2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 fuel flap

ContentsAt the gas station............................... 219
Refueling ...................................... 219
Check regularly and
before a long trip .......................... 221
Engine compartment.......................... 222
Hood ............................................ 222
Engine oil...................................... 223
Transmission fluid level ................ 227
Coolant level ................................ 227
Battery ......................................... 228
Windshield / rear
window washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*......... 230
Tires and wheels ................................ 231
Important guidelines .................... 231
Life of tire ..................................... 232
Direction of rotation ..................... 232
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 232
Rotating wheels............................ 233
Winter driving..................................... 235
Winter tires................................... 235
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 236
Snow chains ................................. 236Maintenance ...................................... 237
Clearing the
maintenance service indicator ..... 237
Maintenance service
term exceeded ............................. 238
Calling up the
maintenance service indicator ..... 238
Resetting the
maintenance service indicator ..... 238
Vehicle care ....................................... 240
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 240
Practical hints.................................. 247
What to do if … .................................. 248
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 248
Additional indicators
in the speedometer display .......... 263
Where will I find ...? ........................... 264
First aid kit ................................... 264
Vehicle tool kit ............................. 264
Spare wheel (space-saver tire) ..... 266Unlocking / locking in
an emergency .................................... 268
Unlocking the vehicle................... 268
Locking the vehicle ...................... 269
Fuel filler flap ............................... 269
Manually unlocking the
transmission gear selector lever .. 270
Opening / closing in
an emergency .................................... 271
Power tilt / sliding sunroof* ......... 271
Replacing key batteries ..................... 272
Remote control ............................ 273
Replacing bulbs ................................. 274
Bulbs ............................................ 274
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 276
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps .... 279
Adjusting headlamp aim .............. 282
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 283
Removing ..................................... 283
Installing ...................................... 283
Flat tire .............................................. 284
Mounting the spare wheel ........... 284

88 Controls in detailIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions of your vehicle, this section will
be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are
given at the beginning of each segment.Locking and unlocking
For more information on locking and un-
locking, see “Getting started” (
page 31)
and (
page 55).
Remote control with folding key
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
remote controls with folding key.
The remote control provides an extended
operating range. To prevent theft,
however, it is advisable to only unlock the
vehicle when you are in close proximity to
it.
The key centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors


the liftgate


the fuel filler flap
Remote control with folding key1ÂPanic button (
page 75)
2ŒUnlock button
3‹Lock button
4Release button for key
5ŠUnlock button for liftgate

89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Unlocking
Global unlocking
Press buttonΠtwice.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is switched
off.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds of
unlocking if:


neither door nor liftgate is opened


the key is not inserted in the starter
switch


the central locking switch is not
activatedUnlocking the driver’s door and fuel
filler flap

Press buttonΠonce.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knob in the driver’s door moves
up. The anti-theft alarm system is
switched off.
Unlocking the liftgate

Press buttonŠ.
Only the liftgate unlocks.
Locking

Press button‹ once.
All turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that all doors, the liftgate
and the fuel filler flap are locked. The
anti-theft alarm system is activated.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock your ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and / or seri-
ous personal injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the remote control to high
levels of electromagnetic radiation.iIf the key is inserted in the steering
lock, the vehicle cannot be locked or
unlocked with the remote control.

94 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingActivating
Press and hold upper part1 of the
central locking switch for approximate-
ly six seconds.
The automatic central locking is
activated.
Deactivating

Press and hold lower part2 of the
central locking switch for approximate-
ly six seconds.
The automatic central locking is deacti-
vated.
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
liftgate from inside using the central lock-
ing switch. This can be useful, for example,
if you want to lock the vehicle before start-
ing to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking switch.
The switch is located on the lower center
console (
page 93).
Locking

Press upper part1 of central locking
switch.
If all the doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking

Press lower part2 of central locking
switch.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment
may cause an accident and / or serious per-
sonal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked using the remote control, it will
not unlock using the central locking
switch.

206 OperationDriving instructionsTires

Check the tread depth and maintain
specified tire pressure (see tire pres-
sure label inside the fuel filler flap).


Check tires for possible damage and
remove foreign objects.


