2020 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER ECU

&
WARNING Risk of skidding and of an
accident du etoshifting down on slippery
ro ad sur faces
If yo us hiftd ow nons lipperyroad sur faces to
inc rease thee ngine braking ef fect, thed rive
wheels ma ylose traction. #
Do no tshif td ow nons lipperyroad sur‐
fa ces toinc rease thee ngine braking
ef fect. Ve
hicles wit hautomatic transmissions ma yroll in
neutra lposition 005Cforo nly ashor ttime. Allowing
th ew heels torollfo rl onger ,e.g. when towing,
causes transmission damage.
If th ev ehicle thre atens toskid, or canno tbestop‐
ped when tr aveling at alow speed, youc an stabi‐
lize thev ehicle using thef ollowing measures:
R Shif tthe automatic transmission toneutral
position 005C.
R Trytom aintain control of thev ehicle using
cor rectiv esteering.
Driv eparticularly carefull yonslipperyroads.
Av oid sudden acceleration, steering and braking
maneuvers.
Ha ve your vehicle winterized at aqualified spe‐
cialis tworks hop in good time at theo nse tofw in‐
te r.
Obser vethen otes on sno wchains
(/ page216).
Re gular lych eckt he vehicle and remo vesno wor
ice when tr aveling in wintr yconditions.
An accumulation of sno wand ice, particular ly
when frozen, in thea reaa round thea ir intake,
moving parts, thea xles and thew heel housing,
ma ycause thef ollowing problems:
R Obstruction of thea ir intake
R Damag etovehicle parts
R Malfunction sdue torestriction of mobility
intende dbythe design (e.g. reduced steering
mo vement)
If th er eisa nydamage, infor maqualified special‐
is tw orks hop. Information about driving off-road &
WARNING Risk of accident if youdon ot
ke ep toline of fall on inclines
If yo ud rive at an angle or tur nonanincline,
th ev ehicle could slip side ways,tip and roll‐
ove r. #
Alwaysd rive on inclines in thel ine of fall
(straight up or down) and do no tturn. &
WARNING Risk of inju rydue toacceler‐
atin gforce during off-road driving
When driving off-road on une vens urfaces,
th ef orce of thev ehicle's acceleration af fects
yo ur body from all directions.
Yo uc ould, fore xamp le, be thro wn from your
seat. #
Alwaysw ear aseat belt when driving
off- road. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryto theh ands
when driving overobstac les
If yo ud rive over obs tacles or in tir eruts ,the
st eering wheel ma yfold bac kand cause inju‐
ri es totheh ands. #
Steering wheel mus talway sbeh eld
securely wit hbothh ands. #
When driving overobstac les, expect
increased steering forc es at short
notice. &
WARNING Risk offire due toflammable
materials on ho tparts of thee xhau stsys‐
tem
Flammable materia lsuc hasl eaves, grass or
twigs ma yignit eift heyc ome int ocontact
wi th hotp arts of thee xhau stsystem. #
When driving on unpa vedr oads or off-
ro ad, regular lych eckt he vehicle under‐
side. #
Remo vetrappe dplants or other flam‐
mable material. #
Ifth er eisd amage, consult aqualified
specialis tworks hop immediately. 11 6
Driving and pa rking

Obs
tacles can damag ethe following parts of the
ve hicle, fore xamp le:
R Suspension
R Driv etra in
R Fuel and suppl ytanks
Therefore, alw aysd rive slowl ywhen off-road. If
yo um ustd rive ov er obs tacles ,have thec o-driver
instruct you.
% Mercedes-Ben
zrecommends that youa ddi‐
tionall ycarry as hovela nd areco very rope
wit has hackle in thev ehicle.
R Mak esuret hat loadsa nd items of luggage
ar es ecurel ystore dorl ashed down
(/ page178).
R Before driving off-road, stop thev ehicle and
engag ealowgear.
R Vehicles with DSR: activateDSR when you
ar ed rivin gd ownhill (/ page127).
