brake MERCEDES-BENZ METRIS 2016 MY16 Operator’s Manual

The intensity of warning lamps:depends on
the brightness of the ambient light and is con-
trolled automatically.
Collision warning
If av ehicle is detected in the monitoring range of
Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the corre-
sponding turn signal, adouble warning tone
sounds once. The warning lamp in the corre-
sponding exterior mirror flashes. If the turn sig-
nal remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of the warning lamp in the exte-
rior mirror. There are no further warning tones.
Activating Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that Blind Spot Assist is activated
in the on-board computer (Ypage 184).
XTurn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
The warning lamps in the exterior mirrors light
up for approximately 1.5 seconds.
Status indicators in the status overview submenu
If Blind Spot Assist is activated, the display
shows symbol :in the StatusOverviewsub-
menu of the on-board computer (Ypage 183). If
you are driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) ,
the symbo lalsos hows rada rwaves between the
two vehicles ;.Blind Spo tAssist is thenr eady
for use.
Towin gatrailer
If youattach atrailer, make sure thaty ouhave
correctl yestablishe dthe electrical connection.
Thi scan be accomplishe dbychecking the trailer
lighting. Blind Spo tAssist is thend eactivated
and the Blind Spo tAssist Currently
Unavail. See Operator' sManualmessage
appear sinthe display.
Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in front of
your vehicl ebymeans of camera :which is
mounted at the top of the windshield. Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
roa dand can warn yo ubefor ey ou leav eyour
lane unintentionally.
This functio nisa vailable in the range between
40 mph (60 km/h )and 125 mph (20 0km/h).
Aw arning maybeg iven if afront whee lpasses
ove ralanem arking. It will warn yo ubymeans of
intermittent vibratio nthroug hthe steering
whee lfor up to 1.5 second s.
Importan tsafety notes
GWARNING
Lane Keeping Assist may not always clearly
recognize lane markings.
In this case, Lane Keeping Assist may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give awarning
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spayparticula rattention to the traffic
situation and stay in lane, in particula rif
warned by Lane Keeping Assist.
GWARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning doe snot
return the vehicl etothe original lane. There is
ar iskofana ccident.
Yo us houl dalway ssteer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particula rifwarned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
Driving systems147
Driving and parking
Z

If you fail to adapt yourdriving style, Lane Keep-
ing Assist can neither reduce the risk of accident
nor override the law sofphysics. Lane Keeping
Assist cannot take into account road, weather or
traffic conditions. Lane Keeping Assist is only an aid .You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed,b raking in
good time and for staying in you rlane.
Lane Keeping Assist does not keep you rvehicle
in its lane.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if:
Rthere is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illuminatio nofthe road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray
Rthere is glare ,e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles( e.g. if
the road surface is wet)
Rthe windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by asticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera
Rno, or several ,unclea rlane markings are pres-
ent for one lane, e.g. in aconstruction area
Rthe lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
Rthe distance to the vehicle in front is too small
and the lane markings thus cannot be detec-
ted
Rthe lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge
Rthe road is narrow and winding
Rthere are highlyv ariable shade conditions on
the road
Deactivating and activating Lane Keep-
ing Assist
XPress the Çbutton.
If the indicator lamp in the button lights up
and the display shows the Çsymbo linthe status area
,Lane Keeping Assist is switched
on but not ready for use.
If you drive at speedsa bove 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
the display shows the highlighted Çsym-
bol in the status area when Lane Keeping
Assist is activated. Lane Keeping Assist is
then ready for use.
Status indicators in the status overview submenu
The display in the Status Overviewsubmenu
of the on-board computer also shows the status
of Lane Keeping Assist (
Ypage 183). If Lane
Keeping Assist is activated but not ready for use,
the display shows the boundary lines in the sym-
bol as dashed :.IfLane Keeping Assist is ready
for use, the boundary lines in the symbo lare
shown as solid lines ;.
Setting the sensitivity of Lane Keeping
Assist
XIn theAssist.menu on the on-board com-
puter, select the Lane Keeping Assist:
function (Ypage 184).
