2011 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET snow chains

Drinks holder
see Cup holders
Drive program
Automati c...................................... 157
Display ........................................... 155
Manual .......................................... .158
Driver's door
see Door
Driver's seat
see Seats
Driv esystem
Active Blind Spot Assist .................199
Driving abroad
Service24h .................................... 285
Symmetrical dipped bea m............. 114
Driving on flooded roads ..................168
Driving safety system BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS) .............................................. .62
Electroni cBrake-force Distribu-
tio n.................................................. 65
ESP ®
(Electroni cStability Pro-
gram) ............................................... 64
Important safety guidelines .............61
Driving safety systems
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) .......62
ADAPTIVE BRAKE ............................. 66
Adaptive brake lamps ......................63
BAS (Brake Assist System) ..............62
ETS (Electroni cTraction System) .....64
Overview .......................................... 61
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake ............................ .66
Driving system
Active Lan eKeepin gAssist. ........... 202
Driving systems
Active Driving Assistance pack-
age ................................................. 199
ATTENTION ASSIST ........................194
Blind Spot Assist ............................ 196
Cruise control ................................ 169
Display message ............................ 244
Distronic Plu s................................ 171
Dynami chandlin gpackage with
sports mod e.................................. 183
HOLD function ............................... 184
Lane Keeping Assist ......................198
Lane package ................................ 196Parking Guidance ........................... 189
Parktroni
c...................................... 185
Reversing camera ..........................192
Speed Limi tAssist ......................... 195
Speedtronic ................................... 180
Driving tips
Aquaplaning ................................... 168
Automatic transmission .................155
Brakes ........................................... 167
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 179
Downhill gradient ........................... 167
Driving abroad ............................... 114
Driving in winter ............................ .168
Driving on flooded road s................ 168
Driving on wet road s...................... 168
General .......................................... 166
Icy road surfaces ........................... 169
Limited braking efficiency on sal-
ted road s....................................... 167
New brake pads/linings ................168
Running-in tips ............................... 146
Snow chains .................................. 320
Symmetrical dipped bea m............. 114
Towing atrailer .............................. 204
Tyr egrip ........................................ 168
Wet road surface ........................... 167
DVD audio (on-board computer) ......220
Dynamic handling package with
sports mode ....................................... 183 E
EASY-ENTRY feature .........................104
Activating/deactivating .................230
Function/notes ............................. 108
EASY-EXIT feature
Crash-responsive ........................... 109
Function/notes ............................. 108
Switching on/off ........................... 230
EBD (electronic brake force distri-
bution)
Display message ............................ 234
Function/notes ................................ 65
ECOs tart/stop function
Deactivating/activating .................151
General information .......................150
Electrical fuses
see Fuses Index
9

ESP
®
OFF ....................................... 258
LIM (cruise control) ........................ 170
LIM (DISTRONI CPLUS) .................. 173
LIM (variable SPEEDTRONIC )......... 181
Overview .......................................... 30
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF ................53
Reserve fuel ................................... 260
Seat bel t........................................ 255
SRS ................................................ 259
Warning triangle ................................ 294
Washer fluid Display message ............................ 253
see Windscreen washer system
Weight
see Technical data
Whee lboltt ightening torque ...........304
Whee lchock ...................................... 301
Wheels Changing/replacing .......................323
Changing awheel .......................... 301
Checking ........................................ 318
Cleaning ......................................... 287
Fitting awheel ............................... 304
Important safety notes ..................318
Removing awheel .......................... 303
Storing ........................................... 324
Tightening torqu e........................... 304
Whee lsize/tyre size ...................... 324
Wind deflector
see AIRCAP
Wind deflector (cleaning instruc-
tions) .................................................. 288
Windowbag Display message ............................ 238
Operation ........................................ .44
Windows
Cleaning ......................................... 289
see Side windows
Windscreen
Demisting ...................................... 134
Windscreen washe rsystem ............. 284
Windscree nwipers
Problem (malfunction) ...................125
Replacing the wiper blades ............125
Switching on/off ........................... 124Winte
rdriving
Important safety note s.................. 319
Slippery road surfaces ...................169
Snow chains .................................. 320
Winte rtyres
Limiting the spee d(on-board com-
puter) ............................................. 228
M+S tyres ...................................... 319
Wiper blades
Cleaning ......................................... 290
Important safety notes ..................125
Replacing ....................................... 125
Wooden trim (cleaning instruc-
tions) .................................................. 29220
Index

