2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER MY12 Operator’s Manual

Driving in wet conditions
G
Warning
There is a danger of hydroplaning occurring,
even if you are driving slowly and your tires
have sufficient tread
depth, depending on the
depth of water on the road.
For this reason, avoid tire ruts and brake
carefully.
Driving on flooded roads If you have to drive on stretches of road on
which water has collected, the water level
must not rise above the bottom edge of the
bumper. The maximum speed at which you
may drive is walking speed.
!
Note that vehicles in front or oncoming
vehicles create waves. This could mean
that the maximum permitted water depth
is exceeded.
You must observe these notes. Otherwise,
damage may
occur

to the engine, electrics
or transmission.
Driving in winter Drive particularly carefully on slippery roads
in winter.
Avoid

sudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. G
Warning
Do not downshift for additional engine
braking on a

slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. You could lose control
of the vehicle and cause an accident.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed, shift to
the neutral position N. Try to maintain control
of the vehicle using corrective steering
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
may roll only briefly in the neutral position
N. Prolonged rolling of the wheels, e.g.
when being towed, will result in
transmission damage. Road salt may adversely affect braking
performance.
Consequently, you

may need to
depress the brake pedal more forcefully in
order to achieve normal braking force. Apply
the brakes regularly when driving for longer
periods on gritted or salted roads. This will
restore the brakes to their normal level of
performance.
When stopping the vehicle after traveling on
roads that have been salted, make sure that
the brakes are fully functional before
proceeding further.
i Fit snow chains to the outside rear wheels
(driven axle) in good time for driving on
snow, slush or ice. Comply with the
manufacturer's fitting instructions.
You will find information about winter tires
and about driving with snow chains in the
"Operation" section .
Tire grip Whereas the vehicle can be fully controlled at
a certain speed on a dry road surface, you
must reduce your speed on a wet or icy
surface to maintain the same degree of
safety.
Pay particular attention to the road
conditions at temperatures around freezing
point. When ice forms on the road surface
(e.g. due to fog), applying the brakes can
cause a
thin

layer of water to form rapidly on
the ice and tire grip will be greatly reduced.
Drive with particular care in such weather
conditions. Stopping the vehicle and switching
off the engine
G
Warning
Always switch off the engine and apply the
parking brake before leaving the vehicle.
Otherwise, the vehicle could roll away if it is
not secured. Driving and parking
111
Controls
Z

On gradients steeper than 15%:
R
secure an unladen
vehicle at the front axle,
e.g. using a wheel chock or similar object.
R additionally, secure a laden vehicle at the
rear axle, e.g. using a wheel chock or similar
object. G
Warning
Make sure that the exhaust system does not
under any circumstances come into contact
with easily ignitable

material such as dry grass
or gasoline. Do not park the vehicle on dry
grassland or harvested grain fields.
Otherwise, the flammable material may ignite
and set the vehicle on fire. G
Warning
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary, since you
cannot 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.
! When the vehicle is parked, always
remove the key to prevent the battery from
becoming discharged.
On vehicles with a battery isolating switch,
switch off the power supply if the vehicle is
to be out of use for a longer period of time. G
Warning
You must use the parking lamps to enable
your vehicle to

be recognized on public roads
when it is dark. You can also use reflective
night parking signs in built-up areas.
Observe legal requirements.
X Stop the vehicle.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position P.
X Apply the parking brake.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the curb. !
If the coolant temperature is very high,
e.g. after driving on mountain roads, leave
the engine running at idle speed for about
two minutes before turning it off.
This allows the coolant temperature to
return to normal.
X To switch off the engine: turn the key to
position 0 in the ignition lock and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.
X Switch on the parking lamps if necessary.
X On uphill or downhill gradients, secure the
vehicle additionally against rolling away at
the axle with

the heaviest load, e.g. by using
a wheel chock or similar object.
Use the wheel chock (Y page 183) for this
purpose. Brakes
Parking brake
G
Warning
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could

release the parking brake.
This could lead to a serious or fatal accident. i
Only apply the parking brake when the
vehicle is stationary. 112
Brakes
Controls

