Mercedes-Benz C 230 1998, Owner'S Manual

Page: 97 / 165

Brake A ssist System (BAS)
W arning!
BAS cannot p revent the
natural law s of physics from
acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking efficien cy
beyond that afforded by the
condition of the veh icle brakes
and tires or the traction
afforded. The BAS cannot
prevent accid en ts, including
those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, follow ing
another vehicle too closely, or
aquaplaning. O nly a safe,
attentive, and skillful driver
can p revent accid en ts. The
capabilities of a BAS equipped
car m ust n ever be exploited in
a reckless or d an g ero us m an­
ner w hich could je o pard ize the
u ser’s safety or the safety of
others.
The Brake A ssist System is de ­
signed to m axim ize the ve h icle ’s
braking capability during e m ergen­
cy braking m aneuvers by having
m axim um pow er boost applied to
the brakes more quickly in e m er­
gency braking conditions than
m ight otherw ise be afforded solely
by the d river’s braking style. This
can help reduce braking distances
over w hat ordinary driving and
braking style m ight do. The BAS
com plem ents the A ntilock Brake
System (ABS).
To receive the benefit of the
system you m ust apply continuous
full braking pow er during the
stopping sequence. Do not reduce
brake pedal pressure.
Once the brake pedal is released,
the BAS is deactivated
The indicator lam ps for the ASR
and ESP are com bined with the
BAS indicator lamp.
The BAS/ASR or BAS/ESP
m alfunction indicator lamp in the
instrum ent cluster com e on with
the electronic key in steering lock
position 2 and should go out with
the engine running.
If the BAS/ASR or BAS/ESP
m alfunction indicator lam p com es
on perm anently w hile the engine is
running, a m alfunction has been
detected in e ither system . As a
result, it is possible that now only
partial engine output will be
available, and pressing the accel­
e ra tor pedal will require more
effort. If the BAS m alfunctions,the
brake system functions in the usual
manner, but w ithout BAS.
If the charging voltage falls below
10 volts, the m alfunction indicator
lam p com es on and the BAS is
sw itched off. W hen the voltage is
above this value again, the
m alfunction indicator lam p should
go out and the BAS is operational.
W ith the A B S m alfunctioning,
the BAS, ASR or ESP are also
sw itched off. Both m alfunction
indicator lam ps com e on with the
engine running.
Have the BAS, ASR or ESP
checked at your authorized
M ercedes-B enz dealer as soon
as possbile.