warning MERCEDES-BENZ CLK-CLASS 2004 Owners Manual

229 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic*
When activated, the Distronic adaptive
cruise control system increases the driving
convenience afforded by the cruise control
during travel on expressways and other
major roads.

If the Distronic distance sensor detects
a slower moving vehicle directly ahead,
your vehicle speed will be reduced so
that you follow that vehicle at a preset
distance.


If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, Distronic will function in the same
way as cruise control (
page 226).
Warning!
G
Distronic adaptive cruise control is no sub-
stitute for active driving involvement. It does
not react to stationary objects, nor recog-
nize or predict the curvature and lane layout
or the movement of vehicles ahead. Distron-
ic can only apply a maximum of 20% of the
vehicle’s braking power.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to traffic and road conditions
and to provide the steering, braking and oth-
er driving inputs necessary to retain control
of the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic is a convenience system. Its speed
adjustment reduction capability is intended
to make cruise control more effective and
usable when traffic speeds vary. However, it
is not intended to, nor does it, replace the
need for extreme care. The responsibility for
the vehicle speed and the distance to the ve-
hicle ahead, including most importantly
brake operation to assure safe stopping dis-
tance, always rests with the driver.
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account.
Warning!
G
Distronic requires familiarity with its opera-
tional characteristics. We strongly recom-
mend that you review the following
information carefully before operating the
system.iFor operation in the USA only: This de-
vice complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful
interference, and


this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.
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230 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the road, traffic and weather conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.
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231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic displays in the speedometer
dial
1Set speed
If Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments come on around the set speed.1Segments
If Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments (representing the dif-
ference) between the speed of the vehicle
ahead and the set speed come on.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision when the distance warning
function is activated (
page 238):


The Distronic warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on.


An intermittent warning sounds.

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the Distronic warning lampl
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is reestablished.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the
speedometer can briefly vary from the
speed setting on the Distronic system.
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232 Controls in detailDriving systems
Distronic menu in the control system
In the Distronic menu you see the current
settings for Distronic. What appears in the
display depends on whether Distronic and
the distance warning function are turned
on or off.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see one of the following dis-
plays.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
Distronic warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if the Distronic system
calculates that the distance to the vehicle
ahead and your vehicle’s current speed indi-
cate that Distronic will not be capable of
slowing the vehicle sufficiently to maintain
the preset following distance, which creates
a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
the distance to the vehicle in front of you.
The warning sound is intended as a final cau-
tion that you have not interceded with your
own braking inputs to avoid a potentially
dangerous situation. Do not wait for the op-
eration of the warning signal to intercede
with your own braking, as that will result in
potentially dangerous emergency braking
which will not always result in an impact be-
ing avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
Distronic brakes your vehicle with a maxi-
mum of 6.5 ft/s
2 (2 m/s
2). This corre-
sponds to about 20% of the maximum
deceleration ability of your vehicle.
Distronic brakes the vehicle in an effort to
restore the preset distance or to maintain
the speed. The brake pedal is automatically
applied as this happens which results in the
brake pedal moving.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the Distronic system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.
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233 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic deactivated
If Distronic is deactivated the standard dis-
play of Distronic appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
1Vehicle ahead, if detected
2Actual distance to vehicle ahead
3Preset distance treshold to vehicle
ahead
4Your vehicle
5Symbol for activated distance warning
functionDistronic activated
When you turn Distronic on, you will see
the set speed in the multifunction display
for about five seconds. If Distronic is
activated, you can see the following dis-
play in the multifunction display.
1Distronic activatedCruise control lever
The Distronic system is operated by means
of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column.
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Deactivate Distronic
4Resume at last set speed
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235 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a lower speed
Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 233) to de-
crease vehicle speed in increments of 5
mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 233), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on, on the speedometer
(
page 231).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 233).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 233).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.
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236 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow3 (
page 233).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km/h)


the ESP is active (
page 79) or you de-
activate the ESP


you move the gear selector lever into
positionN.
A si gnal wi ll s ound. T he
Distronic off

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
Distronic off
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
25 mph ( 40 km / h) by operation of the sys-
tem. At that time the driver must apply the
brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed fur-
ther or bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.
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237 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Control lamp
3Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel3 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
Distronic to maintain a shorter following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a stationary obstacle or a slower
vehicle moving in the vehicle’s path and
the danger of a collision exists:


The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on


An intermittent warning sounds.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.
When pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound stops. The warning sound also
stops when the distance to the vehicle ahead is sufficient again without applying
the brake pedal. In this case the distance
warning lamp also extinguishes.
Warning!
G
If the distance warning lampl in the in-
strument cluster comes on while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required.
As required by the traffic situation, apply the
brakes and navigate around a possible ob-
stacle. However, do not drive by relying on
the distance warning function, as this will re-
sult in an emergency braking application.
Especially depending on road surface condi-
tions and driver reaction, this will not always
enable you to avoid a collision.iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.
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238 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating
Press switch1.
Indicator lamp 2 on the switch comes
on. A loudspeaker symbol appears in
the multifunction display (
page 233).
Deactivating

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp 2 on the switch goes
out. No loudspeaker symbol appears in
the multifunction display.Driving with Distronic
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations. This will
deactivate the Distronic system.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it. Your vehicle could then accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.
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241 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Parktronic (Parking assist)*
The Parktronic system is an electronic aid
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically ac-
tivated when you switch on the ignition
and release the parking brake. The Park-
tronic system deactivates at speeds over
approximately 11 mph (18 km/h). At low-
er speeds the Parktronic system turns on
again.The Parktronic system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with six sensors
in the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors in the front bumperWarning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors, es-
pecially at times of snow and ice, see
“Cleaning the Parktronic* system sensors”
(page 308).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.
Warning!
G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.
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