2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 battery

Contents
Engine compartment ......................... 237
Hood ............................................ 237
Engine oil ..................................... 238
Transmission fluid level ................ 242
Active Body Control (ABC)
fluid level...................................... 242
Coolant ........................................ 242
Battery ......................................... 243
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 244
Tires and wheels ................................ 246
Important guidelines .................... 246
Life of tires ................................... 247
Direction of rotation ..................... 247
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 247
Rotating wheels ........................... 251
Winter driving .................................... 252
Winter tires .................................. 252
Block heater* ............................... 253
Snow chains................................. 253Maintenance....................................... 254
Clearing the service indicator ....... 254
Service term exceeded ................. 254
Calling up the service indicator..... 255
Resetting the service indicator ..... 255
Vehicle care........................................ 256
Cleaning and care of vehicle ......... 256
Practical hints.................................. 263
What to do if …? ................................. 264
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 264
Lamp in center console................. 269
Messages in the display ................ 270
Where will I find...? ............................. 295
First aid kit .................................... 295
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit,
luggage bowl, spare wheel ............ 295
Unlocking/locking in an emergency... 297
Unlocking the vehicle.................... 297
Locking the vehicle ....................... 298
Changing batteries........................ 299
Fuel filler flap ................................ 300Opening/closing in an emergency ..... 301
Sliding/pop-up roof ...................... 301
Replacing bulbs .................................. 302
Bulbs............................................. 302
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 304
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 305
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 307
Removing ...................................... 307
Installing ....................................... 307
Flat tire............................................... 308
Preparing the vehicle .................... 308
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 308
Battery ............................................... 313
Disconnecting the battery ............ 314
Removing the battery ................... 314
Charging and reinstalling
the battery .................................... 314
Reconnecting the battery ............. 315
Jump starting...................................... 316
Towing the vehicle.............................. 318
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 321

31 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing key
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card with you and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.
!If the key is left in starter switch posi-
tion 0 for an extended period of time, it
can no longer be turned in the starter
switch.

Remove the key from the starter
switch and reinsert.
If the key can still not be turned, the
battery may not be sufficiently
charged.

Check the battery and charge it
if necessary (
page 313).

Get a jump start (
page 316).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge or a completely discharged bat-
tery, always remove the key from the
starter switch.

44 Getting startedDrivingStarting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described
above, carry out the following steps:
If you are starting the engine with the
SmartKey, turn key in starter switch to
position0 and repeat starting proce-
dure.

If you are starting the engine with
KEYLESS-GO: Close all doors to allow
for better detection of the KEYLESS-GO
card.
Or:
Start the engine with the key as radio
signals from another source may be in-
terfering with the KEYLESS-GO card.

Repeat the starting procedure
(page 42). Remember that extended
starting attempts can drain the battery.

Get a jump start (
page 316).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Parking brake
1Parking brake pedal
2Parking brake release handle

Release the parking brake by pulling on
handle2.
The indicator lamp
;
(USA only) or
3
(Canada only) in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the KEY-
LESS-GO* card with you and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Children could release the parking
brake, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.

76 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systems
Anti-theft systemsImmobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating

With the SmartKey: Removing the key
from the starter switch activates the
immobilizer.


With KEYLESS-GO*: Turning off the en-
gine by means of the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button on the gear selector
lever activates the immobilizer.Deactivating


With the SmartKey: Inserting the key in
the starter switch deactivates the im-
mobilizer.


With KEYLESS-GO*: Starting the en-
gine by means of the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button on the gear selector
lever deactivates the immobilizer.
iIn case the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle’s battery is charged),
the system is not operational. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the
USA), or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).

