Page 196 of 321
196 OperationDriving instructions
If the engine coolant rises to an ex-
tremely high temperature (coolant tem-
perature needle approaching the red
zone) when the air conditioning is on,
turn off the air conditioning system.
Engine coolant heat can be additionally
vented by opening the windows,
switching the climate control fan speed
to high and setting the temperature
control to the maximum hot position.
Extreme care must be exercised since
your vehicle with a trailer will require
additional passing distance ahead than
when driving without a trailer.
Because your vehicle and trailer is
longer than your vehicle alone, you will
also need to go much farther ahead of
the passed vehicle before you can re-
turn to your lane.Parking
Passenger compartment
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of personal injury, or
damage to the vehicle powertrain, as a re-
sult of vehicle/trailer movement, always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Shift gear selector lever to positionN.
Have a second person place wheel
chocks on downhill side of left and right
trailer wheels.
Slowly release brake pedal and let vehi-
cle and trailer roll into chocks until
stopped.
Firmly depress parking brake pedal.
Move gear selector lever to position P.
When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects. Always use partition net when trans-
porting cargo. Partition net cannot secure
hard or heavy objects.
Page 201 of 321
201 Operation
At the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
Open the hood (
page 202)
1Engine oil level
More information on engine oil can be
found in the “Operation” section
(
page 203).
2Coolant level
For normal replenishing, use water (po-
table water quality). More information
on the coolant level can be found in the
“Operation” section (
page 206).
3Brake fluid
More information on brake fluid can be
found in the “Technical data” section
(
page 284).4Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
More information on filling the reser-
voir can be found in the “Operation”
section (
page 208).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. More in-
formation on replacing light bulbs can be
found in the “Practical hints” section
(
page 247).
Combination switch (
page 102).
Tire inflation pressure
More information on tire inflation pressure
can be found in the “Operation” section
(
page 211).
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the
?
lamp to
illuminate.
See also “Practical hints” section
(
page 232).
Page 209 of 321
209 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center for information on tested and
recommended rims and tires for summer
and winter operation. They can also offer
advice concerning tire service and pur-
chase.
Retread tires are not tested or recom-
mended by Mercedes-Benz, since previous
damage cannot always be recognized on
retreads. Mercedes-Benz can therefore
not assure the operating safety of the vehi-
cle when such tires are used.
See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center for information on tested and
recommended rims and tires for summer
and winter operation.
Important guidelines
Use only sets of tires and rims of the
same type and make.
Tires must be of the correct size for the
rim.
Break in new tires for approximately
60 miles (100 km) at moderate
speeds.
Regularly check the tires and rims for
damage.
If vehicle is heavily loaded, check tire
pressure and correct as required.
Do not allow your tires to wear down
too far. Adhesion properties on wet
roads are sharply reduced at tread
depths under
1/8in (3 mm).
When replacing individual tires, you
should mount new tires on the front
wheels first.
Warning!
G
Replace rims or tires with the same designa-
tion, manufacturer and type as shown on the
original part. See your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for fur-
ther information. If incorrectly sized rims
and tires are mounted:
The wheel brakes or suspension compo-
nents can be damaged
The correct operating clearance of the
wheels and the tires are no longer guar-
anteed
Warning!
G
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the
tire tread is badly worn, or if the tires have
sustained damage, replace them.
When replacing rims, use only genuine
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts specified for the
particular rim type. Failure to do so can re-
sult in the bolts loosening and possibly an
accident.
Page 217 of 321
217 Operation
Vehicle care
Vehicle care
Cleaning and care of the vehicle
While in operation, even while parked, your
vehicle is subjected to varying external in-
fluences which, if gone unchecked, can at-
tack the paintwork as well as the
underbody and cause lasting damage.Such damage is caused not only by ex-
treme and varying climatic conditions, but
also by:
Air pollution
Road salt
Tar, gravel and stone chipping
To avoid paint damage, you should imme-
diately remove:
Grease and oil
Fuel
Coolant
Brake fluid
Bird droppings
Insects
Tree resins, etc.Frequent washing reduces and/or elimi-
nates the aggressiveness and potency of
the above adverse influences.