In wintry driving conditions, alwaysu
se
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way willt he driv-
ing safety systems describe dinthis section
work as effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-loc
kBraking System)
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 61).
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such away
tha tthe wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allowsy ou to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from aspeed of about 8km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the vehi-
cle when braking and the braking distance
may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to amalfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There
is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Braking If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make afull brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditionsa nd func-tions as
areminder to take extrac are while
driving. G
WARNING
Do not depress the brake pedal several times
in quick succession (pumping). Pumping the
brake pedal reduces the braking effect.Y ou
might otherwise not be able to stop the vehi-
cle in time and could cause an accident.
Depress the brake pedal firmly and smoothly. BAS (Brake Assist)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS operates in emergenc ybraking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergenc ybraking situation is over.
ABS prevent sthe wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. G
WARNING
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect .However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergenc ybraking sit-
uations and the stopping distance may
increase. BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS)
BAS PLUS is only available on vehicles with
DISTRONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS PLUS provides braking assistance in haz-
ardous situations at speeds of over
30 km/ha nd uses rada rsensor technology
to assess the traffic situation. 62
Driving safet
ysystemsSafety

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
WARNING
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
describe dabove no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwis enot be abletos tabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or awhee lstarts
to spin.
When 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. The spinning of
the wheels results in acutting action, which
provide sbetter grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provide ssupport when you
brake.
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
willn ot stabilise the vehicle.
X To deactivate: (Ypage 223).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. G
WARNING
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ouslyw hen the engine is running.
If the ÷ warning lamp and åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not availa-
ble due to amalfunction.
There is an increased risk of yourv ehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You should alway sadapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. X
To activate:(Y page 223).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation ,ESP ®
assists you and can
detec tifthe vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by braking and limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/trailer combination has stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 65 km/h. G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent
the trailer from swerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident. Trail-
ers with ahigh centre of gravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detect this.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of amal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking. G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect.H owever, 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 therefor eadapt your Driving safety systems
65Safety
Z

sonous carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the
vehicle, resulting in loss of consciousness and
even death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open
aw indow slightly on the side of the vehicle
not facing the wind.
At the onset of winter, have your vehicle win-
terproofed at aqualified specialist workshop,
e.g. at aMercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 319).
Driving with summer tyres Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y
page 319).
Slippery road surfaces G
WARNING
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularlyc arefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Vehicles with manual transmission: engage
neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission: shift
the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering.
i For more information on driving with
snow chains, see (Y page 320). Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
speed for you. It brakes automaticallyino rder
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, you must
shift to alower gear in good time or select
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto-
matic transmission. By doing so, you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. G
WARNING
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
WARNING
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstant speed (e.g. heavy traffic Driving systems
169Driving and parking
Z

might therefore issu
esteering instructions
too soon. This may leadtoac ollision. For this
reason, you should avoi dusing Parking Guid-
ance in such situations. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Parking
Guidance is alsou navailable.
Use Parking Guidance for parking spaces:
R that are paralleltot he directionoftravel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same leve lasthe road ,i.e.
not on the pavement, for example. Parking
Guidance may not detect flat kerbs
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive pastt he parking
space as close as possible.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to aparking
space being measured inaccurately.
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 187) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
R when transporting aload which protrudes
from your vehicle, you must not use Parking
Guidance.
R never use Parking Guidance with snow
chains or an emergency spare wheel fitted.
R make sure that the tyre pressures are
always correct.T his hasadirec teffect on
the steering instructions.
R the wayy ourv ehicle is positioned in the
parkin gspace after parkin gisdependent
on various factors. These include the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. In some cases, Parking Guidance
may guide you too far or not far enough into
ap arking space. In some cases, it may also lead you across or onto the kerb. If neces-
sary, cancel the parking procedure with
Parking Guidance.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as kerbs slowly and not at
as harp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tyres.
Detecting parking spaces Example: vehicles with automatic transmission
:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Parking Guidance is automaticallya ctivated
when you drive forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde-
pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle. When
driving at speeds below 30 km/h ,you will see
parking symbol ;asastatus indicator in the
instrument cluster.
When aparking space has been detected, an
arrow towards the right =or the left :also
appears. Parking Guidance only displays
parking spaces on the front-passenger side
as standard. Parking spaces on the driver's
side are displayed as soon as the turn signal
on the driver's side is activated. To park on
the driver's side, you must leave the driver's
side turn signal switched on until you have
engaged reverse gear. 190
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Only winter tyres bearing the
isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
vide the best possibleg rip in wintry road con-
ditions. Only these tyres will allowd riving
safety systems such as ABS and ESP ®
to
function optimally in winter, as these tyres
have been designed specificallyf or driving on
snow.
Use M+S tyres of the same make and tread
on all wheels to maintain safe handling char-
acteristics. G
WARNING
M+S tyres with atread depth of less than
4mmm ust be replaced. They are no longer
suitable for winter use and can no longer pro-
vide sufficient grip .This could cause you to
lose control of your vehicle and cause an acci-
dent.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tyres you have
fitted.
If you fit M+S tyres which have alower max-
imum permissible speed than that of the vehi-
cle, affix an appropriate warning sign in the
driver's field of vision. This can be obtained
at aq ualified specialist workshop, e.g. at a
Mercedes-Ben zService Centre.
Under these circumstances, you should also
restrict the maximum speed of the vehicle
using permanent SPEEDTRONIC so that it
does not exceed the maximum permissible
speed for the M+S tyres (Y page 183).
When you have fitted the M+S tyres:
X Check the tyre pressures (Y page 321).
X Restart the tyre pressure loss warning sys-
tem (Y page 322). G
WARNING
If you fit the spare wheel when driving with M
+S tyres, bear in mind that driving stability will
be impaired due to unstable corneringc har-
acteristics caused by the different tyres. You
should therefore adapt your driving style and
drive carefully. Have the spare wheel replaced at the nearest
qualified specialist workshop which has the
necessary specialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you use
aMercedes-Benz
Service Centr efor this purpose. In particular,
work relevant to safety or on safety-related
systems must be carried out at aqualified
specialist workshop. Snow chains
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that
have been specially approved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz ,orthat are of acorre-
spondin gstandard of quality.
If you inten dtofit snow chains, please bear
the following point sinmind:
R it is not permissible to attac hsnow chains
to all wheel-tyre combinations; see the
information under "Wheel/tyre combina-
tions" in the "Wheels and tyres" section.
R snow chains must not be fitted to emer-
genc yspare wheels, e.g. a"Minispare"
emergency spare wheel.
R fit snow chains only in pairs and only to the
rear wheels. Observe the manufacturer's
installation instructions.
! Vehicles with steel wheels: if you wish
to fit snow chains to steel wheels, make
sure that you remove the respective
wheels' hubcaps first .The hubcaps may
otherwise be damaged.
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 50 km/h.
i You may wish to deactivate ESP ®
(Y page 64) when pulling away with snow
chains fitted. This way you can allow the
wheels to spin in acontrolled manner, ach-
ieving an increased driving force (cutting
action). 320
Winter operationWheels and tyres

