2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER parking brake

You can find further information on winter
tires and snow chains in the "Wheels and
tires" section (Y page 288). Driving off-road
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle. G
WARNING
When driving off-road, your body is subject to
forces from all directions, due to the uneven
surface. You could be thrown from your seat,
for instance. There is a risk of injury.
Always wear a seat belt, even when driving off-
road. G
WARNING
If you drive over obstacles or in ruts, the steer-
ing wheel may jerk out of your grip, causing
injury to your hands.
Always hold the steering wheel firmly with
both hands. When driving over obstacles, you
must expect steering forces to increase
briefly and suddenly. G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system. There is a
risk of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop. !
When driving off-road or on unpaved sur-
faces, check the underside of the vehicle
and the wheels and tires at regular inter-
vals. In particular, remove any trapped for-
eign objects, e.g. stones and branches.
Such foreign objects may:
R damage the chassis, the fuel tank or the
brake system
R cause imbalances and thus vibrations
R be flung out when you continue driving
If there is any damage, inform a qualified
specialist workshop.
! If there are steep gradients while driving
off-road, a sufficient filling level in the DEF
tank must be ensured. Make sure for this
reason that there is a minimum fill level of
ten liters before driving off-road.
When driving off-road and on construction
sites, sand, mud and water mixed with oil, for
example, may get into the brakes. This may
lead to a reduction in braking performance or
total brake failure, also as a result of
increased wear. The braking characteristics
will vary depending on the material that has
got into the system. Clean the brakes after
driving off-road. If you then notice reduced
braking performance or hear scraping noises,
have the brake system checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Adjust your driving style
to the changed braking characteristics.
Driving off-road or on construction sites
increases the possibility of vehicle damage
which may in turn lead to the failure of certain
assemblies and systems. Adapt your driving
style to the off-road driving conditions. Drive
carefully. Have any vehicle damage rectified
at a qualified specialist workshop as soon as
possible.
When driving on rough terrain, do not shift the
transmission into the neutral position. You
could lose control when attempting to brake
the vehicle with the service brake. If your
vehicle cannot manage an uphill slope, drive
back down the slope in reverse gear. Driving tips
159Driving and parking Z

X
Clean the front and rear license plates.
X Clean the windshield, windows and exterior
mirrors.
X Clean the steps, door sills and grab han-
dles.
This increases safety of footing.
X Clean the wheels/tires, wheel housings
and the underbody of the vehicle with a
water jet.
This increases road grip, especially on wet
road surfaces.
X Check the wheels/tires and wheel hous-
ings for trapped foreign objects and
remove them.
Trapped foreign objects can damage the
wheels/tires and may be flung out from the
vehicle when you continue driving.
X Check the underbody for trapped branches
or other parts of plants and remove them.
Trapped branches or other parts of plants
increase the risk of fire and can cause dam-
age to fuel lines, brake hoses and the rub-
ber bellows of axle joints and drive shafts.
X Clean the brake disks, brake pads and axle
joints, particularly after operation in sand,
mud, grit/gravel, water or similarly dirty
conditions.
X Check the entire floor assembly, the tires,
wheels, bodywork structure, brakes, steer-
ing, chassis and exhaust system for any
damage.
X Check the service brake for operating
safety, e.g. carry out a brake test.
X If you notice strong vibrations after driving
off-road, check the wheels and drive train
for foreign objects again. Remove any for-
eign objects which can lead to imbalances
and thus cause vibrations. Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes Observe the notes on braking in the "Driving
tips" section (Y
page 156).
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you
are inattentive, cruise control can neither
reduce the risk of an accident nor override the
laws of physics. Cruise control cannot take
road, weather and traffic conditions into
account. Cruise control is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed and for braking in
good time.
Do not use cruise control:
R in traffic conditions that are unsuitable for
driving at a constant speed, e.g. in heavy
traffic, on winding roads or off-road
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerating
may 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
If there is a change of drivers, make sure that
you inform the new driver about the set cruise
speed.
General notes Cruise control maintains the speed of the
vehicle for you.
Use cruise control if road and traffic condi-
tions 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.
Use cruise control if road and traffic condi-
tions 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 ( Ypage 192), you can Driving systems
161Driving and parking Z