XSelectStandardorAdaptive.
In the setting Standard
,now arning vibration
occurs if:
Ryou operate the turn signal in the correspond-
ing direction. In this event, the warnings are
suppressed for acertain period of time.
Rad riving safety system, such as ABS, BAS or
ESP®,i ntervenes or performs acontrol
action.
When Adaptive
is selected, there is also no
warning vibratio nwhen:
Ryou accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
Rbrake sharply
Ryou steer actively ,e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lanes quickly.
Ryou cut the corner on asharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when neces-
sary and in good time if you cross the lane mark-
148Driving systems
Driving and parking

Standard:the sensitivity with which the sys-
tem determines the attention level is set to
normal.
Sensitive: the sensitivity is set higher. The
driver is warned earlier.
When ATTENTION ASSIST is switched on and
the vehicle engine is running:
Ron vehicles without steering wheel buttons,
the À indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up
Ron vehicles with steering-wheel buttons, the
display shows the Àsymbol:
-in the status area
-in the Status Overviewof the Assist.menu (Ypage 183)
For vehicles with steering wheel buttons, if you
deactivate ATTENTION ASSIST, the system is
automatically re-activated when you start the
engine. The system sensitivity then corresponds to the last selection activated –standard or sen-
sitive.
If you switch off ATTENTION ASSIST in avehicle
without steering wheel buttons, the system
remains switched off even after you start the
engine. The status of the system after switching
on the engine always corresponds to the status
last selected.
Warning in the display
If the system detectst iredness or increasing
lapses in concentration, the warning Atten‐
tion Assist: TakeaBreak!orAttent.Asst: Take Break!is shown in the display.
An additional warning tone sounds.
XIf necessary, take abreak.
XConfirm the message by pressing the a
button on the steering wheel.
On long journeys, take regular breaks in good
time to allow yourself to rest. If you do not take
ab reak and ATTENTION ASSIST continues to
detect increasing lapses in concentration, you
will be warned again after 15 minutes at the
earliest. This will only happen if ATTEN-
TION ASSIST still detectst ypical indicators of
fatigue or increasing lapses in concentration.
PARKTRONIC
General notes
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid. The
system is equipped with ultrasonic sensors in
the front and rear bumpers to monitor the area
around your vehicle. PARKTRONIC indicates vis-
uallya nd audibly the distance between your
vehicle and an object.
Your vehicle features two separate sound emit-
ters with different frequencies for the warning
tones. The warning ranges in front of and behind the vehicle are indicated by different warning
tones.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
Rturn the key to position 2in the ignition lock
Rrelease the parking brake and
Rmove the selector lever to D,Nor R
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). PARKTRONIC is reactivated
at speeds below 10 mph (16 km/h).
Important safety notes
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It cannot replace
your own awareness of the immediate surround-
ings. You are responsible for safe maneuvering,
parking and pulling away.W hen maneuvering,
parking and pulling away,m ake sure that there
are no persons, animals or object sinthe maneu-
vering area.
!Pay particular attention to obstacles above
or below the sensors when parking, such as
flower pots or trailer towbars. PARKTRONIC
does not recognizes uch objectswhen they
are in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.
You could damage the vehicle or objects.
PARKTRONIC can suffer interference from:
Rultrasonic sources such as atruck's
compressed-air brakes, an automatic car
wash or apneumatic drill
Rattachments to the vehicle, e.g. rear moun-
ted racks
Rnumber plates (vehicle license plates) that
are not affixed flat against the bumper
Rdirty or icy sensors
Remove adetachable trailer coupling if it is no
longer required. PARKTRONIC measures the
minimum detection range to an obstacle from
the bumper, not the ball coupling.
150Driving systems
Driving and parking

Problems with PARKTRONIC
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Only the red segments in
the PARKTRONIC warn-
ing displaysare lit.
Aw arning tone also
sounds for approx-
imately 2seconds.
PARKTRONIC is then
deactivated.
The indicator lamp of the
f button lights up
and the red segments in
the PARKTRONIC warn-
ing display go out.PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched itself off.
