parking brake MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK 2008 User Guide

Driving and pa
rking 90
Hill start assist Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
on uphill gradients. It holds the vehicle for a
short time after you have removed your foot
from the brake pedal. This gives you enough
time to move your foot from the brake pedal
to the accelerator pedal and depress it before
the vehicle begins to roll. G
Risk of accident
Never leave the vehicle when it is held by
hill start assist. After approximately one
second, hill start assist will no longer brake
your vehicle and it could roll away.
X Remove your foot from the brake pedal.
i Once you have taken your foot off the
brake pedal, the vehicle is held for around
one second.
X Pull away.
Hill start assist does not function if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or a
downhill gradient.
R on vehicles with AUTOTRONIC *,the selec-
tor lever is in the Nposition. R
the vehicle is secured with the parking
brake.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. Parking
G
Risk of accident
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary as you can-
not steer the vehicle with the key removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the parking
brake. This could lead to a serious or fatal
accident. G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system does
not under any circumstances come into
contact with easily ignitable material such
as dry grass or petrol. The material could
otherwise ignite and set the vehicle on fire. Parking brake 1
Parking brake
2 Release button
X To apply: pull parking brake 1up firmly.
The 3 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb. Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 91
X
To release: depress the brake pedal and
keep it depressed.
On vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*, the selec-
tor lever lock is released.
X Press release button 2on parking brake
1 and move the parking brake down to the
stop.
The 3 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out. Switching off the engine
G
Risk of accident
If the engine is not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering and
brakes. Steering and braking then takes
much more effort.
As a result, you might lose control of the
vehicle, cause an accident and injure your-
self and others.
Do not switch off the engine while driving.
Vehicles with manual transmission X
Shift to either first or reverse gear.
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 62) in
the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated. Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC* X
Move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 62) in
the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated. Automatic engine switch-off (ECO
start/stop function*)
The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches off the engine as soon as you stop
the vehicle, e.g. at traffic lights.
X Brake the vehicle until it comes to a stand-
still.
The shift instruction appears in the multi-
function display. Example illustration: gearshift instructionX
Shift to neutral Nand release the clutch
pedal.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
The engine is automatically switched off
and the ECO start/stop function is shown
in the multi-function display. Example illustration: ECO display Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 115Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R Cruise control* and Speedtronic*, which
are used to control the speed of the vehicle
R Parktronic * and active parking assist*,
which can help you to find a parking space,
to manoeuvre and park
R ECO Start-Stop function*, helps you to
save fuel
The ABS, BAS, adaptive brake lights, ESP ®
and STEER CONTROL driving safety systems
are described in the "Driving safety systems"
section ( Ypage 55). Cruise control*
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. You must select a low gear in
good time on long and steep downhill gradi-
ents, especially if the vehicle is laden or tow-
ing a trailer. By doing so you will make use of
the braking effect of the engine, which
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly. G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continu-
ously while the vehicle is in motion, e.g.
never cause the brakes to rub by applying
constant slight pedal pressure. This causes
the brake system to overheat, increases
the braking distance and can lead to the
brakes failing completely. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This
could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time. G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do
not allow you to maintain a constant
speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding
roads). You could otherwise cause an
accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerat-
ing could 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
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 120
Permanent Speedtronic* You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. for driving with winter tyres)
and the maximum speed.
Just before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multi-function display.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown).
Setting permanent Speedtronic
X Press èor· to select the Set-
tings menu (Y page 106).
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press jto select Speed limit
(tyres). X
Press the æorç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off
Permanent Speedtronic is deactivated.
R A limit speed between 230 km/hand
160 km/h in increments of 10 km/h
X To select a different display, press the
j, èorÿ button. Parktronic*
G
Risk of accident
Parktronic is only an aid and may not detect
all obstacles. It is not a substitute for atten-
tive driving.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your
immediate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endan-
ger yourself and others. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that no persons or animals are
in the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
Parktronic is an electronic parking aid using
ultrasound. It indicates visually and audibly
the distance between your vehicle and an
object.
