Page 177 of 321
177 Operation
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
Driving instructions
At the gas station
Engine compartment
Tires and wheels
Winter driving
Maintenance
Vehicle care
Page 183 of 321
183 Operation
Driving instructions
The tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire pressures must be main-
tained. This applies particularly if the tires
are subjected to high loads (e.g. high
speeds, heavy loads, high ambient temper-
atures).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water on
the road, hydroplaning may occur even at
low speeds and with new tires. Reduce ve-
hicle speed, avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.Tire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or
icy road is always lower than on a dry road.You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends M+S rated
radial-ply tires for the winter season for all
four wheels to insure normal balanced
handling characteristics. On packed snow,
they can reduce your stopping distance as
compared with summer tires. Stopping
distance, however, is still considerably
greater than when the road is not covered
with snow or ice. Exercise appropriate cau-
tion.
Warning!
G
Do not allow your tires to wear down too far.
As tread depth approaches
1/16in
(1.5 mm), the adhesion properties on a wet
road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at high
speed with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat build-up and possibly a fire.
Warning!
G
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
Page 185 of 321
185 Operation
Driving instructions
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.
For more information on winter driving
(
page 213).
Standing water
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
!Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Before driving
through water, determine its depth. It
should not be deeper than approxi-
mately 20 inches (50 cm).
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from
entering the passenger compartment
or the engine compartment. Water in
these areas could cause damage to
electrical components or wiring of the
engine or transmission, or could result
in water being ingested by the engine
through the air intake causing severe
internal engine damage. Any such dam-
age is not covered by the Mer-
cedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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 202 of 321
202 OperationEngine compartment
Engine compartmentHood
Opening
1Hood release
Pull lever1 downwards.
The hood is unlocked. Handle2 pro-
trudes slightly from the radiator trim. If
not, lift the hood slightly.
2Handle for opening the hood
Pull handle2 to its stop out of the radi-
ator grill.
Pull up on the hood and then release it.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts.
Warning!
G
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Otherwise the hood could
be forced open by passing air flow.
!To avoid damage to the windshield wip-
ers or hood, never open the hood if the
wiper arms are folded forward away
from the windshield.
Warning!
G
To help prevent personal injury, stay clear of
moving parts when the hood is open and the
engine is running. Make sure the hood is
properly closed before driving. When closing
the hood, use extreme caution not to catch
hands or fingers.
The radiator fan may continue to run for ap-
proximately 30 seconds or even restart af-
ter the engine has been turned off. Stay
clear of fan blades.
Page 203 of 321
203 Operation
Engine compartment
Closing
Let the hood drop from a height of ap-
proximately 1ft (30cm).
The hood will lock audibly.
Check to make sure that the hood is
fully closed.
If you can raise the hood at a point
above the headlamps, then it is not
properly closed. Open it again and let it
drop with somewhat greater force.
Engine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when
the vehicle is new
the vehicle is driven frequently at high-
er engine speeds.
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.
Checking engine oil level
When checking the oil level the vehicle
must
be parked on level ground
be at normal operating temperature
have been stationary for at least five
minutes with the engine turned off
Warning!
G
If you see flames or smoke coming from the
engine compartment, or if the coolant tem-
perature gauge indicates that the engine is
overheated, do not open the hood. Move
away from vehicle and do not open the hood
until the engine has cooled. If necessary,
call the fire department.Warning!
G
The engine is equipped with a transistorized
ignition system. Because of the high voltage
it is dangerous to touch any components (ig-
nition coils, spark plug sockets, diagnostic
socket) of the ignition system
with the engine running
while starting the engine
if ignition is “on” and the engine is
turned manually
Warning!
G
Be careful that you do not close the hood on
anyone.!Do not push the hood closed manually,
as this could damage it.
Page 204 of 321
204 OperationEngine compartmentEngine oil level display
1Knob
2Display in speedometer
Switch on the ignition and wait until the
display
- - - - - -
appears in the
speedometer display2.
Within one second press knob1 twice.
One of the following messages will subse-
quently appear in the display:
OIL i.OThe oil level is correct. Engine oil does
not to be added.
– 1.0 L
Add 1 liter of engine oil.
– 1.5 L
Add 1.5 liters of engine oil.
– 2.0 L
Add 2 liters of engine oil.
OIL HIThe oil level is too high.
Have excess oil siphoned.The display
- - - - - -
flashes in the
speedometer display if a proper oil level
check cannot be performed.
Repeat the engine oil level check after
a few minutes.
!Excessive oil must be siphoned or
drained off. It could cause damage to
the engine and catalytic converter not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
iIf the engine oil level check cannot be
performed again via the display field,
use the dipstick to perform the engine
oil level check (
page 205).
In this case we recommend that you
have the system checked at a
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Page 205 of 321
205 Operation
Engine compartment
Oil dipstick
1Oil dipstick
2Oil filler cap
Remove the oil dipstick1.
Wipe the oil dipstick clean.
Fully insert dipstick in tube, and re-
move after three seconds.The engine oil level must be between the
lower (min) and upper (max) mark of the
dipstick.
Add engine oil if necessary.Adding engine oil
Unscrew the oil filler cap2 from the fill-
er neck. Be careful not to overfill with
oil.
Be careful not to spill any oil when adding.
Avoid environmental damage caused by oil
entering the ground or water.
Screw the oil filler cap back on the filler
neck.
More information on engine oil can be
found in the “Technical data” section
(
page 286).
iFill quantity between upper and lower
dipstick marking, the level is approxi-
mately 2.1 US qt (2.0 l).
!Excessive oil must be siphoned or
drained off. It could cause damage to
the engine and catalytic converter not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
