2008 MERCEDES-BENZ R-CLASS MPV tow

Exterior view
21Function Page
1 Opening and closing the
tailgate 71
Vehicle tool kit 252
Spare wheel 252
2 Rear window heating
173
3 Rear lights
310
4 Fuel filler flap
218
Fuel requirements 218
5 Exterior mirrors
90 Function Page
6 Fitting the towing eye
331
7 Tyres and wheels
224
Flat tyre 313
8 Opens the bonnet
220
Engine oil 222
Coolant
223 Function Page
9 Windscreen wipers
104
Cleaning the wiper blades 245
Replacing the wiper blades 311
a Cleaning the windows
245
b
Sliding/tilting sunroof* 178
Panorama sliding sunroof* 181
c Opening and closing the
doors
68
d Front lights
308
e Headlamp cleaning system
102At a glance
* optional
251_AKB; 5; 7, en-GB
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Centre console
32 Lower section
Function Page
1 Opens/closes the stowage
compartment
202
2 Opens the stowage tray/
telephone compartment
202
3 Opens the stowage com-
partment
202
4 Opens the additional stow-
age compartment
7 202
Socket
7 206
Opens the ashtray*
8 205
Cigarette lighter*
8 206
5 Opens the cup holder
183
7
Not on vehicles with the smoker's package.*
8 Not on vehicles with a centre console for the 2nd row of seats* and a short wheelbase.* At a glance
* optional
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Stowage compartments
36 Stowage compartmentsAt a glance
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Stowage compartments
37Function Page
1 Luggage net in the front-
passenger footwell
186
2 Glove compartment
201
3 Door stowage compart-
ment
4 Luggage nets behind the
front-passenger seat
186
5 Door stowage compart-
ment
6
Cup holder*, right 185
7
Stowage compartment*,
right
9 203
8 Luggage net in luggage
compartment
186 Function Page
9 First-aid kit
251
Vehicle tool kit, jack,
TIREFIT kit, emergency
spare wheel*
252
Warning triangle 250
a
Stowage compartment*,
left
9 b
Cup holder*, left 185
c Door stowage compart-
ment
d Luggage nets behind the
driver's seat
186
e Door stowage compart-
ment
f Stowage compartment in
the centre console
202 Function Page
g Additional stowage com-
partment in the centre con-
sole
10 202
Power socket in the centre
console
10 206
Ashtray* in the centre con-
sole
11 205
Cigarette lighter*
11 206
h Cup holder in the centre
console
183
j Stowage compartment
under armrest in the centre
console
202
k Cup holder in the centre
console*
185
l Stowage compartment
under armrest in the centre
console*
203
9
Not for vehicles with rear-compartment air conditioning for the 2nd and 3rd rows of seats*.
10 Not for vehicles with smoker's package.
11 Not for vehicles centre console for 2nd row of seats* and short wheelbase. At a glance
* optional
251_AKB; 5; 7, en-GB
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Stowage compartments
38 Function Page
m Upper stowage compart-
ment
12 203
Lower stowage compart-
ment
10 203
Cup holder*
11 184
Ashtray*
11 205
12 Only on vehicles with Thermatic and without optional equipment (e.g. seat heating for the 2nd row of seats*).
10 Not for vehicles with smoker's package.
11 Not for vehicles centre console for 2nd row of seats* and short wheelbase. At a glance
* optional
251_AKB; 5; 7, en-GB
wobuchh,
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Occupant safety
40 Occupant safety
Notes on occupant safety
Seat belts, together with belt tensioners, belt
force limiters and airbags, are coordinated
restraint systems. They reduce the risk of
injury in defined accident situations and
thereby increase occupant safety. However,
seat belts and airbags generally do not pro-
tect against objects penetrating the vehicle
from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, you
should ensure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 77)
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 94)
R the airbags can inflate properly if they are
deployed (Y page 43)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 88)
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied
i An airbag increases the protection of
vehicle occupants wearing a seat belt.
