286OperationVehicle careEngine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from the intrusion of
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as MB Anticor-
rosion Wax, should be applied to the en-
gine compartment after every engine
cleaning. Before applying, all control link-
age bushings and joints should be lubricat-
ed. The poly-V-belt and all pulleys should
be protected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight. Only use a mild car wash
detergent, such as Mercedes-Benz ap-
proved Car Shampoo.
Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a dif-
fused jet of water. Direct only a very weak
spray towards the ventilation intake. Use
plenty of water and rinse the sponge and
chamois frequently. Rinse with clear water and thoroughly dry
with a chamois. Do not allow cleaning
agents to dry on the finish.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in ex-
terior rear view mirrors prior to running the
vehicle through an automatic car wash to
prevent damage to the mirrors.
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces
of road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the underbody, do not for-
get to clean the inner sides of the wheels.Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of very dirty
chrome-plated parts, use a chrome clean-
er.
Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
turn signal lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Sham-
poo, with plenty of water.
To prevent scratches, never apply strong
force and use only a soft, non-scratchy
cloth when cleaning the lenses. Do not at-
tempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry cloth
or sponge.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of
water, and a SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is in close proximity, i.e.
within approx. 3 ft. (approx. 1 m), the
vehicle could be inadvertently locked
or unlocked.
331 Practical hints
Unlocking/locking in an emergency
Unlocking/locking in an emergency
Unlocking the vehicle
If you are unable to unlock the vehicle with
the SmartKey, open the driver’s door and
the trunk using the mechanical key.
1Mechanical key locking tab
2Mechanical key
Move locking tab1 in direction of ar-
row and slide the mechanical key2
out of the housing.Unlocking the driver’s door
1Unlocking
2Locking
Unlock the door with the mechanical
key. To do so, push the mechanical key
in the lock until it stops and turn it to
the left.
iUnlocking your vehicle with the me-
chanical key will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:
With SmartKey
Press button Œ or ‹ on the
SmartKey.
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 33).
Grasp the outside door handle
(page 57).
332 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergencyUnlocking the trunk
A minimum height clearance of 6.3 ft
(1.90 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
If you are unable to unlock the trunk with
the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, open the
trunk with the mechanical key.
The trunk lid lock is located above the rear
license plate recess.
1Unlocking and opening
2Trunk lid lock
Insert the mechanical key into the
trunk lid lock2.
Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to position1 and press trunk lid
lock2 in direction of arrow.
The trunk unlocks and opens.
Locking the vehicle
If you are unable to lock the vehicle with
the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*, lock it with the mechanical
key as follows:
Close the passenger door and the trunk
lid.
Press the central locking switch in the
center console (
page 106).
Check to see whether the locking knob
on the passenger door is still visible. If
necessary push it down manually.
Slide mechanical key2 out of the
SmartKey (
page 331).
Lock the driver’s door with the me-
chanical key (
page 331).
Lock the trunk lid necessary with the
mechanical key (if applicable)
(page 104).
Replacing batteries in the SmartKey/
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
If the batteries in the SmartKey or the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* are dis-
charged, the vehicle can no longer be
locked or unlocked. It is recommended to
have the batteries replaced at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
Warning!
G
Keep the batteries out of reach of children.
If a battery is swallowed, seek medical help
immediately.
355 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Installing towing eye bolt
1Cover on right side of front bumper
2Cover on right side of rear bumperRemoving cover
Press mark on cover in direction of ar-
row.
Lift cover off to reveal threaded hole for
towing eye bolt.
Installing towing eye bolt
Take towing eye bolt and wheel wrench
out of trunk (
page 329).
Screw towing eye bolt clockwise into
its stop and tighten with wheel wrench.
Removing towing eye bolt
Loosen towing eye bolt counterclock-
wise with wheel wrench.
Unscrew towing eye bolt.
Store towing eye bolt and wheel
wrench in trunk.
Installing cover
Fit cover and snap into place.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approx. 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(page 84).
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 153).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.
383 Technical terms
ABC
(A
ctive B
ody C
ontrol)
Active, computer-controlled system
that hydraulically adjusts the suspen-
sion at all four wheels in response to
various driving situations.
