Page 301 of 376
301 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.
Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
Engage the steering wheel lock in the
straight ahead position and set the
parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever toP (man-
ual transmission to 1st or reverse
gear).
Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the spare wheel Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described under
“Preparing the vehicle” on this page.
Take the wheel wrench and the jack
out of wheel well below the trunk floor
(page 285).
Take the spare wheel out of the trunk
(page 285).
Lifting the vehicle
Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
(not included) or other sizable objects.
When changing wheel on a level surface:
Place one chock in front of and one be-
hind the wheel that is diagonally oppo-
site to the wheel being changed.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the spare wheel are dif-
ferent from those of the road wheels. As a
result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a spare wheel
mounted. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly.
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted, en-
sure proper tire pressure and do not exceed
vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Drive to the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible to have the spare wheel
replaced with a regular road wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Page 302 of 376
302 Practical hintsFlat tireWhen 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 285). Assemble wheel wrench.
On wheel to be changed, loosen but 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 the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket. Al-
ways lower the vehicle onto sufficient ca-
pacity jackstands before working under the
vehicle.
Page 303 of 376
303 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and re-
move.
Replace this wheel bolt with the align-
ment bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.
Remove the remaining bolts.
Remove the wheel.Mounting the new wheel
1Wheel bolt for light alloy rims
2Wheel bolt for light alloy spare wheel
rim size 4
1/2B x15 H2
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.
Inflate the spare tire using the electric
pump (
page 304).
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.
!Wheel bolts2 must be used when
mounting spare wheel rim
size 4
1/2Bx15 H2 (
page 326).
The use of any wheel bolts other than
wheel bolts2 for spare wheel rim
size 4
1/2B x15 H2 can cause physical
damage to the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Make sure to use original length wheel bolts
when remounting the original wheel after it
has been repaired.Warning!
G
Inflate spare wheel with collapsible tire only
after the wheel is properly mounted.
Inflate the spare wheel tire using the electric
air pump before lowering the vehicle.
Page 305 of 376
305 Practical hints
Flat tire
Open flap1 on air pump.
Pull out electrical plug4 and air hose
with the pressure gauge2.
Observe instructions on air pump label.
Remove the valve cap from valve.
Screw the air hose2 on to the tire
valve.
Insert electrical plug4 into vehicle
cigarette lighter socket.
To switch on the air pump turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 (
page 31).
Operate air pump until the pressure
gauge displays 36 psi (2.5 bar)
This takes about five minutes for the
space tire. The air hose2 and the
union nut3 can become hot during in-
flation.
To switch off the air pump turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0 (
page 31).
If the tire pressure is above 36 psi
(2.5 bar), release excess tire pressure
using the vent screw.
Detach the electric air pump.
Store the electrical plug and the air
hose behind the flap and place the air
pump back in the trunk.
!Do not operate the electric air pump
longer than eight minutes without in-
terruption. Otherwise it may overheat.
You may operate the air pump again af-
ter it has cooled off.
Warning!
G
Follow recommended inflation pressures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes,
etc.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinfalted tires
wear unevenly, adversely affect handling
and fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified vehicle capacity weight (as indicat-
ed by the label on the driver’s door latch
post). Overloading the tires can overheat
them, possibly causing a blowout.
Page 308 of 376
308 Practical hintsBatteryDisconnecting the battery
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Open the hood (
page 236).
Remove the filter box (
page 307).
Disconnect the battery negative lead.
Remove the cover from the positive ter-
minal.
Disconnect the battery positive lead.
Removing the batteries
Remove the screw-nuts securing the
battery.
Remove the battery bracket.
Take out the battery.
Charging and reinstalling batteries
Charge battery in accordance with the
instructions of the battery charger
manufacturer.
Reinstall the charged battery. Follow
the previously described steps in re-
verse order.
Reconnecting the batteries
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Connect the positive lead and fasten its
cover.
Connect the negative lead.
Reinstall the filter box (
page 307).
Warning!
G
With a disconnected battery
you will no longer be able to turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in position
P
Warning!
G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle. Gases may escape during charg-
ing and cause explosions that may result in
paint damage, corrosion or personal injury.
!NEVER invert the terminal connections!!The battery, its filler caps and the vent
tube must always be securely installed
when the vehicle is in operation.
Page 309 of 376
309 Practical hints
Battery
Batteries contain materials that can harm
the environment if disposed of improperly.
Large 12-volt storage batteries contain
lead. Recycling of batteries is the preferred
method of disposal. Many states require
sellers of batteries to accept old batteries
for recycling.
iThe following procedures must be car-
ried out following any interruption of
battery power (e.g. due to reconnec-
tion):
Set the clock (
page 122) (vehi-
cles with COMAND*: see COMAND
operator’s manual).
Resynchronize the ESP
(page 266).
Resynchronize side windows
(page 188).
Resynchronize panorama slid-
ing/pop-up roof (
page 188).
Page 311 of 376
311 Practical hints
Jump starting
The battery is located in the engine com-
partment on the right hand side. The
terminals for jump starting are located in
front of the battery.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off the engine.
On both vehicles:
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift gear selector lever to positionP
(manual transmission to Neutral).1Positive terminal of charged battery
2Positive under hood terminal in front of
discharged battery
3Negative terminal of charged battery
4Negative under hood terminal in front
of discharged battery
Connect positive terminal1 of the
charged battery with positive under
hood terminal2 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the jumper ca-
bles. Clamp cable to charged
battery1 first.
Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminal3 of the
charged battery with negative under
hood terminal4 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the jumper ca-
bles. Clamp cable to charged
battery3 first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
Now you can turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 242).
Page 313 of 376
313 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment. This method is pref-
erable to other types of towing.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground or front wheels raised only so far as
necessary to have the vehicle moved to a
safe location where the recommended
towing methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(page 79) and deactivate the auto-
matic central locking (
page 129).
!Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1). Otherwise, the ESP will immedi-
ately be engaged and will apply the rear
wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever
must be in positionN (manual trans-
mission: gears disengaged) and the
SmartKey must be in starter switch
position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).