R All-wheel driv evehicles: activatethe all-
wheel driv e(/ pag e125) and ,ifnecessa ry,
activat ethe LOWR ANGE transmission ratio
(/ page 126).
R Ifth es urface requ ires, temp orarily deactivate
ESP ®
when pulling away .
R Onlydrive off-road wit hthe engine running
and agear engaged.
R Driv eslowl yand smo othly .W alkin gpace is
necessar yinmanys ituations.
R Avoid spinning thed rive nw heels.
R Alwayse nsur ethat thew heels remain in con‐
ta ct wi th theground.
R Exercise theu tmos tcaution when driving
across unfamiliar ,unpre dictable terrain. As a
precaution ,get outoft hevehicle totake a
look at ther out etobet akenfirs t.
R Lookoutforo bstacles (e.g .roc ks,h oles, tree
st umps and tir eruts).
R Avoid edges wher ethe sur face could crumble
or brea kaway.
Ru les forf ording off-road (all-wheel drive
ve hicles)
R Obser vethes afet yn otes and general no tes
on driving off-road.
R Chec kthe dep thand characteristic softhe
body of waterbefor efording. The waterm ust
no tbed eeper than 23.6 in (60 cm).
R The climat econtrol sy stem is switched off
(/ page101). R
The auxiliar yheating is switched off
(/ page106).
R Activat eall-whee ldrive ( /page 125) and
ac tivat eitonv ehicles wit hthe LOWR ANGE
transmission ratio (/ page 126).
R Restrict thes hiftrang eto 1or 2.
R Avoid high engine speeds.
R Driv eslowl yand smoo thly at no mor ethan a
wa lkin gpace.
R Ensur ethat no bo wwavef orms while driving.
R Afterf ording, dr ythe brakes.
Af terd riving thro ugh abody of waterdeeper than
19 .7 in (50 cm) ,makes uretoc heckallve hicle
fl uids fora ny signs of penetration bywate r.
Checklis tafter driving off- road
Driving overrough terrain place sgreater
demands on your vehicle than normal road opera‐
tion. Chec kyour vehicle af terd riving on rough
te rrain. This allo wsyoutod etect damage
prom ptly an dreduce ther isk of an accident for
yo urself and other road users. Clean your vehicle
th oroughly befor edriving on public roads.
If yo uf ind dama getothev ehicle af tero ff-road
driving, ha vethev ehicle checkedataq ualified
specialis tworks hop immediatel y.
Obser vethef ollowing points af terd riving off-
ro ad, on con stru ction sites and befor edriving on
publi croads:
R Vehicles with DSR: deactivateDSR
(/ page127).
R All-wheel driv evehicles: deactivat ethe all-
wheel driv e(/pag e125).
R Activat eESP®
.
R Clea nthe exterior lighting, particular lythe
headlamp sand tail lamps, and checkt hem
fo rd ama ge.
R Clean thef ront and rear licens eplates.
R Clean thew indshield, windo wsand outside
mir rors.
R Clean thes teps, entra nces and grab handles.
Thi sincrease sthe saf etyofy ourfoot ing.
R Clean thew heels and tires, wheel wells and
th eu nderbody of thev ehicle wit hawater jet.
Thi sincrease sroad adhesion ,especiall yon
we troadw ays.
R Chec kthe wheels and tires and wheel wells
fo rt rapped fore ign object sand remo vethem.
Tr apped fore ign object scan damag ethe 11 8
Driving and pa rking

#
In particula r,do no tparkond rygrass‐
land or har vested grain fields. &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
due tochildren lef tunat tende dint he
ve hicle
If ch ildren ar eleftu nat tende dint hevehicle,
th ey could:
R Ope ndoors,t hereb yendangering other
persons or road users.
R Getout and be stru ck byoncomin gtraf‐
fi c.
R Ope rate ve hicle equipment and become
trapped, fore xamp le.
In addition ,the children could also se tthe
ve hicle in motion, fore xamp leby:
R Releasing thep arking brake.
R Changing thet ransmission position.
