Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2018 Operating Instructions Manual page 125

If the surface requires, temporarily deactivate
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ASR when pulling away (
Only drive off-road with the engine running
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and a gear engaged.
Drive slowly and smoothly. Walking pace is
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necessary in many situations.
Avoid spinning the driven wheels.
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Always ensure that the wheels remain in con‐
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tact with the ground.
Exercise the utmost caution when driving
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across unfamiliar, unpredictable terrain. As a
precaution, get out of the vehicle to take a
look at the route to be taken first.
Look out for obstacles (e.g. rocks, holes, tree
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stumps and tyre ruts).
Avoid edges where the surface could crumble
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or break away.
Rules for fording off-road (all-wheel drive
vehicles)
Observe the safety notes and general notes
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on driving off-road.
Check the depth and characteristics of the
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body of water before fording. The water must
not be deeper than 60 cm.
The climate control system is switched off
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( page 103).
/
The auxiliary heating is switched off
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( page 108).
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Switch on all-wheel drive (
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engage it on vehicles with the LOW RANGE
transmission ratio (
/
Restrict the shift range to 1 or 2.
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Avoid high engine speeds.
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Drive slowly and smoothly at no more than a
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walking pace.
Ensure that no bow wave forms while driving.
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After fording, dry the brakes.
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After driving through a body of water deeper than
50 cm, make sure to check all vehicle fluids for
any signs of penetration by water.
Checklist after driving off-road
If you find damage to the vehicle after off-road
driving, have the vehicle checked at a qualified
specialist workshop immediately.
Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than normal road opera‐
tion. Check your vehicle after driving on rough
terrain. This allows you to detect damage
page 132).
/
page 132) and
/
page 133).
Driving and parking 123
promptly and reduce the risk of an accident for
yourself and other road users. Clean your vehicle
thoroughly before driving on public roads.
Observe the following points after driving off-
road, on construction sites and before driving on
public roads:
Vehicles with DSR: deactivate DSR
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( page 134).
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All-wheel drive vehicles: deactivate the all-
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wheel drive ( page 132).
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Activate ASR ( page 132).
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Clean the exterior lighting, particularly the
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headlamps and tail lamps, and check them
for damage.
Clean the front and rear licence plates.
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Clean the windscreen, windows and outside
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mirrors.
Clean the steps, entrances and grab handles.
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This increases the safety of your footing.
Clean the wheels and tyres, wheel wells and
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the underbody of the vehicle with a water jet.
This increases road adhesion, especially on
wet roadways.
Check the wheels and tyres and wheel wells
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for trapped foreign objects and remove them.
Trapped foreign objects can damage the
wheels and tyres or may be flung out from the
vehicle when continuing the journey.
Check the underbody for trapped branches or
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other parts of plants and remove them.
Clean the brake discs, brakepads and axle
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joints, particularly after operation in sand,
mud, grit and gravel, water or similarly dirty
conditions.
Check the entire floor assembly, the tyres,
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wheels, bodywork structure, brakes, steering,
suspension and exhaust system for any dam‐
age.
Check the service brake for operating safety,
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e.g. carry out a brake test.
If you notice strong vibrations after driving
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off-road, check the wheels and drivetrain for
foreign objects again. Remove any foreign
objects which can lead to imbalances and
thus cause vibrations. In the event of damage
to the wheels and the drive train, visit a quali‐
fied specialist workshop immediately.