However, airbags are only an additional restraint system which complements, but
does not replace, the seat belt. All vehicle
occupants must wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times, even if the vehicle is
equipped with airbags. This is because - on
the one hand - airbags are not deployed in
all types of accident, as in some situations
airbag deployment would not increase the
protection afforded to vehicle occupants,
provided they are wearing their seat belt
correctly. On the other hand, airbag deploy-
ment only provides increased protection if
the seat belt is worn correctly because:
R
the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
occupant in the best position in relation
to the airbag
R for example, in a head-on collision, the
seat belt can more adequately prevent
the occupant from being propelled
towards the force of the impact, and is
thus better suited to prevent injury
Therefore, in accident situations where an
airbag is deployed, it only provides protec-
tion in addition to the seat belt if the seat
belt is being worn correctly. G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have maintenance work carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge
and tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use
a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this
purpose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop. If this
work is not carried out correctly, the oper-
ating safety of your vehicle may be affec-
ted. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
G
Risk of injury
The restraint system may not work as inten-
ded if the following components have been
modified or work on these components has
not been performed correctly:
R restraint system, consisting of the seat
belts and anchorages, belt tensioners,
belt force limiters, airbags
R wiring
R networked electronic systems
Airbags or belt tensioners could then fail,
e.g. in the event of an accident in which the
deceleration force would normally be high
enough to trigger the systems, or they
could be triggered unintentionally. Never Safety
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Occupant safety
42
i
Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accidents. They are controlled by complex
sensor technology and evaluation logic.
This process is pre-emptive in nature as
airbag deployment must take place during
the impact and must be adapted to provide
calculated, additional protection for the
vehicle occupants. Not all airbags are
deployed in an accident.
The different airbag systems work inde-
pendently of each other. However, the
deployment of each individual system will
depend on the type of accident determined
by the control system in the first stages of
the collision (head-on collision, side impact
and overturn) and the extent of the acci-
dent (in particular, the vehicle's rate of
deceleration or acceleration).
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are basi-
cally determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle R
the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided, e.g. the other vehi-
cle
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of it.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e. g. on the bonnet or the wing, without an
airbag being deployed. This is the case if only
parts which are relatively easily deformed are
affected and the necessary deceleration does
not occur. Conversely, airbags may be
deployed even though the vehicle suffers only
minor deformations. This is the case if, for
example, very rigid vehicle parts such as lon-
gitudinal body members are affected and suf-
ficient deceleration occurs as a result.
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters The seat belts of the front seats, the outer
seats in the 2nd row and the seats in the 3rd
row* have belt tensioners. The front seat
belts are also fitted with belt buckle tension-
ers.!
Do not engage the seat belt tongue in the
buckle on the front-passenger seat if the
seat is not occupied. Otherwise the belt
tensioner could be activated in an emer-
gency.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a belt
force limiter, the force exerted by the seat
belt on the seat occupant is reduced.
Belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in an
accident, pulling them close against the body.
i Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect
seat positions or incorrectly fastened seat
belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull occupants back
towards the backrest.
The front belt force limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which distribute the
forces exerted by the belt force limiters on
the occupant over a greater area.
The belt tensioners/belt buckle tensioners
are triggered when the ignition is switched
on:
R only if the restraint systems are operational
(the 1 warning lamp lights up after the Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems60 ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between 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 physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
When ESP ®
intervenes, the vwarning
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 prevailing
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 you have the vehicle towed with the
front or rear axle raised, the ignition must
be switched off (key in position 0or 1in the
ignition lock). Intervention by ESP ®
could
otherwise destroy the braking system on
the front or rear axle.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC* may not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC*: operate the vehi-
cle only briefly (for a maximum of ten sec-
onds) on a brake dynamometer. Turn the
key in the ignition lock to position 0or 1.
You could otherwise damage the drive train
or the brake system.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC*: function or per-
formance tests may only be carried out on
a 2-axle dynamometer. If you wish to oper-
ate the vehicle on such a dynamometer,
please consult a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre in advance. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system. i
Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation 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 detects
if the trailer begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the
vehicle down by braking and limiting the
engine output so the vehicle/trailer combi-
nation can stabilise.
Trailer stabilisation is active from about
65 km/h. G
Risk of accident
If road and weather conditions are bad,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to pre-
vent the trailer from swerving and thereby
reduce the risk 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 disabled because of a mal-
function. Safety
* optional
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