2011 Mercedes R-Class Owner's Manual - Page 172

170 Driving tips Brakes Important safety guidelines G Warning Wet roads G Warning 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. You have to depress the brake pedal more firmly. Maintain a safe distance from vehicles in front. Driving and parking On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in order to obtain braking action. This could result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent this type of loss of control. G Warning Make sure that you do not endanger other road users when you apply the brakes. Downhill gradients ! On long and steep gradients, you must reduce the cargo on the brakes by shifting to a lower gear in good time. This allows you to take advantage of engine braking and helps you to avoid overheating the brakes and wearing them out excessively. When you take advantage of engine braking, a drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface. This could cause damage to the drive train. Such damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty. Heavy and light loads G Warning Depressing the brake pedal constantly results in excessive and premature wear to the brake pads. It may also cause the brakes to overheat, seriously impairing their effectiveness. It may then not be possible to stop the vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an accident. After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle washed, brake firmly while paying attention to the traffic conditions. This will warm up the brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly and protecting them against corrosion. Limited braking performance on salt treated roads G Warning The layer of salt on the brake discs and the brake pads/linings may cause a delay in the braking effect, resulting in a significantly longer braking distance, which could lead to an accident. To avoid this danger, you should: Roccasionally brake carefully, without putting other road users at risk, when you are driving on salted roads. This helps to remove any salt that may have started to build up on the brake discs and the brake pads/linings. Rmaintain a greater distance to the vehicle ahead and drive with particular care. Rcarefully apply the brakes at the end of a trip and immediately after commencing a new trip, so that salt residues are removed from the brake discs. If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy cargo, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but drive on for a short while. This allows the airflow to cool the brakes more quickly. Maintenance of the brakes ! If the brake warning lamp lights up in the instrument cluster and you hear a warning tone, even though the parking brake has been released, the brake fluid level may be