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Alignment bolt
Metal pin with thread. The centering
pin is an aid used when changing a tire
to align the wheel with the wheel hub.BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation
system
This system detects if a special system
compatible child restraint seat is in-
stalled on the front passenger seat. The
system will automatically deactivate
the passenger front airbag when such a
seat is properly installed (PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp in the cen-
ter console comes on). See an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
BabySmartTM compatible child seats
Special restraint system for children.
The sensor system for the passenger
seat prevents deployment of the pas-
senger front airbag if a BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat is installed.
BAS
(B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied.Bi-Xenon headlamps
Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more in-
tense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-Xenon headlamps produce low
beam and high beam.
CAC
(C
ustomer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a break-
down.
CAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
385 Technical terms
FSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the multifunction
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.
GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs DVD digital maps for
navigation.Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the
vehicle without the use of a SmartKey.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.
Line of fall
The direct line that an object moves
downhill when influenced by the force
of gravity alone. Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
Memory function
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and exterior mirror posi-
tions for each SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*.
MON
(M
otor O
ctane N
umber)
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline
as determined by a standardized meth-
od. It is an indication of a gasoline's
ability to resist undesired detonation
(knocking). The average of both the
MON (Motor Octane Number) and
->RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
395 Index
Limiting opening height of
trunk lid 153
Rear window defroster 182
Residual heat 184
Seat heater 113, 114
Seat ventilation* 115
Tow-away alarm 84
Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control 166
Deceleration
With Distronic* 201
Deep water see Standing water 253
Defrosting 179
Delayed switch-off
Interior illumination 152
Dialing
A number (telephone) 140
Difficulties
While driving see Problems while
driving 52
Digital clock 23
Digital speedometer 134
Direction of rotation (tires) 271
Discharged battery
Jump starting 351Disconnecting
Vehicle battery 349
Displays
Digital speedometer 134
Distronic* 200
Messages 263, 299
Service indicator 282
Showing malfunctions 145
Distance
Decreasing in Distronic* 206
Increasing in Distronic* 206
Setting in Distronic* 205
Warning function 206
Distance to empty (range)
Calling up 143
Distance warning function* 206
Activating 207
Deactivating 207
Distronic* warning lamp 206
Intermittent warning sound 206
Symbol in multifunction display 142
Distronic* 198, 384
Activated 202
Activating 203
Calling up settings 142, 201Cleaning system sensor 287
Cruise control lever 202
Deactivated 202
Deactivating 205
Deceleration 201
Decreasing distance 206
Decreasing time interval 205
Displays in the speedometer dial 200
Distance warning function 206
Driving hints 207
Fine adjustment 204
Increasing distance 206
Increasing time interval 205
Intermittent signal tone 200
Menu 201
Messages in display 302
Resetting stored speed 204
Sensor cover 287
Setting a higher speed 203
Setting a lower speed 204
Setting following distance 205
Setting the current speed 203
Warning and indicator lamps 200
Door control panel 19, 28
396 IndexDoor handle 28
Door unlock
With Tele Aid 237
Doors
Message in display 309
Opening from inside vehicle 96
Opening from outside 89
Downhill driving
Cruise control 196
Downshifting 158, 162, 165
Drink holder see Cup holder 224
Drinking and driving 247
Driving
Abroad 254
General instructions 42, 247
Hydroplaning 251
In winter 252
Problems 52
Safety systems 77
Through standing water 253
With Distronic* 207
Driving abroad 254
Driving instructions 247
Driving off 249Driving safety systems
ABS 77
BAS 78
ESP 79
Driving systems 195
ABC 210
Cruise control 195
Distronic* 198
Driving safety systems 77
Parktronic* 214
Vehicle level control 211
E
Easy-entry/exit feature 107
Activating 154
Electrical fuses 356
Electrical system 370
Electrically folding exterior rear view
mirrors 169
Electronic Stability Program see ESP 79,
384
Emergency calls
Initiating an emergency call 233
With Tele Aid 232
Emergency engine shut-down 358Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode) 166
Emergency operations
Closing sliding/pop-up roof 335
Locking the vehicle 332
Opening sliding/pop-up roof 335
Remote door unlock 237
Unlocking the trunk lid 332
Unlocking the vehicle 331
Emergency tensioning device see
ETD 68, 384
Emission control 255
Ending
A call (telephone) 140
Engine 364
Compartment 260
Message in display 294
Starting 45
Starting with KEYLESS-GO* 46
Starting with the key 45
Turning off with the key 55
Engine cleaning 286
Engine compartment 260
Fuse box in 357
Hood 260