2014 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS ESTATE brake light

Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one side. In addition, more drive torque is trans-
ferred to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 76). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilise the vehicle. In addition, other driving
safety systems are switched off. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! If you test the parking brake using a brake
dynamometer, switch the ignition off.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, observe the notes on ESP ®
(Y page 426).
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up and:
R the vehicle is moving
R the ECO start/stop function is activated
If the ÷ warning lamp lights up continu-
ously, ESP ®
is not available due to a malfunc-
tion.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 359) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(Y page 317).
Only use wheels with the recommended tyre
sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function properly. Characteristics of ESP
® General notes
If the
÷ ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP ®
is automatically
active.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP ®
intervenes:
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
X When pulling away, only depress the accel-
erator pedal as far as is necessary.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically if the vehicle stops
moving. When pulling away again, the engine
starts automatically. ESP ®
remains in its pre-
viously selected status. Example:if ESP®
was deactivated before the engine was
switched off, ESP ®
remains deactivated when
the engine is switched on again.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 76).
You can select between the following states
of ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
is activated
R ESP ®
is deactivated G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer sta-
bilises the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations descri-
bed in the following. 82
Driving safety systemsSafety

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
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to
spin.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
You can deactivate or activate ESP ®
via the
on-board computer.
X To deactivate: (Ypage 309).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To activate: (Ypage 309).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Characteristics when ESP ®
is deactivated
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability
R the driven wheels can spin
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-faces.
R traction control is still activated
R PRE-SAFE ®
is no longer available; nor is it
activated if you brake firmly with assis-
tance from ESP ®
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is no longer available; it
is also not activated if you brake firmly with
assistance from ESP ®
R ESP ®
still provides support when you brake
firmly. ESP
®
trailer stabilisation General notes
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
lurch, ESP
®
assists you in this situation. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down by braking and limit-
ing the engine output until the vehicle/trailer combination has stabilised.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high centre of gravity can
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
lurch, you can only stabilise the vehicle/
trailer combination by depressing the brake
firmly.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active above
speeds of approximately 65 km/h.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation does not work if
ESP ®
is deactivated or disabled because of a
malfunction.
Crosswind Assist General notes
Strong crosswind gusts can impair the road-
holding of your vehicle when driving straight
ahead. The crosswind driving assistance
function integrated in ESP ®
noticeably
reduces these impairments.
Depending on the direction and intensity of
the side wind, ESP ®
is activated automati-
cally.
ESP intervenes with stabilising braking to
assist you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 80 km/h when driving straight ahead
or cornering gently. Driving safety systems
83Safety Z

Function
X
To activate/deactivate: activate or deac-
tivate PRE-SAFE ®
Brake in the on-board
computer (Y page 311).
If the PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is not activated, the
æ symbol appears in the multifunction
display.
This function will issue a warning if:
R at a speed of around 30 km/h or more, the
distance maintained to the vehicle travel-
ling in front is insufficient for several sec-
onds.
The · distance warning lamp then lights
up in the instrument cluster.
R at a speed of approximately 7 km/h or
higher, you very quickly approach a vehicle in front or a pedestrian.
An intermittent warning tone will then
sound and the ·distance warning lamp
lights up in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately to defuse the situation.
or
X Take evasive action provided it is safe to do
so.
If there is an increased risk of collision, pre-
ventive passenger protection measures (PRE-
SAFE ®
) are activated.
If the risk of collision with the vehicle in front
remains and you do not brake, take evasive
action or accelerate significantly, the vehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking,
up to the point of full brake application. Auto- matic emergency braking is not performed
until immediately prior to an imminent acci-
dent.
You can prevent the intervention of PRE-
SAFE ®
Brake at any time by:
R depressing the accelerator pedal further
R activating kickdown
R releasing the brake pedal The braking action of PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is
ended automatically if:
R you manoeuvre to avoid the obstacle
R there is no longer a risk of collision
R there is no longer an obstacle detected in
front of your vehicle STEER CONTROL
General notes STEER CONTROL is only available in vehicles
without 4MATIC.
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering
wheel in the direction required for vehicle
stabilisation.
This steering support is provided in particular
if:
R both right wheels or both left wheels are on
a wet or slippery road surface when you
brake
R the vehicle starts to skid
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 76).
No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning
R the steering is faulty
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assisted
further by the electrical power steering. Protection against theft
Immobiliser
The immobiliser prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct key. 86
Protection against theftSafety

