2017 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA-Class brake pads

Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
Important safety notes
The sensor system of some driving and driving
safety systems adjusts automatically while a
certain distance is being driven after the vehiclehas been delivered or after repairs. Full system
effectiveness is not reached until the end of this
teach-in procedure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after several hundred kilometers of driving. Compensate for
this by applying greater force to the brake pedal.
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its per-
formance in the future.
RYou should therefore drive at varying vehicle
and engine speeds for the first 1000 miles
(1500 km).
RAvoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full throttle,during this period.
RChange gear in good time, before the tach-
ometer needle is Ôof the way to the red area
of the tachometer.
RDo not manually shift to a lower gear to brake
the vehicle.
RTry to avoid depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the point of resistance (kickdown).
RIdeally, for the first 1000 miles (1500 km),
driv ein progra mE.
Addition al breaking-in notes for Mercedes-AMG
vehicles:
RDo not drive faster than 85 mph (140 km/h)
for the first 1,000 miles (1,500 km).
ROnly allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
RChange gear in good time.
After 1,000 miles (1,500 km), you can increase
the engine speed gradually and bring the vehicle
to full speed.
You should also observe these notes on break-
ing-in if the engine or parts of the drive train on
your vehicle have been replaced.
Always observe the maxim
um permissible
speed.
Driving
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle is
jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another.
GWARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage of the pedals, e.g.:
Rshoes with thick soles
Rshoes with high heels
Rslippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals.
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
GWARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
Roverheat and cause a fire
Rlose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
120Driving
Driving and parking

In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as:
RLoad
RTire pressure
RCold start
RChoice of route
RActive electrical consumers
These factors are not included in the ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving a higher value in the categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant":
Robserve the gearshift recommendations.
Rdrive the vehicle in drive program Cor E
(vehicles with a DYNAMIC SELECT button).
On long journeys at a constant speed, e.g. on the
highway, only the outer area for "constant" will
change.
The ECO display summarizes the driving style
from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in
the outer areas at the start of a journey. On lon- ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform a manual rest
(
Ypage 178).
For more information on the ECO display, see
(
Ypage 177).
Braking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
!On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting to a
lower gear in good time. This allows you to
take advantage of engine braking. For this you
must first activate manual gearshifting. This helps you to avoid overheating the brakes and
wearing them out excessively.
When you take advantage of engine braking, it
is possible that a drive wheel will not rotate for
some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface.
This could cause damage to the drive train.
This type of damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Briefly depressing the accelerator pedal on
downhill gradients while the manual drive pro-
gram Mis temporarily activated: the automatic
transmission may switch to the last active auto-
matic drive program Eor S. The automatic trans-
mission may shift to a higher gear. This can
reduce the engine's braking effect.
Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately. Drive
on for a short while. This allows the airflow to
cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly while paying attention to
the traffic conditions. This will warm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Driving tips145
Driving and parking
Z

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt resi-
due may form on the brake discs and brake
pads. This can result in a significantly longer
braking distance.
RIn order to prevent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to the traffic conditions.
RCarefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
RMaintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!The brake fluid level may be too low, if:
Rif the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and
Ryou hear a warning tone while the engine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately.
Consult a qualified specialist workshop to
arrange this.
!A function or performance test should only
be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish to operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult a qualified spe- cialist workshop in advance. You could oth-
erwise damage the drive train or the brake
system.
!As the ESP®system operates automatically,
the engine and the ignition must be switched
off (the SmartKey must be in position 0or 1in
the ignition lock) if:
Rthe electric parking brake is tested on a
brake dynamometer (for a maximum of
ten seconds)
Rthe vehicle is towed with the front axle
raised.
Braking triggered automatically by ESP
®may
seriously damage the brake system.
All checks and maintenance work on the brake
system must be carried out at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. Have brake pads installed and brake fluid
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the functional-
ity
of your brakes at regular in

tervals.
You can find a description of Brake Assist (BAS)
on (
Ypage 60).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only have
brake pads/linings installed on your vehicle
which have been approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicles or which correspond to an equivalent
quality standard. Brake pads/linings which have
not been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles
or which are not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use
brake fluid that has been specially approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or which corre-
sponds to an equivalent quality standard. Brake
fluid which has not been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which is not of an
equivalent quality could affect your vehicle's
operating safety.
Checking brake lining thickness
You can measure the break pad/lining thick-
ness using a test gage. Color-coding (green or
red) on the test gage allows you to determine
whether the brake pad/lining thickness is still
sufficient. The test gage is in the vehicle docu-
ment wallet in the glove box.
Front wheel
146Driving tips
Driving and parking

