After Driving Off-Road - Mercedes-Benz G-Class Operator's Manual

Driving tips
166
Checklist after driving off-road
Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on
normal roads. After driving off-road, check
the vehicle. This allows you to detect damage
promptly and reduce the risk of an accident
to yourself and other road users.
Shift the transfer case to HIGH
X
RANGE( page 194).
Y
Disengage the differential locks
X
( page 198).
Y
Clean the headlamps and rear lights and
X
check for damage.
Clean the front and rear license plates.
X
Clean the wheels and tires with a water jet
X
and remove any foreign objects.
Clean the wheels, tires, wheel housings and
X
the vehicle underside with a water jet;
check for any foreign objects and damage.
Check whether twigs or other parts of
X
plants have become trapped. These
increase the risk of fire and can damage
fuel pipes, brake hoses or the rubber
bellows of the axle joints and propeller
shafts.
After the trip, examine without fail the
X
entire undercarriage, wheels, tires, brakes,
bodywork structure, steering, chassis and
exhaust system for damage.
After driving for extended periods across
X
sand, mud, gravel, water or in similarly dirty
conditions, have the brake discs, wheels,
brake pads/linings and axle joints checked
and cleaned.
If you notice strong vibrations after off-road
X
driving, check for foreign objects in the
wheels and drive train and, if necessary,
remove them.
Foreign objects can disturb the balance
and cause vibrations.
Test the brakes.
X
Driving on sand
Observe the following rules when driving on
sand:
Shift the transfer case to LOW
R
RANGE( page 194).
Y
Avoid high engine speeds.
R
Limit the shift range of the automatic
R
transmission according to the off-road
conditions.
Drive quickly to overcome the rolling
R
resistance. Otherwise the vehicle's wheels
could become stuck in loose ground.
Drive in the tracks of other vehicles if
R
possible. When doing so, make sure that:
the tire ruts are not too deep.
-
the sand is sufficiently firm.
-
your vehicle has sufficient ground
-
clearance
Tire ruts and gravel roads
! Check that the ruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged
or bottom out and get stuck.
Observe the following rules when driving
along ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with
loose gravel:
Shift the transfer case to LOW
R
RANGE( page 194).
Y
Avoid high engine speeds.
R
Observe the safety notes (
R
the general notes (
Y
driving.
Restrict the shift range of the automatic
R
transmission to 1(
Y
Drive slowly.
R
Where ruts are too deep, drive with the
R
wheels of one side on the center grassy
area, if possible.
page 164) and
Y
page 164) on off-road
page 150).