Page 308 of 506

306 OperationEngine compartment
If engine is at normal operating 
temperature, wait five minutes before 
repeating check procedure.
If engine is not at operating tempera-
ture yet, wait 30 minutes before 
repeating check procedure.
If you see the message:
Engine oil level
Not when engine on
Turn off the engine.
If the engine is at normal operating 
temperature, wait five minutes before 
checking oil.
If the engine is not yet at normal 
operating temperature, you must wait 
30 minutes before checking oil.If there is excess engine oil with the engine 
at normal operating temperature, the 
following message will appear:
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level
Have excess oil siphoned or drained 
off. Contact an authorized 
Mercedes-Benz Center.
For more information on messages in the 
display concerning engine oil, see the 
“Practical hints” section (
page 387). Adding engine oil
!Excess oil must be siphoned or drained 
off. It could cause damage to the 
engine and catalytic converter not 
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited 
Warranty.
!Only use approved engine oils and oil 
filters required for vehicles with Main-
tenance System (U.S. vehicles) or 
FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles). For a list-
ing of approved engine oils and oil fil-
ters, refer to the Factory Approved 
Service Products pamphlet in your ve-
hicle literature portfolio, or contact an 
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of spec-
ification other than those expressly re-
quired for the Maintenance System 
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada 
vehicles), or changing of oil and oil filter 
at change intervals longer than those 
called for by the Maintenance System 
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada 
vehicles) will result in engine damage 
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty. 
     
        
        Page 466 of 506

464 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their 
suitability in our engines and durability for 
our service intervals. Therefore, only use 
approved engine oils and oil filters re-
quired for vehicles with Maintenance Sys-
tem (U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada 
vehicles). For a listing of approved engine 
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet, or con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of specifica-
tion other than those expressly required 
for the Maintenance System (U.S. vehi-
cles) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles), or 
changing of oil and oil filter at change inter-
vals longer than those called for by the 
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or 
FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles) will result in 
engine damage not covered by the 
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Please follow Maintenance System (U.S. 
vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles) 
recommendations for scheduled oil 
changes. Failure to do so could result in 
engine damage not covered by the 
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil. 
They may damage the engine. 
Damage or malfunctions resulting from 
blending oil additives are not covered by 
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG 
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
ing system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the 
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point 
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced 
through the absorption of moisture from 
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture 
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.Therefore, the brake fluid 
must be replaced every two years, prefera-
bly in the spring.Only brake fluid approved 
by Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your 
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will pro-
vide you with additional information. 
     
        
        Page 474 of 506

472 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.
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