Parktronic is automatically activated when
you switch on the ignition and release the
handbrake.
Parktronic is deactivated at speeds above
18 km/h. It is reactivated at lower speeds.
Parktronic monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 1211
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-hand side
Range of the sensors The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush, otherwise they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y
page 196). Side view Top view
Front sensors
Centre Approximately 100 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
Rear sensors
Centre Approximately 120 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer towbars. Parktronic
does not detect such objects when they are
in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You
could damage the vehicle or the objects. Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill could cause Parktronic
to malfunction.
Minimum distance Centre Approximately 20 cm
Corners Approximately 20 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, all
warning displays light up and a tone sounds.
If the distance falls below the minimum clear-
ance, it may no longer be shown.
Warning displays
The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is loca-
ted on the roof lining in the rear compart-
ment. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 125Example: Parking space detected
1
Detected parking space on the left
2 Parking symbol
3 Detected parking space on the right
Active parking assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel.
R that are at least 1.5 m wide.
R that are at least 1.3 m longer than your
vehicle.
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx. 15 m
away from it. Parking G
Risk of accident
Parktronic and Active parking assist are
merely parking aids and may not detect all
obstacles. They do not relieve you of the
responsibility of paying attention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your
immediate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endan-
ger yourself and others.
X Stop the vehicle when the parking space
symbol shows the desired parking space in
the instrument cluster.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: Shift to
reverse gear.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*: move the
selector lever to position R.
On the multi-function display, the message:
Park Assist Activate? Check vehi-
cle surroundings Yes: No: appearsX
To cancel the procedure: press the k
button on the multi-function steering wheel
or pull away.
or
X To park using active parking assist: press
the j button on the multi-function
steering wheel.
On the multi-function display, the message:
Park Assist active Please acceler-
ate and brake the vehicle yourself
appears G
Risk of accident
When parking, you need to make sure that
no obstacles are located in the vicinity of
the vehicle during the entire operation.
Active parking assist does not relieve you
of the responsibility of paying attention. It
merely aids you by intervening actively in
the steering.
To stop the vehicle or avoid an accident you
need to apply the brakes yourself.
X Let go of the multi-function steering wheel.
X Reverse the car, being ready to brake at all
times. When reversing, do not exceed a
speed of approx.10 km/h, otherwise active
parking assist will be deactivated. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 126
i
In tight parking spaces, you will achieve
the best parking results by reversing as far
as possible. When doing so, also observe
the Parktronic messages.
X Stop as soon as Parktronic sounds the con-
tinuous warning tone, if not before.
Manoeuvring may be required in tight park-
ing spaces.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the mes-
sage Park Assist active Please shift
to a forward gear appears in the multi-
function display.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*: the message
Park Assist active Please shift to
D appears in the multi-function display.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: When
the car is stationary, shift to first gear.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*: When the car
is stationary, set the selector lever to posi-
tion R.
Active parking assist immediately steers in
the other direction.
On the multi-function display, the message:
Park Assist active Please acceler- ate and brake the vehicle yourself
appears.
i You will achieve the best parking results
by waiting for the steering procedure to
complete before moving forwards.
X Drive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
X Stop as soon as Parktronic sounds the con-
tinuous warning tone, if not before.
Vehicles with manual transmission: the mes-
sage Park Assist active Please shift
into reverse gear appears in the multi-
function display.
Vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*, the message
Park Assist active Please shift to
R appears in the multi-function display.
X Further gear changes* may be necessary.
As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the message Parking assistance
finished Please take over appears.
Active parking assist is now deactivated.
Parktronic is still available.
X Manoeuvre if necessary.
X Always observe the warning messages dis-
played by Parktronic (Y page 121).Cancelling active parking assist You can cancel active parking assist at any
time.
X
Stop the movement of the multi-function
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Active parking assist will be cancelled at
once. The multi-function display shows the
message: Park Assist cancelled.
or
X Press the Parktronic button on the centre
console (Y page 122).
