2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 Front

419 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement

Use only 12 volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.


Switch lights off before changing a bulb
to prevent short circuits.


Always use a clean lint-free cloth when
handling bulbs.


Your hands should be dry and free of oil
and grease.


If the newly installed bulb does not light
up, visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.Have the LEDs and bulbs for the following
lamps replaced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center:


Additional turn signals in the exterior
rear view mirrors


High mounted brake lamp


Xenon* lamps


Front fog lamps


Rear lamps (except license plate
lamps)
Warning!
G
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot. Al-
low the lamp to cool down before changing
a bulb.
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas.
A bulb can explode if you:

touch or move it when hot


drop the bulb


scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in Xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.
iHave the headlamp adjustment
checked regularly.

420 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsReplacing bulbs for front lamps
1Bulb socket for high beam head-
lamp/high beam flasher bulb
2Bulb socket for parking and standing
lamp bulb
3Housing cover for low
beam/Bi-Xenon* headlamp4Bulb socket for turn signal lamp bulb
5Electrical connector for high beam
headlamp/high beam flasher bulb
6Bulb socket for parking and standing
lamp bulb
7Electrical connector for low beam
headlamp bulb (halogen headlamps
only)
Before you start to replace a bulb for a
front lamp, do the following first:

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM (
page 133).

Open the hood (
page 303) (except
for side marker lamps).
Warning!
G
Do not remove the cover3 for the Bi-Xe-
non* headlamp. Because of high voltage in
Xenon* lamps, it is dangerous to replace the
bulb or repair the lamp and its components.
We recommend that you have such work
done by a qualified technician.

421 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Low beam bulb (halogen headlamps
only)
Turn housing cover3 counterclock-
wise and remove it.

Pull electrical connector7 off.

Unclip the retainer spring on the bulb
socket and take out the bulb.

Insert the new bulb so that its base lo-
cates in the recess on the lower left
and is level to it.

Clip on the retainer spring.

Plug electrical connector7 onto the
bulb.

Align housing cover3 and turn it
clockwise.
High beam bulb/high beam flasher
bulb (halogen headlamps)/high beam
flasher bulb (Bi-Xenon* headlamps)

Turn bulb socket1 with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.

Pull electrical connector5 off.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket1.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket1 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Plug electrical connector5 onto the
bulb.

Place bulb socket1 back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.
Front turn signal lamp bulb

Turn bulb socket4 with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket4.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket4 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Place bulb socket4 back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.Parking and standing lamp bulb

Pull out bulb socket6 with the bulb.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket6.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket6 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Press bulb socket6 back into the
lamp.

422 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsSide 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 unit
The tail lamps are equipped with HiP bulbs.License plate lamp
1Screw

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM (
page 133).

Loosen both screws1.

Remove the license plate lamp.

Replace the bulb.

Reinstall the license plate lamp.

Retighten screws1.
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.

425 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
In 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.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the spare wheel
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described under
“Preparing the vehicle” on this page.
Take the spare wheel out of the trunk
(page 407).

Take the wheel wrench and the jack
out of the trunk (
page 407).
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.
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.

426 Practical hintsFlat tireWhen changing wheel on a hill:
Place chocks on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the other axle.

On wheel to be changed, loosen but do
not yet remove the wheel bolts (ap-
proximately one full turn with wrench). The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housing and
in front of the rear wheel housing.
1Jack take-up bracket
2Jack
3Crank

Position jack2 on firm ground under
the respective jack take-up bracket1.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into either side of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Be sure that the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket. Al-
ways lower the vehicle onto sufficient ca-
pacity jackstands before working under the
vehicle.

434 Practical hintsBatteries
Disconnecting the battery
Depress parking brake firmly or move
gear selector lever to positionP.

Turn off all electrical consumers.

Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Press the start/stop button until
the engine shuts off.

Open the driver’s door.

Open the trunk.
!Never loosen or detach battery termi-
nal clamps while the engine is running
or the SmartKey is in the starter switch.
Otherwise the alternator and other
electronic components could be se-
verely damaged.
Have the battery checked regularly by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Refer to Maintenance Booklet for main-
tenance intervals or contact your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
further information.Warning!
G
Do not place metal objects on the battery as
this could result in a short circuit.
Use leak-proof battery only to avoid the risk
of acid burns in the event of an accident.
Warning!
G
The SBC 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. The same applies if
battery is disconnected. 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! Adjust your driving style according-
ly. For more information, refer to “SBC brake
system” (
page 90).
Warning!
G
With a disconnected battery

you will no longer be able to turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch and
pressing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the gear selector lever will
have no effect


the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP

439 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 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).