2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A CLASS brake light

even if the light sensor does not sense dark
ambient light conditions. This is advanta-
geous when there is fog or rain.
X
To switch on the dipped-beam head-
lamps: turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2 or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to L.
The green L indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
Foglamps
In conditions where visibility is poor due to
fog, snow or rain, the foglamps improve visi-
bility

as well as making it easier for other road
users to see you. They can be operated
together with the side lamps or together with
the side lamps and dipped-beam headlamps.
X To switch on the foglamps: turn the key
in

the ignition lock to position 2 or start the
engine.
X Turn the light switch to L or Ã.
X Press the N button.
The

green N indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
X To switch off the front foglamps: press
the N button.
The

green N indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
Only vehicles with front foglamps are equip-
ped with the "Foglamp" function; for how to
operate the foglamps on vehicles with the
Intelligent Light System

(Y page 109).
Rear foglamp
The rear foglamp improves the visibility of
your vehicle in heavy fog for the following
traffic. Please observe the country-specific
laws on the use of rear foglamps.
X To switch on the rear foglamp: turn the
key
in the ignition lock to position 2 or start
the engine.
X Turn the light switch to L or Ã.X
Press the R button.
The yellow R indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch off the rear foglamp:
press the
R button.
The yellow R indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
i Vehicles with bi-xenon headlamps or the
Intelligent

Light System: when the rear fog-
lamp is switched on, the lower 15 LEDs of
the brake lamp in the tail lamp switch off
due to a legal requirement: for right-hand
traffic only in the left-hand tail lamp and for
left-hand traffic only in the right-hand tail
lamp.
Side lamps
! If the battery has been excessively dis-
charged, the side lamps or parking lamps
are automatically switched off to enable
the next engine start. Always park your
vehicle safely and sufficiently lit according
to legal standards. Avoid the continuous
use of the T side lamps for several
hours. If possible, switch on the X right
or the W left parking lamp.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
T.
Depending on the equipment level, the
green indicator lamp or the scale illumina-
tion in the instrument cluster light up.
Parking lamps
Switching on the parking lamps ensures the
corresponding side of the vehicle is illumina-
ted.
X To switch on the parking lamps: the key
is not in the ignition lock or it is in posi-
tion 0.
X Turn the light switch to W
(left-hand side
of the vehicle) or X (right-hand side of
the vehicle). 106
Exterior lighting
Lights and windscreen wipers

The blue
K indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up when the main-beam
headlamps are switched on.
X To switch off the main-beam head-
lamps:

move the combination switch back
to its normal position.
The blue K indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
i Vehicles with Adaptive Highbeam Assist:
when Adaptive Highbeam Assist is active,
it controls activation of the main-beam
headlamps

(Y page 110).
Headlamp flasher X
To switch on: turn the key in the ignition
lock to position 1 or 2,

or start the engine.
X Pull the combination switch in the direction
of arrow =. Hazard warning lamps
The hazard warning lamps switch on auto-
matically if:
R
an airbag is deployed or
R the vehicle decelerates rapidly from a
speed

of more than 70 km/h and comes to
a standstill
X To switch on the hazard warning lamps:
press button :.
All turn signals flash. If you now switch on
a

turn signal using the combination switch, only the turn signal lamp on the corre-
sponding side of the vehicle will flash.
X To switch off the hazard warning
lamps: press button :.
The hazard warning lamps switch off auto-
matically if the vehicle reaches a speed of
over 10 km/h

again after a full brake appli-
cation.
i The hazard warning lamps still operate if
the ignition is switched off. Headlamp cleaning system
If the "Wipe with washer fluid" function is
operated five times ( Y page 117) while the
lights are on and the engine is running, the
headlamps are cleaned automatically. When
you switch off the ignition, the automatic
headlamp

cleaning system is reset and count-
ing is resumed from 0. Intelligent Light System
General notes The Intelligent Light System is a system that
adjusts the headlamps automatically to suit
the

prevailing driving and weather conditions.
It offers advanced functions for improved illu-
mination of the road surface, e.g. depending
on the vehicle speed or weather conditions.
The system includes the active light function,
cornering light function, motorway mode and
extended range foglamps. The system is only
active when it is dark.
You can activate or deactivate the "Intelligent
Light System" using the on-board computer
(Y page 221). 108
Exterior lightingLights and windscreen wipers

