2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 snow chains

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

71 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
ABS
The ABS regulates the brake pressure so
that the wheels do not lock during braking.
This allows you to maintain the ability to
steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode. Keep firm and steady
pressure on the brake pedal while experi-
encing the pulsation.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS and the ESP is
only achieved with winter tires (M + S
tires), or snow chains as required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS and ESP cannot reduce this
risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

75 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching off the ESP
To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off
the ESP in driving situations where it would
be advantageous to have the drive wheels
spin and thus cut into surfaces for better
grip such as:

starting out on slippery surfaces and in
deep snow in conjunction with snow
chains


sand or gravelThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP off / on

Press the ESP switch1 until the ESP
warning lamp
v
in the speedometer
lights up.
ESP is deactivated.
If one or more wheels are spinning, the
ESP warning lamp
v
in the speedome-
ter flashes, regardless of the speed.
Traction control brakes a spinning wheel
even when ESP is deactivated.
ESP always operates when you are brak-
ing, even when it has been deactivated.Switching on the ESP

Press the ESP switch1.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the in-
strument cluster goes out. You are now
again in normal driving mode.
Warning!
G
The ESP should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.iDistronic* cannot be activated when
ESP has been deactivated.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP switched
off. This may cause serious damage to
the drivetrain which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
When the ESP warning lamp
v
is
illuminated continuously, the ESP is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP.

192 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
The switch and the indicator lamps are lo-
cated in the upper part of the center con-
sole.
1Indicator lamps
2Vehicle level control switch

Briefly press switch2 to change from
one level setting to the next. When ve-
hicle is at raised level 2, pressing the
switch will return the vehicle to normal
level.
The message:ACTIVE BODY CONTROL
VEHICLE RISING!appears in the multifunction display.
The display switches off when the vehi-
cle is raised.
Vehicle level when
stationary
Use for
Ride height increase
over normal
Automatic lowering
Indicator lamps
(page 192)
Normal level
Normal operation
None
Max. approx. 0.4 in (11 mm)
Both lamps off
Raised level 1
Driving with snow
chains (
page 253)
Max. 0.55 in (14 mm)
1
Max. approx. 0.55 in (14 mm)
One lamp on
Raised level 2
Very rough road surface
conditions
Max. 0.95 in (24 mm)
1
Max. approx. 0.95 in (24 mm)
Both lamps on
1Dependent on load

230OperationDriving instructionsCL500 (without Sport Package*)
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“H”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km/h).
CL 600 (without Sport Package*)
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km/h).
Vehicles with Sport Package*
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km/h).
CL 55 AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km/h).
Information on tire speed rating for winter
tires (
page 252)
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move selector lever to position N. Try to
keep the vehicle under control by correc-
tive steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal periodically when traveling at
length on salt-strewn roads.
This can bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
iInformation on driving with snow
chains (
page 253).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.

253 Operation
Winter driving
Block heater*
(Canada only)
The engine is equipped with a block heat-
er.
The electrical cable may be installed at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Snow chains
When using snow chains, the vehicle
should only be driven at vehicle height 1
(page 191).
Snow chains should only be driven on
snow-covered roads at speeds not to ex-
ceed 30 mph (50 km/h). Remove chains
as soon as possible when driving on roads
without snow.Please observe the following guidelines
when using snow chains:


Using snow chains is not permissible
with all wheel/tire combinations.


Chains should only be used on the rear
wheels. Follow the manufacturer's
mounting instructions.


Use only snow chains that are ap-
proved by Mercedes-Benz. Your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to advise you on this subject.
iWhen driving with snow chains, you
may wish to deactivate the ESP
(page 75) before setting the vehicle
in motion. This will improve the vehi-
cle‘s traction.
!Do not use snow chains with tire sizes
245 / 45 R18 on 8½J x 18 rim and
265 / 40 R18 in general (
page 331).
Do not use snow chains on tires mount-
ed on AMG rims.

332 Technical dataRims and TiresSame size tires
CL 500
(except Sport Package*)
CL 600
(except Sport Package*)
CL 55 AMG
Rims (light alloy)
7½J x17 H2
8J x18 H2
1
1For use with snow chains contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
8J x18 H2 or 8½J x18 EH2
2
2Must not be used with snow chainsWheel offset
1.81 in (46 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
245 / 45 R18 96Y
1
-
All season tires (radial-ply tires)
225 / 55 R17 97H M+S AS
-
-
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
225 / 55 R17 97H M+S
245 / 45 R18 100V XL M+S
1 or
245 / 45 R18 96H M+S
1
245 / 45 R18 100V XL M+S or
245 / 45 R18 96H M+S

333 Technical data
Rims and Tires
Mixed size tiresSpare wheel
CL 500 and CL 600 (Sport Package*)
CL 55 AMG
Front axle
AMG light alloy rims
8½J x 18 EH2
1
1Must not be used with snow chains
8½J x 18 EH2
1
Wheel offset
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
245 / 45 R18 100Y XL
245 / 45 R18 100Y XL
1
Rear axle
AMG light alloy rims
9J x 18 EH2
1
9J x 18 EH2
1
Wheel offset
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
265 / 40 R18 101Y XL
1 or 265/40 R18 97Y
1265 / 40 R18 101Y XL
1
CL 500 (except Sport Package)
CL 600 (except Sport Package*)
CL 500 and CL 600 (Sport Package*)
CL 55 AMG
Rims (light alloy)
7½J x 17 H2
8J x 18 H2
Wheel offset
2.0 in (51 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
245 / 45 R18 96Y
All season tires (radial-ply tires)
225 / 55 R17 97H M+S AS
-