Page 337 of 506

335 Operation
Tires and wheels
Quality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1
1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.Traction
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades rep-
resent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
Treadwear
Traction
Temperature
200
AA
A
Warning!
G
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Page 341 of 506

339 Operation
Tires and wheels
TIN (T
ire I
dentification N
umber)
Unique identifier which facilitates efforts
by tire manufacturers to notify purchasers
in recall situations or other safety matters
concerning tires and gives purchases the
means to easily identify such tires. The TIN
is comprised of “Manufacturer's identifica-
tion mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type code”
and “Date of manufacture”.
Tire load rating
Numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
Tire ply composition and material used
This indicates the number of plies or the
number of layers of rubber-coated fabric in
the tire tread and sidewall. Tire manufac-
turers also must indicate the ply materials
in the tire and sidewall, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.Tire speed rating
Part of tire designation; indicates the
speed range for which a tire is approved.
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the road
via the tires. The amount of grip provided.
Tread
The portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bands, sometimes called
“wear bars” that show across the tread of
a tire when only
1/6in (1.6 mm) of tread
remains.Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
A tire information system that provides
consumers with ratings for a tire's traction,
temperature and treadwear. Ratings are
determined by tire manufacturers using
government testing procedures. The
ratings are molded into the sidewall of the
tire.
Vehicle capacity weight
Rated cargo and luggage load plus
68 kilograms (150 lbs) times the vehicle's
designated seating capacity.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
Load on an individual tire that is
determined by distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum loaded vehicle
weight and dividing it by two.
Page 345 of 506

343 Operation
Maintenance
Maintenance
We strongly recommend that you have
your vehicle serviced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, in accordance with
the Maintenance Booklet at the times
called for by the maintenance service indi-
cator display.
Failure to have the vehicle maintained in
accordance with the Maintenance Booklet
and maintenance service indicator at the
designated times /mileage will result in ve-
hicle damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
The maintenance service indicator will no-
tify you when your next maintenance ser-
vice is due.
Starting approximately one month before
maintenance service is due, one of the fol-
lowing messages will appear in the multi-
function display while you are driving or
when you switch on the ignition (example
service A):
Service A in XXXX miles (km)
Service A in XX days
Service A in X day
Service A due now!The maintenance services will be indicated
by showing a service type A through type H
in the multifunction display. Types A
through H are classified based on estimat-
ed time needed to perform the mainte-
nance service, ranging:
from
Service A(approx. one hour)
toService H(approx. eight hours)When the service type appears, you can
use the vehicle’s control system to view a
list of the service items (1-14) that need to
be performed at the called for service type
(
page 347).iThe additional + after the type of ser-
vice indicates the degree of wear of the
brake pads.
The brake pads may reach their wear
limit in the time period up to the next
service interval.
Have the brake pads checked and, if
necessary, replaced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center during your
next service appointment.
Page 349 of 506

347 Operation
Maintenance
Press theè button on the multi-
function steering wheel until the stan-
dard display appears in the
multifunction display.
The maintenance service system now re-
calculates the values. You cannot call up
the maintenance service display or the ser-
vice menu during this time.
Calling up the maintenance service
data information
The maintenance service indicator shows
the maintenance service type (letters A-H)
in the multifunction display approximately
one month before the service appointment
is due in miles (distance criterion) or in
days (time criterion).
This maintenance service type is based on
the service items to be carried out. The
service items are described in the Mainte-
nance Booklet.
The service items to be carried out under
the corresponding service type can be dis-
played in the multifunction display.Calling up the service item menu
Switch on the ignition (
page 33).
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 145).
Press buttonk orj on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel until the
maintenance service indicator appears
in the multifunction display.
Press the reset button (
page 24) for
about five seconds.
The
Service menu
appears in the multi-
function display (page 145).
Select the
Items
menu with the +
or - button.
Press the ÿ button.The service indicator now displays the
Items
menu.
Press button è on the multifunction
steering wheel until the standard
display appears in the multifunction
display.iThe maintenance service items to be
carried out are shown in this menu.
Please refer to the Maintenance Book-
let for a description of each mainte-
nance service item.
Page 350 of 506

