*
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle af ter driving
off-road When driving off-road or on unpa
ved sur fa‐
ces, fore ign bodies such as stones and
branches could become trapped on theve hi‐
cle underside, on wheels and tires, causing
damage totheve hicle.
Fo reign bodies could cause thefo llowing
damage:
R Damage the suspension, the fuel tank or
th e brake sy stem.
R Disturb the balance and cause vibrations. #
Regular lyremo veany trapped fore ign
bodies, e.g. stones and branches. #
After driving off-road, check carefully
whe ther there is any damage tothe
ve hicle. #
Ifth ere is damage, ha vetheve hicle
ch ecked at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. When driving off-road or on unpa
ved sur faces,
ch eck theve hicle underside, wheels and tires
re gularly at regular inter vals. In particular,
re mo veany trapped fore ign bodies, such as
st ones and branches.
Obser vethefo llowing no tesre ga rding fore ign
bodies of this kind:
R They may damage the suspension, the fuel
ta nk or the brake sy stem.
R They may disturb the balance and cause
vibrations.
R They may be flung out from theve hicle when
yo u continue driving.
If th ere is any damage, inform a qualified special‐
ist workshop.
When driving off-road on steep inclines, you must
make sure that the DEF tank is su fficiently filled.
Therefore, ensure a le vel of at least ten li ters
before off-road driving.
When driving off-road and on con stru ction sites,
sand, mud and water,also mixed with oil, can get
into the brakes. This may lead toare duction in
braking ef fect or total brake failure, also as a
re sult of increased wear. The braking characteris‐
tics will vary depending on the material that has
got into the sy stem. Clean the brakes af ter driv‐
ing off-road. If youth en notice a reduced braking
ef fect or hear scraping noises, ha vethe brake sy
stem checked immediately at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop. Adjust your driving style to the
ch anged braking characteristics.
Driving off- road or on con stru ction sites increa‐
ses the possibility of vehicle damage which may
in turn lead tothefa ilure of cer tain major assem‐
blies and sy stems. Adapt your driving style to the
off-road driving conditions. Drive carefull y.Ha ve
any vehicle damage rectified at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
When driving on rough cross-country terrain, do
not shift the transmission toneutral and do not
disengage the clutch. You could lose control
when attem pting tobrake theve hicle with the
service brake. If your vehicle cannot manage an
uphill incline, drive back down in reve rsege ar.
When loading your vehicle for off-road driving or
on a construction site, keep theve hicle's center
of gr avity as low as possible.
Checklist before off-road driving R Check the fuel and DEF le vels (/ page175)
and refill if necessary (/ page133).
R Engine: check the oil le vel and add oil if nec‐
essary (/ page 281). Before driving up or
down extreme inclines or slopes, fill th e oil to
th e maximum le vel.
% If
yo u drive up or down extreme inclines or
slopes, the00B2 symbol may appear in the
multifunction displa y.The engine operating
saf ety is not put at risk if you ha vefilled the
engine oil tothe maximum le vel before the
jou rney.
R Vehicle tool kit: check that the jack is work‐
ing (/ page 327).
R Make sure that a lug wrench (/ page 327), a
wo oden underlay forth e jac k,aro bust tow
ro pe, a folding spade and a wheel chock
(depending on equipment) are car ried in the
ve hicle.
R Tire s and wheels: check the tire tread dep th
( / page 308) and the tire pressure
(/ page 316).
Ru les for off-road driving
Alw ays be aware of the ground clearance of the
ve hicle and avoid obs tacles such as deep tire
ru ts. Driving and pa
rking 117
