Mercedes-Benz 300 SD Turbo Diesel 1982, Owner'S Manual

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Starting and Shifting Gears
Safe Driving
Maneuvering
To maneuver in a re stricte d area, e.g.
w hen pulling into a parking space,
co n tro l the car speed by gradually
releasing the service brake.
Accelerate gently and do not pump
the accelerator. To rock a car o u t of
so ft ground (mud or snow ), alter­
nately shift one forward gear range
and the reverse gear at partial
throttle.
Trailer operation
Do not allow the engine speed to
drop to o low at uphill gradients to
prevent the engine from laboring at
low RPMs. Depending on the degree
of the incline, shift se le cto r lever to
positions “ S ” or “ L " early enough to
maintain engine RPMs w ithin best
torque range.
Stopping
For brief halts, e.g. at tra ffic lights,
leave the selector lever in a driving
position and control vehicle w ith the
service brake.
For longer stops w ith the engine
idling, shift selector lever to position
“ N” .
When stopping the car on a slope, do
not hold it by means of the accelera­
to r but use the brake. This avoids
unnecessary heat-up of the tra n sm is­
sion.
Power assistance:
Do not attem pt to move or coast the
vehicle with the engine not in
operation, as engine-driven accesso­
ries such as the pow er steering
system or pow er brakes are not
"p o w e re d ” , therefore, requiring sub­
stantially more effort fo r their opera­
tion even though they always remain
m echanically operative.
Tires:
Do not allow your tires to wear down
to o far. W ith less than 3 m m /1/ ! in of
tread, the antiskid properties on a wet
road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or
road pavement, the grip of the tires
varies widely.
The retention of the specified tire
pressure is essential. This applies
particularly if the tires are subjected
to high loads (e.g. high speeds, heavy
loads, high am bient tem peratures).