348 OperationVehicle careCleaning and care of vehicle
While in operation, even while parked, your
vehicle is subjected to varying external in-
fluences which, if gone unchecked, can at-
tack the paintwork as well as the
underbody and cause lasting damage.Such damage is caused not only by ex-
treme and varying climatic conditions, but
also by:
Air pollution
Road salt
Tar
Gravel and stone chipping
To avoid paint damage, you should imme-
diately remove:
Grease and oil
Fuel
Coolant
Brake fluid
Bird droppings
Insects
Tree resins etc.
Frequent washing reduces and/or elimi-
nates the aggressiveness and potency of
the above adverse influences.More frequent washings are necessary to
deal with unfavorable conditions:
near the ocean
in industrial areas (smoke, exhaust
emissions)
during winter operation
You should check your vehicle from time to
time for stone chipping or other damage.
Any damage should be repaired as soon as
possible to prevent corrosion.
In doing so, do not neglect the underbody
of the vehicle. A prerequisite for a thor-
ough check is a washing of the underbody
followed by a thorough inspection. Dam-
aged areas need to be re-undercoated.
Your vehicle has been treated at the facto-
ry with a wax-base rustproofing in the body
cavities which will last for the lifetime of
the vehicle. Post-production treatment is
neither necessary nor recommended by
Mercedes-Benz because of the possibility
of incompatibility between materials used
in the production process and others ap-
plied later.
Warning!
G
Many cleaning products can be hazardous.
Some are poisonous, others are flammable.
Always follow the instructions on the partic-
ular container. Always open your vehicle’s
doors or windows when cleaning the inside.
Never use fluids or solvents that are not de-
signed for cleaning your vehicle.
Page 362 of 506
360 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
The yellow engine malfunction
indicator lamp comes on while
driving.
Your fuel tank is empty.
After refuelling start, turn off and re-
start the engine three or four times in
succession.
The limp-home mode is canceled. You do
not need to have your vehicle checked.
Diesel engine: The fuel tank is empty. The en-
gine is running in emergency operation
mode.
Bleed the fuel system (
page 432).
The limp-home mode is canceled. You do
not need to have your vehicle checked.
Diesel engine: The diesel engine electronics
are malfunctioning.
Full engine performance is not available.
Have the fuel system checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
Page 419 of 506
417 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Replacing bulbs
Bulbs
Safe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is there-
fore essential that all bulbs and lamp as-
semblies are in good working order at all
times.
Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. See your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for headlamp
adjustment.
iIf the headlamps or front fog lamps are
fogged up on the inside as a result of
high humidity, driving the vehicle a dis-
tance with the lights on should clear up
the fogging.
iSubstitute bulbs will be brought into
use when lamps malfunction. Observe
the messages in the multifunction dis-
play (
page 392).
Page 434 of 506

432 Practical hintsBleeding the fuel system (Diesel engine only)Allowing the vehicle to be driven until the
fuel tank is empty is not recommended. If
this occurs, air may be pulled into the fuel
system. If this happens, the? malfunc-
tion indicator lamp (USA only) or the
±malfunction indicator lamp (Canada
only) comes and it may be possible that
the engine will not start immediately after
you refuel the vehicle.
After refueling:
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 for at least 30 seconds.
Return the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 and hold it there for up to
60 seconds, i.e. until the engine is run-
ning surge-free.If the engine does not start:
Try to start the engine again without in-
terruption for a maximum of 60 sec-
onds until it is running smoothly.
If the engine still does not start even after
this attempt, do not make any further at-
tempts to start the engine. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iWhere the? malfunction indicator
lamp (USA only) or the± malfunc-
tion indicator lamp (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster has been illuminat-
ed for the above condition, it will re-
main illuminated until the engine was
cycled on and off four times in a row.