Parktronic is switched off and active park-
ing assist is immediately cancelled. The
multi-function display shows the message:
Park Assist cancelled.
Active parking assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R a gear is changed* too early
R parking using active parking assist is no
longer possible
R you are driving faster than 10 km/h
R a wheel spins, ESP ®
is activated or fails. In
such cases the vwarning lamp lights
up in the instrument cluster. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 127
A warning tone sounds. the multi-function
display shows the message:
Park Assist
cancelled.
When active parking assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
Trailer towing* For vehicles with a trailer coupling, the mini-
mum length for parking spaces is slightly
increased.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle,
you should not use active parking assist.
Once the electrical connection is established
between your vehicle and the trailer, active
parking assist is no longer available. Park-
tronic is deactivated for the rear area. ECO start/stop function*
The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches off the engine as soon as you stop
the vehicle and restarts the engine as soon as
you prepare to pull away again. Each time the
engine is started using the key, the ECO
start/stop function is activated.
Conditions for the automatic engine
switch-off The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches off the engine if all of the following
conditions are met:
R you have shifted to neutral
R the clutch pedal is not depressed
R the brake pedal is depressed
R the vehicle speed is very low
R the engine has reached its operating tem-
perature
R the indicator lamp in the ECO button is lit
green
R the bonnet is closed
R the outside temperature is within the com-
fort range R
the battery is sufficiently charged
R the brake vacuum is stable
Conditions for the automatic engine
start The ECO start/stop function automatically
switches on the engine if one of the following
conditions is met:
R
the brake pedal is released
R the clutch pedal is depressed
R the vehicle speed exceeds a certain thresh-
old
R the ECO button is pressed
R the brake vacuum has decreased
R the battery charge has dropped
R the demister function of Thermotronic *is
selected Controls
* optional
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Display
messages 214 Display messages Possible cause/consequence Possible solution
3 Check brake fluid
level
G
Risk of accident
There is insufficient brake fl uid in the
brake fluid reservoir. X
Pull over and stop the vehicle safely, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not
continue driving under any circumstances.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
X Do not top up the brake fluid. This will not rec-
tify the fault. ! Release parking
brake You are driving with the parking brake
applied. X
Release the parking brake. [ Clean fuel filter There is water in the fuel filter. The water
must be drained off
27
. X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. D Coolant Stop car,
turn eng. off The coolant is too hot. X
Pull over and stop the vehicle safely and switch
off the engine, paying attention to road and
traffic conditions.
X Make sure, that the air supply to the radiator
is not blocked, e.g. by slush.
X Restart the engine only when the display mes-
sage disappears. Otherwise, there is a risk of
engine damage.
X Pay attention to the coolant temperature dis-
play.
X If the temperature increases again, visit a quali-
fied specialist workshop immediately. 27
Only for certain countries. Practical advice
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Troubleshooting
226 Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
v
Theyellow ESP ®
warning
lamp flashes while the
vehicle is in motion. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
or traction control has
intervened because there is a risk
of skidding or at least one wheel
has started to spin. X
Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as necessary when pull-
ing away.
X Release the accelerator pedal while you are driving.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
. 1
The red SRS warning lamp
is lit while the engine is
running. G
Risk of injury
There is a malfunction in the
restraint system. The airbags or
belt tensioners may either be trig-
gered unintentionally or, in the
event of an accident, not be trig-
gered at all. X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately. 1
The red SRS warning lamp
is lit while the engine is
running. In addition, the
indicator lamp 5
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
flashes in the centre con-
sole and a warning tone
sounds. The connector on the removable
front-passenger seat* is
detached. X
Attach the connector to the coupling on the seat (Y page 156).H
The red brake system
warning lamp comes on
while you are driving. A
warning tone also sounds. You are driving with the parking
brake applied. X
Release the parking brake.
The warning lamp goes out and the warning tone ceases. Practical advice
* optional
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