XIf problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
The PARKTRONIC warn-
ing displaysi mplausible
distances.
For example, all the seg-
mentsm ay be lit even
though there is no obsta-
cle present.The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or iced up.
XClean the PARKTRONIC sensors (Ypage 257).
XTurn the key to position 2again in the ignition lock.
The license plate or other parts attached near the sensors may not be
secured correctly.
XCheck the license plate and attachmentp arts near the sensors for
correct seating.
An external radio or ultrasonic source may be causing interference.
XCheck PARKTRONIC functions in adifferent location.
Active Parking Assist
General notes
Active Parking Assist is an electronic parking
aid. The system uses ultrasound sensors to
measure the road on both sides of the vehicle
and indicates suitable parking spaces. It can
then actively steer and brake the vehicle to help
you to park and exit the parking space.
Active Parking Assist includes the PARKTRONIC
parking aid which indicates visuallya nd audibly
the distance between your vehicle and an
object .Todot his, PARKTRONIC uses the ultra-
sonic sensors of the Active Parking Assist
(
Ypage 150).
Important safety notes
Active Parking Assist is only an aid. It is not a
substitute for your attention to the immediate
surroundings. You are responsible for safe maneuvering, parking and pulling away.M
ake
sure that no persons, animals or object sare in
the maneuvering range.
When you deactivate PARKTRONIC, Active Park-
ing Assist will also be deactivated.
For vehicles with atrailer coupling installed, the
minimum length for parking spaces will be
slightly increased.
If you have attached atrailer to your vehicle, you
should not use Active Parking Assist. Once the
electrical connection is established between
your vehicle and the trailer, Active Parking
Assist is no longer available. PARKTRONIC is
then deactivated for the rear area.
GWARNING
While parking or pulling out of aparking
space, the vehicle swings out and can drive
onto areas of the oncomingl ane. This could
result in acollision with another road user.
There is arisk of an accident.
154Driving systems
Driving and parking

:Detected parkingspace on the left
;Parkin gsym bol
=Detected parkin gspace on the right
If the driver's sea tbeltisf astened and al ldoo rs
ar ec losed ,Activ eParkin gA ssist is activated
automaticall ywhend rivin gforwards .The sys-
tem is operational at speeds of up to approx-
imatel y22m ph (35 km/h). Whil einoperation,
the system independentl yloc ate sand meas-
ures parkin gspacesonb oths ides of the vehicle.
Activ eParkin gA ssist will onl ydetect parking
spaces:
Rparallel or at right angle stothe direction of
travel.
Rthata reparallel to the direction of travel and
ar eatl east59 in (1.5 m) wide
Rthatareparallel to the direction of travel and
at leas t40in( 1.0m) lo nger thany ourvehicle
Rthata re at right angle stothe direction of
travel and at leas t40in( 1.0 m) wider than
your vehicle
iNote thatA ctiveParking Assist cannot
measure the length of aparking space if it is at
right angle stothe direction of travel .You will
nee dtoj udge yourself whether your vehicle
will fit into the parking space.
When the vehicl eisdrivingats peeds of up to
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h), parking sym-
bol ;is shown as astatus dis
pla y
int he header.
The systemd etects and differentiate sbetween
parking space swhich ar eparalle loratr ight
angle stothe direction of travel .Whenap arking
space is detected, an arrow appear snext to
parking symbol ;to indicate which side the
parking space is on. The parking space is dis-
played whil eyou ared rivin gpastita nd unti lyou
ar ea pproximately 50 ft (15 m) awayfromi t.
Active Parkin gAssist display sparking spaces on
the passengers ideass tandard. The parking
spaces on the driver's side ar eonlyd isplayed if
yo uo perate the turn signalont he driver's side.
Whe nparking on the driver's side ,you must
operate the turn signalu ntilyou have started active parking assistance by pressing the
a
button on the steering wheel.
Parking
GWARNING
If yo uleave the driver's sea twhent he vehicle
is onlyb eing braked by Active Parking Assist,
the vehicl ecould rol lawa yif:
Rther eisam alfunctio ninthe system or in
the voltag esupply.
