2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A CLASS turn signal

Active light function
The active light function is a system that
moves
the headlamps according to the steer-
ing movements of the front wheels. In this
way, relevant areas remain illuminated while
driving. This allows you to recognise pedes-
trians, cyclists and animals.
Active: when the lights are switched on.
Cornering light function The cornering light function improves the illu-
mination

of the road over a wide angle in the
direction you are turning, enabling better vis-
ibility in tight bends, for example. The corner-
ing light function can only be activated when
the dipped-beam headlamps are switched on.
Active:
R if you are driving at speeds below
40 km/h and the turn signal is activated or
the steering wheel is turned.
R if you are driving at speeds between
40 km/h and 70 km/h and turn the steer-
ing wheel. Not active:
if
you are driving at speeds above
40 km/h or switch off the turn signal or turn
the steering wheel to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
The cornering lamp may remain lit for a short
time, but is automatically switched off after
no more than three minutes.
Motorway mode Motorway mode increases the range of the
beam.
Active:
R
if you are driving at speeds above
110

km/h and do not make any large steer-
ing movements for 1000 m
R if you are driving at speeds above
130 km/h
Not active: if you are driving at speeds below
80 km/h following activation.
Extended range foglamps The extended range foglamps reduce the
glare experienced by the driver and improve Exterior lighting
109
Lights and windscreen wipers Z

Overview of bulb replacement – bulbs
You can replace the following bulbs. The
details for the bulb type can be found in the
legend. Halogen headlamps
:
Turn signal lamp: PY 21 W
; Main-beam headlamp/side lamp/park-
ing lamp: H15 55 W/15 W
= Dipped-beam headlamp: H7 55 W Vehicles with Intelligent Light System
:
Cornering lamp: H7 55 W Tail lamp (halogen headlamps)
:
Reversing lamp: W 16 W
; Turn signal lamp: PY 21 W
= Tail lamp/brake lamp: W 16 W
? Rear foglamp: W 16 W
A Tail lamp: W 16 W Replacing the front bulbs
Fitting/removing the cover on the front
wheel arch You must remove the cover from the front
wheel housing before you can change the
front bulbs.
X
To remove: switch off the lights.
X Turn the front wheels inwards.
X Turn rotary knob : through 90°.
Cover ; is released.
X Push cover ; down.
X To fit: push cover ; up.
X Turn rotary knob : through 90°.
Cover ; is locked. Replacing bulbs
113
Lights and windscreen wipers Z

Turn signal lamp (halogen headlamps)
X
Switch off the lights.
X Open the bonnet.
X Turn bulb holder : anti-clockwise and pull
it out.
X Take the bulb out of bulb holder :.
X Insert the new bulb into bulb holder :.
X Insert bulb holder : and turn it clockwise
until it engages.
Cornering lamps (Intelligent Light Sys-
tem) G
WARNING
These bulbs are pressurised.
They can explode when being changed if:
R they are still hot
R they hit an object when being removed
R they are dropped
There is a risk of injury.
You should wear eye protection and clean
gloves when you are changing a bulb. If nec-
essary,

have bulbs changed at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. X
Switch off the lights.
X Open the bonnet.
X Turn housing cover : anti-clockwise and
pull it out.
X Turn bulb holder ;
anti-clockwise and pull
it out.
X Take the bulb out of bulb holder ;.
X Insert the new bulb into bulb holder ;.
X Insert bulb holder ;
into the lamp and turn
it clockwise.
X Align housing cover : and turn it clock-
wise until it engages. Replacing the rear bulbs
Opening and closing the side trim pan-
els You must open the side trim panel in the lug-
gage compartment before you can replace
the bulbs in the tail lamps.
Left-hand side trim panel Replacing bulbs
115
Lights and windscreen wipers Z

