Drinking and driving, Pedals, Power assistance – Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2009 User Manual
Page 478: Brakes
Driving instructions
476
Drinking and driving and/or taking drugs
and driving are very dangerous
combinations. Even a small amount of
alcohol or drugs can affect your reflexes,
perceptions and judgment.
The possibility of a serious or even fatal
accident are greatly increased when you
drink or take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
Make sure absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all
obstacles. If there are any floormats or
carpets in the footwell, make sure that the
pedals still have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking
maneuvers, the objects could get caught
between the pedals. You could then no
longer brake or accelerate. This could lead
to accidents and injury.
There is no power assistance for the
steering and the service brake when the
engine is not running.
Steering and braking requires significantly
more effort and you could lose control of
the vehicle and cause an accident as a
result.
Do not turn off the engine while the vehicle
is in motion.
Downhill grades
!
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
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.
Continuous or hard braking
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will
cause excessive and premature wear of the
brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their
effectiveness. It may not be possible to
stop the vehicle in sufficient time to avoid
an accident.
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.
Wet roads
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through
water deep enough to wet brake
components, the first braking action may
be somewhat reduced and increased pedal
pressure may be necessary to obtain
Operation