2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 level

Contents
At the gas station .............................. 278
Check regularly and before
a long trip..................................... 279
Engine compartment ......................... 281
Hood ............................................ 281
Engine oil ..................................... 282
Transmission fluid level ................ 285
Coolant level ................................ 285
Battery ......................................... 287
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 288
Tires and wheels ................................ 289
Important guidelines .................... 289
Life of tire..................................... 290
Direction of rotation ..................... 290
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 290
Rotating wheels ........................... 293Winter driving ..................................... 295
Winter tires ................................... 295
Block heater* (Canada only) ......... 296
Snow chains.................................. 296
Maintenance....................................... 297
Flexible Service System PLUS
(FSS PLUS).................................... 297
Clearing the service indicator ....... 298
Service term exceeded ................. 298
Calling up the service indicator..... 298
Resetting the service indicator ..... 298
Setting the date for special
works ............................................ 300
Calling up the service data
information ................................... 301
Vehicle care........................................ 302
Cleaning and care of vehicle ......... 302
Practical hints.................................. 309
What to do if … ................................... 310
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 310
Lamp in center console ................ 317
Messages in the display................ 318
Where will I find ...? ............................ 350
First aid kit.................................... 350
Vehicles with TIREFIT kit
(E 55 AMG) ................................... 350
Spare wheel .................................. 350
Luggage box ................................. 351
Vehicle tool kit.............................. 352
Unlocking / locking in an emergency .. 353
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 353
Locking the vehicle ....................... 354
Changing batteries in the
SmartKey/ SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* ............................... 355
Fuel filler flap emergency release . 357
Manually unlocking the
transmission selector lever ........... 357
Opening / closing in an emergency..... 358
Sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama
sliding / pop-up roof* .................... 358

26 At a glanceCenter consoleLower part
Item
Page
1
Ashtray
246
2
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button
33
3
Selector lever for automat-
ic transmission
43,
161
4
Parking assist (Parktronic
system)* deactivation
switch
229
5
Adaptive damping system
(ADS)* switch
226
Item
Page
6
Vehicle level control
switch*
227
7
Thumbwheel for setting
distance for Distronic*
221
8
Distance warning func-
tion* on/off switch
222
9
Program mode selector for
automatic transmission
164

36 Getting startedAdjustingSeat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow3 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow5 until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.Head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow5.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head re-
straint.

Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion.
More information on seats can be found in
the “Controls in detail” section
(
page 108).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.

50 Getting startedDrivingProblems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be op-
erating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.The coolant temperature is over 248°F
(120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.

Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 285).
In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:

Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount

Start the engine in the usual manner.

64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency ten-
sioning devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases when the seat belts are fas-
tened:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level


in certain vehicle rollovers


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1indicator lamp (
page 56)


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The
belt would also apply too much force to
the ribs or abdomen, which could se-
verely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.


Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, SmartKeys etc., as
these might cause injuries.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage impact forces. The
twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the floor in front of the seat.


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 five seconds
until battery check lamp5 flashes
twice.
The SmartKey will then function as fol-
lows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap
Press buttonΠonce.
Global unlocking

Press buttonΠtwice.
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 the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. It is possible for children
to open a looked door from the inside, which
could result in an accident or serious 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 197) and
sliding / pop-up roof* (
page 201) or
panorama sliding / pop-up roof*
(
page 208) using the SmartKey.

92 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingSmartKey 1‹ Lock button
2Š Unlock button for the trunk lid
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 73)
For more information on using the
SmartKey buttons, see “SmartKey”
(
page 88).Important notes on using KEYLESS-GO


You can also use the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO like a normal SmartKey
(page 88).


You can combine KEYLESS-GO func-
tions with normal SmartKey functions
(e.g. unlocking with KEYLESS-GO and
locking with the remote control).


Always carry the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.


Never store the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO together with:

Electronic items such as a cellular
phone or another SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO


Metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause serious personal
injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO to high levels of electro-
magnetic radiation.iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 197) and
sliding / pop-up roof* (
page 201) or
panorama sliding / pop-up roof*
(
page 208) using the SmartKey.

109 Controls in detailSeats
Removing and installing front seat head restraints
Information on head restraint adjustment
can be found in the “Getting started” sec-
tion (
page 36).
Front seat head restraints
Removing front head restraints

Press switch1upwards and hold until
the head restraint is fully extended.

Pull out head restraint.Installing front head restraints:

Press switch1upwards and hold for
about five seconds.

Push the head restraint down until it
engages.

Adjust head restraint to desired posi-
tion (
page 36).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
iTilt the backrest to the rear for easier
removal and installation of the head re-
straints.