Rthe electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses ar etam-
pered with.
Rthe battery is disconnected.
Rthe vehicl eisaccelerated,e .g.b yav ehicle
occupant.
There is ariskofana ccident.
Before leaving the driver's seat, always secure the vehicl eagain st rolling away.
If PARKTRONICd etects obstacles, Active Park-
ing Assist brakes automaticall yduring the park-
ing process. Yo uareresponsibl efor braking in
goo dtime.
XBring the vehicl esafelytoas top when the
parking symbo lshows the desired parking
space in the instrument cluster.
XShift the transmission to position R.
The display shows the Start
ParkAssist?Yes:OKNo:% message and the location
of the parking space.
XTo cance lthe process: press the%but-
ton on the steering whee lordrive off.
or
XTo park using active parking assistance:
press the abutton on the steering wheel.
The display shows the ParkAssist
Active :Accelerat eand BrakeObs.Surroundingsmessage.
XLet go of the steering wheel.
XReverse the vehicle, being ready to brake at
allt imes. Exit the parking space slowly and do
not drive faster than6m ph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwis eparking assistance is cancele dand
Active Parking Assist is stopped.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicl etoa
standstill when the vehicl eapproaches the
rea rborde roft he parking space.
156Driving systems
Driving an dparking

Maneuvering may be required in tight parking
spaces. The display shows thePark Assist
Active: Select DObs. Surroundingsmes-
sage.
XWhile the vehicle is stationary, shift the trans-
mission to position D.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The display shows the
Park Assist Active: Accelerate and
BrakeObs. Surroundingsmessage.
iYou will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
XDrive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill.
The display shows the Park
AssistActive:Select RObs. Surroundingsmessage.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Park Assist Finished
message appears
in the display and atone sounds. The parking
assistance function of Active Parking Assist is
stopped. The vehicle is parked and kept station-
ary without the driver having to depress the
brake pedal. The braking effect is canceled
when you depress the accelerator pedal.
Active Parking Assist no longer supports you
with steering interventions and brake applica-
tions. Once active parking assistance has been
stopped, you must steer and brake again your-
self. PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips:
RThe way your vehicle is positioned in the park- ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditionsoft he location. It
may be the case that Active Parking Assist
guides you too far into aparking space, or not
far enough into it. In some cases, it may also
lead you across or onto the curb. In this case,
cancel the active parking assistance.
RYou can also preselect transmission position
D.T he vehicle redirects and does not drive as
far into the parking space. If you change direc-
tion too early, parking assistance is canceled
and Active Parking Assist is stopped. It is then
not possible to achieve asensible parking
position from the current position.
Exiting aparking space
In order that Active Parking Assist can support
you when you exit the parking space:
Rthe border of the parking space must be high
enough at the front and the rear. Acurb is too
small, for example.
Rthe border of the parking space must not be
too wide. Your vehicle can be maneuvered
into aposition at amaximum of 45° to the
startin gposition in the parking space.
Ram aneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available.
Active Parking Assist can only assist you with
exiting aparking space if you have parked the
vehicle parallel to the direction of travel using
Active Parking Assist.
If PARKTRONIC detects obstacles, Active Park-
ing Assist brakes automatically when exiting
from the parking space. You are responsible for
braking in good time.
XStart the engine.
XSwitch on the turn signal in the direction in
which you are pulling away.
XShift the transmission to position Dor R.
The display shows the Start
ParkAssist?Yes: OKNo:%message.
XTo cancel the process: press the%but-
ton on the steering wheel or drive off.
or
XTo exit the parking space using active
parking assistance: press theabutton
on the steering wheel.
The display shows the Park Assist
Active: Accelerate and BrakeObs.Surroundingsmessage.
XLet go of the steering wheel.
XPull away,being ready to brake at all times.
Exit the parking space slowly and do not drive
faster than 6mph (10 km/h). Otherwise park-
ing assistance is canceled and Active Parking
Assist is stopped.