Combination switch
Turn signals :
Main-beam headlamps
; Turn signal, right
= Headlamp flasher
? Turn signal, left
X To indicate briefly: press the combination
switch briefly to the pressure point in the
direction of arrow ;or?.
The corresponding turn signal flashes three
times.
X To indicate: press the combination switch
beyond the pressure point in the direction
of arrow ;or?.
Main-beam headlamps X
To switch on the main-beam head-
lamps: turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to LorÃ.
X Press the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow :.
In the Ãposition, the main-beam head-
lamps are only switched on when it is dark
and the engine is running.
The blue Kindicator 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 Kindicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out. If Adaptive Highbeam Assist is active, it con-
trols activation and deactivation of the main-
beam headlamps (Y page 139).
Headlamp flasher X
To switch on: turn the key in the ignition
lock to position 1or 2, or start the engine.
X Pull the combination switch in the direction
of arrow =. Hazard warning lamps
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 on auto-
matically if:
R an airbag is deployed or
R the vehicle decelerates rapidly from a
speed of above 70 km/h and comes to a
standstill
The hazard warning lamps switch off auto-
matically if the vehicle reaches a speed of
above 10 km/h again after a full brake appli- cation.
The hazard warning lamps continue to oper-
ate even if the ignition is switched off. Exterior lighting
137Lights and windscreen wipers Z

Switching the rear window wiper on/
off Combination switch
:
è Switch
2 ô Wipes with washer fluid
3 ISwitches on intermittent wiping
4 0Switches off intermittent wiping
5 ô Wipes with washer fluid
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock (Y page 185).
X Turn switch :on the combination switch
to the corresponding position.
When the rear window wiper is switched on,
a symbol appears in the assistance graphic
in the instrument cluster. Replacing the wiper blades
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the windscreen wipers begin to move while
you are changing the wiper blades, you can be trapped by the wiper arm. There is a risk of
injury.
Always switch off the windscreen wipers and
ignition before changing the wiper blades.
! Never open the bonnet/tailgate if a wiper
arm is folded away from the windscreen/
rear window.
Never fold a windscreen wiper arm without a wiper blade back onto the windscreen/
rear window. Hold the windscreen wiper arm firmly when
you change the wiper blade. If you release
the wiper arm without a wiper blade and it
falls onto the windscreen/rear window, the windscreen/rear window may be damaged
by the force of the impact.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have the wiper blades changed at a qualified
specialist workshop.
! To avoid damaging the windscreen wiper
blades, make sure that you touch only the
wiper arm of the windscreen wiper.
Replacing the windscreen wiper blades Moving the wiper blades to the vertical
position
On vehicles without KEYLESS-GO:
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock (Y page 185).
X Set the windscreen wipers to position
°.
X When the wiper arms have reached the ver-
tical position, turn the key to position 0and
remove it from the ignition lock.
X Fold the wiper arm away from the wind-
screen.
On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO:
X Switch off the engine.
X Remove your foot from the brake pedal.
X Set the windscreen wipers to position
°.
X Press the Start/Stop button repeatedly
until the windscreen wipers start.
X When the wiper arms have reached the ver-
tical position, press the Start/Stop button.
X Fold the wiper arm away from the wind-
screen. Windscreen wipers
147Lights and windscreen wipers Z

