Notesonb reaking-in anew vehicle
Important safety notes
Thes ensors ystemofs omedriving and driving
safety systems adjusts automaticall ywhile a
certai ndistance is being driven after the vehicle
ha sb eend elivere dorafter repairs. Full system
effectiveness is not reache duntilthe end of this
teach-i nprocedure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after several hundred kilometers of driving. Compensate for
thi sb yapplyin ggreate rforce to the brake pedal.
The first 1000 miles (150 0km)
Them orey ou look after the engine when it is
new ,the mor esatisfied yo uwillbew ithi ts per-
formance in the future.
RYo us houl dtherefore drive at varying vehicle
and engine speeds for the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km).
RAvoi dheavy loads, e.g .driving at full throttle,
during thi speriod.
RChang egearing oodt ime, befor ethe tach-
ometer needl eisÔ of the wa ytothe red area
of the tachometer.
RDo not manuall yshift to alower gear to brake
the vehicle.
RTry to avoi ddepressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the point of resistanc e(kickdown).
After 1000 mile s(1500 km),y oucan increase
the engine spee dgradually and accelerate the
vehicl etofulls peed.
Yo us houl dalsoo bser ve these note sonbreak-
ing in if the engine or parts of the drive train on
your vehicl ehaveb eenr eplaced.
Alway sobser ve the maximum permissible
speed.
Driving
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the peda ltravel or obstruct adepresse dpedal.
Th eo perating and roa dsafety of the vehicl eis
jeopardized .The re is ariskofana ccident.
Make sure tha tallobjects in the vehicl eare
stowe dcorrectly ,and tha tthe yc annot enter
the driver's footwell .Install the floormats
securel yand as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearanc efor the pedals .Donot use
loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another.
GWARNING
Unsuitabl efootwear can hinde rcorrec tusage
of the pedals ,e.g.:
Rshoes with thick soles
Rshoes with high heels
Rslippers
There is ariskofana ccident.
Wear suitabl efootwear to ensur ecorrect
usag eoft he pedals.
GWARNING
If yo uswitch off the ignition whil edriving,
safety-relevant functions ar eonlya vailable
with limitations ,ornot at all. This could affect,
for example, the powe rsteering and the brake
boosting effect. Yo uwillr equire considerably
mor eeffort to steer and brake. There is arisk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition whil edriving.
GWARNING
If the parking brake ha snot been fully
releasedw hend riving, the parking brake can:
Roverheat and cause afire
Rlose its hold function.
There is ariskoff irea nd an accident. Release
the parking brake full ybefor ed riving off.
!Do not warm up the engine with the vehicle
stationary. Drive off immediately. Avoi dhigh
engine speeds and driving at full throttle until
the engine ha sreache dits operating temper-
ature.
Onl yshift the automatic transmission to the
desired drive positio nwhent he vehicl eissta-
tionary.
114Driving
Dr iving an dparking
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 include dinthe ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ahigher valu einthe categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant":
Robserve the gearshift recommendations.
Rdrive the vehicle in drive program Cor E.
On long journeys at aconstant 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 area satthe start of ajourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform amanua lrest
(
Ypage 167).
For more information on the ECO display, see
(
Ypage 166).
Braking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheel scould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
!On long, steep gradients, you must reduce
the load on the brakes. To use engine braking,
shift to alowerg ear in good time. This helps
you to avoid overheating the brakes and wear-
ing them out excessively. When making use of the engine braking
effect, it is possible that
adrive wheel may not
turn for some time, e.g. in the case of sud-
denly changing or slippery road surface con-
ditions. This could cause damage to the drive
train. This type of damage is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Change into alowerg ear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. This is especially
important if the vehicle is laden.
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control or Distance PilotD ISTRONIC.
Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest you rfoot on the brake pedalw hile
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 pedalasaf ootrest. Never
depresst he brake pedala nd the accelerator
pedalatt he same time.