Rear wheel
XBring thevehicl eand wheels int o asuitable
position so that you can attach test gage A.
XSecureth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway
(Ypage 140).
XEngage park position P.
XSwitchoff th eengine.
XPlac etest gage Abetween th ewheel's
spoke son brak epad/lining =.
XHold test gage Averticall yon brak edisc :
and slid emeasurin gpin ;onto brak e
disc :.
XChec kwhic hcolor field ?thearrow on
measurin gpin ;is pointing to .
Green: thebrak epad/lining thickness is suf -
ficient.
Red :th ebrak epad/lining thickness is no t
sufficient. Hav eth ebrak epads/lining
checke dat aqualified specialist workshop.
To avoi dan inaccurat emeasurement:
Rmak esur eyou position th ewheels suitably
Rdo no tput th emeasurin gpin on arecess in
th ebrak edisc
Driving on wet roads
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to acertain dept hon
th eroad surface, there is adanger of hydro-
planing occurring, eve nif:
Ryou driv eat low speeds
Rth etires hav eadequat etread dept h
Fo rthis reason ,in th eevent of heav yrain or in
condition sin whic hhydroplaning may occur ,
you mus tdriv ein th efollowin gmanner:
Rlower your spee d
Ravoidrut s
Ravoi dsudde nsteering movement s
Rbrakecarefully
Driving on flooded roads
!Do no tdriv ethroug hflooded areas .Chec k
th edept hof any water before driving throug h
it .Drive slowly throug hstanding water. Oth-
erwise, water may ente rth evehicl einterior or
th eengin ecompartment. This can damag e
th eelectronic component sin th eengin eor
th eautomatic transmission .Water can also
be drawn in by th eengine's air suction nozzles
and this can caus eengin edamage.
Winter driving
GWARNIN G
If you shif tdown on aslipper yroad surfac ein
an attemp tto increas eth eengine's braking
effect, th edriv ewheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skiddin gand
accidents .
Do no tshif tdown for additional engin ebrak -
ing on aslipper yroad surface.
GDANGER
If th eexhaust pipe is blocke dor adequat e
ventilation is no tpossible, poisonous gase s
suc has carbon monoxide (CO) may ente rth e
vehicle. This is th ecase, e.g. if th evehicl e
become strapped in snow. There is aris kof
fatal injury.
Driving tips147
Driving and parking
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The yellow!warning lamp lights up and th ered F (USAonly)
or ! (Canada only) indicator lamp flashes .
It is no tpossibl eto apply th eelectric parking brak emanually.
XShift th etransmission to position P.
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
$(USA
only)
J( Canada
only)
Check Brake Fluid
Level
There is no tenough brak efluid in th ebrak efluid reservoir .
A warning tone sounds. The $(USAonly) or J(Canada only)
warning lamp sin th einstrumen tcluste rmay also ligh tup.
GWARNIN G
The braking effec tmay be impaired.
There is aris kof an accident.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions. Do no tcontinu edrivin g
under any circumstances.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 140).
XConsult aqualified specialist workshop .
XDo notadd brak efluid .This does no tcorrec tth emalfunction .
#
CheckBrakePadWear
The brak epads/linings hav ereached their wear limit.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
G
Inoperative
Oneor mor emain features of th embrace system are malfunctioning .
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
ActiveBrakeAssistFunctionsCurrentlyLimitedSee Opera‐tor's Manual
Active Brake Assis tis temporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth eradar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to elec -
tromagneti cradiation emitted by nearby TV or radi ostation sor
other source sof electromagneti cradiation
Rth esystem is outside th eoperating temperature range
Rth eon-boar dvoltag eis to olow
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay message
disappears.
Active Brake Assis tis operational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 140).
XRestart th eengine.
Active BrakeAssist :SystemInop‐erative
Active Brake Assis tis unavailable due to amalfunction .Situation -
dependen tparking assistanc emay also hav efailed.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
194Display messages
On-board computer and displays

