2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK brake pads

ESP® (Electronic Stability Pro-
gram) ......................................... 65, 66
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction
System) ........................................... 65
Important safety guidelines ............ .61
Overview .......................................... 61
STEER CONTROL ............................. 69
Driving systems
Active Parking Assist ..................... 186
ATTENTION ASSIST ........................ 195
Blind Spot Assist ............................1 97
Cruise control ................................ 168
Display message ............................ 245
Distronic Plus ................................ 173
HOLD function ............................... 179
Lane Keeping Assist ..................... .199
Lane package ................................ 197
PARKTRONIC ................................. 182
RACE START (AMG vehicles) .......... 181
Reversing camera .......................... 191
Speed Limit Assist ......................... 196
SPEEDTRONIC ............................... 171
Driving tips
Aquaplaning ................................... 167
Automatic transmission ................. 154
Brakes .......................................... .166
DISTRONIC PLUS ........................... 178
Downhill gradient ........................... 166
Driving abroad ............................... 104
Driving in winter ............................ .167
Driving on flooded roads ................ 167
Driving on wet roads ..................... .167
General .......................................... 165
Icy road surfaces ........................... 168
Limited braking efficiency on sal-
ted roads ....................................... 167
New brake pads/linings ................ 167
Running-in tips ............................... 142
Snow chains .................................. 321
Symmetrical dipped bea m............. 104
Towing a trailer .............................. 201
Wet road surface ........................... 166
DVD audio (on-board computer) ...... 215 E
EASY-VARIO-PLUS system Luggage compartment enlarge-
ment .............................................. 271
EBD (electronic brake force distri-
bution)
Display message ............................ 232
Function/note s................................ 68
ECO display
Function/note s............................. 165
On-board computer ....................... 212
ECO start/stop function
Automatic engine start .................. 147
Automatic engine switch-off .......... 146
Deactivating/activating ................. 147
General information ....................... 146
Important safety notes .................. 146
Introduction ................................... 145
Electrical fuses
see Fuses
Electronic Stability Program
see ESP® (Electronic Stability Program)
Emergency key
Unlocking the driver's door .............. 81
Emergency key element
Function/note s................................ 75
Locking vehicle ................................ 81
Emergency release
Driver's door .................................... 81
Emergency spare wheel
General notes ................................ 332
Important safety notes .................. 332
Removing ....................................... 332
Technical data ............................... 333
Emergency unlocking
Tailgate ............................................ 83
Vehicle ............................................. 81
Engine
Display message ............................ 243
ECO start/stop function ................ 145
Engine number ............................... 338
Jump-starting ................................. 308
Running irregularly ......................... 149
Starting problems .......................... 149
Starting the engine with the key .... 144
Stopping ........................................ 162
Tow-starting (vehicle) ..................... 314 Index
9

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variations are pos- sible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the functions descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 24). Running-in notes
Important safety notes
New brake pads/linings and discs that have
been replaced only achieve optimum braking effect after several hundred kilometres of
driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal. The first 1500 km
If you treat the engine with sufficient care
from the very start, you will be rewarded with excellent performance for the remainder of
the engine's life.
R Drive at varying vehicle speeds and engine
speeds for the first 1500 km.
R Avoid overstraining the vehicle during this
period, e.g. driving at full throttle.
R Change gear in good time, before the rev
counter needle is Ôof the way to the red
area of the rev counter.
R Do not shift down a gear manually in order
to brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
R Try to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the point of resistance (kick-
down).
After 1,500 km, you may gradually bring the
vehicle up to full road and engine speeds. Additional running-in notes for AMG vehicles:
R Do not drive at speeds above 140 km/ hfor
the first 1,500 km.
R Only allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
i You should also observe these notes on
running-in if the engine or parts of the drive train on your vehicle have been replaced. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell may restrict
the clearance around the pedals or block a
depressed pedal. This jeopardises the oper-
ating and road safety of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Stow all objects securely in the vehicle so that
they do not get into the driver's footwell.
Always fit the floormats securely and as pre-
scribed in order to ensure that there is always sufficient room for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place several floor-mats on top of one another. G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoes with thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably 142
DrivingDriving and parking