set any speed from 30 km/h upwards in
increments of 1 km/h.
i Cruise control should not be activated
when driving off-road or on construction
sites.
Cruise control may not be able to maintain
the stored speed on uphill or downhill gradi-
ents. If the gradient evens out and the vehi-
cle's speed does not fall below 20 mph
(30 km/h), the stored speed is resumed.
Cruise control lever 0043
To activate and store the current speed or
a higher speed
0044 To activate at the last stored speed
0087 To activate and store the current speed or
a lower speed
0085 To deactivate cruise control
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left of the steering column.
LIM indicator lamp 0084shows you which func-
tion you have selected:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control is
selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit: variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected. Activation conditions To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation conditions must be fulfilled:
R
the parking brake must be released. The
0066 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter is off
R you are driving faster than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
R the brake pedal is depressed
i Other drive and brake systems not descri-
bed 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.
Storing and maintaining the current
speed X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired speed
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
X Briefly push the cruise control lever up 0043
or down 0087.
X Release the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The current
speed is stored.
Resuming the stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or
brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again. 162
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 0044.
X Release the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated and resumes the
vehicle's speed to the last speed stored.
i When you pull the cruise control level
towards you for the first time after starting
the engine, cruise control adopts the cur-
rent speed.
Setting the speed It may be a moment before the vehicle starts
to accelerate or brake to the set speed. Take
this delay into account when setting the
speed.
X Briefly push the cruise control lever
upwards 0043to increase the speed or down-
wards 0087to reduce the speed.
The last speed stored is increased/
reduced in increments of 1 mph (1 km/h).
Or
X Press and hold the cruise control lever
up 0043 or down 0087until the desired speed
has been reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The current speed is stored.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel-
erate briefly to overtake, for example,
cruise control resumes the vehicle’s speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control There are various ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 0085.
Or
X Apply the brakes.
The last speed set remains stored. The last
speed stored is deleted when you switch off
the engine. Cruise control is deactivated automatically
when:
R
you apply the brakes
R you apply the parking brake and the 0066
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up
R you are driving slower than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
R you shift the automatic transmission to
neutral position Nwhile the vehicle is in
motion
R ESP ®
or ASR intervenes
R there is a malfunction in the ESP ®
, ASR or
ABS system Driving systems
163Driving and parking Z

You should always steer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particular if warned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
Lane Keeping Assist may not work properly
or may not work at all if the vehicle is incor-
rectly loaded (Y page 242).
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics.
Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are respon-
sible for the distance to the vehicle in front,
for vehicle speed, braking in good time and
for staying in your lane.
Lane Keeping Assist does not keep your vehi-
cle in its lane.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun or reflection from other vehicles
(e.g. if the road surface is wet)
R the windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged
or covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera
R no, or several, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, e.g. in a construction
area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge
R the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions
on the road
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. In addition, a warning tone sounds and the
00B0indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
Activating/deactivating Lane Keeping
Assist
Lane Keeping Assist is automatically acti-
vated when you start the engine.
X To deactivate: press the button in
the center console (Y page 37).
On vehicles without steering wheel but-
tons:
OFF OFF flashes briefly in the display and the
00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes and then lights up continuously.
On vehicles with steering wheel but-
tons:
The message: Lane Keeping Assist Lane Keeping Assist
deactivated
deactivated appears in the display and
the 00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes and then lights up contin-
uously.
Lane Keeping Assist is deactivated.
X To activate: press the button in the
center console again (Y page 37).
On vehicles without steering wheel but-
tons:
ON ON flashes briefly in the display and the
00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes and then goes out.
On vehicles with steering wheel but-
tons:
The message: Lane Keeping Assist Lane Keeping Assist
activated
activated appears in the display and the
00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes and then goes out.
Lane Keeping Assist is activated.
A Lane Keeping Assist warning is suppressed
if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you have set the turn signal and a lane
change is detected. In this case, the warn- Driving systems
167Driving and parking Z

ings are suppressed for a certain period of
time.
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 recognizes certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
Lane Keeping Assist warns you earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a high-
way.
R the system recognizes solid lane markings.
Warnings are given later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It cannot replace
your own awareness of the immediate sur-
roundings. You are responsible for safe
maneuvering, parking and pulling away. When
maneuvering, parking and pulling away, make
sure that there are no persons, animals or
objects in the maneuvering area.
PARKTRONIC does not account for obstacles
that are:
R beneath its detection range, e.g. persons,
animals or objects
R above its detection range, e.g. overhanging
loads, overhangs or truck loading ramps
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates the distance
between your vehicle and an object visually
and audibly.
Your vehicle features two separate sound
emitters with different frequencies for the warning tones. The warning ranges in front of
and behind the vehicle are indicated by dif-
ferent warning tones.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
R turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock
R release the parking brake and
R move the selector lever to D,Nor R.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). PARKTRONIC is reacti-
vated at speeds below 10 mph (16 km/h).
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle with sensors in the front and rear
bumpers.
Range of the sensors !
Pay particular attention to obstacles
above or below the sensors when parking,
such as flower pots or trailer towbars.
PARKTRONIC does not recognize such
objects when they are in the immediate
vicinity of the vehicle. You could damage
the vehicle or objects.
PARKTRONIC can suffer interference from:
R ultrasonic sources such as a truck's
compressed-air brakes, an automatic car
wash or a pneumatic drill
R attachments to the vehicle, e.g. rear
mounted racks
R number plates (vehicle license plates)
that are not affixed flat against the
bumper
R dirty or icy sensors 168
Driving systemsDriving and parking

