ESP MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK 2008 User Guide

Driving safety sys
tems56 G
Risk of accident
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking sys-
tem remains available with full brake boost-
ing effect. However, braking force is not
automatically increased in emergency
braking situations and the stopping dis-
tance may increase. Adaptive brake lamps
i Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS,
the brake lamps flash rapidly. In this way,
traffic travelling behind you is warned in an
even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h. You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button ( Ypage 79). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between tyres and
the road surface.
ESP ®
detects when a wheel spins or the vehi-
cle starts to skid. ESP ®
stabilises the vehicle
by targeted braking of individual wheels and
by limiting engine power. It assists you when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
also stabilises the vehicle during braking.
When ESP ®
intervenes, the vwarning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
The vehicle could otherwise go into a skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override
the laws of physics.
! The ignition must be switched off (key in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock), if: R
the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
R the vehicle is being towed with the front
axle raised
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
could
otherwise destroy the brake system on the
front axle.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly. Steering assistant STEER CONTROL
The steering assistant STEER CONTROL helps
you by transmitting a noticeable steering
force to the steering wheel in the direction
required for vehicle stabilisation. This steer-
ing assistance is provided in particular if:
R both right wheels or both left wheels are on
a wet or slippery road surface when you
brake
R the vehicle starts to skid
You have control over the steering at all
times. G
Risk of accident
If there is an ESP ®
malfunction, you will not
receive any steering assistance from the Safety
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Seats
65Adjusting the seat electrically*
1
Head restraint height
2 Backrest angle
3 Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
4 Seat cushion angle
5 Seat height
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock or that the respective
door is open.
Seat fore-and-aft adjustment X
Slide the button forwards or back in the
direction of arrow 3. Seat height X
Slide the button up or down in the direction
of arrow 5.
Seat cushion angle Adjust the angle so that your thighs are gently
supported.
X
Slide the button up or down in the direction
of arrow 4.
Backrest angle X
Slide the button forwards or back in the
direction of arrow 2.
Head restraint height G
Risk of injury
Make sure that the central area of the head
restraint supports the back of your head at
about eye level. You could seriously injure
your neck if your head is not correctly sup-
ported by the head restraint in the event of
an accident. Never travel without a cor-
rectly adjusted and engaged head restraint. X
Slide the button up or down in the direction
of arrow 1.
Head restraint angle X
Push or pull the upper edge of the head
restraint in the direction of the arrow. Controls
* optional
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Mirrors
71
Adjusting the exterior mirrors
1
Adjustment button
2 Right-hand exterior mirror
3 Left-hand exterior mirror
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
X Press button 2for the right-hand exterior
mirror or button 3for the left-hand exte-
rior mirror.
The indicator lamp in the corresponding
button lights up in red.
The indicator lamp goes out again after
some time. You can adjust the selected
mirror using adjustment button 1as long
as the indicator lamp is lit.
X Press adjustment button 1up, down, to
the right or to the left until the exterior mir- ror is set to a position which provides you
with a good overview of traffic conditions.
Folding the exterior mirrors in or out
electrically* 1
To fold the exterior mirrors in or out
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
X Briefly press button 1.
Both exterior mirrors fold in or out.
i Make sure that the exterior mirrors are
always folded out fully while the vehicle is
in motion; otherwise, they may vibrate. Resetting the exterior mirrors If the battery has been disconnected or has
become discharged, the exterior mirrors
must be reset. If this is not done, the exterior
mirrors will not fold in when you select the
"Fold in mirrors when locking" function in the
on-board computer (Y page 110).
X Make sure that the key is in position 1in
the ignition lock.
X Briefly press button 1.
Folding the exterior mirrors in or out
automatically* If the "Fold in mirrors when locking" function
is activated in the on-board computer
(Y
page 110):
R the exterior mirrors fold in automatically as
soon as you lock the vehicle from the out-
side.
R The exterior mirrors fold out again auto-
matically as soon as you unlock the vehicle
and then open the driver's or front-
passenger door.
i If you have activated this function and fold
in the exterior mirrors using button 1, they
will not be folded out automatically. You Controls
* optional
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Seat belts
72can only fold out the exterior mirrors again
using button
1. Seat belts
Wearing seat belts
Seat belts are the most effective means of
restraining the movement of vehicle occu-
pants in the event of an accident. This
reduces the risk of vehicle occupants coming
into contact with the vehicle interior. G
Risk of injury
A seat belt which is not worn correctly, or
which has not been engaged in the seat belt
buckle correctly, cannot perform its inten-
ded protective function. Under certain cir-
cumstances this could cause severe or
even fatal injuries.