Starting procedure with the key
To start the engine using the key instead of
the Start/Stop button, pull the Start/Stop
button out of the ignition lock.
X To start a petrol engine: turn the key to
position 3in the ignition lock (Y page 185)
and release it as soon as the engine is run-
ning.
X To start a diesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 185).
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 185) and release it as soon as the
engine is running.
You can start the engine without preglow if
the engine is warm.
If the engine will not start: X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Reinsert the key into the ignition lock after
a short waiting period.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock (Y page 185).
The indicator lamps in the instrument clus- ter light up (Y page 353).
X Turn the key to position 3(Y page 185) in
the ignition lock and release it as soon as
the engine is running.
Starting procedure using the Start/
Stop button The Start/Stop button is only available on
vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or the KEYLESS-
GO start function.
The Start/Stop button can be used to start
the vehicle manually without inserting the key
into the ignition lock. The key must be in the
vehicle and the Start/Stop button must be
inserted in the ignition lock. This mode for
starting the engine operates independently of
the ECO start/stop automatic engine start
function. You can start the engine if a valid key is in the
vehicle. Switch off the engine and always take
the key with you when leaving the vehicle,
even if you only leave it for a short time. Pay
attention to the important safety notes.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X To start a petrol engine: press the Start/
Stop button once (Y page 185).
The engine starts.
X To start a diesel engine: press the Start/
Stop button once (Y page 185).
Preglow is activated and the engine starts. 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 1st gear or reverse gear R.
X Release the electric parking brake
(Y page 213).
X Release the brake pedal.
X Slowly release the clutch pedal and gently
depress the accelerator pedal.
Follow the shift recommendations in the mul-
tifunction display for an economical driving
style (Y page 195).
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 locking feature, see the Digital Owner's Manual. 188
DrivingDriving and parking

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Vehicles 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 †. A
display message may
also appear in the mul-
tifunction display 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 397). 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 between
5thand 6thgear,
you should always push the gear lever all
the way to the right. Otherwise, you could
shift unintentionally into 3rdor4th gear
and damage the 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, 2or3in
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. k
Reverse gear
1 -6
Forward gears 194
Manual transmissionDriving and parking

Applying/releasing manually
X
To apply: push handle :.
When the electric parking brake is applied, the red !indicator lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
The electric parking brake can also be
applied when the key is removed.
X To release: pull handle:.
The red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
The electric parking brake can only be
released:
R when the key is in position 1or 2in the
ignition lock (Y page 185) or
R if the ignition was switched on using the
Start/Stop button
Applying automatically The electric parking brake is applied auto-
matically:
R if DISTRONIC PLUS brings the vehicle to a
standstill (vehicles with automatic trans-
mission) or
R if the HOLD function is keeping the vehicle
stationary or
R if Active Parking Assist is holding the vehi-
cle at a standstill
In addition, at least one of the following con-
ditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine is switched off
R the driver's door is open and the seat belt is
not fastened R
there is a system malfunction
R the power supply is insufficient
R the vehicle is stationary for a lengthy period
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
The electric parking brake is not automati-
cally applied if the engine is switched off by
the ECO start/stop function.
Releasing automatically The electric parking brake of your vehicle is
released automatically when all of the follow-
ing conditions are fulfilled:
R the engine is running
R Vehicles with automatic transmission:
the transmission is in position Dor R
R Vehicles with manual transmission: a
gear is engaged
R the seat belt is fastened
R you depress the accelerator pedal
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
when the transmission is in position Rthe
boot lid must be closed.
Vehicles with manual transmission: when
reverse gear Ris engaged, the boot lid must
be closed.
If your seat belt is not fastened, the following conditions must be fulfilled to automatically
release the electric parking brake:
R the driver's door is closed
R Vehicles with automatic transmission:
you are shifting from transmission position
P or have previously driven faster than
3 km/h
R Vehicles with manual transmission: you
have previously driven faster than 3 km/h
Ensure that you do not depress the acceler-
ator pedal unintentionally. Otherwise, the
parking brake will be released and the vehicle will start to move. 214
ParkingDriving and pa
rking