dynamic changes in the bars at the start of
a journey. During a prolonged driving time,these changes are smaller. For more
dynamic changes, perform a manual reset.
For further information on the ECO display,
see (Y page 212). Braking
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular note of this when driving a laden vehicle and
when towing a trailer. For vehicles with auto-
matic transmission, you need to have selec-
ted manual drive program M(Ypage 156).
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to prevent the
vehicle from gaining speed. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
i Briefly depressing the accelerator pedal
on downhill gradients while the manual
drive program Mis temporarily activated
(vehicles with automatic transmission): the
automatic transmission may switch back to the last active automatic drive program Eor
S. The automatic transmission may shift to a higher gear. This can reduce the engine's
braking effect.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even cause the braking system to fail. There is
a risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelerator pedal while driving.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes, do not park the vehicle immediately. Drive on for
a short while. This allows the airflow to cool
the brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed, paying attention to traffic con-
ditions. This improves the grip of the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first time. This may also occur after a car wash orafter driving through deep water.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up
the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion. 166
Driving tipsDriving and parking

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance.
R Brake occasionally to remove any possible
salt residue. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
New brake pads/linings New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometres of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brake pads/linings fitted to your vehicle which have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which correspond to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake pads/linings which have not been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which are not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety. Driving on wet roads
Aquaplaning If water has accumulated to a certain depth
on the road surface, there is a danger of aqua- planing occurring, even if:
R you are driving at low speeds
R the tyres have adequate tread depth
For this reason, do not drive in tyre ruts and
brake carefully. Driving on flooded roads !
Bear in mind that vehicles travelling in
front or in the opposite direction create
waves. This may cause the maximum per-
missible water depth to be exceeded.
These notes must be observed under all
circumstances. You could otherwise dam-
age the engine, the electronics or the trans- mission.
If you have to drive on stretches of road on
which water has collected, please bear in
mind that:
R the maximum permissible fording depth in
still water is 25 cm
R you should drive no faster than walking
pace Winter driving
General notes G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface. G
DANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind. Driving tips
167Driving and parking Z