Applying the parking brake
X
Pull brake lever 0046 up as far as the last
possible detent.
The 0066 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
i On vehicles with
a folding brake lever, you
can then press lever 0046 down to the stop.
Releasing the parking brake i
On vehicles with

a folding brake lever, you
must first pull brake lever 0046 up to the stop.
X Raise brake lever 0046 slightly and press
release knob 0047.
X Guide brake lever 0046 down to the stop.
The 0066 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Emergency braking As a rule, you may only apply the parking
brake when the vehicle is stationary.
In exceptional cases, the parking brake can
be used for emergency braking if the service
brake fails.
X
Keep release knob 0047 pressed and
carefully apply brake lever 0046.G
Warning
If the brake lever is applied abruptly, the rear
wheels could lock. The vehicle could then go
into a skid.
Make sure that you apply the brake lever
carefully to ensure

that braking application is
moderated. Automatic transmission
Overview
The automatic transmission adapts to your
individual driving style by continuously
adjusting its shift points. These shift point
adjustments take into account the current
operating and driving conditions. If the operating or driving conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by adjusting
the gearshift program.
The automatic transmission selects the
individual gears automatically. This depends
on:
R
the selector lever position D with shift
ranges 4, 3, 2 and 1(Y page 115)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed
The selector lever

position or the current shift
range is shown in the display. Display on
vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(Y page 77) and without steering wheel
buttons ( Y page 73).
When the selector lever is in position D, you
can influence the gearshifts made by the
automatic transmission. You can restrict the
shift range or you can perform gearshifts
yourself. Automatic transmission
113
Controls Z

Selector lever positions
0045
Park position
This prevents the vehicle from
rolling away when stopped. Only
move the selector lever to
P when
the vehicle is stationary.
You can only
remove the key when
the selector lever is in position P.
The selector lever is locked in
position P when the key is
removed. 0046
Reverse gear
Only move the selector lever to R
when the vehicle is stationary. 0044
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the
brakes

will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. by
pushing or towing.
Do not move the selector lever to
N while driving. The automatic
transmission could otherwise be
damaged.
If ASR is deactivated or ESP ®
has
malfunctioned: only move the
selector lever to N if the vehicle is
in danger of skidding, e.g. on icy
roads. 003A
Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear
automatically.

All five
forward gears are available. Touchshift
When the selector lever is in position D
, you
can perform gearshifts yourself.
X To shift down: press the selector lever to
the left towards D–.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
next gear down, depending on the gear currently engaged. This will also restrict the
shift range. G
Warning
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a

slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
i The automatic transmission does not shift
down if you press the selector lever
towards D– while traveling at too high a
speed. The engine could otherwise overrev.
X To shift up:
briefly press

the selector lever
to the right towards D+.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
next gear up, depending on the current
gearshift program. This also extends the
shift range.
X To derestrict the shift range: press and
hold the selector lever towards D+ until D
is shown once more in the display.
The automatic transmission

shifts from the
current shift range directly to D.
X To select the optimum shift range: press
and hold the selector lever to the left
towards D–

.
The automatic transmission will shift to a
range which allows easy acceleration and
deceleration. To do this, the automatic
transmission will shift down one or more
gears. Shift ranges
When the selector lever is in position D
you
can restrict or derestrict the shift range for
the automatic transmission.
X Press the selector lever briefly to the right
towards D+ or left towards D–.
The set shift

range is shown in the display.
i If the maximum
engine speed for the shift
range is reached and you depress the
accelerator pedal, the automatic 114
Automatic transmission
Controls