R Startin gthe vehicle. #
Neverlea ve children unat tende dint he
ve hicle. #
When leaving thev ehicle, alw ayst ake
th ek eywit hyou and loc kthe vehicle. #
Keep thev ehicle keyo ut of reac hof
ch ildren. *
NO
TEDama getothev ehicle or thed rive‐
train due torolling away #
Alwaysp arky our vehicle safely and
according tolegal requirements. #
Alwaysp roper lysecur ethe vehicle
agains trolling away. &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ryif
parkin gbrake is no tapplied
If yo up arkt he vehicle wit hthe transmission
in par kposition 005Dand thep arking brak eis
no te ngaged, thev ehicle ma yroll away.
Engaging pa rkposition 005Dis no tafully ade‐
qu ater eplacement fort he parking brake.
Ther eisar isk of accident and injur y.#
Secu rethev ehicle agains trolling away
as desc ribed belo w. Obser
vethef ollowing points toensur ethat the
ve hicle is properly secured agains trolling away
unin tentionally: #
alwa ys appl ythe parking brake. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
engag etransmission position 005D. #
On uphill or downhill inclines: turnthe
front wheels towa rdst he curb. #
On uphill or downhill inclines: securethe
re ar axle wit hachockorano bject without
shar pedges.
% Yo
uc an operat ethe side windo wsforf ive
minutes af tery ou ha veswitched of fthe vehi‐
cle. Manual parking brake
Applying/releasing
theh andbrak elever &
WARNING Risk of skidding or an acci‐
dent bybraking wit hthe parking brake
If yo uh ave tobrak eyour vehicle wit hthe
parking brake, theb raking dis tance is consid‐
erab lylonger and thew heels ma yloc k. There
is an increased risk of skidding and/or acci‐
dent. #
Only brak ethe vehicle wit hthe parking
brak eift he service brak ehasfailed. #
Inthis case, do no tappl ythe parking
brak ewitht oo muc hforce. #
Ifth ew heels loc k,immediately release
th ep arking brak easmuchasr equired
fo rt he wheels totur na gain. &
WARNING Risk offire and an acciden tif
th ep arking brak eisnotreleased
If th ep arking brak eisnotfull yreleased when
driving, thef ollowing situations can occur:
R The parking brak ecan overheat and cause
af ire
R The parking brak ecan lose its holding
function #
Comple tely release thep arking brake
befor edriving off. The brak
elights do no tlight up when youb rake
th ev ehicle wit hthe parking brake. Driving and parking
141

Fo
rthe automatic functions towo rkcor rectl y,the
driver mus tbeseated in thec orrect sea tposition
(/ page 64).
The function of thee lectric parking brak eis
dependent on theo n-boar delectrical sy stem volt‐
age. If theo n-boar delectrical sy stem voltag eis
lo wort hereisam alfunction in thes ystem, it
ma ynotbe possible toappl ythe electric parking
brak eand they ellow 0024 indicator lam plights
up.
In this case, par kthe vehicle in thef ollowing way:
R Park thev ehicle on le velg roun da nd secur eit
to prev ent it from rolling away.
R Ve
hicles with automatic transmission:
shif tthe transmission toposition 005D.
% The electric parking brak
eisonlya ctually
applied when ther ed 0049 and0024 (USA)
or 0024 (Canada) indicator lamps light up
continuousl y.
It ma ynotbe possible torelease aparkin gbrake
if th eo n-boar delectrical sy stem voltag eisl owor
if th er eisam alfunction in thes ystem. Infor ma
qu alified specialis tworks hop.
When thee ngine is switched off, thee lectric
parking brak ecarries out afunction test at regu‐
lar inter vals. Noise sarenormal in this process.
Au tomaticall yapplying the electric parking
brake
Ve hicles with automatic transmission:
The electric parking brak eisautomatically
applied when thet ransmission is in position 005D.
In addition, at leas tone of thef ollowing condi‐
tions mus tbefulfilled:
R The engin eisswitched off
R The driver is no tsitting in thed rive r's seat
R The belt buckle is undone To
prev ent thee lectric parking brak efroma pply‐
ing automaticall y,pull switch 1.