!Depressing the brake pedalc onstantly
results in excessive and premature wea rto
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicle immediately ,but
drive on for ashort while. This allows the airflow
to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for along time in heavy rain
withou tbraking, there may be adelayed 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 then have to depresst he brake pedalmore
firmly.M aintainagreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whil epaying attention to
the traffic conditions. This willw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
136Driving tips
Driving and parking
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you driveonsalted roads,alayer of salt resi-
due may for monthebrak ediscsa nd brake
pads. This can result in asignificantly longer
braking distance.
RIn ordertop revent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to th et raffic conditions.
RCarefully depress th ebrakep edal and the
beginnin gand end of ajou rney.
RMaintain agreater distanc etothevehicle
ahead.
Servicing th ebrakes
!The brakef luid level may be to olow, if:
Rif th ered brakew arning lamp lightsupi n
th ei nstrumentc luster and
Ryou hearawarning tone while th eengine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brak efluid level may be to olow due to
brak epad wear or leaking brakel ines.
Hav ethe brak esystem checked immediately.
Consult aqualifie dspecialist workshop to
arrange this.
!As th eESP®system operates automatically,
th ee ngine and th eignitio nmust be switched
off (SmartKey in position 0or 1in th eignition
lock) if th eelectric parking brakeisb eingtes-
ted on abraked ynamometer (maximum
10 seconds).
Brakin gtriggered automatically by ESP
®may
seriously damage th ebrakes ystem.
All check sand maintenanc ework on th ebrake
system must be carried out at aqualifie dspe-
cialis tworkshop.
Hav ebrakep ads installe dand brakef luid
replaced at aqualifie dspecialist workshop.
If th ebrakes ystem has onl ybeen subject to
moderatel oads, you should tes tthe functional-
ity of your brakes at regular intervals.
Information on BA S(Brake Assist)(
Ypage 55).
Mercedes-Ben zrecommend stha tyou onl yhave
brakep ads/linings installe donyour vehicle
whichh ave been approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicle sorwhichcorrespondtoane quivalent
qualitys tandard. Brake pads/linings whichh avenot been approved for Mercedes-Ben
zvehicle s
or whicha re n
ot of an equivalent qualityc ould
affect your vehicle's operatin gsafety.
Mercedes-Ben zrecommend sthaty ou onl yuse
brakef luid that has been specially approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or whichc orre-
sponds to an equivalent qualitys tandard. Brake
fluid whichh as not been approved for
Mercedes-Ben zvehicle sorw hichisn ot of an
equivalent qualityc ould affect your vehicle's
operatin gsafety.
High-performance brake system
(Mercedes-Benz SLC 43 AMG)
AM Gb rakes ystems are designed for heavy
loads and have component swith corresponding
properties. This may lead to noise when braking.
This will dependo n:
RSpeed
RBrakingforce
RAmbientc onditions, e.g .temperature and
humidity
The wear of individual component softhebrake
system, such as th ebrakep ads/linings or brake
discs, depends on th eindividual driving style
and operatin gconditions.
For this reason, it is impossibletos tate am ile-
age that will be valid unde rall circumstances. An
aggressived riving style will lead to high wear.
You can obtain morei nformationonthisf roma
qualifie dspecialist workshop.
New and replaced brak epads and discso nly
reacht heir optimum braking effect after several
hundred kilometers of driving .Compensate for
this by applyingg reater force to thebrakep edal.
Keep this in mind, and adapt your driving and
braking accordingl yduringt hisb reak-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in correspond-
ingly high brak ewear. Observe th ebrakes ystem
warning lamp in th einstrumentc luster and note
any brak estatus messages in th emultifunction
display. Especially for high performanc edriving,
it is important to maintain and have th ebrake
system checked regularly.
Driving tips137
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 etoapply th eelectric parking brak emanually.
XShift th etransmission to position P.
