Page 419 of 491

418 Practical hintsFlat tireIn the case of a flat tire, you may tempo-
rarily use the spare wheel when observing
the following restrictions:
Do not exceed a vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km / h).
Drive to the nearest tire repair facility
to have the flat tire repaired or re-
placed as appropriate.
Do not operate vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
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 selector lever toP.
Vehicles with SmartKey:
Turn off the engine (
page 57).
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.Vehicles with SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:
Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button on the
gear selector lever once (
page 59).
Open the driver’s door (this puts the ig-
nition in position0, same as with the
SmartKey removed from the starter
switch). The driver’s door then can be
closed again.
Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the Minispare wheel and
the collapsible tire are different from those
of the road wheels. As a result, the vehicle
handling characteristics change when driv-
ing with a spare wheel mounted.
The spare wheel should only be used tempo-
rarily, and replaced with a regular road
wheel as quickly as possible.
iOpen door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
Page 432 of 491

431 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
!
To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the drive train, however, we
recommend the drive shaft be discon-
nected at the rear axle drive flange (ve-
hicles with 4MATIC: disconnected at
the front and rear axle drive flanges) for
any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.
Warning!
G
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:
the engine will not run
there is a malfunction in the SBC brake
system
there is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or in the vehicle’s electrical system
as that will be necessary to adequately con-
trol the towed vehicle.
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make sure the SmartKey is in
starter switch position2.
If the SmartKey is left in the starter switch
position0 for an extended period of time, it
can no longer be turned in the switch. In this
case, the steering is locked. To unlock, re-
move SmartKey from starter switch and re-
insert.
Warning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes may only be applied to
the front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. For more information, refer to “SBC brake
system” (
page 92).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering system. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to steer the vehicle. Adapt your driv-
ing accordingly.
Page 442 of 491
441 Technical data
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
E320/E500
1Automatic belt tensioner
2Power steering pump
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
Page 452 of 491
451 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin CHF 11S)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 3.0 oz (85 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
1.1 US qt (1.05 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)
Cooling system
E 320 / E 320 4MATIC
10.7 US qt (10 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion / Antifreeze
E 500
1/ E 500 4MATIC
1Not available in the U.S.
11.9 US qt (11.3 l)
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
21.12 US gal (80.0 l)
2.38 US gal (9.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Minimum Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96
RON / 86 MON)
Page 461 of 491

460 Technical termsCOMAND
(C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and navi-
gation system, as well as other optional
equipment (CD changer, telephone,
etc.).
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:
If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.
If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.
DOT
(Department of Transportation)
(
page 333)
DTR
(->Distronic*)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.Engine 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.
->SRS
Page 463 of 491

462 Technical termsMaintenance System (U.S. vehicles)
Maintenance service indicator in the
multifunction display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. The Vehicle Main-
tenance System in your vehicle tracks
distance driven and the time elapsed
since your last maintenance service,
calculates other maintenance service
work required, and calls for the next
maintenance service accordingly.
Maximum load rating
(
page 333)
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
(page 333)
Maximum tire inflation pressure
(page 334)
Memory function*
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and exterior mirror posi-
tions for each SmartKey.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
The display field in the instrument clus-
ter used to present information provid-
ed by the control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.
Normal occupant weight
(
page 334)Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
on the tachometer dial. Avoid this en-
gine sp ee d ra nge , a s i t m ay re sul t in s e-
rious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.
Page 464 of 491

463 Technical terms
Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing:
Engine
Clutch/torque converter
Transmission
Transfer case*
Drive shaft
Axle shafts/axles
Production options weight
(
page 334)
PSI
(Pounds per s
quare i
nch)
(
page 334)Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operationS and
operationC.
E 55 AMG with steering wheel gearshift
control and manual shift program: in
addition to S and C (for sporty S or
comfortable C operation), you can use
M for manual shift program.
Restraint systems
Seat belts, belt tensioners, air bags and
child restraint systems. As indepen-
dent systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.
Rim
(
page 334)RON
(R
esearch O
ctane N
umber)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line's ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (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.
SBC
(S
ensotronic B
rake C
ontrol)
Electronically controlled hydraulic
braking system for increased braking
safety and comfort.
Shift lock
When the vehicle is parked, this lock
prevents the transmission selector le-
ver from being moved out of positionP
without the ignition or engine on and
brake pedal depressed.
Page 466 of 491

465 Index
A
ABS 87, 459
ABS control 87
Malfunction indicator lamp 352
Messages in display 364
Warning lamp 352
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission* 189
Accessory weight 332
Accident
In case of 55
Activating
Air conditioning (cooling) 206, 218
Air recirculation mode 204, 216
Anti-theft alarm system 98
Automatic climate control
(4-zone*) 213
Automatic climate control
(Dual-zone) 201
Central locking (control system) 174
Climate control 198, 199
Defrosting 203, 215
Distance warning function* 241
Distronic* 237
Easy-entry/exit feature* 175
ESP 92Exterior headlamps 51
Exterior lamps 142
Fog lamps 144
Hazard warning flasher 146
Headlamps 51
Ignition 34
Ignition with KEYLESS-GO* 36
Immobilizer 57, 97
Rear window defroster 195
Residual heat 207, 219
Seat heater* 132
Tow-away alarm 99
Windshield wipers 52
Activating intermitted wipe 54
Activating intermittent wipe 54
Adding
Engine oil 302
Additional turn signal 411
Adjustable air vents, rear passenger
compartment 219
Adjusting 38
Air distribution 214
Air volume 202, 215
Backrest tilt 39
Drive-dynamic seat* with multicontour
features 130Exterior rear view mirror 42
Head restraint height 40, 128
Head restraint tilt 40
Instrument cluster illumination 150
Interior rear view mirror 42
Mirrors 41
Rear head restraints 129
Seat cushion tilt 39
Seat fore and aft adjustment 39
Seat height 39
Seats 38
Steering column height 41
Steering wheel 40
Adjusting seat backrest position 249
Adjusting steering column in or out 41
Adjusting steering column up or down 41
Adjusting the dynamic seat 177
Air conditioning (cooling)
Turning off 206, 218
Turning on 206, 218
Air distribution
Adjusting 201, 214
Air pressure 332
Air pressure see Tire inflation
pressure 318