The electric parking brak eisalso automatically
applied if ActiveD ista nce Assi stDISTRONI Chas
brought thev ehicle toas tandstill.
In addition ,atleastone of thef ollowing condi‐
tions mus tbefulfilled:
R The engin eisswitched off
R The driver is no tsitting in thed rive r's seat
R The belt buckle is undone
R Ther eisas ystemm alfunction
R The po wersupp lyis insuf ficient
R The vehicle is stationar yfor along time
The red0049 and0024 (USA) or 0024(Canada)
indicator lam pinthe instrument displa ylights up.
The electric parking brak eisonlya ctuall yapplied
when ther ed 0049 and0024 (USA) or 0024
(Canada) indicator lamps light up continuousl y.
Re leasing thee lectric pa rking brak eautomat‐
ically
Ve hicles with automatic transmission:
The electric parking brak eofyourvehicle is
re leased when all of thef ollowing condition sare
fulfilled:
R The driver is sitting in thed rive r's seat.
R The driver is belted.
R The engine is running.
R The transmissio nisinposition005Bor005E and
yo ud epress thea ccelera tor.
or
Yo us wit ch from transmission position 005Dto
position 005Bor005E.Y ou mus talso depress the Driving and pa
rking 14 3

Ac
ceptin gthe displa yeds pee dlim it whe nDis‐
tance Assis tDISTRONIC is acti vated #
Press rocker switch 4up (RES).
The speed limit displa yedint he instrument
clus terisa doptedast hestored speed. The
ve hicle adapts its speed tothat of thev ehicle
in front, but only up tothes tore ds peed.
Pulling away again with Activ eD ista nce
Assis tDISTRONIC #
Remo veyour foot from theb rake pedal. #
Press rocker switch 4up (RES).
or #
Depress thea ccelerator pedal briefly with
fo rc e.
The functions of ActiveD istan ce Assi st
DISTRONI Ccontinue tobe car ried out.
Deactivating Activ eD ista nce Assist
DISTRO NIC &
WARNING Risk of accident du etoActive
Dis tance Assi stDISTRONI Cstillb eing
activated when youl eave thed rive r's
seat
If yo ul eave thed rive r's seat while thev ehicle
is being braked byActiveD ista nce Assi st
DISTRONI Conly,the vehicle can rollaw ay. #
Alwaysd eactivat eActiv eDista nce
Assi stDISTRONI Cand secur ethe vehi‐
cle topreve nt it from rolling away before
yo ul eave thed rive r's seat. #
Press rocker switch 4down (CNCL). #
Depress theb rake pedal.
Increasing or reducing the speed #
Push rocker switch 3up (SET+ )ordown
(SET-).
The stored speed is increased or reduced by
1m ph (1 km/h).
or #
Press and hold rocker switch 3up (SET+)/
down (SET-).
The stored speed is increased or reduced in
1m ph (1 km/h) increments.
or #
Push rocker switch 3beyond thep ressure
point.
The stored speed is increased or reduced by
5m ph (1 0km/h).
or #
Push rocker switch 3beyond thep ressure
point and hold.
The stored speed is increased or reduced in
5m ph (1 0km/h) increments.
Increasing or reducing the specifie ddistance
from the vehicl einf ront #
Toincrease thes pecified distance: press
rock er switch 2down (Ò). #
Toreduce the specifie ddistance: press
rock er switch 2up (Ñ). Information on Hill
StartA ssist Hill
StartA ssisth olds thev ehicle foras horttime
when pulling away on ahill under thef ollowing
conditions:
R Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
transmission is in position 005Bor005E.
R The pa rking brak ehas been released.
