wheel MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK 2008 Owner's Manual

Steering wheel
69
The system automatically switches down
from level 2to level 1after approximately
ten minutes.
The system automatically switches off
approximately 20 minutes after it is set to
level 1.
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
X To switch on: press button1repeatedly
until the desired heating level is set.
X To switch off: press button1repeatedly
until all indicator lamps go out.
i If the battery voltage is too low, the seat
heating may switch off. Steering wheel
G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the steering wheel when the
vehicle is stationary and do not pull away
until the steering wheel adjustment mech-
anism is locked in position. You might oth-
erwise drive without the steering wheel
adjustment mechanism being locked in
position. As a result you could be distracted
from road and traffic conditions by an unex-
pected movement of the steering wheel
and thereby cause an accident.
However, the steerability of the vehicle is
not affected.
When you adjust the steering wheel, make
sure that:
R the steering wheel can be reached with
your arms slightly bent
R you can move your legs freely
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly 1
Release lever
2 Height adjustment
3 Fore-and-aft adjustment
X Pull handle 1out completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
X Adjust the steering wheel to the desired
position.
X Push handle 1in completely until you hear
it engage.
The steering wheel is locked in position. Controls
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Seat belts
75
The following messages appear in the multi-
function display:
R < No rear seat belt engaged
R < 1 rear seat belt engaged
R < 2 rear seat belts engaged
R < 3 rear seat belts engaged
i The status indicator for the rear-compart-
ment seat belts is only available for certain
countries. Correct driver's seat position
1
Steering wheel
2 Seat belt
3 Seat G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the driver's seat when the vehi-
cle is stationary. You will otherwise be dis-
tracted from the road and traffic conditions
and you could lose control of the vehicle as a result of the seat moving. This could
cause an accident.
G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the steering wheel when the
vehicle is stationary and do not pull away
until the steering wheel adjustment mech-
anism is locked in position. Otherwise, you
might drive without the steering wheel
adjustment mechanism being locked in
position and be distracted from road and
traffic conditions by an unexpected move-
ment of the steering wheel and cause an
accident.
However, the steerability of the vehicle is
not affected.
X Check whether seat 3and the head
restraint are adjusted properly
(Y page 63).
Make sure that:
R you are as far away from the driver's front
airbag as possible
R you are sitting in a normal upright posi-
tion
R you can fasten the seat belt properly
R you have moved the backrest to an
almost vertical position Controls
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Lights
76R
you have set the seat angle so that your
thighs are gently supported
R you can depress the pedals properly
R you have adjusted the head restraint so
that the back of your head is supported
at eye level by the central area of the
head restraint
X Check whether steering wheel 1is adjus-
ted properly (Y page 69).
Make sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
R you can move your legs freely
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly
X Check whether you have fastened seat belt
2 properly (Y page 72).
It should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your
shoulder
R routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints Lights
Light switch
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you drive with the lights switched
on even during the daytime. In some coun-
tries, daytime operation of headlamps varies
due to legal and voluntary requirements. In
these countries, the constant headlamp
mode is automatically switched on when the
engine is started.
i If you drive in countries in which traffic
drives on the opposite side of the road to
the country where the vehicle is registered,
oncoming traffic may be dazzled by the
asymmetrical dipped-beam headlamps.
Have the headlamps changed to symmet-
rical dipped beam when driving in these
countries. You can obtain information
about this from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. $
a
Left-hand parking lamp
% g
Right-hand parking lamp 8
& M
Lights off/constant headlamp mode
( U
Automatic headlamp mode/con-
stant headlamp mode
) C
Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment lighting
* B
Dipped-beam headlamps or main-
beam headlamps
, ¥
foglamps*
. †
Rear foglamp
i The exterior lighting (except for side
lamps and parking lamps) automatically
switches off when you remove the key from
the ignition lock or open the driver's door
8 You must turn the light switch beyond its resistance point when turning it from the Mposition to the gposition. Controls
* optional
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Lights
80 Cornering light function (bi-xenon
headlamps*)
Specially designed headlamps light up the
area into which you are driving when turning
corners.
If you are driving at speeds below 40 km/h,
the cornering light function is activated either
by the turn signals or when the steering wheel
is turned. At speeds between 40 km/h and
70 km/h, only a steering wheel movement
activates the cornering light function. If you
are driving at speeds above 70 km/h the cor-
nering light function is deactivated.
Activating X
Start the engine.
X Switch on the dipped-beam headlamps.
X Switch off the foglamps*.
X Switch on the turn signal.
The cornering lamp on the same side as the
turn signal comes on, even if you turn the
steering wheel in the opposite direction
after indicating.
or X
Turn the steering wheel in the desired
direction.
When in a forwards gear: the cornering
lamp on the inside of the bend comes on.
When in reverse gear: the cornering lamp
on the outside of the bend comes on.
Deactivating X
Turn the steering wheel back to the straight
ahead position.
The turn signal goes off. The cornering lamp
may remain lit for a short time.
or
X Switch off the turn signal.
The cornering lamp may remain lit for a
short time.
The cornering light will go out after a maxi-
mum of three minutes. Interior lighting
Front overhead control panel (vehicles with a
rocker switch)
1
£ To switch the rear interior lighting
on/off
2 ð To switch the front interior lighting
on
3 To switch the automatic interior lighting
control on
4 ¥ To switch the front interior lighting/
automatic interior lighting control off
5 X To switch the reading lamp on/off Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 88 Pulling away
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. Otherwise, you could damage the
drive train.
