warning MERCEDES-BENZ R-CLASS MPV 2008 Service Manual

On-board computer
128
Route guidance inactive The multi-function display shows the direc-
tion of travel and the road name if it is known
to the navigation system. Route guidance active
The following may appear in the multi-func-
tion display: AIRMATIC*/compass* menu
In the AIRMATIC/compass menu you can
view the messages for level control* and see
the direction in which you are currently driv-
ing (Y page 212). The display in the AIR-
MATIC/compass menu depends on the
optional equipment in your vehicle
(Y page 152).
X Press èor· to select the AIR-
MATIC/compass menu. Example display for vehicles with the AIRMATIC
package and compass Distronic* menu
You can see the current Distronic settings in
the Distronic menu (Ypage 143).
i Menu overview: (Y page 123). Message memory menu
Previous display messages can be called up
in the Message memory menu. You will only
see the Message memory menu if there are
any display messages. G
Risk of accident
The on-board computer only records and
displays messages and warnings from cer-
tain systems. For this reason, you should
always make sure that your vehicle is safe
to drive. You could otherwise cause an acci-
dent by driving an unsafe vehicle.
i All possible display messages are
explained in the "Practical advice" section
(Y page 255).
Switching off the ignition clears the Message
memory except for the highest priority dis-
play messages. The on-board computer will
only delete these display messages after the
cause of the message has been rectified. Controls
* optional
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On-board computer
136
X
Press èor· to select the Set-
tings menu.
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press æorç to select the Conve-
nience submenu.
X Press jto select Fold in mirrors
when locking .
X Press the æorç button to activate
or deactivate the Fold in mirrors when
locking feature.
X Press the j,èorÿ button to
select a different display. Additional functions* menu
The following table shows the settings you
can make in the Additional functions menu.
You will find additional information on the
pages shown. The number of functions
depends on your vehicle's optional equip-
ment. Function
R
Activates/deactivates the distance
warning system* (Y page 136)
R Primes/deactivates tow-away protec-
tion* (Y page 136)
R Primes/deactivates the interior motion
sensor* (Y page 137) Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
Activating/deactivating the distance
warning system*
This function is only available with Dis-
tronic* (Y
page 143).
X Press the èor· button to select the
Additional functions menu.
X If the Distance warning function is not
displayed, press the jork button
to select the Distance warning system.X
Press the æorç button to activate
or deactivate the Distance warning sys-
tem.
When the distance warning system is acti-
vated, the :symbol will be shown in the
lower multi-function display.
X Press the j,èor· button to
select a different display.
Priming/deactivating tow-away protec-
tion* If you deactivate
Tow-away protection, it
will not be primed when you next lock the
vehicle.
X Press the èor· button to select the
Additional functions menu.
X IfTow-away protection is not displayed,
press the jork button to select
Tow-away protection.
X Press the æorç button to prime or
deactivate Tow-away protection.
X Press the j,èorÿ button to
select a different display. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 140 Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R Cruise control, Distronic* and Speedtronic,
which are used to control the speed of the
vehicle
R The rear axle level control*, which regu-
lates the vehicle level at the rear axle
R AIRMATIC package*, consisting of level
control* for individual adjustment of
ground clearance and ADS* (Adaptive
Damping System), for individual adjust-
ment of suspension tuning
R 4*MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive), for
optimum traction
R Parktronic*, which assists you in parking
and manoeuvring
R Reversing camera*, which assists you
when parking and manoeuvring
The ABS, BAS, ESP ®
, EBV vehicle safety sys-
tems and the distance warning system* are
described in the "Safety" section
(Y page 58). Cruise control
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially 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
effect of the engine, which relieves the load
on the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. 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.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time.
G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do
not allow you to maintain a constant
speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding
roads). You could otherwise cause an
accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerat-
ing could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
fog, heavy rain or snow
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise control is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 142
X
Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 3.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated it
stores the current speed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously
stored speed.
Setting a speed X
Press the cruise control lever to the pres-
sure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
X Keep the cruise control lever pressed until
the desired speed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
i Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin-
ished overtaking. Making fine adjustments in 1 km/h
increments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever to the
pressure point, up 1for a higher speed or
down 4for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Making adjustments in 10 km/h incre-
ments X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
or
X Brake.
or X
Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if,
for example:
R you depress the parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
is intervening or you deactivate
ESP ®
.
