, Distronic maintains the current
speed or accelerates to the set speed.
Distronic cannot take account of weather
conditions. Deactivate, or do not activate,
Distronic:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip
under braking or acceleration. The vehi-
cle could start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor
visibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog.
Distance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If there is no vehicle in front, Distronic oper-
ates in the same way as cruise control. Dis-
tronic functions in the 30 km/h to
180 km/h range. G
Risk of accident
Distronic brakes your vehicle at a maximum
of 2 m/s 2
, depending on its speed. This
corresponds to approximately 20% of your
vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If Distronic detects a risk of collision with a
vehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ldistance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up. Brake to avoid a collision.
Cruise control lever With the cruise control lever you can operate
Distronic and variable Speedtronic.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Distronic is selected
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
variable Speedtronic is selected Controls
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Driving sys
tems 149
i
Make sure that you maintain the mini-
mum distance to the vehicle in front
required by law. Adjust the distance to the
vehicle in front if necessary.
Distance warning function Even if Distronic is deactivated, this function
warns you at speeds above 30 km/h if:
R
the distance to the vehicle in front is too
short for the speed you are driving at for
several seconds. The ldistance warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster then
lights up.
R you are approaching a vehicle in front at too
great a speed. You then hear an intermit-
tent warning tone, and the ldistance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up.
You must apply the brakes yourself in order
to maintain the correct distance to the vehicle
and to avoid a collision. G
Risk of accident
Be especially observant of traffic condi-
tions when the ldistance warning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up or an
intermittent warning tone sounds. Brake or take evasive action as necessary.
i Distronic does not always clearly recog-
nise complex road and traffic conditions.
You may then receive a false distance warn-
ing tone or none at all.
X To activate/deactivate: press button1.
When the function is activated, indicator
lamp 2in the button lights up and a loud-
speaker symbol appears in the display.
When the function is deactivated, indicator
lamp 2in the button goes out and the
loudspeaker symbol disappears from the
multi-function display.
Distronic displays in the speedometer 1
Stored speed When Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments in the set speed range light up.
i For design reasons, the speed displayed
in the speedometer may differ slightly from
the speed set for Distronic. 1
Segments
If Distronic detects a vehicle in front, the seg-
ments between the speed of the vehicle in
front and the stored speed light up.
Distronic menu in the on-board com-
puter You can read the current Distronic settings in
the Distronic menu. The reading in the multi-
function display depends on whether Dis-
tronic and the distance warning function are
activated or deactivated. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 150
X
Press the èorÿ button repeatedly
until one of the following two displays
appears in the multi-function display.
Distronic deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated you will see the
standard Distronic display in the multi-func-
tion display. 1
Vehicle in front, if detected
2 Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
3 Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
4 Own vehicle
5 Symbol for activated distance warning
function
Distronic activated
When Distronic is activated, the stored speed
appears in the multi-function display for
approximately five seconds. With Distronic activated, you will see the following in the
multi-function display:
1
Display for activated Distronic
Deactivating Distronic 1
To deactivate Distronic
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 1.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 3.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i You will see the Distronic off message
in the multi-function display for approxi-
mately five seconds.
The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
i Distronic is not deactivated if you depress
the accelerator pedal. If you accelerate
briefly to overtake, Distronic adjusts the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored
after you have finished overtaking.
Distronic is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h Controls
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Display
messages 260 Display messages Possible cause/consequence Possible solution
DISTRONIC currently unavail-
able See Owner's
Manual
Distronic
* is deactivated and is tempora-
rily inoperative, if:
R the Distronic* cover in the radiator
grille is dirty
R its function is impaired due to heavy
rain, snow or fog.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily
unavailable, e.g. because of electro-
magnetic radiation.
R the radar sensor system has not detec-
ted any vehicles or stationary objects,
e.g. traffic signs, for a long time.
R the system has overheated. Distronic* is available again and the display mes-
sage disappears when the dirt (e.g. slush) falls off
while you are driving or if the system detects that
the sensors are fully available again.
If the display message does not disappear:
X
Clean the Distronic* cover in the radiator grille
(Y page 248).
X If necessary, wait until the system has cooled
down.
X Restart the engine. ESP inoperative See
Owner's Manual
G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
and therefore also Brake Assist and
PRE-SAFE ®
are unavailable due to a mal-
function. The vwarning lamp also
lights up in the instrument cluster.
The brake system is still available with
complete brake boosting effect. X
Drive on carefully.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Practical advice
* optional
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Troubleshooting
286 Problem 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 60). 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 257).
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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Troubleshooting
287Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
l
The red distance warning
lamp* lights up while the
vehicle is in motion. You
will also hear a warning
tone. G
Risk of accident
You are approaching a vehicle in
front at too great a speed or Dis-
tronic* has detected a stationary
obstacle in your line of travel. X
Be prepared to brake immediately.
X Pay careful attention to the traffic situation. You may have to brake
or take evasive action. D
The red coolant warning
lamp comes on while the
engine is running. There is insufficient coolant in the
expansion tank.
The coolant is too hot and the
engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently. X
Stop the vehicle as soon as possible. Pay attention to the traffic
conditions as you do so.
X Allow the engine and coolant to cool.
X Check the coolant level. Observe the warning notes
(Y page 225). Top up the coolant if necessary.
X Have the coolant system checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop if the coolant needs topping up more often than usual. D
The red coolant warning
lamp comes on while the
engine is running. If the coolant level is correct, the
radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the
engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently. X
If the coolant temperature is less than 120 †, youcan continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X In doing so, avoid heavy loads on the engine (e.g. driving in moun-
tainous terrain) and stop-and-go driving. Practical advice
* optional
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Troubleshooting
290 Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
<
The red seat belt warning
lamp lights up for 6 sec-
onds after the engine
starts up 34
. The seat belt warning lamp
reminds the driver and front
passenger to fasten their seat
belts. X
Fasten your seat belt (Y page 95).<
After the engine starts you
will hear a warning tone for
up to 6 seconds 34
. G
Risk of injury
The driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened. X
Fasten your seat belt (Y page 95).
The warning tone ceases. <
The red seat belt warning
lamp lights up after start-
ing the engine, as soon as
the driver's door or the
front-passenger door is
closed. G
Risk of injury
The driver or front passenger has
not fastened their seat belt. X
Fasten your seat belt (Y page 95).
The warning lamp goes out. G
Risk of injury
There are objects on the front-
passenger seat. X
Remove the objects from the front-passenger seat and stow them
safely.
The warning lamp goes out. 34
Only for certain countries. Practical advice
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Troubleshooting
292 Warning tones
Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
The anti-theft warning alarm* is
triggered. You have opened the vehicle
using the emergency key element
without deactivating the anti-
theft alarm system* first. X
Switch off the alarm (Y page 62).You hear a warning tone. A message appears in the multi-
function display. X
See the explanations for the display message (Y page 257).You hear a warning tone. You are driving with the parking
brake applied. X
Release the parking brake. You hear a warning tone. You did not switch off the lights
when leaving the vehicle. X
Turn the light switch to MorU.
or
X If the rear foglamp is switched on: press the light switch in to the
stop. You hear a warning tone.
G
Risk of injury
The driver or front passenger has
not fastened their seat belt. X
Fasten your seat belt (Y page 95).You hear a continuous tone. You have switched off the engine
and opened the bonnet or the
driver's door with HOLD activa-
ted. X
Deactivate HOLD (Y page 155). Practical advice
* optional
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