ESP MERCEDES-BENZ R-CLASS MPV 2008 User Guide

Occupant safety
49For safety reasons, you should only use
child restraint systems which have been
approved for use in Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles.
Child seat on the front-passenger seat Warning on the front-passenger sun visor Warning symbol for a rearward-facing child
restraint system
G
Risk of injury
If the front-passenger front airbag is not
disabled:
R a child secured in a child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat could be
seriously and even fatally injured by the
front-passenger front airbag deploying.
This is especially a risk if the child is in
the immediate vicinity of the front-
passenger front airbag when it deploys.
R a child must never be secured on the
front-passenger seat in a rearward-facing
child restraint system. Only secure a rearward-facing child restraint system on
a suitable rear seat.
R always move the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secure a
child in a forward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger front airbag is not dis-
abled:
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition in the front-passenger
seat*.
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger
seat*, if no special child restraint system
with automatic child seat recognition has
been fitted to the front-passenger seat.
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat*, if
the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warn-
ing lamp is not lit.
To draw attention to this danger, there is an
appropriate warning sticker on the dash-
board as well as on both sides of the sun
visor on the front-passenger side. Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
56
TopTether
TopTether provides an additional connection
between the child restraint system secured
with ISOFIX and the rear seat. It helps reduce
the risk of injury even further.
The TopTether anchorages are attached to
the rear of the backrests:
R in the outer seats in the 2nd row
R on the seats in the 3rd row* 1
Protective caps for TopTether anchorage
X Remove corresponding protective cap 1. 2
TopTether anchorage
3 TopTether hook* 2
TopTether anchorage
3 TopTether hook*
4 TopTether belt* for the ISOFIX child
restraint system X
Move the head restraint upwards.
X Fold the backrests forwards
(Y page 190).
X Guide TopTether belt* 4under the head
restraint between the two head restraint
rods.
X Hook TopTether hook* 3into TopTether
anchorage 2.
Make sure that the belt:
R is not twisted
R is routed between the backrest and the
luggage compartment cover* if the lug-
gage compartment cover* is fitted
R is routed between the backrest and the
safety net* if the safety net* is fitted G
Risk of injury
Do not secure the TopTether hook* to the
loop underneath the TopTether anchorage
if you are securing a child restraint system
in the 3rd row of seats*. The child restraint
system is then not secure. An incorrectly
fitted child restraint system cannot perform
its intended protective function in the event
of an accident, and could even lead to inju-
ries. Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems581
Switch
X To activate: press button 1.
Button 1engages. The rear side windows
can only be operated using the switches on
the driver's door.
X To deactivate: press button1.
Button 1pops out and is flush with the
other buttons. You can operate the rear
side windows using the switches in the rear
compartment. Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
( Electronic Stability Program)
R EBV (electronic brake-power distribution)
R Distance warning function* (vehicles with
Distronic*)
i In wintry road conditions, always use win-
ter tyres (M+S tyres) and, where necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effectively as possible. G
Risk of accident
The risk of an accident is significantly
increased by driving too fast. This is partic-
ularly the case when cornering on wet and
slippery roads and when driving too close
to the vehicle in front.
The driving safety systems described in this
section cannot reduce this risk nor override
the laws of physics. For this reason, always adapt your driving
style to suit prevailing road and weather
conditions. Maintain sufficient distance
from other road users and objects on the
road.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 8 km/h
upwards, regardless of road surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
Risk of accident
Do not depress the brake pedal several
times in quick succession (pumping).
Depress the brake firmly and evenly. Pump-
ing the brake pedal reduces the braking
effect.
Braking If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
a pulsing in the brake pedal.Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems 59
X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force. G
Risk of accident
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the
vehicle when braking and the braking dis-
tance may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to a malfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle
skidding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style
to suit the prevailing road and weather con-
ditions. BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. 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 25 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 drive
faster than 10 km/h again. You can also
switch off the hazard warning lamps using the
hazard warning switch button (Y page 100). Safety
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Driving safety sys
tems60 ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between tyres and
the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified, if
necessary, to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle 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 do not deactivate ESP ®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit prevailing
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.
! If you have the vehicle towed with the
front or rear axle raised, the ignition must
be switched off (key in position 0or 1in the
ignition lock). Intervention by ESP ®
could
otherwise destroy the braking system on
the front or rear axle.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC* may not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC*: operate the vehi-
cle only briefly (for a maximum of ten sec-
onds) on a brake dynamometer. Turn the
key in the ignition lock to position 0or 1.