R you shift the automatic transmission to N
while driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You will see the Cruise con-
trol Off message in the multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 144 under braking or acceleration. The vehi-
cle could start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor
visibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog.
Distance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise danger in
time, could cause an accident and injure
yourself and others.
If there is no vehicle in front, Distronic oper-
ates in the same way as cruise control. Dis-
tronic functions in the 30 km/h to
180 km/h range. G
Risk of accident
Distronic brakes your vehicle at a maximum
of 2 m/s 2
, depending on its speed. This
corresponds to approximately 20% of your
vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must also apply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If Distronic detects a risk of collision with a
vehicle in front, an intermittent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ldistance
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up. Brake to avoid a collision. Cruise control lever You can operate Distronic and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Distronic is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. 1
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
2 To adjust the set distance
3 LIM indicator lamp
4 To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed 5
To store the current speed or a lower
speed
6 To switch between Distronic and variable
Speedtronic
7 To deactivate Distronic
Selecting Distronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 3is off.
If it is off, Distronic is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow 6.
LIM indicator lamp 3in the cruise control
lever goes off. Distronic is selected.
Switching on Distronic, storing and
maintaining the current speed If Distronic is not activated after the cruise
control lever is pressed, you will see the mes-
sage
DISTRONIC - - - km/h in the multi-
function display.
You cannot activate Distronic in the following
circumstances:
R for two minutes after the engine is started
R if you are driving slower than 30 km/h or
faster than 180 km/h
R when braking Controls
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Driving sys
tems 148
R
ESP ®
is intervening or you deactivate
ESP ®
.
R you shift the automatic transmission to N
while the vehicle is in motion
If Distronic is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the DISTRONIC
Off message in the multi-function display for
approximately five seconds.
Tips for driving with Distronic The following contains descriptions of certain
road and traffic conditions in which you must
be particularly attentive. In such situations,
brake if necessary. Distronic is then deacti-
vated.
Cornering, entering and exiting a bend The ability of Distronic to detect vehicles
when cornering is limited. Your vehicle may
brake unexpectedly or belatedly.
Vehicles travelling in a different line
Distronic may not detect vehicles travelling
on a different line. The distance to the vehicle
in front will be too short.
Other vehicles changing lane Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle
cutting in. The distance to this vehicle will be
too short.
Narrow vehicles Distronic has not yet detected the vehicle in
front on the edge of the carriageway, becauseControls
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Driving sys
tems 151
up
1 for a higher speed or down 4for a
lower speed.
Deactivating variable Speedtronic There are several ways to deactivate variable
Speedtronic:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards 6.
The LIM indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable Speedtronic is
deactivated.
Cruise control or Distronic* is selected.
Variable Speedtronic is deactivated automat-
ically when you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown), but
only if your current speed does not differ by
more than 20 km/h from the stored speed.
You will hear a warning tone if this is the case. G
Risk of accident
It is not possible to deactivate variable
Speedtronic by braking. i
The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine.
Permanent Speedtronic i
Permanent Speedtronic is only available
in certain countries.
You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h (e.g. for driving with winter tyres)
and the maximum speed.
Just before the stored speed is reached, it
appears in the multi-function display.
Permanent Speedtronic remains active, even
if variable Speedtronic is deactivated.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed,
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown).
Setting permanent Speedtronic
X Press the èor· button to select the
Settings menu (Ypage 129).
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the jbutton to select Speed
limit (winter tyres) . X
Press the æorç button to select the
desired setting.
The following settings can be selected:
R Off
Permanent Speedtronic is deactivated.
R A limit speed between 240 km/hand
160 km/h in increments of 10 km/h. Rear axle level control*
The rear axle level control regulates the vehi-
cle level at the rear axle. The benefit of this is
that the vehicle level at the rear axle is kept
constant regardless of the load.