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
$(USA
only)
J(C anada
only)
Check Brake Fluid
Level
There is no tenough brak efluid in th ebrak efluid reservoir .
In addition ,the $ (USAonly) or J (Canada only) warning lamp
lights up in th einstrumen tcluste rand aw arning tone sounds.
GWARNIN G
The braking effec tmay be impaired.
There is ariskofana ccident.
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo naspossible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions. Do no tcontinue driving
under any circumstances.
XSecur ethe vehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 131).
XConsult aqualified specialist workshop .
XDo notadd brak efluid .This does no tcorrect them alfunction .
#
CheckBrakePadWear
The brak epads/linings hav ereached their wear limit.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
G
Inoperative
Oneorm orem ain features of th embrace system are malfunctioning .
XHavethe mbrace system checke dataqualified specialist work-
shop.
PRE-SAFE Inopera‐tiv eSeeOperator' sManual
Importantfunction sofPRE-SAF E®havefailed. Al lother occupant
safet ysystems ,e.g.a ir bags ,remain available.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
ActiveBrakeAssistFunctionsCurrentlyLimite dSee Opera‐tor's Manual
Active Brake Assis tistemporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rther adar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to elec -
tromagneti cradiation emitted by nearby TV or radi ostation sor
other source sofelectromagneti cradiation
Rthes ystem is outside th eoperating temperature range
Rtheo n-bo ardv oltag eistoolow.
Whe nthe causes state dabov enol onger apply, th edisplay message
disappears.
Active Brake Assis tisoperational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo naspossible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur ethe vehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 131).
XRestart th eengine.
184Display messages
On-boardc omputer andd isplays
Safety systems
Warning/
indicator
lampNSignal type
Possible causes/consequences and M
Solutions
$JN$ (USA only) or J(Canada only): the red brake system warning lamp is
lit while the engine is running. Awarning tone also sounds.
GWARNING
There is not enough brake fluid in the brake fluid reservoir.
The braking effect may be impaired.
There is arisk of an accident.
XPull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying attention to road
and traffic conditions. Do not continue driving under any circumstances.
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away (Ypage 131).
XDo not add brake fluid. Adding more will not correct the malfunction.
XConsult aqualified specialist workshop.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
$NUSA only: the red brake system warning lamp is lit while the engine is running.
The multifunction display also shows adisplay message with the #symbol.
The brake pads/linings have reached their wear limit.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop.
!NThe yellow ABS warning lamp is lit while the engine is running.
ABS (anti-lock braking system) is malfunctioning.
If there is an additional warning tone, the EBD (electronic brake force distribution)
is malfunctioning.
Other driving systems and driving safety systems may also malfunction.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed
above. The front and rear wheels could therefore lock if you brake hard, for exam-
ple.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected. The braking
distance in an emergency braking situation can increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
If the ABS control unit is faulty, there is also apossibility that other systems, such
as the navigation system or the automatic transmission, will not be available.
204Warning and indicator lamps
On-board computer and displays
obtained ataqualified specialist 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
Notes on care
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. aring or ice scraper.
You could otherwise scratc hordamage the
surfaces and protective film.
!Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for afew minutes after cleaning.
Brakin gheats the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings, thus drying them. The vehicle
can then be parked.
Regularc are of your vehicle is acondition 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
Brakin gefficiencyisr educed after washing
the vehicle. There is arisk of an accident.
After the vehicle has been washed, brake
carefully while paying attention to the traffic
conditions until full braking power is restored.
!If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function is
activated, the vehicle brakes automatically in
certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or other similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
!It is preferable to use car washes with
adjustable high-pressure pre-cleaningt hat
corresponds to the specification for the Cab-
riolet program. In car washes that use high
water pressures, there is arisk that asmall
amount of water may leak into the vehicle.
!Designo retractable hardtop: make sure
that the vehicle is not subsequently treated
with hot wax.