Active Parking Assist brakes the vehicle to a
standstill when the vehicle approaches abor-
der of the parking space.
XWhile the vehicle is stationary, shift the trans-
mission to position Dor Ras required or
according to the message.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The display shows the
Park Assist Active: Accelerate and
BrakeObs. Surroundingsmessage.
Driving systems157
Driving and parking
Z

iYou will achievethe best resultsbyw aiting
for the steeringp rocedure to complete before
pulling away.
If you back up afte ractivation, the steering
wheel is movedtot he straight-ahead posi-
tion.
XDrive forwards and back up as prompted by
the PARKTRONIC warnin gdisplays, several
times if necessary.
Onc eyou have exited the parking space com-
pletely:
RThe display shows the Park Assist Fin‐ishedmessage.
Ratones ounds.
Rthe steeringw heel is movedtot he straight-
ahead position.
The parking assistanc efunction of Activ ePark-
ing Assist is stopped. You will the nhave to steer
and mergei ntot raffic on your own.
PARKTRONIC is still available.
You can tak eover the steeringb eforethe vehi-
cle has exited the parking space completely.
This is useful, for example when you recognize
that it is already possible to pull out of the park-
ing space.
Canceling activ eparki ng assistance
XStop the movementoft he steeringwheel or
steer yourself.
or
XPress the fbutton and deactivate
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 152).
Parking assistanc eiscanceled immediately
and Activ eParking Assist is stopped. The dis-
play shows the Park
AssistCanceledmes-
sage.
Activ eparking assistanc eiscanceled automat-
ically if:
Rapply the parking brake.
Rparking using Activ eParking Assist is no lon-
ger possible
Ryou are drivingf aster than6mph (1 0km/ h)
Raw heel spins and ESP®intervenes or fails.
The ÷ warnin glamp in the instrument
cluster the nlightsu p.
Ryou unfasten your seat belt
Ryou open adoor or the tailgate/rear door
Ryou shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P Aw
arnin gtones ounds ,the parking symbol in
the display goes out and the Park Assist
Canceledmessageappears.
Onc eactive Parking Assist has been canceled,
you must steer and brakea gain yourself.
If as yste mm alfunction occurs, vehicles are
automatically braked down to astandstill. To
continue driving, you must depresst he acceler-
ator pedal again.
Rear view camera
Genera lnotes
On vehicles with atailgate, the rear view camera
is nex ttothe tailgat ehandle (Ypage 257).
On vehicles with rear doors,t he rear view cam-
era is in the top of the license plate molding
(
Ypage 257).
The rear view camer aisavisual parking aid. It
shows you the area behindt he vehicle in the
audio display.
The area behindt he vehicle is displayed in a
mirrored fashion,asint he rear-view mirror or
the exterior mirrors. The guide lines displayed
assist you in backing up.
The messaged isplays dependont he language
settin gofthe audio system. The followingr ear
view camer adisplays are examples.
Important safetyn otes
!Objectsthat are not at groundl evel appear
further away than the yactually are, for exam-
ple:
Rthe bumper of the vehicle parked behind
Rthe drawbar of atrailer
Rthe ball couplin gofatrailer tow hitch
Rthe tail-end of atruck
Rslanted posts
Only use the camer aguide lines for orienta-
tion .Don ot get any close rtoobject sthan the
lowest horizontal guide line. You may other-
wise damage your vehicle and/or the object.
The rear view camer aisonly an aid. It cannot
replacey our own awarenes softhe immediate
surroundings. You are responsible for safe
maneuveringa nd parking. When maneuvering
and parking, make sure that there are no per-
sons, animals or object sinthe maneuvering
area.
158Driving systems
Driving and parking

Therefore notethe following:
ROnly installaball coupling that is approved
for your vehicle.
RBefore the journey, make sure that the ball
coupling is correctly installed and secured.
To do this, observe the operating instruc-
tions of the ball coupling manufacturer.
RDo not make any modification stothe ball
coupling or the trailer tow hitch.
You must observe the operating instructions
of the trailer tow hitch or ball coupling manu-
facturer.
