Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 2012 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 288)

! Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after
cleaning. Braking heats the brake discs and
the brake pads/linings, thus drying them.
The vehicle can then be parked.
Exterior care
Automatic car wash
G WARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the vehicle. This could cause an accident. For
this reason, you must drive particularly
carefully after washing the vehicle until the
brakes have dried.
G WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOLD function
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate the HOLD function and DISTRONIC
PLUS before the vehicle is washed in an
automatic car wash.
You can wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash from the very start.
! Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
If the vehicle is very dirty, pre-wash it before
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
! In car washes with a towing mechanism,
make sure that the automatic transmission
is in transmission position
N, otherwise the
vehicle could be damaged.
R Vehicles with a SmartKey:
Do not remove the SmartKey from the
ignition lock. Do not open the driver's
door or front-passenger door when the
engine is switched off. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission selects park
position
P automatically and locks the
wheels. You can prevent this by shifting
the automatic transmission to
N
beforehand.
R
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO:
Do not open the driver's door or front-
passenger door when the engine is
switched off. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission selects park position
P
automatically and locks the wheels.
Observe the following to make sure that the
automatic transmission stays in position
N:
X Make sure the vehicle is stationary and the
ignition is switched off.
X Turn the SmartKey to position
2 (
Y page 132) in the ignition lock.
Use the SmartKey instead of the Start/
Stop button on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO.
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position
N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey in the ignition lock.
! Make sure that:
R
the side windows and the sliding sunroof
are fully closed.
R the ventilation/heating is switched off
(the OFF button has been pressed).
R
the windshield wiper switch is in position
0.
Otherwise, the vehicle might be damaged.
After using an automatic car wash, wipe off
wax from the windshield and the wiper
blades. This will prevent smears and reduce
wiping noises caused by residue on the
windshield.
286
Care
Maintenance and care