Page 1105 of 4133
301 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Cooling system
approx. 12.7 US qt (12.0 l)
MB Anticorrosion / Antifreeze
Fuel tank
ML 350, ML 500
22.0 US gal (83.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON / 86 MON
including a reserve of
approx. 3.2 US gal (12.0 l)
Air conditioning system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant
oil (never R-12)
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning
system*
8.0 US qt (7.6 l)
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
1
1Use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and water for temperatures above freezing or MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and commercially available pre-
mixed windshield washer solvent / antifreeze for temperatures below freezing. Follow suggested mixing ratios (page 307).
Page 1106 of 4133

302 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines. Therefore, use
only engine oils approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Information on approved
engine oils is available in the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet, or at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil is used in the air condition-
ing system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be re-
placed every two years, preferably in the
spring.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center will provide you with additional in-
formation.
!Always check the oil filler cap
(page 221) for important information
pertaining to the engine oil needing to
meet a specific Mercedes-Benz specifi-
cation (e.g. MB 229.5). If such informa-
tion is printed on the oil filler cap, only
use an engine oil from the list of ap-
proved engine oils in the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet that
meets the specification indicated on
the oil filler cap.
Using engine oils of other specification
may cause the FSS to incorrectly deter-
mine the next service interval and will
result in engine damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Page 1107 of 4133

303 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded meeting
ASTM standard D 439:
The octane number (posted at the
p um p) m us t be 91 mi n. It i s an a vera ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up especially on the intake valves
and in the combustion area, leading to en-
gine performance problems such as:
Warm-up hesitation
Unstable idle
Knocking / pinging
Misfire
Power loss
Do not blend other specific fuel additives
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary
costs and may be harmful to the engine
operation.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
l i n e m u s t b e u s e d . I f p r e m i u m u n l e a d e d
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.
Page 1108 of 4133

304 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Damage or malfunctions resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending specific
fuel additives are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze, which pro-
vides:
Corrosion protection
Freeze protection
Boiling protection (by increasing the
boiling point)
The cooling system was filled at the factory
with a coolant providing freeze protection
to approximately -35°F (-37°C) and corro-
sion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).The coolant solution must be used year
round to provide the necessary corrosion
protection and increase in boil-over pro-
tection. Refer to Service Booklet for
replacement interval.
To provide important corrosion protection,
the solution must be at least 45%
anticorrosion / antifreeze (equivalent to
freeze protection to approx. - 22°F
[-30°C]). If you use a solution that is more
than 55% anticorrosion / antifreeze (freeze
protection to approx. - 49°F [-45°C]), the
engine temperature will increase due to
the lower heat transfer capability of the so-
lution. Therefore, do not use more than
this amount of anticorrosion / antifreeze.If the coolant level is low, water and MB
anticorrosion / antifreeze should be used
to bring it up to the proper level (have cool-
ing system checked for signs of leakage).
Please make sure the mixture is in accor-
dance with label instructions.
The water in the cooling system must meet
minimum requirements, which are usually
satisfied by normal drinking water. If you
are not sure about the water quality, con-
sult your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Page 1109 of 4133
305 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Anticorrosion / antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of alumi-
num parts. The use of aluminum compo-
nents in motor vehicle engines
necessitates that
anticorrosion / antifreeze coolant used in
such engines be specifically formulated to
protect the aluminum parts. (Failure to use
such anticorrosion / antifreeze coolant will
result in a significantly shortened service
life.)
Therefore, the following product is strongly
recommended for use in your vehicle:
Mercedes-Benz Anticorrosion / Antifreeze
agent.
Before the start of the winter season (or
once a year in hot southern regions), you
should have the anticorrosion / antifreeze
concentration checked. The coolant is also
regularly checked each time you bring your
vehicle to your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center for service.
Page 1110 of 4133
306 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Anticorrosion / antifreeze quantityModel
Approx. freeze protection– 35°F (– 37°C)
– 49°F (– 45°C)
ML 350, ML 500,
6.4 US qt (6.0 l)
7.0 US qt (6.6 l)
Page 1111 of 4133

307 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Windshield washer system and headlamp cleaning system*
Both the windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system* are supplied from the
windshield washer fluid reservoir.
The windshield and headlamp washer fluid
reservoir has a capacity of approx.
8.0 US qt (7.6 l).
Refill the reservoir with MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate “S” and water (or
concentrate and commercially avail-
able premixed windshield washer
solvent / antifreeze, depending on am-
bient temperatures).Windshield and headlamp washer fluid
mixing ratio
For temperatures above freezing, use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S”
and water:
1 part “S” to 100 parts water
[40 ml “S” to 1 gallon (4 liters) water].
For temperatures below freezing, use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S”
and commercially available premixed
windshield washer solvent / antifreeze:
1part “S” to 100parts solvent
[40 ml “S” to 1 gallon (4 liters) solvent].
Warning!
G
Washer solvent / antifreeze is highly flam-
mable. Do not spill washer
solvent / antifreeze on hot engine parts, be-
cause it may ignite and burn. You could be
seriously burned.
Page 1112 of 4133

308 Technical dataConsumer information
Consumer informationThis has been prepared as required of all
manufacturers of passenger cars under
Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations,
Part 575 pursuant to the “National Traffic
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1½) times as well on the gov-
ernment course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades repre-
sent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pave-
ment as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.Tread wear
Traction
Temperature
200
AA
A
Warning!
G
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straightahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.