This gives youe nough tim etomoveyour foot
from theb rake pedal tothea ccelerator pedal and
depress it befor ethe vehicle begins toroll. &
WARNING Risk of accident and injury
du etot hevehicle rolling away
Af teras horttime, Hill StartA ssistnol onger
holds thev ehicle and it can rollaw ay. #
Therefore, swiftl ymove your foot from
th eb rake pedal tothea ccelerator
pedal. Ne vera ttem pttolea vethev ehi‐
cle if it is being held byHill StartA ssist. HOLD function
HOLD function
Re
quirements:
R The seat occupancy recognition on thed riv‐
er's seat has de tected that thed rive rh as fas‐
te ned thes eat belt.
The HOLD function holds thev ehicle at astand‐
st ill without requ iring youtod epress theb rake
pedal, e.g. when pulling away on steep slopes or
when waitin gint raffic. Whe nyou depress the
accelerator pedal topull away,the braking ef fect
is canceled and theH OLD function is deactiva‐
te d.
The HOLD function is onl yanaid. The responsibil‐
ity fort he vehicle safel ystandi ngstill remains
wit hthe driver. 15 4
Driving and pa rking

Sy
stem limits
The HOL Dfunction is onl yintende dtoprovide
assis tance when driving and is no tasufficient
means of safeguarding thev ehicle agains trolling
aw ay when stationar y.
R The incline mus tnotbe greater than 30%.
Ac tivating/deactivatin gthe HOL Dfunction
Requ irements:
R The vehicle is stationar y.
R The engine is running or it ha sbeena utomati‐
cally switched of fbythe EC Ostart/s topf unc‐
tion.
R The driver is seated and belted.
R The electric parking brak eisreleased.
R Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
selector le verisinp osition005B,005Eor005C.
R ActiveD ista nce Assi stDISTRONI Cisdeacti va‐
te d.
Ac tivatin gthe HOL Dfunction &
WARNING Risk of an accident du etothe
HOLD function being acti vatedw heny ou
lea vethev ehicle
If yo ul eave thev ehicle while onl ythe HOLD
function is braking thev ehicle, thev ehicle
can rollaw ay inthef ollowing situations:
R Ifth er eisam alfunction in thes ystemor
in thep ower suppl y.
R Ifth eH OLD function is deactivated by
depressing thea ccelera torp eda lorb rake
pedal, e.g. byavehicle occupant. #
Alwaysd eactivat ethe HOLD function
and secur ethe vehicle agains trolling
aw ay befor eleaving thev ehicle. *
NO
TEDama gefrom auto matic braking When
ActiveB rake Assi st,A ctiv eDista nce
Assi stDISTRONI Corthe HOLD function are
activated, thev ehicle brakes autonomously in
cer tains ituations.
To avo id damag etothevehicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thef ollowing or similars it‐
uations: #
During towing #
Inac arwa sh #
Mak esuret hat thea ctivation conditions are
met. #
Depress theb rake pedal until the00D9 dis‐
pla yappear sinthe multifunction displa y.
The HOLD function is activated. Youc an
re lease theb rake pedal.
% If depressing
theb rake pedal thef irst time
does no tactivate theH OLD function, wait
brief lyand then tr yagain.
Deactivating the HOLD function
The HOLD function is deactivated in thef ollowing
situations: #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
depress thea ccelerator pedal when thea uto‐
matic transmission is in position 005Bor005E. #
Depress theb rake pedal again wit hsufficient
pressu reuntil the00D9 displa yinthe multi‐
function displa ygoes out. #
Activat eActiv eDista nce Assi stDISTRONIC.
% Ve
hicles with automatic transmission: the
automatic transmissio nofyourvehicle shifts
to 005D afte rs ome time. This relie vest he load
on thes ervice brake.
When theH OLD function is activated, thea uto‐
matic transmission automaticall yshifts to005D in
th ef ollowing situations:
R The driver lea vest he driver's seat.
R The driver's door is opened.
R The engine is switched of fwithout theE CO
st art/ stop function. Re
ar vie wcamer awithrear-vie wmirro rd is‐
play Fu
nction of ther ear vie wcamer awith inside
re arvie wmirro rd isplay
The rear vie wcamer aisc onnec tedtot hevehi‐
cle's inside rearvie wmirro r.When youe ngage
re ve rseg ear ther ear vie wcamera's image
appear sinthe lef tareaoft he inside rearview
mir ror.It is therefor epossible tosee what is
behind thev ehicle when backing up.