When
Standard is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
When Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this case, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way.
R the system recognises solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend. Towing a trailer
Notes on towing a trailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increases the braking distance and could even cause the braking system to fail. There is
a risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelerator pedal while driving. G
WARNING
You could lose control of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi-
cle/trailer combination could even overturn.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your
speed and do not countersteer. Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If the maximum the permissible load for a car- rier system is exceeded, the carrier could
come loose from the vehicle and endanger
other road users. There is a risk of an accidentand injury.
Never exceed the permissible noseweight
when using a carrier.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
Trailer towing is not permissible on the fol-
lowing models: R A 45 AMG 4MATIC
R Vehicles with the AMG Sports package
If you exceed the maximum permissible nose- weight of the trailer drawbar on the ball cou-
pling, the following may become damaged:
R your vehicle
R the trailer
R the ball coupling
R the trailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination could
become unstable.
If the noseweight used is lower than the min- imum permissible noseweight, the vehicle/ Towing a trailer
201Driving and parking Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions J
Brake immediately Brake immediately Vehicles with manual transmission: a malfunction has occurred
while the HOLD function was activated.
A tone may also sound at regular intervals. If you attempt to lock the vehicle, the tone becomes louder.
You cannot start the engine.
X Paying attention to the traffic situation, immediately depress the
brake pedal firmly and hold until the display message disap-
pears.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 162).
You can restart the engine. J
Check brake fluid Check brake fluid
level level There is insufficient brake fluid in the brake fluid reservoir.
In addition, the red Jwarning lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster and a warning tone sounds.
G WARNING
The braking efficiency may be impaired.
There is a risk of an accident. X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not continue driving
under any circumstances.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 162).
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
X Do not top up the brake fluid. This does not correct the fault. #
Check brake pad Check brake pad
wear wear The brake pads/linings have reached their wear limit.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. PRE-SAFE
PRE-SAFE
inoperative See inoperative See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual
Important functions of PRE-SAFE
®
have failed. All other occupant
safety systems, e.g. airbags, remain available.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately. 236
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Displaying service messages
X
Switch the ignition on.
X Using =or;, select the Service
Service
menu.
X Press 9or: to select the ASSYST
ASSYST
PLUS
PLUS submenu and press ato confirm.
The service due date appears in the multi-
function display.
Information about Service Resetting the ASSYST PLUS service inter-
val display
! If the ASSYST PLUS service interval dis-
play has been inadvertently reset, this set-
ting can be corrected at a qualified special-
ist workshop.
Have service work carried out as described in the Service Booklet. This may otherwise
lead to increased wear and damage to the
major assemblies or the vehicle.
A qualified specialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre, will reset the ASSYST PLUS service interval display after
the service work has been carried out. You
can also obtain further information on main-
tenance work, for example.
Special service requirements
The prescribed service interval is based on
normal operation of the vehicle. Service work
will need to be performed more often if the
vehicle is operated under arduous conditions or increased loads, for example:
R regular city driving with frequent intermedi-
ate stops
R if the vehicle is primarily used to travel
short distances
R for frequent operation in mountainous ter-
rain or on poor road surfaces
R if the engine is often left idling for long peri-
ods
In these or similar operating conditions, have
the air filter, engine oil and oil filter, for exam- ple, changed more frequently. The tyres must be checked more frequently if the vehicle is
operated under increased loads. Further
information can be obtained at a qualified
specialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre.
Driving abroad
An extensive Mercedes-Benz Service network is also available in other countries. The Ser-
vice Hotline's current telephone numbers for
use when you are abroad are to be found in
the "Mercedes-Benz Service24h" section of
the Service Booklet. Care
General notes
H
Environmental note
Dispose of empty packaging and cleaning
cloths in an environmentally responsible man- ner.
! For cleaning your vehicle, do not use any
of the following:
R dry, rough or hard cloths
R abrasive cleaning agents
R solvents
R cleaning agents containing solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective
films with hard objects, e.g. a ring or ice
scraper. You could otherwise scratch or
damage the surfaces and protective film.
! Do not park up the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after clean-
ing. Braking heats the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings, thus drying them. The
vehicle can then be parked up. 290
CareMaintenance and care

pressure cleaner nozzle. Information about
the correct distance is available from the
equipment manufacturer.
Move the high-pressure cleaner nozzle
around when cleaning your vehicle.
Do not aim directly at any of the following:
R tyres
R door gaps, roof gaps, joints etc.
R electrical components
R battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim elements
R ventilation slots
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to leaks or failures.
Cleaning the wheels !
Do not use acidic wheel cleaning products
to remove brake dust. This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components.
! Do not park up the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after clean-
ing. Braking heats the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings, thus drying them. The
vehicle can then be parked up.
Cleaning the paintwork !
Do not affix:
R stickers
R films
R magnetic plates or similar items
to painted surfaces. You could otherwise
damage the paintwork. X
Remove impurities immediately, where
possible, whilst avoiding rubbing too hard.
X Soak insect remains with insect remover
and rinse off the treated areas afterwards.
X Soak bird droppings with water and rinse
off the treated areas afterwards.
X Remove coolant, brake fluid, tree resin,
oils, fuels and greases by rubbing gently
with a cloth soaked in petroleum ether or
lighter fluid.
X Use tar remover to remove tar stains.
X Use silicone remover to remove wax.
The following cannot always be completely
repaired:
R scratches
R corrosive deposits
R areas affected by corrosion
R damage caused by inadequate care
In such cases, visit a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Care and treatment of matt paintwork !
Never polish the vehicle or the light alloy
wheels. Polishing makes the paintwork
shiny.
! The following may cause the paint to
become shiny and thus reduce the matt
effect:
R Vigorous rubbing with unsuitable mate-
rials.
R Frequent use of car washes.
R Washing the vehicle in direct sunlight.
! Never use paint cleaner, buffing or pol-
ishing products, or gloss preserver, e.g.
wax. These products are only suitable for
high-gloss surfaces. Their use on vehicles
with matt finish leads to considerable sur-
face damage (shiny, spotted areas).
Always have paintwork repairs carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop.
! Do not use wash programs with a hot wax
treatment under any circumstances. 292
CareMaintenance and care