Make sure that all occupants – in particular,
pregnant women – wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times.
R The seat belt must pass closely over your
body and must not be twisted. You
should therefore avoid wearing bulky
clothing (e.g. a winter coat). The shoulder
belt section must be routed across the
middle of your shoulder – on no account
across your neck or under your arm – and
pulled tight against your upper body. The
lap belt must always pass across your lap
as low down as possible, i.e. over your hip joints – not across your abdomen. If
necessary, push down the belt strap
slightly and then retighten it in the roll-up
direction.
R Do not route the belt strap across sharp
or fragile objects, especially if these are
located on or in your clothing, e.g. spec-
tacles, pencils, keys, etc. The seat belt
strap could be damaged and tear in an
accident and you or other vehicle occu-
pants could be injured.
R Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time. Children must never
travel sitting on the lap of other occu-
pants. It would not be possible to restrain
the child in the event of a sudden change
in direction, braking or an accident. This
could result in severe or even fatal inju-
ries to the child and other occupants.
R Persons less than 1.50 m tall cannot
wear the seat belts correctly. For this
reason, secure persons less than 1.50 m
tall in specially designed, suitable
restraint systems.
R Children less than 1.50 m tall or under
12 years of age cannot wear the seat
belts properly. Therefore, always secure
these children in suitable child restraint Controls
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Lights
77
while the ignition is switched off (ignition
key in position
0).
! Switch off the side lamps and parking
lamp when you leave the vehicle. This pre-
vents the battery from discharging.
Dipped-beam headlamps X
Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
B.
The B indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
Constant headlamp mode In countries in which constant headlamp
mode is not a legal requirement, you can
make this a setting using the on-board com-
puter.
You can activate or deactivate "constant
headlamp mode" using the on-board com-
puter (Y
page 108).
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
M orU.
The dipped-beam headlamps are switched
on when the engine is running. i
When you turn the light switch to any
position other than MorU, the cor-
responding light goes on.
Automatic headlamp mode G
Risk of accident
If the light switch is set to the Ãposi-
tion, the light will not come on automati-
cally in foggy conditions. This could endan-
ger you and others. Therefore, turn the light
switch to Lin the dark or in fog.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid. The driver is responsible for the vehi-
cle's lighting at all times. G
Risk of accident
When it is dark or foggy, turn the light
switch from ÃtoL in good time.
Otherwise, the headlamps could switch off
temporarily and you could cause an acci-
dent.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
U.
Key in position 1in the ignition lock: the
side lamp is switched on or off automati-
cally, depending on the brightness of the
ambient light. Starting the engine: the dipped-beam head-
lamps are also switched on or off automat-
ically, depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
When the dipped-beam headlamps are
switched on, the
Bindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
Front foglamps*/Rear foglamp G
Risk of accident
If you suspect that driving conditions will be
foggy, turn the light switch to Lbefore
you start your journey. Otherwise, your
vehicle may not be visible and you could
endanger yourself and others.
When the light switch is set to Uyou can-
not switch on the front* or rear foglamps.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X To switch on the front foglamps*: turn
the light switch to the BorC posi-
tion.
X Pull the light switch out to the first detent.
The ¥ green indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up. Controls
* optional
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Lights
78
X
To switch on the rear foglamp: turn the
light switch to BorC.
X On vehicles with front foglamps*, pull the
light switch out to the second detent.
On vehicles without front foglamps*, pull
the light switch out to the detent.
The † yellow indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up.
X To switch off the front foglamps*/rear
foglamp: push in the light switch to the
stop.
The corresponding indicator lamp goes out. Combination switch (turn signals,
main-beam headlamps and headlamp
flasher)
Turn signal lamp
X
To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 2or?.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp K orL in the instrument clus-
ter flashes.
i If you only wish to indicate a minor change
of direction, press the combination switch
briefly in the appropriate direction. The cor-
responding turn signal flashes three times. Main-beam headlamps X
Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to BorU 9
.
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1.
The A main-beam indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch off: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The A main-beam indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Headlamp flasher X
To switch on: briefly pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow =.