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

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

Manual transmission
X
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Depress the clutch pedal fully.
X Shift to neutral N.
i You can only start the engine when the
clutch pedal is fully depressed.
Automatic transmission X
Shift the transmission to position P.
Transmission position display P is shown in
the multifunction display.
i When the transmission is in position N,
you

can also start the engine with the brake
pedal depressed.
Starting procedure X
To start a petrol engine: turn the key to
position 3 in the ignition lock
(Y page 143) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
X To start a diesel engine: turn the key to
position 2 in the ignition lock
(Y page 143).
The % preglow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X When the % preglow indicator lamp
goes out, turn the key to position
3(Y

page 143) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
i You
can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm. Pulling away
Manual transmission !
Change
gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. Otherwise, you could dam-
age the vehicle. X
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Depress the clutch pedal fully.
X Shift to either first gear or reverse gear R.
X Release the electric parking brake
(Y page 163).
X Release the brake pedal.
X Slowly release the clutch pedal and gently
depress the accelerator pedal.
i Follow the shift recommendations in the
multifunction display for an economical
driving style ( Y page 151).
i The

vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature ( Y page 223).
Automatic transmission i
It
is only possible to shift the transmission
from position P to the desired position if
you depress the brake pedal. Only then can
the parking lock be deactivated. If you do
not depress the brake pedal, the DIRECT
SELECT lever can still be moved but the
parking lock remains engaged.
i At transmission fluid temperatures below
Ò20 †, you can only shift out of position P
into another transmission position when
the engine is running.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position D or R.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
The electric parking brake (Y page 163) is
automatically released.
The red ! indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out. 144
Driving
Driving and parking

Vehicles with automatic transmission
If the vehicle is braked to a standstill in
D or
N, the ECO start/stop function switches off
the engine automatically.
i The
HOLD function can be activated if the
engine has been switched off automati-
cally. It is then not necessary to continue
applying the brakes during the automatic
stop phase. When you depress the accel-
erator pedal, the engine starts automati-
cally and the braking effect of the HOLD
function is deactivated.
Automatic engine start General notes
The engine is started automatically if:
R
you

switch off the ECO start/stop function
by pressing the ECO button
R you engage reverse gear R
R the vehicle starts to roll
R the brake system requires this
R the temperature in the vehicle interior devi-
ates from the set range
R the system detects moisture on the wind-
screen when the air-conditioning system is
switched on
R the battery's charge status is too low
R the driver's seat belt is released or the driv-
er's door is opened
Vehicles with manual transmission
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal
is depressed.
The engine is started automatically if you:
R depress the clutch pedal fully
R depress the accelerator pedal Vehicles with automatic transmission
The engine is started automatically if you:
R
release the brake pedal when HOLD is not
activated and the transmission is in posi-
tion D or N
R depress the accelerator pedal
R move the transmission out of position P
i Shifting the transmission to position P
does not start the engine.
i If you shift the transmission from R to D,
the ECO start/stop function is available
again once the ¤ symbol reappears in
green in the multifunction display.
Deactivating/activating the ECO start/
stop function ECO button
X
To switch off: press button :.
Indicator lamp ; and the ¤ symbol in
the multifunction display go out.
X To switch on: press button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up.
If all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off ( Y page 146) are met, the ¤
symbol is shown in green in the multifunc-
tion display.
If not all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off ( Y page 146) are met, the ¤
symbol

is shown in yellow in the multifunc-
tion display. If this is the case, the ECO
start/stop function is not available. Driving
147
Driving and parking Z

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsVehicles with a petrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
X
Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120
†. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X
Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant
to cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 288). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X
If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Manual transmission
Gear lever
! Only engage gear when the clutch pedal
is depressed.
! When shifting to 5th and 6th gear, you
must

press the shift lever to the right. Oth-
erwise, you could shift unintentionally into
3rd or 4th gear and damage the engine or
transmission.
If you shift down at too high a speed (trans-
mission braking), this can cause the engine
to overrev, leading to engine damage.
Do not use the clutch bite point to keep the
vehicle stationary on uphill gradients.
There is otherwise a risk of damaging the
clutch.
! On long and steep downhill gradients,
especially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must shift into gear
1, 2 or 3
in
good time. This uses the engine's braking
effect. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. Gear lever
k
Reverse gear
1 to 6 Forward gears150
Manual transmission
Driving and parking

cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Vehicles with manual transmission X
Shift to either first gear or reverse gear R.
X Turn the key to position 0 in the ignition
lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission All vehicles (except AMG vehicles)
X
Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.Selector lever in AMG vehicles
AMG vehicles:
X
Apply the electric parking brake.
X Press P button :.
X Turn the key to position 0 in the ignition
lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
i If you switch the engine off with the trans-
mission in position R or D, the automatic
transmission shifts to N automatically.
If you then open one of the front doors or
remove the key from the ignition, the auto-
matic transmission shifts to P.
If you shift the automatic transmission to
N before switching off the engine, the auto-
matic transmission remains in N even if a
door is opened. Electric parking brake
General notes G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they could set the vehicle in motion by,
for example:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting an automatic transmission out of
parking position P
R shifting

a manual transmission into neutral
R starting the engine
They could also operate vehicle equipment.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. i
The electric parking brake carries out a
function check at regular intervals when
the engine is switched off. Noises that
occur are normal.
Engaging/releasing manually Engaging
X
Push handle :.
When
the electric parking brake is applied,
the ! red indicator lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
i The electric parking brake can also be
applied when the key is removed. Parking
163
Driving and parking Z