is kept open continuously, which may lead to
air loss. G
WARNING
Should the tyre pressure drop repeatedly:
R chec kthe tyre for foreign bodies.
R check whether the wheel is losing air or the
valve is leaking.
R make sure that only avalve cap approved
by Mercedes-Ben zisfitted on the tyre
valve.
Tyre pressures that are too low have anega-
tive effect on vehicle safety, which could lead
you to cause an accident.
If possible, only correct tyre pressures when
the tyres are cold. The tyres are cold when
the vehicle has been parked for at least three
hours or has been driven less than 1.5 km.
Depending on the ambient temperature, the
speed you are driving at and the load on the
tyres, the tyre temperature and thus the tyre
pressure may change by approximately
10 kPa (0.1 bar/1.5 psi) per 10 †. Take this
into account when checking the pressure of
warm tyres and only correct it if it is too low
for the current operating conditions.
Driving with tyre pressure that is too high or
too low can:
R shorten the service life of the tyres
R cause increased tyre damage
R have anegative effect on handling charac-
teristics and thus the driving safety (e.g. by
causing aquaplaning)
i The tyre pressure values given for low
loads are minimum values which offer you
good ride comfort characteristics.
However, you can also use the values given
for higher loads. These are permissible and
will not adversely affect the running of the
vehicle. H
Environmental note
Check the tyre pressure regularly,atl east
every 14 days. Tyrep
ressur eloss warning system
Important safety notes While the vehicle is in motion, the tyre pres-
sure loss warning system monitors the set
tyre pressure using the rotational speed of
the wheels. This enables the system to detect
significant pressure loss in
atyre. If the speed
of rotation of awheel changes as aresult of
al oss of pressure, acorresponding warning
message will appearint he multifunction dis-
play. G
WARNING
The tyre pressure loss warning system does
not warn you of an incorrectly set tyre pres-
sure. The table on the inside of the fuel filler
flap will help you decide whether the tyre
pressures should be corrected.
The tyre pressure loss warning system does
not replace the need to regularly check your
vehicle's tyre pressures, since an even loss of
pressure on several tyres at the same time
cannot be detected by the tyre pressure loss
warning system.
The tyre pressure monitor is not able to warn
you of asudden loss of pressure, e.g. if the
tyre is penetrated by aforeign object.
In the event of asudden loss of pressure, bring
the vehicle to ahalt by braking carefully. Do
not make any sudden steering movements
when doing so.
The function of the tyre pressure loss warning
system is limited or delayed if:
R snow chains are fitted to your vehicle's
tyres.
R road conditionsa re wintry.
R you are driving on sand or gravel.
R you adopt avery sporty driving style (cor-
nering at high speeds or driving with high
rates of acceleration).
R you are towing avery heavy or large trailer.
R you are driving with aheavy load (in the
vehicle or on the roof). 322
Tyrep
ressureWheels and tyres