!Lock the car if you wash it in an automatic
car wash. Otherwise, the vehicle might be
damaged.
!Never clean your vehicle in aTouchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
If you have your vehicle cleaned in ahigh-
pressure automatic car wash, small amounts
of water may enter the vehicle.
!Make sure that the automatic transmission
is in position Nwhen washing your vehicle in
at ow-through car wash. The vehicle could be
damaged if the transmission is in another
position.
236Care
Maintenance and care
Do not usepower washers with circular jet
nozzles to clean the vehicle. Hav edamaged
tire sorc hassiscomponents replaced imme-
diately.
!Do not us eacidi cwheel cleaning products
to remove brake dust. Thi scould damage
whee lbolts and brake components.
!Do not park your vehicl efor alon gp eriodo f
time directl yafter cleaning, particularly after
cleaning the whee lrim with whee lcleaner.
Whee lcleane rcan lead to the increased cor-
rosio nofthe brake discs and pads .Therefore,
drive for afew minute safter cleaning. By
heating up the brakes ,the brake discs and
pads dry .The vehicl ecan thenb eparked for a
long perio doftime.
Cleanin gthe windows
GWARNING
Yo uc ould become trapped by the windshield
wipers if theys tart moving whil ecleaning the
windshiel dorwiperblades. There is arisko f
injury.
Alway sswitch off the windshiel dwiper sand
the ignition befor ecleaning the windshiel dor
wipe rblade s.
!Do not us edry cloths, abrasive products,
solvents or cleaning agents containing sol-
vents to clean the insid eofthe windows .Do
not touch the insides of the windows with
hard objects ,e.g.ani ce scrape rorring. There
is otherwis eariskofd amagin gthe windows.
!Clea nthe water drainage channel softhe
windshiel dand the rea rwindo watr egular
intervals .Deposits such as leaves, petal sand
pollen mayu nder certain circumstances pre-
vent water fromd raining away.Thisc an lead
to corrosion damage and damage to elec-
troni ccomponents.
XClea nthe insid eand outside of the windows
with adam pcloth and acleaning product that
is recommende dand approved by Mercedes-
Benz.
Cleanin gwiper blades
GWARNING
Yo uc ould become trapped by the windshield
wipers if theys tart moving whil ecleaning the
windshiel dorwiperblades. There is arisko f
injury.
Alway sswitch off the windshiel dwiper sand
the ignition befor ecleaning the windshiel dor
wipe rblade s.
!Do not pull the wipe rblade .Otherwise, the
wipe rblade could be damaged.
!Do not clean wipe rblade stoo ofte nand do
not rubt hemtoo hard. Otherwise, the graph-
ite coating could be damaged. Thi scould
cause wipe rnoise.
!Hol dthe wipe rarm securel ywhenf olding
back. The windshiel dcould be damage difthe
wipe rarm smacks against it suddenly.
XFoldthe windshiel dwiper arms away fromt he
windshield.
XCarefully clean the wipe rblade swithad amp
cloth.
XFol dthe windshiel dwiper arms back again
befor eswitching on the ignition.
Cleanin gthe exterior lighting
!Onlyu secleaning agents or cleaning cloths
which ar esuitabl efor plastic light lenses.
Unsuitabl ecleaning agents or cleaning cloths
could scratch or damage the plastic light len- ses.
XClea nthe plastic lensesoft he exteriorlights
with awetspong eand am ildc leaning agent,
e.g .M ercedes-Benz car shampo oorcleaning
cloths.
Cleanin gthe mirrort urn signals
!Onlyusecleaning agents or cleaning cloths
thata resuitabl efor plastic lenses. Unsuitable
cleaning agents or cleaning cloths could
scratch or damage the plastic lensesoft he
mirror tur nsignals.
XClea nthe plastic lensesoft he mirror turnsig-
nal sint he exterio rmirror housing using awet
spong eand mil dcleaning agent, e.g.
Care239
Maintenance and care
Z