transmission will not shift up if the shift
range is restricted.
003A
The automatic transmission shifts
through all five gears.
0042
The automatic transmission shifts
only as far as fourth gear.
0040
The automatic transmission shifts
only as far as third gear.
This position allows you to use the
braking effect of the engine.
0038
The automatic transmission shifts
only as far as second gear.
This position is for journeys in
arduous conditions, in
mountainous terrain or on steep
mountain roads. You can use the
engine's braking
effect
on downhill
gradients. 0037
The automatic transmission only
works in first gear.
The braking
effect

of the engine can
be utilized on extremely steep
downhill gradients and long
downhill stretches. Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the
automatic transmission shifts gear:
R
little throttle: early upshifts
R lots of throttle: later upshifts Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration:
X
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to the
next gear down, depending on the engine
speed.
X Ease off on the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission

shifts up again.
Stopping If you only need to stop briefly:
X
Leave the selector lever in the drive
position.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away
using the brake pedal.
Maneuvering Maneuvering in a tight space:
X
Control the vehicle's speed by braking
carefully.
X Accelerate only slightly and avoid jolting.
i For rapid maneuvering (e.g. to rock the
vehicle out of

snow or slush), you can shift
back and forth between drive position D
and reverse gear R at low speeds without
applying the brakes.
Towing a trailer X
Run the engine in the moderate engine
speed range on steep uphill gradients.
X Depending on the uphill or downhill
gradient, shift down to shift range 3 or
2(Y page 115), even if cruise control is
switched on.
Working on the vehicle G
Warning
Apply the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P when working on the Automatic transmission
115
Controls
Z

vehicle. Otherwise, the vehicle could roll
away.
Driving the vehicle
Exhaust gas aftertreatment
The exhaust gas aftertreatment requires a
reducing agent, Diesel
Exhaust Fluid (DEF), in
order to function correctly. Filling up the DEF
tank is usually part of the service scope. DEF
consumption depends on operational and
driving conditions; the supply does not have
to suffice until the next scheduled service. For
this reason, refill the DEF tank regularly
during vehicle operation, or, at the latest,
after the first warning message has been
received from the on-board computer.
To conform with emission regulations, you
must operate the vehicle with DEF and refill
the supply regularly. If you try to operate the
vehicle without DEF, with diluted DEF, or with
a different reduction agent, the engine
management detects this and issues a
warning message, after which the engine
cannot be restarted.
If the DEF supply drops below
1.5 US gal (5.5 l), you receive the first warning
message and you hear a warning tone. After
the first message appears, the remaining DEF
supply suffices for approximately 1000 miles
(1600 km) in normal driving conditions.
Then, the reserve range of 0.8 US gal (3.0 l)
is reached. Once the reserve range has been
reached, you receive the next warning
message and you hear a series of warning
tones. After the first message appears, the
DEF reserve suffices for approximately
1200 miles (1900 km). You can, however,
only start the engine another 16 times.
You should now, at the latest, fill up with at
least 2.0 US gal (7.6 l) of DEF (Y page 143)
or have the DEF tank filled at a qualified
specialist workshop. When the number of remaining engine starts
is 0, the engine management prevents the
engine from being started.
If the
00BB

check engine indicator lamp lights
up, the exhaust gas aftertreatment is faulty or
an emission-relevant malfunction has
occurred (Y page 195). You can then drive a
maximum of 50 miles (80 km) before the
engine management limits the number of
remaining engine starts.
If the exhaust gas aftertreatment is faulty,
have it checked and repaired at a qualified
specialist workshop. We recommend that you
use an authorized Sprinter Dealer for this
purpose.
You will find further information on DEF in the
"Service products" section (Y page 155).
Level indicator You will find further information about DEF
consumption in the "Driving tips" section
(Y

page 140).
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons
If the DEF supply is less than
1.5 US gal (5.5 l), the 00E4 indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up and the
009BdEF Chk message appears in the
display.
If the DEF supply drops below the reserve
level of 0.8 US gal (3.0 l), the 00E4 indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up and
the 009BStArtS RE
xx

message is shown in
the display. xx refers to the number of
remaining engine starts (from 16 to 0).
Vehicles with steering wheel buttons
If the DEF supply is less than
1.5 US gal (5.5 l), the Check Diesel
Exhaust Fluid See Operator's Manual
message appears in the display.
If the DEF supply drops below the reserve
level of 0.8 US gal (3.0 l), the 00E4xx
starts remaining message appears in the
display. xx refers to the number of remaining
engine starts (from 16 to 0).116
Driving the vehicle
Controls

