Driving Off - Mercedes-Benz 2008 R 320 CDI 4MATIC Operator's Manual

Operation
Driving instructions
!
When driving down long and steep grades,
relieve the load on the brakes by shifting into a
lower gear to use the engine's braking power.
This helps prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
When using the engine's braking power, a drive
wheel may not spin for an extended period of
time, e.g. on slippery road surfaces. This may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream will cool down
the brakes faster.
342
Parking brake
When driving on wet roads or dirt covered
surfaces, road salt and/or dirt can get into
the parking brake. To prevent corrosion
and a reduction in the braking power of the
parking brake, observe the following:
From time to time, lightly engage the
parking brake before driving off.
Drive a distance of approximately
110 yds (100 m) at a maximum speed
of 12 mph (20 km/h)
Warning!
While performing this procedure, please as-
sure that the vehicle is stopped before ap-
plying the parking brake. Otherwise the rear
wheels could lock up. You could lose control
of the vehicle and cause an accident. In ad-
dition, the vehicle's brake lights do not light
up when the parking brake is engaged.
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when you engage the parking brake.

Driving off

Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.
!
When driving off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an extended
®
period with the ESP switched off. Doing so may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
G
Warranty.
!
Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.