Observe the notes on driving with a trailer in
the "Operation" (Y page 239) section. Controls
* optional
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Driving sys
tems 156Side view
Top view
Front sensors
Centre Approximately 100 cm
Corners Approximately 60 cm Rear sensors
Centre Approximately 120 cm
Corners Approximately 80 cm
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer towbars. Parktronic
does not detect such objects when they are
in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. You
could damage the vehicle or the objects.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, a lorry's compressed-air brakes
or a pneumatic drill could cause Parktronic
to malfunction.
Minimum distance Centre Approximately 20 cm
Corners Approximately 15 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, all
warning displays light up and a tone sounds.
If the distance falls below the minimum clear-
ance, it may no longer be shown.Warning displays The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is in the
roof trim at the rear.
Front area warning display
1
Left-hand side of the vehicle
2 Right-hand side of the vehicle
3 Indicator segments
The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into five yellow and two red
segments. Parktronic is operational if yellow
indicator segments 3light up. Controls
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Driving sys
tems 157
The automatic transmission position deter-
mines which warning display is active: Automatic trans-
mission position Warning display
D Front area activated
R
or N Rear and front areas
activated
P No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance to the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approxi-
mately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. You have reached the minimum dis-
tance. Deactivating/activating Parktronic 1
To deactivate/activate Parktronic
2 Indicator lamp
If indicator lamp 2is on, Parktronic is deac-
tivated.
Trailer towing* Parktronic is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and a trailer.
! Remove the detachable trailer coupling if
it is no longer required. Parktronic meas-
ures the minimum detection range to an
obstacle from the bumper, not the ball cou-
pling. Reversing camera*
The reversing camera is an optical aid. It
shows the area behind your vehicle in the
COMAND APS display. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that no persons or animals are
in the manoeuvring range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
The reversing camera is located in the handle
strip of the boot lid. 1
Reversing camera
View through the camera The area behind the vehicle is displayed in a
mirrored fashion, as in the rear-view mirror. Controls
* optional
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Tyres and wheels
226
i
An emergency spare wheel* may also be
fitted against the direction of rotation. MOExtended run-flat system*
The MOExtended run-flat system allows you
to continue driving the vehicle even when one
or more tyres lose all air pressure.
The MOExtended run-flat system may only be
used in conjunction with the tyre pressure
loss warning system or the tyre pressure
monitor* and on wheels specifically tested by
Mercedes-Benz.
i Vehicles with MOExtended run-flat sys-
tem are not equipped with the TIREFIT
kit* 27
.
It is therefore recommended to additionally
equip your vehicle with the TIREFIT kit*
when fitting tyres that do not feature run-
flat properties, e.g. winter tyres.
i A TIREFIT kit* is available from any quali-
fied specialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre. You will find notes on driving with a flat tyre
in the "Practical advice" section
(Y
page 322). Tyre tread
G
Risk of accident
Bear in mind that:
R tyre grip decreases rapidly on wet roads
when the tread depth is less than 3 mm.
You should thus replace tyres that have
insufficient tread.
R winter tyres should be replaced when the
tread depth is 4 mm or less because oth-
erwise they no longer provide adequate
grip.
R the tread on a tyre may not wear evenly.
You should thus regularly check the tread
depth and the condition of the tread
across the entire width of all tyres. If nec-
essary, turn the steering wheel so that
you can see the tyre tread more easily.
You could otherwise lose control of the
vehicle and cause an accident due to the
reduced grip of the tyres on the road. Tyre pressures
i You will find a table of tyre pressures for
various operating conditions on the inside
of your vehicle's fuel filler flap
(Y page 218).
The valid value for the spare wheel* is sta-
ted on the spare wheel and in the technical
data section. G
Risk of accident
Tyre pressure that is either too high or too
low has a negative effect on the vehicle’s
driving safety, which could lead you to
cause an accident. You should therefore
regularly check the pressure of all your
tyres (including the spare tyre*), particu-
larly prior to long trips, and correct the
pressure as necessary.
To test tyre pressure, use a suitable pressure
gauge. The outer appearance of a tyre does
not permit any reliable conclusion about the
tyre pressure. On vehicles fitted with the elec-
tronic tyre pressure monitor*, the tyre pres-
sure can be checked in the on-board com-
puter.
27 Only for certain countries Operation
* optional
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