You could otherwise damage the drive train
or the brake system.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC*: function or per-
formance tests may only be carried out on
a 2-axle dynamometer. If you wish to oper-
ate the vehicle on such a dynamometer,
please consult a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre in advance. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system. i
Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation If your trailer begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP
®
assists you and detects
if the trailer begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the
vehicle down by braking and limiting the
engine output so the vehicle/trailer combi-
nation can stabilise.
Trailer stabilisation is active from about
65 km/h. G
Risk of accident
If road and weather conditions are bad,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to pre-
vent the trailer from swerving and thereby
reduce the risk of accident. Trailers with a
high centre of gravity can tip over before
ESP ®
can detect this.
Trailer stabilising does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of a mal-
function. Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems 61
ETS (Electronic Traction Support) Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active when you
deactivate ESP ®
. G
Risk of accident
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of
an accident if you drive too fast. Traction
control cannot override the laws of physics.
i If heavy demands are made on the brakes,
traction control switches off automatically
for a brief period so that the brakes do not
heat up even further. The vwarning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up if
traction control is not engaging for this rea-
son. The message ABS, ESP unavailable
see Owner's Manual also appears in the
multi-function display.
Activating/deactivating ESP ®ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running. 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 G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. Spinning of the
wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the vwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. In such
situations ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehi-
cle. 1
To deactivate/activate ESP ®
X To deactivate: press button1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up. G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is continuously lit when the engine
is running, ESP ®
is deactivated or not avail-
able due to a malfunction. There is an
increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style
to suit prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. Safety
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Key positions
76
X
To unlock: press button 1.
X To lock: press button 2. Key positions
Key
Ignition lock
}
To remove the key
$ Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windscreen wipers
% Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
& To start the engine
i Even if the key is not for the vehicle in
question, it will still turn in the ignition lock.
The ignition is not switched on. The engine
cannot be started. KEYLESS GO*
If you press the KEYLESS GO button repeat-
edly without depressing the brake pedal, its
function corresponds to the different key
positions in the ignition lock.
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
KEYLESS GO button, the engine starts imme-
diately.
i To start the engine using the KEYLESS GO
button, the KEYLESS GO key must be in the
vehicle. 1
KEYLESS GO button
If KEYLESS GO button 1has not yet been
pressed, this corresponds to "key removed"
or position 0. Cont
rols
* optional
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Mirrors
90 Mirrors
Rear-view mirror
X Adjust the rear-view mirror by hand so you
have a good overview of the traffic condi-
tions.
Rear-view mirror (manual anti-dazzle) 1
Anti-dazzle switch
X Anti-dazzle mode: flick anti-dazzle switch
1 forwards or back. Exterior mirrors
G
Risk of accident
The exterior mirrors reduce the size of the
image. Objects are actually closer than
they appear. You could misjudge the dis-
tance from vehicles driving behind and
cause an accident, e.g. when changing
lane. For this reason, make sure of the
actual distance from the vehicle driving
behind by glancing over your shoulder.
The convex exterior mirrors give a larger field
of vision.
At low outside temperatures, the exterior mir-
rors are heated automatically. 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 only adjust the selec-
ted 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- Controls
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Seat belts
94 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 systems on suitable vehicle seats. You
can find more information under "Chil-
dren in the vehicle" in the "Safety" sec-
tion of the Owner's Manual. Follow the
manufacturer's installation instructions
when fitting the child restraint system.
R Do not secure any objects with a seat belt
if the seat belt is also being used by one
of the vehicle's occupants. G
Risk of injury
The seat belt does not offer the intended
level of protection unless the backrest is
almost vertical. Under certain circumstan-
ces this could cause severe or even fatal
injuries.
Before starting a journey, make sure that
the seat is properly adjusted and that the
backrest is almost vertical. G
Risk of injury
A dirty or damaged seat belt or a seat belt
that has been subjected to a load in an
accident or modified no longer offers the
intended level of protection. Under certain
circumstances this could cause severe or
even fatal injuries. Controls
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Lights
98$
a
Left-hand parking lamp
% g
Right-hand parking lamp
& 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
, ¥
Fog lamps
. †
Rear fog lamp
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
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 dipped-beam headlamps, parking
lamps and licence plate lamps are switched
on. The parking lamp indicator lamp next to
the light switch 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 132).
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
M orU.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licence plate lamp 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 The side lamps, dipped-beam headlamps and
licence plate lamp are switched on or off
automatically, depending on the brightness of
the ambient light.
G
Risk of accident
If the light switch is set to the Uposi-
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 Bin 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 UtoB in good time.
Otherwise, the headlamps could switch off
temporarily and you could cause an acci-
dent. Controls
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