Page 279 of 442

277 Operation
At the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Coolant
2Brake fluid (fuse box cover removed)
3Windshield washer and headlamp 
cleaning system*Coolant
For normal replenishing, use water (pota-
ble water quality). For more information, 
see “Coolant level” (
page 283) and see 
“Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.” 
(
page 387).
Brake fluid
Removing fuse box cover (
page 370).Windshield washer and headlamp 
cleaning system*
For more information on filling up the 
washer reservoir, see “Windshield washer 
system and headlamp cleaning system*” 
(
page 285).
Engine oil level
For more information on engine oil level, 
see “Engine oil” (
page 279).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. For more 
information on replacing light bulbs, see 
“Replacing bulbs” (page 344).
Exterior lamp switch (page 109).
Tire inflation pressure
More information on tire inflation pressure 
(
page 287).
iOpening the hood, see (
page 278).
!If you find that the brake fluid in the 
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the 
minimum mark or below, have the 
brake system checked for brake pad 
thickness and leaks immediately. 
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Center immediately. Do not add brake 
fluid as this will not solve the problem. 
For more information, see “Practical 
hints” (
page 303). 
     
        
        Page 289 of 442

287 Operation
Tires and wheels
Life of tire
The service life of a tire is dependent upon 
varying factors including but not limited to:
Driving style
Tire pressure
Distance driven
Direction of rotation
Unidirectional tires offer added advan-
tages, such as better hydroplaning perfor-
mance. To benefit, however, you must 
make sure the tires rotate in the direction 
specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the 
intended direction of tire rotation.
Checking tire inflation pressure
Correct the tire pressure only when tires 
are cold.
Regularly check your tire pressure at 
intervals of no more than 14 days. 
If the tires are warm you should only 
correct the tire pressure if it is too low for 
current operating conditions.
A table on the fuel filler flap lists the 
specified tire inflation pressures for warm 
and cold tires as well as for various 
operating conditions.
Warning!
G
Tires and spare tire should be replaced after 
six years, regardless of the remaining tread.!Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry 
place with as little exposure to light as 
possible. Protect tires from contact 
with oil, grease and gasoline.
Warning!
G
If the tire pressure drops repeatedly:
Check the tires for punctures from 
foreign objects.
Check to see whether air is leaking from 
the valves or from around the rim. 
     
        
        Page 393 of 442

391 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Only use premium unleaded fuel:
The octane number (posted at the 
p um p) m us t be 91 mi n. It i s an a vera ge  
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number: 
(R+M)/2. This is also known as the 
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates 
such as Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be 
used provided the ratio of any one of these 
oxygenates to gasoline does not 
exceed 10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not 
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is 
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10% 
Ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can 
be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel 
requirements, such as resistance to spark 
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and 
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded 
is not available and low octane fuel is 
used, follow these precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially 
filled with unleaded regular and fill 
up with premium unleaded as soon 
as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt 
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of 
3 000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded 
with a light load such as two 
persons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum 
accelerator pedal position if the 
vehicle is fully loaded or operating 
in mountainous terrain.
iFlexible Fuel Vehicles (identified by a 
label reading Premium gasoline or 
E85 only! are designed to operate on 
premium unleaded gasoline or Ethanol 
fuel (E85) or any mixture of these two.
For more information, see “Flexible 
Fuel Vehicles” (
page 392). 
     
        
        Page 412 of 442

410 IndexCharging
Vehicle battery 361
Checking
Brake fluid 277
Coolant level 277, 283
Engine oil level 277, 280
Tire inflation pressure 277
Vehicle lighting 277
Washer reservoir level 277
Child safety 67
Air bags 60
Infant and child restraint 
systems 64, 67
LATCH-type child seat anchors 73
Child safety switch see 
Blocking of rear door window operation
Child seat anchors see 
LATCH-type child seat anchors
Cigarette lighter 246
Cleaning
Cloth upholstery 300
Cup holders 299
Gear selector lever 299Hard plastic trim items 299
Headlamps 168
Headliner and shelf below 
rear window 299
Instrument cluster 298
Leather upholstery 299
Light alloy wheels 298
MB Tex upholstery 300
Plastic and rubber parts 300
Seat belts 299
Steering wheel 299
Upholstery 299
Windows 298
Windshield 52
Wiper blades 298
Wood trims 300
Climate control 174
Clock 25, 121, 137, 138
Closing
Cup holder, in rear seat armrest 245
Glove box 241
Hood 279Tilt/sliding sunroof* 227
Tilt/sliding sunroof* 
in an emergency 341
Tilt/sliding sunroof* 
with SmartKey 229
Trunk lid 94
Windows 223, 224
Windows with SmartKey 225
Cloth upholstery
Cleaning 300
Cockpit 22, 399
Cockpit Management and 
Data System see COMAND*
Collapsible tire 383
Collapsible tire (C 55 AMG only) 334
Collapsible wheel chock 332
COMAND* 400
COMAND* see separate 
operating instructions
Combination switch 113
High beam flasher 50
Turn signals 50
Windshield wipers 51