80 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the
basic functions of your vehicle, this section
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are giv-
en at the beginning of each segment.
Locking and unlockingInformation on locking and unlocking can
be found in the “Getting started” section
on (
page 30) and (
page 49).
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys with remote controls and a re-
movable mechanical key. The locking tabs
for the mechanical key portion of the two
SmartKeys are a different color to help dis-
tinguish each SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors


the trunk


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote controls1‹
Lock button
2
Š
Unlock button for trunk lid
3 Mechanical key locking tab
4
Œ
Unlock button
5Battery check lamp
6
Â
Panic button (
page 70)
iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 171) and sliding /
pop-up roof using the SmartKey
(
page 174).

81 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press button
Œ
.
All turn signal lamps blink once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is switched
off. If it is dark, the locator lighting
switches on.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if:


neither door nor trunk is opened


the SmartKey is not inserted in the
starter switch


the central locking switch is not acti-
vatedGlobal locking

Press button
‹
.
All turn signal lamps blink three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down.
The anti-theft alarm system is activat-
ed.
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the key so that
pressing
Œ
only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.

Press and hold buttons
Œ
and
‹

simultaneously for about five seconds
until battery check lamp5 blinks twice.
The key will then function as follows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap

Press button
Œ
once.
Global unlocking

Press button
Œ
twice.Global locking

Press button
‹
.
Restoring to factory setting

Press and hold buttons
Œ
and
‹

simultaneously for about six seconds
until battery check lamp5 blinks twice.
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the key to high levels of elec-
tromagnetic radiation.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card with you and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. It is possible for children to open a
locked door from the inside, which could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious injury.

82 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingChecking the batteries
Press button
‹
or
Œ
.
Battery check lamp5 lights up briefly
to indicate that the key batteries are in
order.Unlocking the trunk lid
You can unlock the trunk separately.
A minimum height clearance of 6.1 ft
(1.90 m) is required to open the trunk lid.

Press and hold button
Š
until trunk
unlocks.Loss of SmartKey or mechanical key
If you lose a SmartKey or mechanical key,
you should do the following:

Have the SmartKey deactivated by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey or the
mechanical key immediately to your
car insurance company.

If necessary, have the mechanical lock
replaced.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
will be glad to supply you with a replace-
ment.
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the key, then either the
batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged or the key is malfunctioning.

Check the batteries in the key and
replace them if necessary
(page 299).
or


Use the mechanical key to unlock
the doors (
page 297) and trunk
(
page 298) as required. Lock the
vehicle using the mechanical key
(page 298).
If the key is malfunctioning, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!If battery check lamp5 does not light
up briefly during check, then the key
batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 299).
You can obtain the required batteries
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
!The trunk lid swings open automatical-
ly. Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.
iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey, the trunk lid
will lock automatically after closing it.
The turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.
If the trunk was previously separately
locked (
page 90), the trunk lid will re-
main locked.

85 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

Press and hold the programming
button1 until the “Driver’s door”
symbol2 lights up.
The KEYLESS-GO card will then func-
tion as follows:
Unlocking the driver’s door
Grasp the driver’s door handle.
Global unlocking

Grasp the door handle on the pas-
senger side.
Global locking

Press lock button at door handle or
trunk.
Restoring to factory setting

Press and hold the programming
button1 until the “Global unlock”
symbol3 lights up.Checking the batteries

Briefly press the programming
button1.
The KEYLESS-GO card batteries are in
order if the indicator lamp for either the
“Driver’s door”2 or “Global unlock”3
comes on red or green.
!If you cannot lock or unlock the vehicle
with the KEYLESS-GO card, then either
the batteries of the KEYLESS-GO card
are discharged or the KEYLESS-GO
card is malfunctioning or the vehicle
battery is drained.

Check the batteries of the
KEYLESS-GO card (
page 85) and
replace them if necessary
(
page 299).
or


Use the mechanical key to unlock
the doors (
page 297) and trunk
(
page 298) as required. Lock the
vehicle using the mechanical key
(page 298).
If your KEYLESS-GO card is malfunc-
tioning, contact your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
!If the symbols2 or3 do not light up
during the check, then the batteries of
the KEYLESS-GO card are discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 299).
You can obtain the batteries at any au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.