Observe the following points after driving off-
road, on construction sites and before driving on
public roads:
R
Activate ESP
®
(
/
page 111).
R
Clean the exterior lighting, particularly the
headlamps and tail lamps, and check them
for damage.
R
Clean the front and rear license plates.
R
Clean the windshield, windows and outside
mirrors.
R
Clean the steps, entrances and grab handles.
This increases the safety of your footing.
R
Clean the wheels and tires, wheel wells and
the underbody of the vehicle with a water jet.
This increases road adhesion, especially on
wet roadways.
R
Check the wheels and tires and wheel wells
for trapped foreign objects and remove them.
Trapped foreign objects can damage the
wheels and tires or may be flung out from the
vehicle when continuing the journey.
R
Check the underbody for trapped branches or
other parts of plants and remove them.
R
Clean the brake discs, brakepads and axle
joints, particularly after operation in sand,
mud, grit and gravel, water or similarly dirty
conditions.
R
Check the entire floor assembly, the tires,
wheels, bodywork structure, brakes, steering,
suspension and exhaust system for any dam‐
age.
R
Check the service brake for operating safety,
e.g. carry out a brake test.
R
If you notice strong vibrations after driving
off-road, check the wheels and drivetrain for
foreign objects again. Remove any foreign
objects which can lead to imbalances and
thus cause vibrations. In the event of damage
to the wheels and the drive train, visit a quali‐
fied specialist workshop immediately.
Notes on driving in mountainous areas
When driving in mountainous areas, note that
engine output, and therefore start-off gradeabil‐
ity, will decrease with increasing elevation.
Observe the notes on braking on downhill gradi‐
ents (
/
page 100).
The maximum permissible trailer loads are valid
for journeys at elevations up to 1,100 yds
(1,000 m) above sea level with gradients up to
12% (
/
page 233).
Automatic transmission
DIRECT SELECT lever
Function of the DIRECT SELECT lever
&
WARNING Risk of accident and injury
due to children left unattended in the
vehicle
If children are left unsupervised in the vehi‐
cle, they could, in particular:
R
Open doors, thereby endangering other
persons or road users.
R
Get out and be struck by oncoming traf‐
fic.
R
Operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example.
In addition, the children could also set the
vehicle in motion, for example by:
R
Releasing the parking brake.
R
Changing the transmission position.
R
Starting the vehicle.
#
Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle.
#
When leaving the vehicle, always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the
vehicle.
#
Keep the vehicle SmartKey out of reach
of children.
&
WARNING Risk of accident due to incor‐
rect gearshifting
If the engine speed is higher than the idle
speed and you engage the transmission posi‐
tion
h
or
k
, the vehicle may accelerate
sharply.
#
If you engage the transmission position
h
or
k
when the vehicle is at a stand‐
still, always depress the brake pedal
firmly and do not accelerate at the
same time.
*
NOTE Transmission damage due to shift‐
ing at high engine speed or when the
vehicle is rolling
You can damage the automatic transmission
if you shift from
h
to
k
, from
k
to
h
or
directly to
j
when the engine speed is too
high or the vehicle is rolling.
104 Driving and parking