The rear vie wcamer awithi nside rearvie wmirror
displa yisonlyana id. It is no tasubstitut efor you
paying attention tothes urroundings. Youa re
alw aysr esponsibl efor saf emaneu vering and
pa rking. Mak esuret hat ther ea reno persons,
animals or object setc. in them aneuvering area
while maneuvering and parking in parking
spaces.
The rear vie wcamer awithi nside rearvie wmirror
displa ymaysho wad isto rted vie wofo bstacles,
sho wthem incor rectly or no tatall.Itc annot Driving and pa
rking 15 5

&
WARNING Swerving of thev ehicle/
trailer combination due toinc reased
speed
If th ev ehicle/trailer combination swer ves,
yo uc an lose control of it.
The vehicle/trailer combination can even tip
ove r. #
Under no ci rcums tances shoul dyou try
to inc rease thes peed tostra ighten the
ve hicle/trailer combination. #
Reduce speed and do no tcounter-s teer. #
If necessar y,appl ythe brakes. &
WARNING Risk of accident du etothe
brak esystem overheating
If yo ul eave your foot on theb rake pedal
when driving, theb rake system ma yoverheat.
This increases theb raking dis tance and the
brak esystemm ayeve nfail. #
Neveru se theb rake pedal as afootrest. #
Do no tdepress theb rake pedal and the
accelerator pedal at thes ame time
while driving. &
WARNING Danger of accident du eto
unsuitable ball coupling
If yo ui nstall an unsuitable ball coupling, over‐
loading of thet railer hitc hand rear axle will
be ther esult. This is particularly thec ase if
th eb all coupling is relatively long or angled
dif fere ntl y.
The handling characteristic smaybe heavily
impaired and thet railer can become
de tach ed. Ther eisarisk offata linjur y. #
Only ins tallab all couplin gthat meets
th ep ermitted dimension sand has been
designed fort he trailer operation
re qu irements. #
Do no tmodif ythe ball coupling or the
traile rhitch. &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
due toan incor rectl yins talled ball cou‐
pling
If th eb all coupling is no tins talled and
engaged cor rectly ,itm aybecome de tach ed
during tr avel and endanger other road users.
Ther eisar isk offata linjur y. #
Install and secur ethe ball coupling as
described in theb all coupling manufac‐
turer's ins tallation instructions. #
When theb all coupling has been ins tal‐
led, ensur ethat it is cor rectly secu red
befor eevery trip. &
WARNING Risk of accident du etoan
incor rectl yins tal led and secured ball
coupling
If th eb all coupling has no tbeen cor rectly
ins talled and secured, thet railer can become
de tach ed. #
Install and secur ethe ball coupling as
described in theb all coupling manufac‐
turer's ins tallation instructions. #
When theb all coupling has been ins tal‐
led, ensur ethat it is cor rectly secu red
befor eevery trip. *
NO
TEWearing out theb rake linings by
continuously dep ressing theb rake pedal #
Do no tdepress theb rake pedal continu‐
ously whils tdriving. #
Touse theb raking ef fect of thee ngine,
shif ttoa lowe rgear in good time. Alw
aysc ompl ywitht he operating instructions of
th em anufacturer of thet railer coupling and the
ball nec k.
Place your vehicle/trailer combination on sur fa‐
ces that ar ease vena spossible and secu reit
agains trolling away ( /pag e140). Coupl eand
uncoupl ethe trailer carefully.
When backing up thet ow ing vehicle, ensur ethat
th er eisn o-one between thev ehicle and the
traile r.
If yo udon otcouple thet railer tothet ow ing vehi‐
cle cor rectly ,the trailer ma ybecome de tach ed.
