freightliner Sprinter - Page 117

Obstacles can damagethe following parts of the
vehicle, forexample:
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Suspension
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Drivetrain
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Fuel and supplytanks
Therefore, alwaysdrive slowlywhen off-road. If
youmustdrive over obstacles,have theco-driver
instruct you.
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Freightliner Sprinter recommends that you
additionallycarry ashoveland arecovery
rope withashackle in thevehicle.
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Makesurethat loadsand items of luggage
aresecurelystoredorlashed down
(/ page175).
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Before driving off-road, stop thevehicle and
engagealow gear.
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Vehicles with DSR: activateDSR when you
aredrivingdownhill (/ page124).
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All-wheel drivevehicles: activatethe all-
wheel drive(/page122) and,ifnecessary,
activatethe LOWRANGE transmission ratio
(/ page 123).
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If thesurface requires, temporarily deactivate
ESP
®
when pulling away .
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Onlydrive off-road withthe engine running
and agear engaged.
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Driveslowlyand smoothly.Walkingpace is
necessaryinmanysituations.
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Avoid spinning thedrivenwheels.
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Alwaysensurethat thewheels remain in con‐
tact with theground.
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Exercise theutmostcaution when driving
across unfamiliar,unpredictable terrain. As a
precaution,get outofthe vehicle to take a
look at theroutetobetaken first.
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Lookout forobstacles (e.g.rocks,holes, tree
stumps and tireruts).
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Avoid edges wherethe surface could crumble
or breakaway.
Rules forfording off-road (all-wheel drive
vehicles)
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Observe thesafetynotes and general notes
on driving off-road.
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Checkthe depth and characteristicsofthe
body of waterbeforefording. The watermust
notbedeeper than 23.6 in (60 cm).
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The climatecontrol system is switched off
(/ page98).
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The auxiliaryheating is switched off
(/ page103).
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Activateall-wheeldrive (/ page 122) and
activateitonvehicles withthe LOWRANGE
transmission ratio (/ page 123).
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Restrict theshiftrangeto1or 2.
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Avoid high engine speeds.
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Driveslowlyand smoothly at no more than a
walkingpace.
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Ensurethat no bowwaveforms while driving.
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Afterfording, drythe brakes.
Afterdriving through abody of waterdeeper than
19.7 in (50 cm),makesuretocheckall vehicle
fluids forany signs of penetration by water.
Checklistafter driving off-road
Driving overrough terrain placesgreater
demands on your vehicle than normal road opera‐
tion. Checkyour vehicle afterdriving on rough
terrain. This allows youtodetect damage
promptly andreduce therisk of an accident for
yourself and other road users. Clean your vehicle
thoroughlybeforedriving on public roads.
If youfind damage to thevehicle afteroff-road
driving, have thevehicle checkedataqualified
specialistworkshop immediately.
Observe thefollowing points afterdriving off-
road, on construction sites and beforedriving on
publicroads:
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Vehicles with DSR: deactivateDSR
(/ page124).
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All-wheel drivevehicles: deactivatethe all-
wheel drive(/page122).
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ActivateESP
®
.
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Cleanthe exterior lighting, particularly the
headlampsand tail lamps, and checkthem
fordamage.
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Clean thefront and rear licenseplates.
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Clean thewindshield, windows and outside
mirrors.
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Clean thesteps, entrances and grab handles.
Thisincreases thesafetyofyour footing.
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Clean thewheels and tires, wheel wells and
theunderbody of thevehicle withawater jet.
Thisincreasesroad adhesion,especiallyon
wetroadways.
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Checkthe wheels and tires and wheel wells
fortrapped foreign objectsand remove them.
Trapped foreign objectscan damagethe
Driving and parking
115