ContentsUseful features .................................. 221
Storage compartments................. 221
Ashtrays ....................................... 227
Cigarette lighter ........................... 228
Heated steering wheel* ............... 228
Telephone*................................... 229
Tele Aid ........................................ 230
Garage door opener ..................... 238
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 244
Operation........................................ 245
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 246
Driving instructions............................ 247
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 247
Drinking and driving ..................... 247
Pedals .......................................... 247
Power assistance ......................... 247
Brakes .......................................... 248
Driving off .................................... 249
Parking ......................................... 249
Tires ............................................. 250
Hydroplaning ................................ 251
Tire traction.................................. 251
Tire speed rating .......................... 251
Winter driving instructions ........... 252
Standing water ............................. 253
Passenger compartment .............. 254
Driving abroad.............................. 254
Control and operation of radio
transmitters ................................. 254
Catalytic converter ....................... 255
Emission control .......................... 255
Coolant temperature .................... 256At the gas station .............................. 257
Refueling ...................................... 257
Check regularly and before a
long trip ....................................... 258
Engine compartment ......................... 260
Hood ............................................ 260
Engine oil ..................................... 261
Transmission fluid level................ 266
Active Body Control (ABC)
fluid level ..................................... 266
Coolant ........................................ 266
Battery ......................................... 268
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system........... 269
Tires and wheels................................ 270
Important guidelines .................... 270
Life of tires................................... 271
Direction of rotation..................... 271
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 271
Rotating wheels ........................... 279
Winter driving .................................... 280
Winter tires .................................. 280
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 281
Snow chains................................. 281
Contents
Maintenance ...................................... 282
Clearing the service indicator ...... 282
Service term exceeded ................ 282
Calling up the service indicator .... 283
Resetting the service indicator..... 283
Vehicle care ....................................... 284
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 284
Practical hints.................................. 291
What to do if …? ................................. 292
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 292
Lamp in center console................. 298
Messages in the display ................ 299
Where will I find...? ............................. 329
First aid kit .................................... 329
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit,
luggage bowl, spare wheel ............ 329
Unlocking/locking in an emergency... 331
Unlocking the vehicle.................... 331
Locking the vehicle ....................... 332
Replacing batteries in
the SmartKey/ SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* ............................... 332
Fuel filler flap ................................ 334
Opening/closing in an emergency ..... 335
Sliding/pop-up roof ...................... 335
Replacing bulbs .................................. 336
Bulbs ............................................. 336
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 338
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 340Replacing wiper blades ...................... 341
Removing wiper blades ................. 341
Installing wiper blades .................. 342
Flat tire............................................... 343
Preparing the vehicle .................... 343
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 343
Battery ............................................... 348
Disconnecting the battery ............ 349
Removing the battery ................... 349
Charging and reinstalling the
battery .......................................... 349
Reconnecting the battery ............. 350
Jump starting...................................... 351
Towing the vehicle.............................. 353
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 355
Fuses.................................................. 356
Fuse boxes in passenger
compartment ................................ 356
Fuse boxes in engine
compartment ................................ 357
Emergency engine shut-down ....... 358
31 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing SmartKey
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
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment 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 SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be
sufficiently charged.
Check the battery and charge it
if necessary (
page 348).
Get a jump start (
page 351).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge or a completely discharged bat-
tery, always remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch when the engine is
not in operation.
46 Getting startedDrivingStarting with KEYLESS-GO*
You can start your vehicle without the
Smartkey in the starter switch using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button on the
gear selector lever.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
1KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.
Depress the brake pedal during the
starting procedure. Do not depress ac-
celerator.
The gear selector lever lock is released.
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button1 once.
The engine starts automatically if the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is in the
vehicle.
For information on turning off the engine
with KEYLESS-GO, see “Turning off the en-
gine with KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 56).
Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:
If you are starting the engine with the
SmartKey, turn SmartKey in starter
switch to position0 and repeat starting
procedure.
If you are starting the engine with
KEYLESS-GO: Close any doors that
may be open to allow for better detec-
tion of the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO.
or:
Start the engine with the SmartKey as
radio signals from another source may
be interfering with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO.
Repeat the starting procedure
(page 45). Remember that extended
starting attempts can drain the battery.
Get a jump start (
page 351).
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.
82 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systems
Anti-theft systemsImmobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey: Removing the
SmartKey from the starter switch acti-
vates the immobilizer.
With KEYLESS-GO*: Turning off the en-
gine by means of the start/stop button
on the gear selector lever activates the
immobilizer.Deactivating
With the SmartKey: Inserting the
SmartKey in the starter switch deacti-
vates the immobilizer.
With KEYLESS-GO*: Starting the en-
gine by means of the start/stop button
on the gear selector lever deactivates
the immobilizer.
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone:
opens a door
opens the trunk
opens the hood
The alarm will stay on even if the activating
element (a door, for example) is immedi-
ately closed.
The alarm system will also be triggered
when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle
the vehicle is opened with the
mechanical key
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).
88 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
In the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
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 unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key. The locking
tabs for the mechanical key portion of the
two SmartKeys are a different color to help
distinguish 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
2Š Unlock button for trunk lid
3Locking tab for mechanical key
4Œ Unlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 76)
89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
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-
vated
Global locking
Press button‹.
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down.Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that
pressingŒ only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about six seconds
until battery check lamp5 flashes
twice.
The SmartKey will then function as fol-
lows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap
Press buttonŒ once.
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ twice.
Global locking
Press button‹.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended 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 result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey to high levels of
electromagnetic radiation.iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 188) and slid-
ing/pop-up roof (
page 193) using
the SmartKey.
90 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingRestoring to factory setting
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about six seconds
until battery check lamp5 flashes
twice.
Unlocking and opening the trunk lid
You can unlock and open the trunk lid sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 6.3 ft
(1.90 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
Press and hold buttonŠ until trunk
unlocks and begins to open.The trunk can also be opened from its in-
side in an emergency, see “Trunk lid emer-
gency release” (
page 103).
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the SmartKey, then the
batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged, the SmartKey is malfunction-
ing or the vehicle battery is drained.
Check the batteries in the
SmartKey and replace them if nec-
essary (
page 332).
Use the mechanical key to unlock
the doors (
page 331) and the
trunk lid (
page 332) as required.
Have the vehicle battery and the
battery connections checked.
Use the mechanical key to lock the
doors (
page 331) and the trunk
lid (
page 332) as required.
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning, con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
Vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system*: To stop the opening proce-
dure, press buttonŠ. The trunk lid
stops moving.
iIf the trunk does not open, it is still
locked separately (if applicable)
(page 104).
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed (
page 98). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.