ADR (working speed governor)
When activated, the working speed governor
(ADR) automatically increases the engine
speed to a preset or adjustable speed
(Y page 117).
i After a cold start, the idling speed of the
engine is increased automatically. If the
preset working speed is lower than the
increased idling speed, the working speed
is only reached once the engine has
completed the warm-up phase.
It is only possible to activate ADR with the
vehicle stationary and the parking brake
applied.
The selector lever must be in position P.
Activating/deactivating ADR X
To activate: press upper
section 0046 of the
0093 switch while the engine is running.
The indicator lamp in the switch comes on.
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons:
The 004E indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
Vehicles with steering wheel buttons:
The Operating speed governor
active message appears in the display.
X To deactivate: press lower section 0047 of
the 0093 switch while the engine is
running.
The indicator lamp in the switch goes out. i
ADR is automatically deactivated when:
R you release the parking brake.
R the brake pedal is depressed.
R the vehicle moves.
R the control unit detects a malfunction.
Setting the working speed X
Activate ADR (
Y page 117).
X To increase: press upper
section 0046 of the
0093 switch.
X To decrease: press lower
section 0047 of the
0094 switch.
i On vehicles with cruise control, you can
use the cruise control lever to increase or
decrease the engine

speed in the same way
as for the road speed. Set the speed using
the cruise control lever (Y page 119).
i After a cold start, the idling speed of the
engine is increased automatically.
You can only reduce the working speed to
the level of the current idling speed. Driving systems
Overview
The
following pages

describe driving systems
that may be a component in your vehicle:
R Cruise control ( Y page 118) which you can
use to control the speed of your vehicle
R PARKTRONIC ( Y page 119) and the rear
view camera (Y page 122) which assist you
with parking and maneuvering Driving systems
117
Controls Z

Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains the speed of the
vehicle for you.
Use cruise control if road and traffic
conditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed
for
a prolonged period. You can
set any speed from 20 mph upwards in
increments of 1 mph.
i If you have set km/h as the unit for the
digital speedometer , you can set any speed
from 30 km/h upwards in increments of
1 km/h. G
Warning
Cruise control is unable to take account of
road and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention

to the traffic conditions,
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are always responsible for the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good time.
If there is a change of drivers, make sure that
you inform the new driver about the set cruise
speed. Otherwise, sudden acceleration or
braking could endanger you or others. G
Warning
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to

maintain a constant speed (e.g.
heavy traffic or winding roads). You could
otherwise cause an accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
i Cruise control may not be able to
maintain the stored speed on uphill or
downhill gradients. The stored speed is
resumed if the gradient evens out and the
vehicle's speed does not fall below 20 mph
(30 km/h). Cruise control lever The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left of the steering column.
0046
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
0047 To resume the last speed stored
008A To store the current speed or a lower
speed
0088 To deactivate cruise control
Storing the current speed X
Accelerate/decelerate the vehicle to the
speed desired above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
X Briefly push the cruise control lever up 0046
or down 008A

.
X Release the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The current
speed is stored.
You cannot activate cruise control if:
R you are driving slower than 20 mph
(30 km/h).
R you depress the brake pedal.
R you apply the parking brake and the 0066
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up.
i Other drive and brake systems not
described in this Operator's Manual, such
as a
retarder,

may affect cruise control. You
can find information on this in the separate
operating instructions provided by the
body manufacturer. 118
Driving systems
Controls