2008 MERCEDES-BENZ R-CLASS MPV warning lights

Driving safety sys
tems 61
ETS (Electronic Traction Support) Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active when you
deactivate ESP ®
. G
Risk of accident
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of
an accident if you drive too fast. Traction
control cannot override the laws of physics.
i If heavy demands are made on the brakes,
traction control switches off automatically
for a brief period so that the brakes do not
heat up even further. The vwarning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up if
traction control is not engaging for this rea-
son. The message ABS, ESP unavailable
see Owner's Manual also appears in the
multi-function display.
Activating/deactivating 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 the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. Spinning of the
wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
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 vwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. In such
situations ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehi-
cle. 1
To deactivate/activate ESP ®
X To deactivate: press button1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up. G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is continuously lit when the engine
is running, ESP ®
is deactivated or not avail-
able due to a malfunction. There is an
increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style
to suit prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. Safety
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Driving safety sys
tems62
X
To activate: press button 1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out. EBV (electronic brake-power distribu-
tion)
EBV monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability under braking. G
Risk of accident
If EBV is malfunctioning, the brake system
is still available with full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels can still
lock, e.g. under full braking. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and cause an accident. You should there-
fore adapt your driving style to the different
handling characteristics. Distance warning system (only for
vehicles with Distronic*)
This function will issue a warning at speeds of
around 30 km/h or more if:
R for a period of several seconds, the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front is too short for
the speed at which you are travelling. The
distance warning lamp lin the instru-
ment cluster will then light up.
R you are approaching the vehicle in front too
rapidly. An intermittent warning tone will
then sound and the distance warning lamp
l will light up in the instrument cluster.
In order to maintain the appropriate distance
to the vehicle in front and thus prevent a
crash, you must apply the brakes yourself. G
Risk of accident
Pay particular attention to the traffic con-
ditions if the distance warning lamp l
in the instrument cluster lights up or an
intermittent warning tone sounds.
If necessary, brake or swerve to avoid an
obstacle. X
To activate/deactivate: activate or deac-
tivate the distance warning system in the
on-board computer (Y page 136).
After activation, the :symbol is dis-
played in the lower multi-function display.
For more information on the distance warning
system, see the Distronic* section
(Y page 143). Safety
* optional
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Seat belts
96 Belt warning for driver and front
passenger
The < seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster reminds you that all occupants
should fasten their seat belts. The belt warning lamp may light up continuously
or it may flash. Additionally, there may be a
warning tone.
The < seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the front passenger have fastened their seat
belt.
For certain countries only: regardless of
whether the driver or the front passenger is
already secured, the lamp lights up for six seconds after the engine
has been started. The lamp then goes out if both the driver and the
front passenger have fastened their seat belt.
i Further information about the belt warning lamp (Y page 281). Belt height adjustment
You can adjust the seat belt height on the
driver's seat and front-passenger seat.
Adjust the belt to a height that allows it to be
routed across the middle of your shoulder. 1
Release catch
X To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press and hold release button
1.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Let go of release button 1and make sure
that the belt sash guide has engaged. Correct driver's seat position
1
Steering wheel
2 Seat belt
3 Seat G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the driver's seat when the vehi-
cle is stationary. You will otherwise be dis- Controls
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Lights
100briefly in the appropriate direction. The cor-
responding turn signal flashes three times.
Main-beam headlamps/headlamp flas-
her Combination switch
1
Main-beam headlamps
2 Headlamp flasher
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 18
.
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrument cluster lights up. X
To switch off: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrument cluster goes out.
Headlamp flasher
X To switch on: briefly pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 2. Hazard warning lamps
Centre console
1
Hazard warning lamp button
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 99), only the turn signal lamp on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
X To deactivate: press button1. Adjusting the headlamp range (vehi-
cles with halogen headlamps)
The headlamp range control allows you to
adjust the cone of light from the headlamps
according to how your vehicle is laden.
You can only adjust the headlamp range while
the engine is running.
18 In the Uposition, the main-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. Controls
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Lights
103Interior lighting
Front overhead control panel Front overhead control panel
1
X To switch the left-hand reading lamp
on/off
2 ¦ To switch the rear interior lighting
on/off
3 ¥ To switch the automatic interior
lighting control on/off
4 ð To switch the front interior lighting
on/off
5 X To switch the right-hand reading
lamp on/off Automatic interior lighting control
X
To switch on/off: press the¥button.
The interior lighting switches on when you:
R unlock the vehicle
R open a door
R remove the key from the ignition lock
The interior lighting switches off after a delay.
You can set the delayed switch-off using the
on-board computer (Y page 133).
i If the door is left open, the interior lighting
goes out after approximately five minutes.
Emergency accident lighting
The interior lighting is activated automatically
if the vehicle is involved in an accident.
X To deactivate: press the hazard warning
lamp button (Y page 100).
or
X Unlock the vehicle using the key.
or
X Press the ¥button (Y page 103).
Manual control
Front interior lighting
X To switch on/off: press theðbutton. Rear-compartment interior lighting
X
To switch on/off: press the¦button.
Reading lamps
X To switch on/off: press theXbutton.
Rear-compartment overhead control
panel Reading lamps for the second row of seats
Rear-compartment overhead control panel (sec-
ond row of seats)
1
Reading lamp
X To switch on/off: press reading lamp 1
in the direction of the arrow. Controls
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Driving and pa
rking 112
X
Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
X Pull the parking brake release handle to
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. Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
on uphill gradients of more than 5°. G
Risk of accident
Hill start assist is not a parking brake. It
does not prevent the vehicle from rolling
away.
When parking, always depress the parking
brake and set the automatic transmission
to P. X
To pull away on an uphill slope, release the
brake and depress the accelerator pedal.
The hill start assist continues to hold the
braking pressure for up to one second. This
allows you to pull away evenly without the
vehicle rolling back.
i The brake pedal remains in the depressed
position until the hill start assist releases
the braking pressure.
Hill start assist will not function if:
R you are pulling away on a downhill gradient
R the automatic transmission is in neutral N
R the parking brake is applied
R ESP ®
is deactivated due to a malfunction Parking
G
Risk of accident
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary as you can-
not steer the vehicle with the key removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the parking
brake. This could lead to a serious or fatal
accident. G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system does
not under any circumstances come into
contact with easily ignitable material such
as dry grass or petrol. The material could
otherwise ignite and set the vehicle on fire.
Parking brake 1
Release handle
2 Parking brake
X To apply: depress parking brake 2firmly.
The 3 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 142
X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever to the pres-
sure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking. Making fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
or
X Brake.
or X
Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if,
for example:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
is intervening or you deactivate
ESP ®
.
R you shift the automatic transmission to N
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will see the Cruise con-
trol Off message in the multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 144 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 danger 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 You can operate Distronic 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:
Distronic is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. 1
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 To adjust the set distance
3 LIM indicator lamp
4 To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed 5
To store the current speed or a lower
speed
6 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic
7 To deactivate Distronic
Selecting Distronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 3is off.
If it is off, Distronic is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 6.
LIM indicator lamp 3in the cruise control
lever goes off. Distronic is selected.
Switching on Distronic, storing and
maintaining the current speed If Distronic is not activated after the cruise
control lever is pressed, you will see the mes-
sage
DISTRONIC - - - km/h in the multi-
function display.
You cannot activate Distronic in the following
circumstances:
R for two minutes after the engine is started
R if you are driving slower than 30 km/h or
faster than 180 km/h
R when braking Controls
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