Driving Instructions - Mercedes-Benz 300 TE 124 T 1988 Owner's Manual

Driving Instructions

P ow er assistance
W hen the en gine is n o t run ning, the
brake and s te e rin g s y ste m s are w ith ­
o u t p o w e r assista nce . U n de r th e se
c irc u m s ta n c e s , a m uch g re a te r e ffo rt
is ne cessa ry to s to p o r s te e r th e ve h i­
cle.
Brakes
Caution!
W hen d riv in g d o w n long and ste e p
grades, relieve th e b ra kes by sh iftin g
in to " 3 " o r " 2 " . This he lp s pre ve n t
ove rh e a tin g o f th e b ra kes and
re d u c e s bra ke pad w ear. Do not
e xce e d en gine sp e e d lim its (see
page 65).
A fte r hard bra kin g it is advisable to
drive on fo r som e tim e so the air
stream w ill c o o l d o w n th e bra kes
faster.
W arning!
A fte r driving in heavy rain for som e
tim e w ith o u t applying th e brakes or
through w a te r d eep enough to w e t
brake com ponents, th e first braking
actio n may be so m ew hat reduced
and increased pedal pressure may
be necessary. Be sure to m aintain a
safe d istan ce from vehicles in front.
16
The c o n d itio n o f th e p a rkin g brake
sys te m is c h e c k e d each tim e th e car
is in th e s h o p fo r m aintenance.
B etw e en m a inten ance c h e c k s it is a
g o o d p ra c tic e to ap ply th e pa rkin g
b ra ke o n ce o r tw ic e w h ile d riving at
a p p ro x im a te ly 50 k m /h (30 m ph) on a
d ry s tra ig h t road. A p p ly bra ke lig h tly
until a s lig h t drag on th e w h e e ls is felt.
Keep ap plying bra ke fo r a b o u t
10 s e c o n d s w h ile p u lling th e release
handle o u t b e fo re re lea sing the p a rk ­
ing bra ke co m p le te ly. This p ra c tic e
w ill kee p th e p a rkin g bra ke at m axi­
m um e ffic ie n cy.
W arning!
The sto p lam ps will not co m e on
w hen applying th e parking brake
only. Perform th e p ro ced u re in the
previous paragraph only w hen the
road is cle ar of o th e r traffic.
C aution!
R e sting y o u r fo o t on th e bra ke pedal
w ill cause e x ce ssiv e and pre m a tu re
w e ar o f th e bra ke pads.
All c h e c k s and m ainten ance w o rk on
the bra ke s y s te m s h o u ld be c arried
o u t by an a u th o riz e d M ERC EDES-
BENZ dealer.
If th e p a rkin g bra ke is released and
th e bra ke w a rn in g lam p in th e in s tru ­
m en t c lu s te r stays on, th e bra ke flu id
level in th e re s e rv o ir is to o low.
B rake pad w e a r o r a leak in th e sy s ­
te m may be th e reason fo r lo w brake
flu id in th e rese rvoir.
Have th e bra ke system in s p e c te d at
an a u th o riz e d M E R C E D E S -B E N Z
de a le r w ith o u t delay.
Install only bra ke pads and bra ke flu id
re c o m m e n d e d by M E R C ED ES-BEN Z.
If o th e r than re c o m m e n d e d brake
pads are in sta lle d, th e bra kin g p ro ­
p e rtie s o f th e v e h icle can be a ffe c te d
to an e x te n t th a t th e safe ty is s u b ­
stan tially im paired.