9 In the Uposition, the main-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. Controls
* optional
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Lights
79Hazard warning lamps
The hazard warning lamps still operate if the
ignition is switched off. They switch on auto-
matically if an airbag is deployed or if you
brake sharply and bring the vehicle to a halt
from a speed of more than 70 km/h.
X To switch on: press button1.
All turn signals flash. If you now switch on
a turn signal using the combination switch
(Y page 78), only the turn signal lamp on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
X To switch off: press button1. Adjusting the headlamp range (halo-
gen headlamps)
The headlamp range control allows you to
adjust the cone of light from the headlamps
to suit the vehicle load.
You can only adjust the headlamp range while
the engine is running. Position Load
0
Driver's seat and front-
passenger seat occupied
1
Driver's seat, front-
passenger seat and rear
seats occupied Position Load
2
Driver's seat, front passenger
seat and rear seats occupied,
luggage compartment laden
3
Not required
X
Turn headlamp range control 1to the
position which corresponds to the load in
your vehicle. Headlamp cleaning system*
The headlamps are cleaned automatically if
the "Wipe with windscreen washer fluid" func-
tion is operated five times while the lights are
on and the engine is running. When you
switch off the ignition, the automatic head-
lamp cleaning system is reset and counting is
resumed from 0. Controls
* optional
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Side windows
83Side windows
Opening/closing the side windows
G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped between the side window and the door
frame when a side window is opened. Do
not touch or lean against the side window
during the opening procedure. You could
become trapped between the side window
and the door frame as the side window
moves down. If there is a risk of becoming
trapped, release the switch or pull the
switch upwards to close the side window
again. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped when closing the side windows. If there
is a risk of becoming trapped, release the
switch or push the switch again to reopen
the side window. G
Risk of injury
Children may injure themselves if they
operate the side windows.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Always take the key with you when leaving the vehicle, even if you are only
leaving it for a short time.
G
Risk of injury
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could:
R be seriously or even fatally injured on
parts of the vehicle
R be seriously or even fatally injured by
prolonged exposure to extremely high or
extremely low temperatures
If children open a door, they could:
R seriously or even fatally injure other peo-
ple
R get out of the vehicle, thereby injuring
themselves or be seriously or even fatally
injured by a passing vehicle
Activate the child-proof locks if children are
travelling in the vehicle. They could other-
wise open doors or windows while the vehi-
cle is in motion and thereby injure them-
selves or others. i
Related topics:
R convenience opening (Y page 84)
R convenience closing (Y page 85)
R override controls in the rear compart-
ment (Y page 53)
The switches for all side windows are located
on the driver's door. There is also a switch on
each door for the corresponding side window. 1
Front left
2 Front right
3 Rear right
4 Rear left Controls
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Side windows
84
X
Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
i You can still operate the side windows
when the key is in the 0position or when
the key has been removed. However, this
is only possible for a maximum of five
minutes afterwards, or until the driver's or
front-passenger door is opened.
X To open: press the corresponding switch.
X To close: pull the corresponding switch.
i If you operate the switch beyond its pres-
sure point, it will trigger automatic opera-
tion in the corresponding direction. You can
stop automatic operation by pressing
again.
Closing with increased force and with-
out the anti-entrapment feature G
Risk of injury
Closing the side windows with increased
force or without the anti-entrapment fea-
ture could lead to serious or even fatal
injury. Make sure that nobody can become
trapped when closing the side windows. If a side window blocks during closing and
reopens slightly:
X
Immediately after the window blocks, pull
on the corresponding switch again until the
side window has closed.
The side window is closed with increased
force.
If a side window blocks again during closing
and reopens slightly:
X Immediately after the window blocks, pull
on the corresponding switch again until the
side window has closed.
The side window is closed without the anti-
entrapment feature. Resetting the side windows
You must reset each side window if:
R the battery has been disconnected or has
become discharged.
R the side window no longer opens or closes
fully.
R the side windows open again slightly after
being closed fully. X
Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Pull the corresponding switch until the side
window is closed.
X Hold the switch for an additional second.
If the side window opens again slightly:
X Pull the corresponding switch again imme-
diately and hold it for approx. one second. Convenience opening*
You can ventilate the vehicle before a journey.
To do this, you can use the key to simultane-
ously:
R open the side windows
R open the panorama louvred sliding sun-
roof* or move it to the ventilation position
i The "Convenience opening" feature can
only be operated using the key. Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 89
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. 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 will then
require significantly greater 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. Controls
* optional
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