Right-hand side trim panel
X
To open: turn release knob : 90° in the
direction
of the arrow and remove side trim
panel ;.
X To close:
insert side trim panel ; and turn
release knob : 90° in the opposite direc-
tion to the arrow.
Tail lamps X
Switch off the lights.
X Open the luggage compartment.
X Open the side trim panel ( Y page 115).X
Release and remove connector ;.
X Unscrew wing nut :
and remove the lamp
cluster. Lamp cluster
X
Remove plastic nut ? using a suitable
item, e.g. a coin.
X Release attachments =.
X Remove the bulb holder from the lamp clus-
ter. Bulb holder
A
Tail lamp/brake lamp
B Reversing lamp
C Rear foglamp
D Tail lamp
E Turn signals
X Tail lamp/brake lamp/rear foglamp/
reversing lamp: remove the correspond-
ing bulb from the bulb holder.
X Insert the new bulb into the bulb holder.
X Turn signal lamp: lightly press the bulb
into the bulb holder, turn it anti-clockwise
and remove it from the bulb holder. 116
Replacing bulbs
Lights and windscreen wipers

When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
will see parking symbol
; as a status indi-
cator
in the instrument cluster. When a park-
ing space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears.
Active Parking Assist only displays parking
spaces on the front-passenger side as stand-
ard. Parking spaces on the driver's side are
displayed as soon as the turn signal on the
driver's side is activated. When parking on the
driver's side, this must remain switched on
until you acknowledge the use of Active Park-
ing Assist by pressing the a button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 m away from it.
Parking G
WARNING
Active Parking Assist merely aids you by inter-
vening
actively in the steering. There is a risk
of accident if you do not apply the brakes
yourself.
Always apply the brakes yourself when park-
ing and manoeuvring.
Active Parking Assist does not support you
with parking spaces parallel to the direction
of travel if:
R the parking space is on a kerbstone
R the parking space is apparently blocked,
for example by foliage or grass paving
blocks
R the range of movement is too small
R the parking space is bordered by an obsta-
cle which is not clearly defined such as a
tree or a trailer
X Stop the vehicle when the parking symbol
shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: shift to
reverse gear. Vehicles with automatic transmission: shift
into position R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
%

message appears in the multifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
wheel or pull away.
or
X To park using Active Parking Assist:
press

the a button on the multifunction
steering wheel.
The Park Assist active Accelerate
and brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Release the multifunction steering wheel.
X Reverse the vehicle, being ready to brake
at all times. Do not exceed a maximum
speed of approximately

10 km/h when
reversing. Otherwise, Active Parking Assist
will be cancelled.
i In tight parking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking results by backing up as
far as possible. When doing so, also
observe the PARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
Manoeuvring

may be required in tight park-
ing spaces.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the Park
Assist active Engage forward gear
Observe

surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
Park Assist active Select D Observe
surroundings message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: while
the vehicle is stationary, shift to first gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
select transmission position D while the
vehicle is stationary.
Active

Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. 188
Driving systems
Driving and parking

The Park Assist active Accelerate
and
brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing

for the steering procedure to complete
before pulling away.
X Drive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the Park
Assist active Engage reverse gear
Observe

surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
Park Assist active Select R Observe
surroundings message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
X Additional transmission shifts may be nec-
essary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park Assist switched off
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
Active Parking Assist is then deactivated.
PARKTRONIC is still available.
X Manoeuvre if necessary.
X Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by PARKTRONIC