The rear view camera is a visual parking aid.
Information on operation can be found in the
separate Audio 15 supplement.
The camera is in the middle of the roof above
the high-mounted brake lamp (Y page 271).
The rear view camera may show obstacles in
perspectival distortion, incorrectly or not at
all. The rear view camera cannot display all
objects located very near and/or under the
rear bumper. It does not warn you of a colli-
sion, persons or objects.
The area behind the vehicle is displayed in a
mirrored fashion, as in the rear-view mirror or
the exterior mirrors. The guide lines displayed
assist you in backing up.
The function of the rear view camera may be
partially or completely impaired in the follow-
ing circumstances:
R it is raining very heavily or snowing, or it is
foggy.
R the parking space is located in a very dark
place.
R the camera is exposed to very strong white
light. White stripes may appear on the dis-
play.
R the surrounding area is illuminated with flu-
orescent light. The display may flicker.
R if the temperature changes very quickly, for
example if you drive into a heated garage
in the winter.
R ambient temperatures are very high.
R the camera lens is dirty or obstructed.
R the rear of the vehicle is damaged. In this
case, have the position and setting
checked at a specialist workshop.
The rear view camera is switched on when
you engage reverse gear R.
You can find information on cleaning the cam-
era in the "Maintenance and care" section
(Y page 271). Working mode
ADR (working speed governor)
General notes When activated, ADR automatically increases
the engine speed to a preset speed or a speed
you have set.
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 com-
pleted the warm-up phase.
It is only possible to activate ADR with the
vehicle stationary and the parking brake
applied.
The selector lever of the automatic trans-
mission must be in position P.
Activating/deactivating ADR X
To activate: press upper section 0043of the
0091 switch while the engine is running.
The indicator lamp in the switch comes on.
The 004E indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up or the display shows the
following message: Operating speed Operating speed
governor active governor active.
X To deactivate: press lower section 0044of
the 0091 switch while the engine is run-
ning.
The indicator lamp in the switch goes out. 172
Working modeDriving and parking

ADR is automatically deactivated if:
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.
X To increase: press the0091button.
X To decrease: press the0092button. Towing a trailer
Notes on trailer towing
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you install a ball coupling other than the one
delivered with the vehicle, the trailer tow hitch
and the rear axle may be overloaded. This
applies especially if the ball coupling in ques-
tion is longer or angled differently. This could
seriously impair the driving characteristics
and the trailer can come loose. There is a risk
of an accident.
Only install the ball coupling delivered with
the vehicle or a ball coupling that is designed
to meet your trailer towing requirements. Do
not modify the ball coupling or the trailer tow
hitch. G
WARNING
If you use a ball coupling that is not approved
for your vehicle, it may cause excessive strain
on the trailer tow hitch. This can cause dam-
age to the vehicle and the trailer may come
loose during the journey. The handling may be
impaired and the rear axle may be overloaded.
This may lead to an accident involving serious
or even fatal injury.
Therefore note the following:
R Only install a ball coupling that is approved
for your vehicle.
R Before the journey, make sure that the ball
coupling is correctly installed and secured.
To do this, observe the operating instruc-
tions of the ball coupling manufacturer.
R Do not make any modifications to the ball
coupling or the trailer tow hitch.
You must observe the operating instructions
of the trailer tow hitch or ball coupling manu-
facturer. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly installed
and secured, it could come loose while driving
and endanger other road users. There is a risk
of an accident and injury.
Install and secure the ball coupling as descri-
bed in the ball coupling manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions. Make sure that the ball
coupling is correctly installed and secured
before every journey. G
WARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The vehi-
cle/trailer combination could even rollover.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasing the speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer. Apply the
brake as necessary. Towing a trailer
173Driving and parking Z