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not correctly installed
and secured, it could come loose while driving and endanger other road users. There is arisk
of an accident and injury.
Install and secure the ball coupling as descri-
bed in the ball coupling manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions .Make sure that the ball
coupling is correctly installed and secured
before every journey.
GWARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The vehi- cle/trailer combination could even rollover.
There is arisk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasingt he speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer. Apply the
brake as necessary.
You can attach carrier systems such as bicycle
racks or load-bearing implements on the ball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of 165 lb
(75 kg) applies when using carrier systems on
the ball coupling.
Always observe the operating instructions pro-
vided by the manufacturers of the trailer cou-
pling and the ball coupling.
Couple and decouple the trailer carefully. When backing up the towing vehicle, make sure
nobody is standin gbetween the vehicle and the
trailer. At
railer which is incorrectly coupled to the tow-
ing vehicle could break away.Ac orrectly cou-
pled trailer must be positioned horizontally
behind the towing vehicle.
Ensure that the following weights are not excee-
ded:
Rthe permissible noseweight
Rthe permissible trailer load
Rthe permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
Rthe maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
Rthe maximum permissible gross weight of
vehicle/trailer combination
The applicable permissible values that may not
be exceeded can be found:
Rin your vehicle documents
Ron the type plates for the trailer tow hitch
Ron the type plates for the trailer
Ron the vehicle identification plate
(Ypage 294).
Where the values differ, the lowest is valid.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates and
those for the towing vehicle in the "Technical
data" section (
Ypage 305).
Your vehicle behaves differently with atrailer
than without one.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
Ris heavier
Ris restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
Rhas an increased braking distance
Ris more susceptible to stron gcrosswinds
Rrequires more sensitiv esteering
Rhas alarger turnin gcircle
This may impair the handling characteristics.
When towing atrailer, alwaysa djust your speed
to suit the road and weather conditions. Drive
carefully. Maint ainasafe

distance.
If you require any further explanation regarding
the information contained in the Operating
Instructions, please contact aMercedes-Benz
Commercial Van Center.
Towing atrailer163
Driving and parking
Z

General notes
RObserve the legally prescribed maximum
speed for vehicle/trailer combinations in the
relevant country, state or Canadianprovince.
Before setting off, check the vehicle docu-
ments of the you rtraile rtof ind out the per-
missible maximu mspeed.
This reduces the risk of accidents.
RInstall only an approved traile rcoupling on
you rvehicle .Only use aballc oupling that is
approved for you rvehicle and Sprinter trailer
tow hitch. More information on the availabil-
ity, mounting and installation of the trailer
electrics is available at any qualified specialist
workshop.
RThe traile rcoupling is one of the most impor-
tant vehicle parts with regard to road safety.
Observe the notes on operation, care and
maintenance of the traile rtow hitch (see the
manufacturer's operating instructions).
RThe bumpers of you rvehicle are not suitable
for installing detachable traile rcouplings.
RDo not attach rented traile rtow hitches or
other detachable traile rtow hitches to the
bumper.
RMinimize the risk of damage to the bal lcou-
pling. If you do not require the bal lcoupling,
remove it from the bal lcoupling recess.
You wil lfind weight information under "Techni-
cal Data" (
Ypage 305).
The heigh tofthe bal lneck changes according to
the loadont he vehicle.Ifthis is case, use a
traile rwith aheight-adjustabl etraile rdrawbar.
Driving tips
The maximu mpermissibl espeed for vehicle/
traile rcombinatio ndepends on the type of
trailer. Before setting off, check the vehicle
documents of the you rtraile rtof ind out the
permissibl emaximu mspeed.O bserve the
legally prescribed maximu mspeed for vehicle/
traile rcombinations in the relevant country,
state or Canadianp rovince.
When towing atrailer, you rvehicle's handling
characteristics wil lbedifferent in comparison to
when driving withou tatraile rand it wil lcon-
sume more fuel.