(Y page 184).
Parking tips:
R the way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
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. It may be the case that Active
Parking Assist guides you too far into a
parking space, or not far enough into it. In
some cases, it may also lead you across or
onto the kerb. If necessary, you should can-
cel the parking procedure with Active Park-
ing Assist.
R you can also engage forward gear prema-
turely. The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should a gear be changed too early, the parking
procedure will be cancelled. A sensible
parking

position can no longer be achieved
from this position.
Exiting a parking space In order that Active Parking Assist can sup-
port you when you exit the parking space:
R
the border of the parking space must not
be too low.
R the border of the parking space must not
be too wide. The system manoeuvres the
vehicle

into a position at a maximum of 45°
to the starting position in the parking
space.
R a manoeuvring distance of at least 0.60 m
must be available.
Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting a parking space if you have parked the
vehicle using Active Parking Assist.
X Start the engine.
X Switch on the turn signal on the side facing
the street.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
engage first or reverse gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission to position D or R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
%

message appears in the multifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the
% button on the multifunction steering
wheel or pull away.
or
X To exit a parking space using Active
Parking Assist: press the a button on
the multifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assist active Accelerate
and

brake Observe surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Release the multifunction steering wheel.
X Reverse the vehicle or drive forwards, being
ready to brake at all times. Do not exceed
a maximum speed of approximately Driving systems
189
Driving and parking Z

Blind Spot Assist is only an aid. It may fail to
detect
some vehicles and is no substitute for
attentive driving.
General notes
Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor system
to monitor the areas on both sides of your
vehicle. It supports you from speeds of
30 km/h. A warning display in the exterior
mirrors draws your attention to vehicles
detected in the monitored area. If you then
switch on the corresponding turn signal to
change lane, you will also receive an optical
and audible collision warning. For this pur-
pose, Blind Spot Assist uses sensors in the
rear bumper.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities ( Y page 350).
For Blind Spot Assist to assist you when driv-
ing, the radar sensor system must be:
R activated(Y page 223)
R operational
i In some countries you must deactivate
the radar sensor system ( Y page 223).
For further information about the radar sen-
sor system; see ( Y page 350).
Monitoring range of the sensors
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cover-
ing the sensors
R poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
R a narrow vehicle travelling in front, e.g. a
motorcycle or a bicycle
R very wide lanes
R narrow lanes
R vehicles not driving in the middle of their
lane
R barriers or other road boundaries
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated. Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up to
3.0

m behind your vehicle and directly next to
your vehicle, as shown in the diagram. For this
purpose, Blind Spot Assist uses radar sensors
in the rear bumper.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may
be the case if the vehicles are driving on the
inner side of their lane.
Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or similar solid
lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside particularly long vehicles, for
example lorries, for a prolonged time.
The two sensors for Blind Spot Assist are
integrated into the sides of the rear bumper.
Make sure that the bumper is free of dirt, ice
or slush in the vicinity of the sensors. The
radar sensors must not be covered, for exam-
ple by cycle racks or overhanging loads. Fol-
lowing a severe impact or in the event of dam-
age to the bumpers, have the function of the
radar sensors checked at a qualified special-
ist workshop. Blind Spot Assist may other-
wise not work properly. 198
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Indicator and warning display
Blind
Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 30 km/h. Vehicles in the mon-
itoring range are then not indicated. :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
If Blind Spot Assist is switched on, indicator
lamp : in the exterior mirrors lights up yel-
low up to a speed of

30 km/h. At speeds
above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp goes out
and Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp : on the corre-
sponding side lights up in red. This warning
always occurs when a vehicle enters the blind
spot monitoring range from behind or from
the side. When you overtake a vehicle, the
warning only occurs if the difference in speed
is less than 12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, a double warning
tone sounds. Red warning lamp : flashes. If
the turn signal remains on, detected vehicles
are indicated by the flashing of red warning
lamp :. There are no further warning tones. Activating Blind Spot Assist
X
Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 223) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page

219) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2 in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps : in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately
1.5 seconds

and then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
If
you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up yel-
low in the exterior mirrors and the Blind
Spot Assist currently unavailable
See Owner's Manual message appears in
the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch off Blind Spot Assist if:
R the key is in position 2 in the ignition
lock.
R the engine is not running.
R the electrical connection to the trailer
has been established.
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front

of your vehicle by means of a camera at
the top of the windscreen. Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
warns you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. Driving systems
199
Driving and parking Z