More frequent washings are necessary to
deal with unfavorable conditions, for ex-
ample:
Near the ocean
In industrial areas (smoke, exhaust
emissions)
During winter operation
You should check your vehicle from time to
time for stone chipping or other damage.
A n y d a m a g e s h o u l d b e r e p a i r e d a s s o o n a s
possible to prevent corrosion.
In doing so, do not neglect the underbody
of the vehicle. A prerequisite for a thor-
ough check is a washing of the underbody
followed by a thorough inspection. Dam-
aged areas need to be re-undercoated.
Warning!
G
Many cleaning products can be hazardous.
Some are poisonous, others are flammable.
Always follow the instructions on the partic-
ular container. Always open your vehicle’s
doors or windows when cleaning the inside.
Never use fluids or solvents that are not de-
signed for cleaning your vehicle.
Page 225 of 321
225 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
-
The yellow ABS malfunction indi-
cator lamp comes on while driv-
ing.
ABS has detected a malfunction and has
switched off. The BAS, ESP, 4-ETS and EBP
are also switched off.
The brake system is still functioning normally
but without ABS available.
Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels will lock during hard braking
reducing steering capability.
Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Cen-
ter as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts. The ABS has switched off.
When the voltage is above this value
again, the ABS is operational again.
If necessary, have the generator and
the battery checked.
¿
The yellow malfunction indicator
lamp comes on while driving.
The ESP is no longer synchronized following
a voltage supply interuption (e.g. battery dis-
connected or discharged).
Synchronize the ESP:
Turn the steering wheel from stop lim-
it to stop limit.
The indicator lamp goes out.
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts. The BAS and ESP have switched off.
When the voltage is above this value
again, the BAS and ESP are operational
again.
If necessary, have the generator and
the battery checked.
Page 226 of 321
226 Practical hintsWhat to do if …¿
The yellow malfunction indicator
lamp comes on while driving.
The BAS or ESP is malfunctioning.
It is possible that the engine output will be re-
duced.
Have the BAS/ESP checked at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.
{
The yellow malfunction indicator
lamp comes on while driving.
4-ETS has switched off to prevent overheat-
ing of the brakes. Also see 4-ETS/ESP warn-
ing lamp (
page 224).
As soon as the brakes have cooled off,
4-ETS switches on again.
The indicator lamp goes out.
4-ETS is malfunctioning and has switched off.
Have the 4-ETS checked at your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.
ê
The yellow LOW RANGE indicator
lamp blinks after one or more
switching conditions.
The gear selection conditions have not been
adhered to.
Repeat the gear selection process
(page 118).
ê
The yellow LOW RANGE indicator
lamp blinks after switching the
ignition on.
LOW RANGE mode is malfunctioning.
Have the LOW RANGE mode checked at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
Page 228 of 321
228 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
É
The red brake warning lamp
lights up while driving and you
hear a warning sound.
You are driving with the parking brake set.
Release the parking brake
(page 45).
É
The red brake warning lamp
lights up while driving.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.
Risk of accident! Carefully stop the
vehicle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Do not add brake fluid! This will not
solve the problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Don’t add
brake fluid before checking the brake sys-
tem. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can
result in spilling brake fluid on hot engine
parts and the brake fluid catching fire. You
can be seriously burned.
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.
Page 229 of 321
229 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
É
-
The red brake warning lamp
lights up in addition to the yellow
ABS malfunction lamp and you
hear a warning sound.
There is a malfunction in the Electronic Brake
Proportioning (EBP) system.
The enhanced braking effect is not available.
Have the system checked immediate-
ly at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of accidents.
:
The yellow warning lamp blinks
after starting the engine or while
driving.
The engine oil level has sunk to the minimum
level. If the engine oil level continues to sink,
the warning lamp will light up.
Add approved oil at the next gas sta-
tion (
page 286).
If oil loss is visible on the engine, have
the malfunction corrected as soon as
possible at a Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
_
The red indicator lamp does not
go out after starting the engine.
The adjustable telescoping steering column
is not properly locked.
Lock the adjustable steering column
(page 37).
‡
The green front fog lamp indica-
tor lamp lights up when ignition
is turned on.
The front fog lamps are switched on.
Fog lamps (
page 105).