Braking

Important safety notes

WARNING
If you activate the LOW off-road gear while driving on a slippery road surface, the wheels may lose traction:
• if you remove your foot from the accelerator pedal when driving • if off road ABS intervenes when braking

If the wheels lose traction. the vehicle can no longer be steered. There is an increased danger of skidding and accidents. Never activate the LOW off-road gear while driving on a slippery road surface.

Downhill gradients

On long and steep gradients, you must reduce the load on the brakes by shifting early to a lower gear. This allows you to take advantage of the engine braking effect and helps avoid overheating and excessive wear of the brakes.

When you take advantage of the engine braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.

Heavy and light loads

WARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even cause the braking system to fail. There is a risk of an accident.

Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never depress the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal at the same time.

Depressing the brake pedal constantly results in excessive and premature wear to the brake pads.

If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but drive on for a short while. This allows the airflow to cool the brakes more quickly.

Wet roads

If driving in heavy rain for a prolonged period of time without braking, there may be a delayed reaction from the brakes when braking for the first time. This may also occur after the vehicle has been washed.

You have to depress the brake pedal more firmly. Maintain a greater distance from the vehicle in front.

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 salttreated roads

If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt residue may form on the brake discs and brake pads. This can result in a significantly longer braking distance.

R Brake occasionally to remove any possible salt residue. Make sure that you do not endanger other road users when doing so.

• Carefully depress the brake pedal and the beginning and end of a journey.

• Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle ahead.

Servicing 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 too low. Observe additional warning messages in the multifunction display.

The brake fluid level may be too low due to brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.

Have the brake system checked immediately. This work should be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

A function or performance test should only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. If you are planning to have the vehicle tested on such a dynamometer, contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center to obtain further information first.

Otherwise, you could damage the drive train or the brake system.

As the ESP® system operates automatically, the engine and the ignition must be switched off (the SmartKey must be in position 0 or 1 in the ignition lock) if the parking brake is tested on a brake dynamometer (for a maximum of ten seconds).

Braking applications triggered automatically by ESP® may otherwise seriously damage the brake system.

Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only have brake pads/linings installed on your vehicle which have been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which correspond to an equivalent quality standard. Brake pads/linings which have not been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which are not of an equivalent quality could affect your vehicle's operating safety.

Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use brake fluid that has been specially approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or which corresponds to an equivalent quality standard. Brake fluid which has not been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which is not of an equivalent quality could affect your vehicle's operating safety.

All checks and maintenance work on the brake system must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

Have brake pads installed and brake fluid replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.

If your brake system is subject only to moderate loads, you should test the functionality of your brakes at regular intervals by pressing firmly on the brake pedal at high speeds. This improves the grip of the brake pads.

You can find a description of Brake Assist (BAS) on .

High-performance brake system for AMG vehicles

The high-performance brake system is only installed on the G 63 AMG and the G 65 AMG.

The high-performance brake system is designed for heavy loads. This may lead to noise when braking. This will depend on: • Speed • Braking force • Environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity

The wear of individual components of the brake system, such as the brake pads/linings or brake discs, depends on the individual driving style and operating conditions.

For this reason, it is impossible to state a mileage that will be valid under all circumstances. An aggressive driving style will lead to high wear. You can obtain further information about this from your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

New and replaced brake pads and discs only reach their optimum braking effect after several hundred kilometers of driving.

Compensate for this by applying greater force to the brake pedal. Keep this in mind, and adapt your driving and braking accordingly during this break-in period.

Excessive heavy braking results in correspondingly high brake wear. Observe the brake system warning lamp in the instrument cluster and note any brake status messages in the multifunction display. For high-performance driving in particular, it is important to maintain and have the brake system checked regularly.

Parking brake

WARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the braking distance is considerably longer and the wheels could lock. There is an increased danger of skidding and accidents.

Only use the parking brake to brake the vehicle when the service brake is faulty. Do not apply the parking brake too firmly. If the wheels lock, release the parking brake until the wheels begin turning again.

If you brake the vehicle with the parking brake, the brake lamps will not light up.

If you drive on wet roads or dirt-covered surfaces, road salt and/or dirt could get into the parking brake.

In order to prevent corrosion and a reduction in the braking power of the parking brake, observe the following:
• pull the parking brake upwards with the release button depressed from time to time before beginning the journey .

• drive for approximately 110 yds (100 m) at a maximum speed of 12 mph (20 km/h).