brake sensor MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET 2012 User Guide

G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONIC does not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R before corners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverted, e.g. at roadworks on a motor-
way
DISTRONIC PLUS otherwise maintains the
current speed set by you or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONIC PLUS:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
Otherwise, you may fail to recognise dangers
in time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes yourv ehicle up to a
maximum of 4 m/s 2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a risk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up. Brake to avoid a collision. General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. DIS-
TRONIC PLUS brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded.
On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer,
you must select shift range
1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effec tofthe engine. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects a slower-moving
vehicle in front, your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor system must be activated
(Y page 245) and operational.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities (Y page 382).
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in front of you, DISTRONIC operates in the
speed range between 0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS on roads with
steep gradients. Driving systems
189Driving and parking Z

with the road. Select this mode when employ-
ing a sporty driving style, e.g
.onwinding
country roads.
X Start the engine.
X Press button ;.
Indicator lamp :lights up. Sports suspen-
sion tuning is selected. Depending on the
engine output, the accelerator pedal is
more responsive. On vehicles with auto-
matic transmission, drive program Sis
selected.
i Your selection remains stored until you
switch off the engine.
Comfort tuning In comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are mor
ecomfortable. There-
fore, select this mode if you prefer a more
comfortable driving style. Select comfort
mode also when driving fast on straight roads,
e.g. on straight stretches of motorway.
X Press button ;.
Indicator lamp :goes out. Comfortable
suspension tuning is selected. On vehicles
with automatic transmission, drive pro-
gram Eis selected. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
PARKTRONIC is only an aid and may not
detect all obstacles. It is not a substitute for
attentive driving.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your imme-
diate surroundings when parking and
manoeuvring. You could otherwise endanger
yourself and others. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically if
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift to position D,Ror Non vehicles with
automatic transmission
R release the parking brake
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.
Range of the sensors General notes
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARK-
TRONIC does not detect such objects when
they are in the immediate vicinity of the
vehicle. You could damage the vehicle or
the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and
objects which absorb ultrasonic sources.
Ultrasonic sources, such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill, could cause PARK-
TRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain. 200
Driving systemsDriving and parking

R
you have switched on the tur nsignals .In
this case, the warnings ar esuppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane
marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way.
R the system recognises solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend. Active Driving Assistance package
General notes The Active Driving Assistance package con-
sists of DISTRONIC PLU
S(Ypage 188), Active
Blind Spot Assist (Y page 214) and Active
Lane Keeping Assist (Y page 218).
Active Blind Spot Assist Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid and may
detec tvehicles/obstacles incorrectly or not
at all. The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to snow,
rain, fog or spray.
R the rear and/or front sensors are dirty.
Active Blind Spot Assist may not detect nar-
row vehicles, such as motorcycles or bicycles,
or only detect them too late. It cannot detect
vehicles which are overtaken at a small dis-
tance and then enter the blind spot area.
Active Blind Spot Assist cannot detect road
and traffic conditions .Itis not a substitute for
attentive driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapty our driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognise dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and oth-
ers.
General notes
Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor
system to monitor the area to the sides of
your vehicle which are behind the driver. A
warning display in the exterior mirrors draws
your attention to vehicles detected in the
monitored area. If you then switch on the cor-
responding turn signal to change lane, you
will also receive an optical and audible warn-
ing. If a risk of lateral collision is detected,
corrective braking may help you avoid a col-
lision. To support the course-correcting brake
application, Active Blind Spot Assist uses the
forward-facing radar sensor system. The free
space in the direction of travel is then evalu-
ated.
Active Blind Spot Assist supports you from a
speed of approximately 30 km/h.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities (Y page 382).
For Active Blind Spot Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must
be activated (Y page 245) and operational.214
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Monitoring range
G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors certain
areas in the immediate vicinity of yourv ehicle.
Vehicles that approach and drive past at high
speeds are not detected. No visual nor audi-
ble warnings are emitted and the system does
not brake the vehicle to correct your course.
If the lanes are very wide, it may not be pos-
sible to monitor the complete width of the
neighbouring lane. For this reason, vehicles in
the nextl ane may no tbe detected, especially
if they are driving in a staggered formation.
This may be the case if vehicles are driving at
the edge of their lane that is furthest away
from your vehicle.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognise dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others. Example: Coupé
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to 3.0 m behind your vehicle and directly next
to your vehicle, as shown in the diagram. For
this purpose, Active Blind Spot Assist uses
radar sensors in the rear bumper.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane nextt o your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may be the case if there are vehicles at the inner
edge of your lane.
Due to the nature of the system:
R
warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or similar solid
lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside long vehicles, for example lor-
ries, for a prolonged time.
The Active Blind Spot Assist radar sensors are
integrated into the front and rear bumpers
and behind a cover in the radiator grille. Make
sure that the bumpers and the cover in the
radiator grille are free of dirt, ice or slush. The
rear sensors must not be covered, e.g. by
bicycle racks or overhanging loads. Following
a severe impact or in the event of damage to
the bumpers, have the function of the radar
sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. Active Blind Spot Assist may oth-
erwise no longer work properly.
Indicator and warning display G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds
below 30 km/h. The indicator lamps in the
exterior mirrors are yellow .Vehicles in the
monitoring range are then not indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognise dangers in time and cause an acci-
dent and injure yourself and others. :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp Driving systems
215Driving and parking Z

