Page 255 of 356
255 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
#
BATTERY/ALTERNATOR
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The battery was charged with a battery
charger or jump started.
Have the battery checked at a ser-
vice station.
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:
alternator malfunctioning
broken poly-V-belt
Stop immediately and check the
poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise
the engine will overheat due to an in-
operative water pump which may re-
sult in damage to the engine. Notify
an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:
Drive immediately to the nearest au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Page 258 of 356

258 Practical hintsWhat to do if …
During severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 120°C.
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
Ï
COOLANT
STOP, ENGINE OFF!
The coolant is too hot.
Stop the vehicle and turn off the en-
gine.
Only start the engine again after the
message disappears. You could oth-
erwise damage the engine.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Page 263 of 356

263 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the “ENGINE OIL LEVEL – CHECK
LEVEL!” message appears while the engine
is running and at operating temperature,
the engine oil level is low.
When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.If no oil leaks are noted, continue to drive
to the nearest gas station where the en-
gine oil should be filled up with an ap-
proved oil (
page 227).
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in se-
rious engine damage that is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
A
RESERVE FUEL
VISIT FILLING STATION!
The fuel level has dropped below the re-
serve mark.
Refuel at the next gas station
(page 224).
Y
HOOD OPEN!
You are driving with the hood open.
Close the hood (
page 226).
I
REPLACE KEY
VISIT WORKSHOP!
No additional code available for SmartKey.
Change the batteries (
page 294).
AUTOM. LIGHT ON
REMOVE KEY!
You have forgotten to remove the key.
Remove the key from the starter
switch.
.
LAMP SENSOR
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The lamp sensor is malfunctioning. The
headlamps switch on automatically.
Set lamp operation to manual.
Switch on headlamps using the exte-
rior lamp switch.
Page 267 of 356

267 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
.
TAIL LAMP, R
CHECK LAMP!
SUBSTITUTE LAMP ON!
The right tail lamp is malfunctioning. A
backup bulb is being used.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
SIDE MARKER LAMP, LF
CHECK LAMP!
SUBSTITUTE LAMP ON!
The left side marker lamp is malfunction-
ing. A backup bulb is being used.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
SIDE MARKER LAMP, RF
CHECK LAMP!
SUBSTITUTE LAMP ON!
The right side marker lamp is malfunction-
ing. A backup bulb is being used.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
LIGHTS
TURN OFF LAMPS!
This display appears if the driver’s door is
opened with the engine shut off and no
key in the starter switch.
Insert key in the starter switch.
Switch off lights.
AUTOM. LIGHT ON
REMOVE KEY!
Key in the starter switch position1 or2.
Remove key from the starter switch.
!
(Canada only)
;
(USA only)
PARKING BRAKE
RELEASE PARKING BRAKE!
You are driving with the parking brake set.
Release the parking brake
(page 46).
<
SEAT BELT SYSTEM
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The seat belt system is malfunctioning.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Page 270 of 356
270 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
#
UNDERVOLTAGE
ENGINE ON!
The battery has insufficient voltage and
can no longer supply the convenience
functions such as seat heater*.
Start the engine (
page 44).
UNDERVOLTAGE
SWITCH CONSUMERS OFF!
The battery is malfunctioning.
Have the battery checked at a ser-
vice station.
G
VISIT WORKSHOP!
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE
The instrument cluster display is malfunc-
tioning.
Continue driving with added caution.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
±
VISIT WORKSHOP!
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE
Certain electronic systems are unable to
relay information to the control system.
The following systems may have failed:
Coolant temperature gauge
Tachometer
Cruise control display
Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center (
page 250).
W
WASHER FLUID
CHECK LEVEL!
The fluid level has dropped to about
1/3 of
total reservoir capacity.
Add washer fluid (
page 232).
Page 274 of 356
274 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergency
Unlocking/locking in an emergencyUnlocking the vehicle
Unlocking the driver’s door
If you are unable to unlock the driver’s
door using the SmartKey, open the door
using the mechanical key.
1Mechanical key locking tab
2Mechanical key
Move locking tab1 in direction of ar-
row and slide the mechanical key out of
the housing.3Unlocking
4Locking
Unlock the door with the mechanical
key. To do so, push the mechanical key
in the lock until it stops and turn it to
the left.
iUnlocking your vehicle with the me-
chanical key will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system. To cancel the alarm, do
one of the following:
Press button
Œ
or
‹
on the
SmartKey.
Insert the key in the starter switch.
Page 287 of 356

287 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades
Removing
Fold the wiper arm forward.
Press safety tab down2.
Push wiper blade downward1 and re-
move.Replacing wiper blade insert
Place wiper blade on firm support.
Press down both tabs.
Slide (direction of arrow) the wiper
blade insert out of the retainer claws.
Slide (direction of arrow) the new wiper
blade insert into retainer claws until
tabs are engaged.
Installing
Slide wiper blade onto wiper arm until
it locks in place.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, remove key from starter
switch before replacing a wiper blade, other-
wise the motor could suddenly turn on and
cause injury.
!Never open the hood when the wiper
arm is folded forward.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact
the windshield glass without a wiper
blade inserted.
Make certain that the wiper blades are
properly installed. Improperly installed
wiper blades may cause windshield
damage.
For your convenience, we recommend
that you have this work carried out by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Page 289 of 356

289 Practical hints
Flat tire
When changing wheel on a hill:
Place chocks on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the other axle.
Take the two-piece wheel wrench and
the jack out of the vehicle tool kit
(page 272). Assemble wheel wrench.
On whee l to b e change d, loos en b ut do
not yet remove the wheel bolts (ap-
proximately one full turn with wrench).
The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housings and
in front of the rear wheel housings.1Jack
2Crank
3Take-up bracket
Place jack on firm ground.
Position jack1 under the take-up
bracket3 so that it is always vertical
(plumb-line) as seen from the side,
even if the vehicle is parked on an in-
cline.
Jack up the vehicle until the wheel is a
maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground. Never start engine while vehi-
cle is raised.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure that the jack
arm is fully seated in the jack take-up brack-
et. Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.