2004 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 All wheel drive

259 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
Spare wheel (space-saver tire)
Use the spare wheel only temporarily,
while observing the following restrictions:

Do not exceed vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km / h).


Drive to the nearest repair facility to
have the flat tire repaired or replaced
as appropriate.


Do not operate vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.Removing spare wheel
The spare wheel is located behind the rear
bumper.
1Cover

Hold left and right side of cover1 and
pull away from bumper.2Screw
3Spare wheel carrier
4Lever

Turn screw2 counterclockwise using
the wrench (
page 258).
Screw2 remains in spare wheel
carrier3.

Lift spare wheel carrier slightly and
push lever4 to the right using screw-
driver (
page 257).

Swing spare wheel carrier3 down and
pull it out from under the bumper.
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 mounted spare
wheel.iPlease comply with the instructions for
“Mounting the spare wheel”
(page 274).
Warning!
G
Exercise care when removing or installing
spare wheel to prevent personal injury.


274 Practical hintsFlat tire
Flat tireMounting the spare wheel 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.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.

Take the spare wheel out of its carrier
(page 259).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.
When 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 rear compartment
area (
page 257). Assemble wheel
wrench.
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 mounted spare
wheel. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
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 Light
Truck 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.

276 Practical hintsFlat tireRemoving the wheel
Unscrew and remove all wheel bolts.

Remove the remaining bolts.

Grip the wheel from the sides and re-
move it.
Mounting the new wheel

Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.

Install spare wheel on wheel hub.

Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.Lowering the vehicle

Lower vehicle by turning crank coun-
terclockwise until vehicle is resting ful-
ly on its own weight.

Remove the jack.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while in-
stalling first wheel bolt.
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
or call Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident.
Make sure to use the correct wheel bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
tip over.

283 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 only so far as necessary to have the
vehicle moved to a safe location where the
recommended towing methods can be em-
ployed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift / dolly equip-
ment, with key in steering lock 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. Use the towing eyes.
Switch off the ESP (
page 81),
tow-away alarm (
page 85) and the
automatic central locking (
page 93).
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever
must be in positionN and the key must
be in steering lock position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the vehicle may be
towed only for distances up to 30 miles
(50 km) and at a speed not to exceed
30 mph (50 km / h).
If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised (observe instructions re-
garding flexible drive shaft), the engine
must be shut off (key in steering lock
position1). Otherwise, the 4-ETS may
become engaged which may cause loss
of towing control.
!To be certain to avoid additional dam-
age to the vehicle powertrain, however
you should observe the following:

With damage to the front axle

raise front axle


remove flexible drive shaft be-
tween rear axle and transfer
case


With damage to the rear axle

raise rear axle


tow vehicle with wheel lift or
dolly placed under front wheels


With damage to the transfer case

remove flexible drive shaft to
the drive axles
Always install new self-locking nuts
when reinstalling flexible drive shaft.

311 Technical terms
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
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 (indicator
lamp7 in the instrument cluster
lights up). See your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck 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 pas-
senger compartment needed for vehi-
cle operation and monitoring.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.

312 Technical termsEngine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRSFSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the speedometer
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 gear 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 CD or DVD digital
maps for navigation.GAWR
(G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible
axle weight. The gross vehicle weight
on each axle must never exceed the
GAWR for the front and rear axle indi-
cated on the certification label located
on the driver’s door pillar.
GVW
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare
wheel, installed accessories, passen-
gers and cargo. The GVW must never
exceed the GVWR, indicated on the
certification label located on the driv-
er’s door pillar.

313 Technical terms
GVWR
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
This is the maximum permissible vehi-
cle weight. It is indicated on certifica-
tion label located on the driver’s door
pillar.
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.
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.
MCS
(M
odular C
ontrol S
ystem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and the ra-
dio and navigation system, as well as
for other optional equipment (CD
changer, telephone, etc.).Memory function*
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions.
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.
Multifunction display
A display field in the instrument cluster
used to present information provided
by the control system.
Parktronic system* (Parking assist)
System which uses visual and acoustic
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.

315 Technical terms
Tele Aid System*
(T
elematic A
larm I
dentification on
D
emand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response: automatic and man-
ual emergency, roadside assistance
and information. Tele Aid is initially ac-
tivated by completing a subscriber
agreement and placing an acquain-
tance call.
The Tele Aid system is operational pro-
vided that the vehicle’s battery is
charged, properly connected, not dam-
aged and cellular and GPS coverage is
available.
Telematics*
A combination of the terms “telecom-
munications” and “informatics”.
Tightening torque
Force times lever arm (e.g. a lug
wrench) with which threaded fasteners
such as wheel bolts are tightened.Tire speed rating
Part of tire designation; indicates the
speed range for which a tire is ap-
proved.
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the
road via the tires.
Transfer case
Speed of rotation / torque converter
that works together with the ->auto-
matic transmission. In the LOW mode
off-road position, the transfer case de-
creases the output rotational speed of
the ->automatic transmission by ap-
proximately half. This results in a corre-
sponding increase of torque on the
drive axles.
The vehicle then has nearly double the
driving force but drives only approxi-
mately half as fast.TWR
(T
ongue W
eight R
ating)
The TWR is the maximum permissible
weight on the trailer tongue.
VIN
(V
ehicle I
dentification N
umber)
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the body to uniquely
identify each vehicle produced.
Voice control system*
Voice control system for car phones,
portable cell phones and audio sys-
tems (radio, CD, etc.).