On long and steep downhill gradients, select a
lower gear.
iThis also appliesifc ruise control is activa-
ted. This enables you to utilize the engine's braking
effect and you do not need to brake so heavily to
keep the correct speed.w
hich protects the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly. If you need to brake additionally, to not depress the brake
pedalc onstantly, but periodically.
Observe the notes on ESP
®traile rstabilization
(Ypage 65).
Driving tips
If the traile rbegins to swing from side to side:
XDo not accelerate.
XDo not counter-steer.
XBrake if necessary.
iYou can reduce the risk of the traile rswing-
ing and rocking by retrofitting anti-roll bars or traile rstability programs. More information is
available from you rauthorized Sprinter
Dealer.
RMaintain agreater distance than you would
when driving withou ttowing atrailer.
RAvoid sudden braking. Apply the brakes gen-
tly at first to allow the traile rbrake to overrun.
Then, increase the brake force quickly.
RThe figures for the gradient climbing capabil-
ities from astandstill refer to sea level.W hen
driving in mountainou sareas, note that the
powe routpu toft he engine, and with it its
gradient climbing capability, decrease with
increasing altitude.
164Towing atrailer
Driving and parking

Coupling upatrailer
Trailer coupled read yfor use
XMakes ure that th eselecto rleveroft heauto-
matic transmission is in position P.
XOn vehicleswithana utomatic transmission,
ensure that th etransmission is in position P.
XEngage thevehicle's parking brake.
XClose all doors.
XPositio nthe trailer horizontally behindy our
vehicle.
iThe height of th eball neck changes accord-
ing to th eload on th evehicle .Inthisc ase, use
at railer withah eight-adjustable trailer draw-
bar.
XCouple th etrailer.
XEstablish all electrical and other connections
to th etrailer.W hen doings o, hook thebreak-
away cabl eofthetrailer int othe eyelet on the
ball coupling.
XRemove th eobject sthata re preventin gthe
trailer from rolling ,e.g.w heel chocks.
XRelease th etrailer parking brake.
iThe subharness of th evehicle has acable
connection to th ebrak elamp indicator lamp.
Observ ethe maximum permissible trailer
dimensions( widthand length).
Mostf ederal state sand all Canadian provinces
require by law:
Rsafety chains between th etow ing vehicle and
th et railer.T he chains should be cross-wound
unde rthe trailer drawbar. They must be fas- tene
dtot hevehicle's trailer coupling, no tto
th eb umpe rortheaxle.
Leavee nough slackint hechains .This allows
you to driv eroun dtight corn
ers.
Raseparate brak esystem for certain type sof
trailer.
Ras afety shut-off for braked trailers. Fin dout
th es pecific requirements according to the
applicable laws.
If th etrailer become sdetached from th etow -
ing vehicle ,the safety shut-off applies the
trailer brakes.
Towin gatrailer
Therea re numerous legal requirements con-
cernin gthe towing of atrailer,e .g.s peedr estric-
tions .Makes ure your vehicle/traile rcombina-
tio nc omplies withl ocal laws. This no tonly
mean swherey ou live ,but also anywhere you
are driving to .Inf ormation is available from the
policea nd local authorities.
Observ ethe followingw hen towing atrailer:
RPractic edriving aroun dbends, stoppinga nd
backing up at aplacew herethere is no traffic.
This enables you to gain experience and get
used to th enew handlingc haracteristics.
RBefore driving ,che ck:
-that th etrailer to whitch and ball coupling
are secure
-that th esafety switch for abraked trailer is
functioning properly
-that th esafety chains are secure and not
damaged
-that th eelectrical connectionsa re secure
-that thelightsa re working
-that thewheelsa re in good order and the
tir ep ressure is correct
RAdjus tthe exterior mirror stoprovide an
unobstructe dview of th erear sectio nofthe
trailer.
RIf th etrailer has electronicall ycontrolled
brakes, pull th evehicle/traile rcombination
away carefully. Brake manually usingt he
brak econtroller and check that th ebrakes
are working.
RSecure th eload on th etrailer according to the
applicable specifications an d currentst and-
ards on securin gloads (Ypage 234).
Towing atrailer165
Driving and parking
Z