Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3 Owner's Manual page 17

This practice will keep the parking
brake at maximum efficiency.
Warning:
The stop lamps will not come on when
applying the parking brake only. Apply
parking brake only when road behind
vehicle is clear of traffic.
All checks and maintenance work on
the brake system should be carried out
by a MERCEDES-BENZ dealer.
If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument
cluster stays on, the brake fluid level in
the reservoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system
may be the reason for low brake fluid in
the reservoir.
Have the brake system inspected at a
MERCEDES-BENZ service station
without delay.
Install only brake pads recommended
by us.
If other than recommended brake pads
are installed, the braking properties of
the vehicle can be affected to an extent
that the safety is substantially im­
paired.
Driving Hints During the Winter
Season
The most important rule for slippery or
icy roads is to drive sensibily and to
avoid abrupt acceleration, braking and
steering action. Do not use the cruise
control system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skid­
ding, declutch or - in case of an auto­
matic transmission - move selector
lever to position " N" . Try to keep the
vehicle under control by means of
corrective steering action.
Provided the traffic conditions will
allow, only brake in a way that the
wheels are locked for no more than
fractions of a second as otherwise the
steerability of the vehicle is lost.
Road salts and chemicals can adver­
sely affect braking efficiency. Increas­
ed pedal force may become necessary
to produce the normal brake effect. We
therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal repeatedly when travelling
on saltstrewn roads at length. This can
bring road salt impaired braking effi­
ciency back to normal. A prerequisite
is, however, that this is possible w i­
thout endangering other drivers on the
road.
If the vehicle is parked after being driv­
en on salt treated roads, the braking
efficiency should be tested as soon as
possible after driving is resumed while
adhering to the safety requirements.
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