quently. Under arduous operating conditions,
the tires must be checked more often. Further
information can be obtained at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Driving abroad
An extensive Mercedes-Benz Service network is
also available in other countries. You can obtain
further information from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Care
General notes
HEnvironmental note
Dispose of empty packaging and cleaning
cloths in an environmentally responsible man-
ner.
!For cleaning your vehicle, do not use any of
the following:
Rdry, rough or hard cloths
Rabrasive cleaning agents
Rsolvents
Rcleaning agents containing solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective films
with hard objects, e.g. a ring or ice scraper.
You could otherwise scratch or damage the
surfaces and protective film.
!Do not park your vehicle for a long period of
time directly after cleaning, particularly after
cleaning the wheel rim with wheel cleaner.
Wheel cleaner can lead to the increased cor-
rosion of the brake discs and pads. Therefore,
drive for a few minutes after cleaning. By
heating up the brakes, the brake discs and
pads dry. The vehicle can then be parked for a
long period of time.
Regular care of your vehicle is a condition for
retaining the quality in the long term.
Use care products and cleaning agents recom-
mended and approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Washing the vehicle and cleaning the
paintwork
Automatic car wash
GWARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
After the vehicle has been washed, brake
carefully while paying attention to the traffic
conditions until full braking power is restored.
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
!Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
!Make sure that the automatic transmission
is in position Nwhen washing your vehicle in
a tow-through car wash. The vehicle could be
damaged if the transmission is in another
position.
!Make sure that:
Rthe side windows and the sliding sunroof
are fully closed.
Rthe ventilation/heating is switched off (the
OFF button has been pressed/the airflow
control is set to position 0).
Rthe windshield wiper switch is in position 0.
Otherwise, the vehicle might be damaged.
You can wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash from the very start.
If the vehicle is very dirty, pre-wash it before
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
After using an automatic car wash, wipe off wax
from the windshield and the wiper blades. This
will prevent smears and reduce wiping noises
caused by residue on the windshield.
Care259
Maintenance and care
Z

mended and approved by Mercedes-Benz
should be used.
Do not use these care products in the sun or on
the hood while the hood is hot.
XUse a suitable touch-up stick, e.g. MB Touch-
Up Stick, to repair slight damage to the paint-work quickly and provisionally.
Matte finish care
!Never polish the vehicle or the light alloy
wheels. Polishing causes the finish to shine.
!The following may cause the paint to
become shiny and thus reduce the matte
effect:
Rstrong rubbing of the paintwork with
unsuitable materials
Rfrequent use of automatic car washes
Rwashing the vehicle in direct sunlight
!Never use paint cleaner, buffing or polishing
products, or gloss preserver, e.g. wax, for the
purpose of paintwork care. These products
are only suitable for high-gloss surfaces. Their
use on vehicles with matte paintwork leads to considerable surface damage or, more spe-
cifically, to shiny, spotted areas.
Always have paintwork repairs carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
!Do not use wash programs with a hot wax
treatment under any circumstances.
Observe these notes if your vehicle has a clear
matte finish. This will help you to avoid damage to the paintwork due to incorrect treatment.
These notes also apply to light alloy wheels with
a clear matte finish.
The vehicle should ideally be washed by hand
using a soft sponge, car shampoo and plenty of
water.
Use only insect remover and car shampoo from
the range of approved Mercedes-Benz care
products.
Cleaning the vehicle parts
Cleaning the wheels
GWARNING
The water jet from a circular jet nozzle (dirt
blasters) can cause invisible exterior damage
to the tires or chassis components. Compo-
nents damaged in this way may fail unexpect-
edly. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not use power washers with circular jet
nozzles to clean the vehicle. Have damaged
tires or chassis components replaced imme-
diately.
!Do not use acidic wheel cleaning products
to remove brake dust. This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components.
!Do not park your vehicle for a long period of
time directly after cleaning, particularly after
cleaning the wheel rim with wheel cleaner.
Wheel cleaner can lead to the increased cor-
rosion of the brake discs and pads. Therefore,
drive for a few minutes after cleaning. By
heating up the brakes, the brake discs and
pads dry. The vehicle can then be parked for a
long period of time.
Cleaning the windows
GWARNING
You could become trapped by the windshield wipers if they start moving while cleaning the
windshield or wiper blades. There is a risk of
injury.
Always switch off the windshield wipers and
the ignition before cleaning the windshield or
wiper blades.
!Only fold the windshield wipers away from
the windshield when vertical. Otherwise, you
will damage the hood.
!Do not use dry cloths, abrasive products,
solvents or cleaning agents containing sol-
vents to clean the inside of the windows. Do
not touch the insides of the windows with
hard objects, e.g. an ice scraper or ring. There
is otherwise a risk of damaging the windows.
Care261
Maintenance and care
Z