Replace missing valve caps.
Rims


Dented or bent rims can cause tire
pressure loss and damage the tire
beads. For this reason, check and, if
necessary, change rims before driving
off-road.
Vehicle tool kit


Check if the vehicle jack is functional.


In all cases take the vehicle tool kit, a
strong tow rope, a shovel and a small
plank (to put under the vehicle jack on
sandy soil) with you.Driving in steep terrain
Slope angle1 25°
226°

Switch to LOW RANGE mode before
starting to drive up or down steep in-
clines (
page 127).


Driving on embankments, slopes and
other steep inclines should only be
done straight up or downhill, i.e. in the
line of gravity. Maximum vehicle climb-
ing ability is a 60% grade.


Do not drive along the side of a slope
(danger of vehicle rollover). If in doing
so the vehicle begins to show a tenden-
cy to roll, immediately steer into a line
of gravity (straight up or downhill).


To help avoid the vehicle rolling over,
never turn it around on steep inclines.
If the vehicle cannot complete the at-
tempted climb, back it down in reverse
gear.


Utilize the engine’s braking power
when descending a slope, observe the
engine speed (do not overrev the en-
gine). Apply the service brake as need-
ed.


Check the brakes after a lengthy down-
grade drive.iAvoid excessive engine speeds – drive
with moderate engine speeds
(max. 3000 RPM).
Select gear range2 or1 on the auto-
matic transmission (
page 122).

219 Operation
At the gas station
At the gas station
Refueling
The fuel filler flap is located on the
left-hand side of the vehicle towards the
rear. Locking / unlocking the vehicle with
the remote control automatically
locks / unlocks the fuel filler flap.1Fuel filler flap
2Fuel cap

Remove the key from the steering lock.

Open the fuel filler flap1 by pulling in
direction of the arrow.

Turn the fuel cap2 to the left and hold
on to it until possible pressure is re-
leased.

Take off the cap.

Only fill your tank until the filler nozzle
unit cuts out – do not top up or overfill.
Warning!
G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious inju-
ry. Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid
inhaling fumes and skin contact, extinguish
all smoking materials. Never allow sparks,
flame or smoking materials near gasoline!
!The fuel filler cap is tethered to the fuel
filler neck. Do not drop the cap. It could
damage the vehicle paint finish.!To prevent damaging the lens of the
plastic tail lamp, make certain that no
gasoline comes into contact with it.Warning!
G
Overfilling of the fuel tank may create pres-
sure in the system which could cause a gas
discharge. This could cause the gas to spray
back out when removing the fuel pump noz-
zle, which could cause personal injury.


220 OperationAt the gas station
Replace the fuel cap by turning it to the
right.
You will hear when the fuel cap is tight-
ened.

Close the fuel filler flap.iOnly use premium unleaded gasoline
with a minimum Posted Octane Rating
of 91 (average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can
normally be found on the fuel pump.
For more information on gasoline, see
the Factory Approved Service Products
pamphlet.
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the yellow fuel
tank reserve warning lamp to flash and
the? malfunction indicator lamp
(USA only) or the± malfunction in-
dicator lamp (Canada only) to illumi-
nate.
For more information, see “Practical
hints” (
page 254).


232 OperationTires and wheelsLife of tire
The service life of a tire is dependent upon
varying factors including but not limited to:

Driving style


Tire pressure


Distance driven
Direction of rotation
Unidirectional tires offer added advantag-
es, such as better hydroplaning perfor-
mance. To benefit, however, you must
make sure the tires rotate in the direction
specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the
intended direction of rotation of the tire.
Checking tire inflation pressure
Correct the tire pressure only when tires
are cold.
Regularly check your tire pressure at inter-
vals of no more than 14 days.
If the tires are warm, you should only
correct the tire pressure if it is too low for
current operating conditions.
A table on the fuel filler flap lists the
specified tire inflation pressures for warm
and cold tires as well as for various
operating conditions.
!When the wheels are heavily soiled,
e.g. after driving through mud, clean
the inside of the wheels with a jet of
water.Warning!
G
Tires and spare tire should be replaced after
six years, regardless of the remaining tread.
!Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry
place with as little exposure to light as
possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease and gasoline.
Warning!
G
If the tire pressure drops repeatedly:

Check the tires for punctures from
foreign objects.


Check to see whether air is leaking from
the valves or from around the rim.