2011 Mercedes G-Class Owner's Manual - Page 146

144 X Driving tips Clean the headlamps and rear lights and check for damage. X Clean the front and rear license plates. X Clean the wheels and tires with a water jet and remove any foreign objects. X Clean the wheels, tires, wheel arches and the vehicle underside with a water jet; check for any foreign objects and damage. X Check whether twigs or other parts of plants have become trapped. These increase the risk of fire and can damage fuel pipes, brake hoses or the rubber bellows of the axle joints and propeller shafts. X After the trip, examine without fail the entire undercarriage, wheels, tires, brakes, bodywork structure, steering, chassis and exhaust system for damage. X After driving for extended periods across sand, mud, gravel, water or in similarly dirty conditions, have the brake discs, wheels, brake pads/linings and axle joints checked and cleaned. X If you detect strong vibrations after off-road driving, check for foreign objects in the wheels and drivetrain and remove any that you find. Foreign objects can disturb the balance and cause vibrations. X Observe the following rules when driving on sand: Rshift the transfer case to LOW (Y page 126). Ravoid high engine speeds. Rlimit the shift range of the automatic transmission according to the off-road conditions. Rdrive quickly to overcome the rolling resistance. Otherwise, the vehicle could dig itself into the sand. Rdrive in the tracks of other vehicles if possible. Make sure that the ruts are not too deep, that the sand is firm enough and that your vehicle has sufficient ground clearance. Driving and parking Tire ruts and gravel roads Observe the following rules when driving along ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loose gravel: Test the brakes. Driving on sand G Warning! Do not reduce the tire inflation pressure before driving through sand. However, if you do so, remember to correct the tire inflation pressure before continuing your trip. Driving with reduced tire inflation pressure increases the risk of losing control of the vehicle and rolling over. ! Check that the ruts are not too deep and that your vehicle has sufficient clearance. Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or bottom out and get stuck. Rshift the transfer case to LOW (Y page 126). Ravoid high engine speeds. Robserve the safety notes (Y page 142) and the general notes (Y page 142) on off-road driving. Rrestrict the shift range of the automatic transmission to 1 (Y page 123). Rdrive slowly. Rwhere ruts are too deep, drive with the wheels of one side on the center grassy area, if possible.