Page 347 of 491

346 OperationVehicle careTar stains
Quickly remove tar stains before they dry
and become more difficult to remove. A tar
remover is recommended.
Paintwork, painted body components
Mercedes-Benz approved Paint Care
should be applied when water drops on the
paint surface do not “bead up”, normally
every three to five months, depending on
climate and washing detergent used.
Mercedes-Benz approved Paint Cleaner
should be applied if the paint surface
shows signs of embedded dirt (i.e. loss of
gloss).
Do not apply any of these products or wax
if your vehicle is parked in the sun or if the
hood is still hot.
Use the appropriate MB-Touch-Up Stick
for quick and provisional repairs of minor
paint damage (i.e. chips from stones, vehi-
cle doors, etc.).Engine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment,
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from contact with
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as MB Anticor-
rosion Wax should be applied to the engine
compartment after every engine cleaning.
Before applying, all control linkage bush-
ings and joints should be lubricated. The
poly-V-belt and all pulleys should be pro-
tected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight. Use only 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
exterior 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 vehicle underbody, do
not forget to clean the inner sides of the
wheels.
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 approximately 3 ft (approxi-
mately 1 m), the vehicle could be inad-
vertently locked or unlocked.
Page 352 of 491
351 Practical hints
What to do if …
Where will I find ...?
Unlocking / locking in an emergency
Opening / closing in an emergency
Replacing bulbs
Replacing wiper blades
Flat tire
Batteries
Jump starting
Towing the vehicle
Fuses
Page 378 of 491

377 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Brake fluid
Visit workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid in the
reservoir.
Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle and
notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. Do not add brake fluid! This
will not solve the problem.
Warning!
G
Driving while these messages are displayed
can result in an accident. Have your brake
system checked immediately.
If there is a malfunction in the SBC brake
system, we recommend that the vehicle be
transported with all wheels off the ground
using flatbed or appropriate wheel lift / dolly
equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
u p t o 3 0 m i l e s ( 5 0 k m ) a n d a t a s p e e d n o t t o
exceed 30 mph (50 km / h). For more infor-
mation, refer to “Towing the vehicle”
(page 430).
If the SBC brake system enters its emergen-
cy operation mode, the driver must apply
significantly greater brake pedal pressure
and depress the pedal much further than
normal to obtain braking effect. If neces-
sary, apply full pressure to the brake pedal.
Brakes may only be applied to the front
wheels. Stopping distance is increased!
Do not add brake fluid before checking the
brake system. Overfilling the brake fluid res-
ervoir can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.!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.
Page 404 of 491
403 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
More information can be found in the
“Technical data” section (
page 446).
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit is stored in the com-
partment underneath the cargo compart-
ment floor (
page 402).
The vehicle tool kit includes:
One pair of universal pliers
One towing eye bolt
One wheel wrench
One alignment bolt
One fuse extractor
Spare fuses
Collapsible wheel chock
A pair of glovesSetting up the collapsible wheel chock
The collapsible wheel chock serves to
additionally secure the vehicle, e.g. while
changing the wheel.
1Tilt the plates upward
2Fold the lower plate outward
3Insert the plate
Tilt both plates upward1.
Fold the lower plate outward2.
Guide the tabs of the lower plate all the
way into the openings of the base
plate3.
Page 406 of 491
405 Practical hints
Unlocking / locking in an emergency
Locking the vehicle
If you are unable to lock the vehicle with
the SmartKey, lock it with the mechanical
key as follows:
Close the passenger doors and the tail-
gate.
Press the central locking switch in the
cockpit (
page 123).
Check to see whether the locking
knobs on the passenger doors are still
visible. If necessary, push them down
manually.
Slide mechanical key2 out of the
SmartKey.
Lock the driver’s door with the me-
chanical key.
Fuel filler flap emergency release
1Release knob
Remove right-side tail trim.
Turn release knob1 clockwise (ar-
row).
The fuel filler flap can know be opened.Manually unlocking the gear selector
lever
In the case of power failure, the transmis-
sion selector lever can be manually un-
locked, e.g. to tow the vehicle.
Depending on production date, your vehi-
cle is equipped with cup holders in either
the center console or in the center arm-
rest.
Cup holder in the center console
1Pin
Page 416 of 491
415 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Side marker lamp bulb
Carefully slide the lamp towards the
front in direction of arrows.
Remove the rear end first.
Turn the bulb socket with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.
Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket.
Insert the new bulb into the bulb sock-
et.
Place the bulb socket back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.
To reinstall the lamp, set the front end
in the bumper and let the rear end en-
gage.
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps
Tail lamp assemblies
The tail lamps are equipped with HiP bulbs.License plate lamp
1Screw
Switch off the lights.
Loosen both screws1 and remove
lamp.
Replace the tubular lamp and reinstall
lamp.
Retighten the screws.
Warning!
G
The bulbs in the tail lamps cannot be re-
placed individually. The tail lamp bulbs are
under pressure and could explode during an
attempt to replace them.
If the tail lamps are malfunctioning, have
them exchanged at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Page 430 of 491

429 Practical hints
Jump starting
The jump-start contacts are located in the
engine compartment.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift gear selector lever to positionP.1Negative (-) terminal
2Cover of Positive (+) terminal
Open cover 2 of the positive terminal
of both vehicles.
Connect positive terminal 2 and the
positive terminal of the charged battery
with the jumper cable. Clamp cable to
charged battery first.
Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminal1 and the
negative terminal of the charged
battery with the jumper cable. Clamp
cable to charged battery first.
Start the engine of the disabled
vehicle.
Now you can again turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals1 and then from
the positive terminals2.
Now you can turn on the lights.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 305).!Never invert the terminal connections!
iThe message
Malfunction - electric
consumers switched off
may appear
in the instrument cluster. It will disap-
pear as soon as the battery is suffi-
ciently charged.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.
Page 431 of 491

430 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleMercedes-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 or front wheels raised (except vehi-
cles with 4MATIC) only so far as necessary
to have the vehicle moved to a safe loca-
tion where the recommended towing
methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift / dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
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.
Switch off the tow-away alarm and the
automatic central locking.
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC:
Do not tow with one axle raised. Doing
so could damage the transfer case,
which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
All wheels must be on or off the ground.
Observe instructions for towing the ve-
hicle with all wheels on the ground.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised (not permissible for vehicles
with 4MATIC), the engine must be shut
off (SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or 1). Otherwise the ESP will
immediately be engaged and will apply
the rear wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the selector lever must
be in positionN and the SmartKey
must be in starter switch position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).