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature (Y page 110).
Manual transmission X
Depress the brake pedal.
X Depress the clutch pedal.
X Shift to either first or reverse gear.
X Release the parking brake (Y page 89).
X Slowly release the clutch pedal and
depress the accelerator pedal. !
Change gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. Otherwise, you could dam-
age the vehicle.
AUTOTRONIC* i
It is only possible to move the selector
lever to the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the selector
lever lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
The selector lever lock is released.
X Release the parking brake.
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
i Wait until the shift process is completed
before pulling away.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly. 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. 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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Transmission
90
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 instruction X
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 Transmission
Notes on the transmission
G
Risk of accident
The movement of the pedals must not be
impaired in any way. Do not keep any
objects in the driver's footwell. Make sure
that floormats or carpets are correctly
secured and that there is sufficient clear-
ance for the pedals. 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. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and cause an accident. Controls
* optional
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Transmission
931
Drive program (C/S)or(C/S/M)*
2 Gear indicator
If you have selected one-touch gearshifting or
selector lever position D, you can see the cur-
rently engaged gear in the multi-function dis-
play.
You can influence the AUTOTRONIC trans-
mission ratio when the selector lever is in
position Dby changing gear yourself―see
One-touch gearshifting ( Ypage 93). Selector lever positions ì
Park position
Prevents the vehicle from rolling
away when stopped. Only move the
selector lever to
Pwhen the vehicle
is stationary.
The key can only be removed when
the selector lever is in position P. If
the key is removed from the igni-
tion lock, the selector lever is
locked in position P. í
Reverse gear
Only move the selector lever to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels. Releas-
ing the brakes will allow you to
move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only move the selector lever to Nif
the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
e.g. on icy roads. ê
Drive
The transmission selects the opti-
mum gear ratio automatically for
forward mode.
One-touch gearshifting (manual opera-
tion)
When the selector lever is in position
D, you
can select the seven gears yourself.
Activating manual operation
X Press the selector lever lightly to the left
towards D-or to the right towards D+.
M is shown in the multi-function display.
Manual operation is activated. Controls
* optional
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Transmission
95
R
the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears, unless the
accelerator pedal is depressed fully.
R an increase in traction: this improves the
driving stability of the vehicle on slippery
road surfaces, for example.
R the transmission shifting up sooner: the
vehicle is driven at lower engine speeds
and the wheels are less likely to spin.
Driving tips Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how AUTO-
TRONIC shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The transmission shifts back up. Trailer towing
X
Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Shift down to 3rdor2nd gear depending
on the incline of the uphill or downhill gra-
dient( Ypage 93), even if cruise control is
activated.
Working on the vehicle G
Risk of accident
Apply the handbrake and move the selector
lever to Pwhen working on the vehicle.
Otherwise, the vehicle could roll away. Steering wheel gearshift buttons
(manual operation)
It is possible to shift gear using either the
steering wheel gearshift buttons or the selec-
tor lever. The steering wheel gearshift buttons are on
the right and left-hand side of the steering
wheel. 1
Right-hand button: to shift up
2 Left-hand button: to shift down
Activating manual operation X
Press right-hand button 1or left-hand but-
ton 2on the steering wheel.
M is shown in the multi-function display.
Manual operation is activated.
Downshifting G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This Controls
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Instrument cluster
96 could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid.
X Press left-hand button 2on the steering
wheel.
The transmission shifts to the next gear
down, depending on the gear currently
selected.
i The transmission does not shift down if
you push the selector lever towards D–
while travelling at too high a speed. The
engine could otherwise overrev.
i AUTOTRONIC automatically shifts down if
the lowest permissible engine speed for the
gear currently selected is reached.
Upshifting X
Press right-hand button 1on the steering
wheel.
The transmission shifts to the next gear up,
depending on the gear currently selected.
i If the highest permissible engine speed
for the gear currently engaged is reached
and you continue to accelerate, AUTO-
TRONIC shifts up automatically. Selecting the ideal gear X
Press and hold left-hand button 2on the
steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to a gear which
allows ideal acceleration and deceleration.
To do this, the transmission will shift down
one or more gears.
Deactivating manual operation X
Press and hold right-hand button 1on the
steering wheel until Dappears again in the
multi-function display.
The transmission shifts from the current
gear to D.
Or:
X Briefly press the program selector button
next to the selector lever (Y page 94).
The letter for the last selected drive pro-
gram Cor Sis shown again in the multi-
function display. The transmission shifts
from the current gear to D.
i When you start the engine again, manual
operation is deactivated and AUTOTRONIC
switches to the previously selected drive
program Cor S. Instrument cluster
Points to remember
You will find an illustration of the instrument
cluster in the "At a glance" section
(Y page 26). G
Risk of accident
No further messages can be displayed if the
instrument cluster and/or the multi-func-
tion display fails.
This means that you will not see information
about the driving situation, such as the
speed, outside temperature, warning/indi-
cator lamps, display messages or system
failures. The vehicle's handling character-
istics may be affected. Adjust your driving
style and speed accordingly.
Immediately consult a qualified specialist
workshop which has the necessary special-
ist knowledge and tools to carry out the
work required. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre for this purpose. In particu-
lar, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. Cont
rols
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