heating MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK 2008 Owner's Manual

Trailer towing*
189
not use a noseweight of less than 50 kg,
otherwise the trailer may come loose.
Bear in mind that the payload and the rear
axle load are reduced by the actual nose-
weight.
i The height of the ball coupling changes
with the load of the vehicle. If necessary,
use a trailer with a height-adjustable draw-
bar.
Coupling up a trailer G
Risk of injury
Do not connect a trailer with an engaged
overrun brake. Otherwise, your hand could
become trapped between the bumper and
drawbar.
! Do not disconnect a trailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise your
vehicle could be damaged by the spring
action of the overrun brake.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electrical connection
between the vehicle and the trailer. Driving tips In Germany, the maximum permitted speed
for vehicle/trailer combinations is 80 km/h.
G
Risk of accident
A maximum speed of 80 km/h should not
be exceeded, even in countries where
higher speeds are permitted for vehicle/
trailer combinations. This lowers the risk of
an accident.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison
to when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R consumes more fuel
On long and steep downhill gradients, you
must select a lower gear in good time, or in
vehicles with AUTOTRONIC*, select shift
range 1,2or 3. i
This also applies if you have activated
cruise control* or Speedtronic*.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. If you need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. 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.
Driving tips
R Maintain a greater distance from the vehi-
cle in front than when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from a standstill refer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas, Operation
* optional
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann,
Version: 2.10.6 2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 189 ZDateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight

Care
194Do not aim directly at any of the following:
R
tyres
R door joint
R electrical components
R Battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim elements
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to failures or leaks.
Cleaning the wiper blades and the out-
side of the windscreen G
Risk of injury
Before cleaning the windscreen or wiper
blades, turn the key in the ignition to 0.
Otherwise, the windscreen wipers may
move and injure you. X
Turn the key to position 1(Y page 62) in
the ignition lock.
X Set the windscreen wipers to position
I(Y page 83) on the combination switch.
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 62) or
remove it when the wiper arms are vertical.
! Only fold the windscreen wipers away
from the windscreen when vertical, other-
wise you will damage the bonnet.
X Fold the wiper arms away from the wind-
screen.
X Wipe the windscreen and wiper blades with
a damp, lint-free cloth (e.g. a microfibre
cloth) and cleaning agent.
X Fold the wiper arms back on to the wind-
screen before the ignition is switched on.
! Do not clean the wiper blades too often
as this will result in damage to the surface
coating, leading to wiper noise.
Cleaning the windows !
Do not use dry cloths, abrasive products,
solvents or cleaning agents containing sol-
vents to clean the inside of the windows.
Clean the insides of the windows with a
damp cloth or commercially-available glass cleaner. Avoid touching the inside of the
rear windscreen and the side windows with
hard objects, e.g. ice scrapers or rings. You
could otherwise cause damage to the win-
dows, rear window heating or aerial on the
rear window.
i Anti-glare film retrofitted to the insides of
the windows could interfere with radio or
mobile phone reception, especially if it is
conductive or metal-coated film. Informa-
tion about anti-glare film can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Cleaning the headlamps X
Clean the plastic lenses of the headlamps
with a damp sponge.
! Only use washer fluid which is suitable for
plastic lamp lenses. Unsuitable washer
fluid could damage the plastic lamp lenses
of the headlamps.
Therefore, do not use:
R dry cloths
R abrasive products
R solvents
R cleaning products containing solvents Operation
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann
,V ersion: 2.10.6
2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 194 Dateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight

Troubleshooting
222 Troubleshooting
Points to remember
G
Risk of accident and injury
If maintenance work is carried out incorrectl y this can jeopardise the operating safety of your vehicle. You risk losing control of your vehicle
and thereby causing an accident. The safety systems may also no longer be able to protect you or others as they are designed to do.
Always have maintenance work carried out at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose.
In particular, all work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop. Warning and indicator lamps in switches and buttons
Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
One or all of the indicator lamps
in the seat heating* button are
flashing. The seat heating* has
switched itself off automatically. The on-board voltage is too low,
because too many consumers are
switched on. X
Switch off consumers that are not required, e. g. reading lamp or
interior lighting.
Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the seat ventilation* will
switch back on automatically. The indicator lamp in the
2
button on the air-conditioning*/
Thermotronic* control panel
lights up. The cooling system can-
not be switched on. Cooling has been deactivated
due to a malfunction. X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Practical advice
* optional
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann
,V ersion: 2.10.6
2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 222 Dateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight

Troubleshooting
223Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggested solutions
The indicator lamp in the
F/
1 rear-window heating button
is flashing. The rear-window heat-
ing has switched itself off prema-
turely or cannot be switched on. The on-board voltage is too low,
because too many consumers are
switched on. X
Switch off consumers that are not required, e. g. reading lamp or
interior lighting.
Once the batter y is sufficiently charged, the rear window heating
will switch back on automatically. Vehicles with automatic child
seat recognition on the front-
passenger seat:
The
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF warning lamp on the centre
console is lit. A special Mercedes-Benz child
seat with automatic child seat
recognition has been fitted to the
front-passenger seat. The front-
passenger airbag has therefore
been disabled as desired.
G
Risk of injury
There is no child seat fitted to the
front-passenger seat. The auto-
matic child seat recognition is
malfunctioning. X
Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat, for
example
R
notebook
R mobile phone
R cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes or access passes
If the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp is still lit:
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. You have started the engine with
the key. The indicator lamp in the
ECO start/stop function *button
does not light up or goes out
again after a short time. You have deactivated the ECO
start/stop function
*. X
Activate the ECO start/stop function* again. The ECO start/stop function*is
not available due to a fault. X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Practical advice
* optional
169_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
wdomann,
Version: 2.10.6 2008-07-16T08:52:06+02:00 - Seite 223 ZDateiname: 6515_0315_02_buchblock.pdf; preflight