X
Press the abutton.
The multifunction display shows Speed
Limit Assist.
X Press the :button.
The curren tselection is displayed.
X To activate or deactivate: pressa.
If the Speed Limit Assist message function
is activated, a detected speed limit is auto-
matically displayed for five seconds. Other
items in the multifunction display are not
shown during this time.
If Speed Limit Assist is operational and the
message function is activated, the multifunc-
tion display shows the Äsymbol when the
ignition is switched on.
Showing the distance display X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Distance display .
X Press the abutton.
The DISTRONIC PLUS distance display
appears in the multifunction display
(Y page 195).
If the Sensors deactivated message
appears, the radar sensor system is deacti-
vated.
X Check whether or not the radar sensor sys-
tem is permitted to be activated
(Y page 382).
X Switch on the radar sensor system
(Y page 245).
Deactivating/activating ESP ®G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer sta-
bilises the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations descri-
bed in the following. For further information about ESP
®
, see
(Y page 67).
X Start the engine.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
ESP .
X Press the abutton.
The curren tselection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press thea
button again.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the ä warning lamp and the åwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to a malfunction.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 278).
Observe the information on display messages
(Y page 250).
Activating/deactivating the PRE-SAFE ®
Brake PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
PRE-SAFE Brake .
X Press the abutton.
The curren tselection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press thea
button again.
When PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is activated, the mul-
tifunction display shows the Äsymbol as 240
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

long as the HOLD function is not activated
(Y page 198).
Vehicles with Parking Guidance: if PARK-
TRONIC is activated and you are driving at a
speed under 35 km/h, the jParking Guid-
ance symbol is shown instead of the Ä
symbol ( Ypage 203).
If the PRE-SAFE Brake: Sensors deacti‐ vated message appears, the radar sensor
system is deactivated.
X Check whether or not the radar sensor sys-
tem may be activated (Y page 382).
X Activate the radar sensor system
(Y page 245).
For more information on PRE-SAFE ®
Brake,
see (Y page 69).
Activating/deactivating ATTENTION
ASSIST X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Attention Assist .
X Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press thea
button again.
When ATTENTION ASSIST is activated, the
À symbol appears in the multifunction
display when the ignition is on.
For further information about ATTENTION
ASSIST, see (Y page 208).
Activating/deactivating Blind Spot
Assist X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Blind Spot Asst. .
X Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X To activate/deactivate: press thea
button again. If the
Blind Spot Assist Sensors deac‐ tivated or
Active blind spot assist. sensor system deactivated message
appears, the radar sensor system is deacti-
vated.
X Check whether or not the radar sensor sys-
tem may be activated (Y page 382).
X Activate the radar sensor system
(Y page 245).
For further information about Blind Spot
Assist, see (Y page 210).
For further information about Active Blind
Spot Assist, see (Y page 214).
Activating/deactivating Lane Keeping
Assist X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Assist. menu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Lane Keep. Asst. X
Press the abutton.
The current selection is displayed.
X Press ato confirm.
When Lane Keeping Assist or Active Lane
Keeping Assist is activated, the Ãsymbol
appears in the multifunction display when the
ignition is on.
For further information about Active Lane
Keeping Assist, see (Y page 217). Service menu
In the
Serv. menu, you have the following
options: Menus and submenus
241On-board computer and displays Z