Onceith as been coupled and is roadwor thy, the
traile rmustbeinah orizontalp osition behin dthe
to wing vehicle. Driving and parking
16 3

become trapped between
thev ehicle and the
traile rdrawbar. #
Do no tuncouple trailer swithan
engaged overrun brake. Do no
tuncouple atrailer wit hanoverrun brak ein
as tate ofove rrun. Otherwise, ther ebound of the
ove rrunb rake can damag eyour vehicle. #
Shif tthe selector le vertop osition 005D. #
Appl ythe vehicle's parking brake. #
Close all thed oors. #
Appl ythe trailer's parking brake. #
Secur ethe trailer agains trolling away wit ha
wheel choc kors imilar object. #
Remo vethet railer cables and saf etyc hains. #
Uncouple thet railer. Information about
towing atrailer Operatin
gatrailer is subject toman ystatutory
re gulations suc hasspeedrestrictions.
Man ystatesa lso requ ireana uxiliaryseparate
functional brakin gsystem when towing aweight
th at exc eeds acertain limit .For your saf ety, it is
re commended touse aseparat efunctional brak‐
ing sy stem on an ytowe dvehicle.
Mak esuret hat your trailer combinatio nmeets
local regulations. This no tonlya pplies to your
plac eofr esidence, but also to your destination.
In fo rm atio nont his can be obtained from the
police and local authorities.
Compl ywitht he following when driving wit ha
trailer:
R Practice cornering, stopping and backing up
in at raffic-free location. In this wa y,yo uw ill
ga in driving experience and become accus‐
to med tothen ew handling characteristics.
R Befor edriving, checkt he following:
- that thet railer towh itch and ball coupling
ar es ecure
- that thes afet ys wit ch forb rake dt railer sis
functioning cor rectly
- that thes afet yc hains ar esecur eand
undamaged
- that thee lectrical connection saresecure
- that thel ights ar efunctioning cor rectly
- thew heels ford ama geand cor rect tire
pressur e(/ page 215) R
Adjus tthe outside mir rors so that youh avea
clea rviewoft herear sectio nofthe trailer.
R Ifth et railer is equipped wit hanindividual
braking sy stem, checkb efor eeachj ourney
whe ther theb rake sa refunctioning cor rectl y.
R Ifth et railer has electronicall ycont rolled
brakes, pull away carefully wi th thevehicle/
trailer combination .Brake manually using the
brak econtroller and checkw hether the
brakes ar efunctioning cor rectl y.
R Secu rethel oad on thet railer in line wit hthe
re qu irements and rules forl oad-securing
me thods.
R When driving wit hatrailer ,chec katr egular
inter vals that thel oad is secur eand that the
light sand brakes ar efunctioning cor rectl y.
R Bea rinm indthat theh andling characteristics
ar em oreu nstable when towing atrailer than
when drivin gwithout atrailer .Avoid sudden
st eering mo vements.
R The vehicle/trailer combination is heavier,
accelerates mor eslowl y,has areduced
climbing ability and an increased braking dis‐
ta nce. It is mor esusceptible toside winds
and requ ires careful steering.
R If possible, do no tbrake suddenl y,but rath er
moderatel yatfirst so that thet railer can acti‐
va te its brakes. Then inc rease thep ressur eon
th eb rake pedal.
R Ifth ea utomatic transmission shifts between
ge arsonu phill or downhill gradients, restrict
th es hiftrange. Select shif trang e4,3,2or1.
Al owe rgear and reduced speed decrease the
ri sk of engine damage.
R When driving on adownhill gradient, shif ttoa
lo we rgear touse thee ngine' sbraking ef fect.
Av oid cons tant braking, as this could cause
th ev ehicle brakes and possibly also the
traile rbrake stoo verheat.
R Ifth ec oolant temp eratur eincreases signifi‐
cant lywhen thea ir-conditionin gsystemis
switched on, switc hthe air-conditioning sys‐
te mo ff.
Coolant heat can also be dissipated by
switching thea irflow and thet emperatur eof
th eh eater or air conditioning tothem aximum
le ve l. Open thew indo wsif necessar y.
R When overtak ing, pa yparticular attention to
th ei ncreased overtakin gdista nce of your
ve hicle/trailer combination. 16 6
Driving and pa rking