X
Press the 9or: button to select
Radar sensor (See Owner's Man.): .
You will see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
i You must deactivate the radar sensor sys-
tem in certain countries and near radio
telescope facilities. For further informa-
tion, see (Y page 382).
When you are close to radio telescope facili-
ties, the radar sensor system will be deacti-
vated automatically.
The following systems are switched off when
the radar sensor system is deactivated:
R DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 188)
R BAS PLUS (Y page 65)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 69)
R Blind Spot Assist (Y page 210)
R Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 214)
Heating Auxiliary heating departure time
G
WARNING
Exhaust fumes are produced when the auxili-
ary heating is in operation. Inhaling these
exhaust fumes can be poisonous. You should
therefore switch off the auxiliary heating in
confined spaces without an extraction sys-
tem, e.g. a garage. G
WARNING
When operating the auxiliary heating parts of
the vehicle can get very hot. Make sure that
the exhaust system does not under any cir-
cumstances come into contact with easily
ignitable material such as dry grass or fuels.
The material could otherwise ignite and set
the vehicle alight. Choose your parking spot
accordingly.
Operating the auxiliary heating is thus pro-
hibited at filling stations or when your vehicle
is being refuelled. You must therefore switch
off the auxiliary heating at filling stations. !
Operating the auxiliary heating/ventila-
tion draws on the vehicle battery. After you
have heated or ventilated the vehicle a
maximum of two times, drive for a longer
distance.
This function is only available on vehicles with
auxiliary heating (Y page 149).
In the Heating submenu, you can select a
stored departure time or change a departure
time.
The auxiliary heating timer function calcu-
lates the switch-on time according to the out-
side temperature so that the vehicle is pre-
heated by the departure time. When the
departure time is reached, the auxiliary heat-
ing continues to heat for a further five
minutes and then switches off. The auxiliary
heating adopts the THERMATIC or
THERMOTRONIC temperature setting.
You can switch off the auxiliary heating by
using the remote control or the auxiliary heat-
ing button on the centre console.
i Switch the auxiliary heating on regularly
once a month for about ten minutes.
Selecting the departure time or deactivat-
ing a selected departure time
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Heating submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
one of the three departure times or Timer off (no timer active).
X Press ato confirm.
If a departure time is selected, the yellow
indicator lamp lights up on the auxiliary
heating button. 246
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
J
Check brake fluid
level There is insufficien
tbrake fluid in the brake flui dreservoir.
In addition, the red Jwarning lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster and a warning tone sounds.
G WARNING
The braking efficiency may be impaired.
There is a risk of an accident.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions .Donot continue driving
under any circumstances.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 177).
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
X Do not top up the brake fluid. This does not correct the error. #
Check brake pad
wear The brake pads/linings have reached their wear limit.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. PRE-SAFE
inoperative See
Owner's Manual Important functions of PRE-SAFE
®
have failed. All other occupant
safety systems, e.g. airbags, remain available.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately. PRE-SAFE
Functions cur‐
rently limited See
Owner's Manual PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is temporarily inoperative. Possible causes:
R the function is impaired due to heavy rain or snow.
R the sensors in the radiator trim and in the bumpers are dirty.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio sta-
tions or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
R the system is outside the operating temperature range.
R the on-board voltage is too low.
Once the causes listed above no longer apply, the display message
goes out.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is operational again.
If the display message does not disappear:
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 177).
X Clean the sensors in the radiator trim and in the bumpers
(Y page 317).
X Restart the engine. Display messages
253On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
ë
off The HOLD function is deactivated. The vehicle is skidding.
Aw
arning tone also sounds.
X Reactivate the HOLD function later (Y page 198). The HOLD function is deactivated. When the brak
epedal is firmly
depressed, an activation condition is not fulfilled.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
X Check the activation conditions for the HOLD function
(Y page 198). Radar sensor deac‐
tivated See Own‐
er's Manual The radar sensor system is deactivated.
X
Chec kwhether or not the radar sensor system may be activated
(Y page 382).
X Activate the radar sensor system (Y page 245).Radar sensor deac‐
tivated autom. See
Owner's Manual Vehicles with a navigation system: the vehicle is close to a radio
telescope facility and is therefore prohibited from transmitting any
radar signals. The radar sensor system has switched off automat-
ically (Y
page 382).
If DISTRONIC PLUS was activated, it is no longer available. A
warning tone also sounds.
If Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assist was activated, it is
no longer available. The yellow 9indicator lamps also light up
in the exterior mirrors.
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist PLUS) and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake are then also
unavailable.
X Drive on.
Once you have moved far enough away from the radio telescope,
the above functions are available again. Vehicles with Becker
®
MAP PILOT: if the Becker ®
MAP PILOT is
not connected, the radar sensor system is deactivated automati-
cally.
BAS PLUS, DISTRONIC PLUS, Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind
Spot Assist and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake are unavailable.
X Connect the Becker ®
MAP PILOT; see the separate operating
instructions. Display messages
263On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
DISTRONIC PLUS cur‐
rently unavailable
See Owner's Manual DISTRONIC PLU
Sis temporarily inoperative. Possible causes:
R the function is impaired due to heavy rain or snow.
R the sensors in the radiator trim and in the bumpers are dirty.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio sta-
tions or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
R the system is outside the operating temperature range.
R the on-board voltage is too low.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
Once the causes listed abov eno longer apply, the display message
goes out.
DISTRONIC is operational again.
If the display message does not disappear:
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 177).
X Clean the sensors in the radiator trim and in the bumpers
(Y page 317).
X Restart the engine. DISTRONIC PLUS
inoperative DISTRONIC PLUS is faulty.
BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE
®
Brake may also have failed.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
X Visi taqualified specialist workshop. DISTRONIC PLUS
inactive You have depressed the accelerator pedal. DISTRONIC PLUS is no
longer controlling the speed of the vehicle.
X
Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal. DISTRONIC PLUS
--- km/h An activation condition for DISTRONIC PLUS is not fulfilled.
X
Check the activation conditions for DISTRONIC PLUS
(Y page 188). DISTRONIC PLUS and
SPEEDTRONIC DISTRONIC PLUS and SPEEDTRONIC are faulty. A warning tone
also sounds.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Cruise control and
SPEEDTRONIC inop‐
erative SPEEDTRONIC and cruise control are malfunctioning.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
X Visi taqualified specialist workshop. Display messages
267On-board computer and displays Z