332 OperationVehicle careEngine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from the intrusion of
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as MB Anticor-
rosion Wax should be applied to the engine
compartment after every engine cleaning.
Before applying, all control linkage bush-
ings and joints should be lubricated. The
poly-V-belt and all pulleys should be pro-
tected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight. Only use a mild car wash
detergent, such as Mercedes-Benz ap-
proved Car Shampoo.
Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a dif-
fused jet of water. Direct only a very weak
spray towards the ventilation intake. Use
plenty of water and rinse the sponge and
chamois frequently. Rinse with clear water and thoroughly dry
with a chamois. Do not allow cleaning
agents to dry on the finish.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in ex-
terior rear view mirrors prior to running the
vehicle through an automatic car wash to
prevent damage to the mirrors.
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces
of road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the underbody, do not for-
get to clean the inner sides of the wheels.Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of very dirty
chrome-plated parts, use a chrome clean-
er.
Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
turn signal lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Sham-
poo, with plenty of water.
To prevent scratches, never apply strong
force and use only a soft, non-scratchy
cloth when cleaning the lenses. Do not at-
tempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry cloth
or sponge.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of
water, and a SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is in close proximity, i.e.
within approx. 3 ft. (approx. 1 m), the
vehicle could be inadvertently locked
or unlocked.
383 Practical hints
Unlocking/locking in an emergency
Unlocking/locking in an emergency
Unlocking the vehicle
If you are unable to unlock the vehicle with
the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, open the
driver’s door and the trunk using the me-
chanical key. Removing the mechanical key
1Mechanical key locking tab
2Mechanical key
Move locking tab1 in direction of ar-
row.
Slide the mechanical key2 out of the
housing.Unlocking the driver’s door
1Unlocking
Insert the mechanical key into the driv-
er’s door lock until it stops.
Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to position1.
The driver’s door is unlocked.
iUnlocking the driver’s door and/or the
trunk with the mechanical key will trig-
ger the anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, insert the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch.
384 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergencyUnlocking the trunk
A minimum height clearance of 6 ft.
(1.85 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
The trunk lid lock is located next to the
handle above the rear license plate recess.
1Unlocking and opening
Insert the mechanical key into the
trunk lid lock until it stops.
Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to position1.
The trunk unlocks and opens.
Locking the vehicle
If you are unable to lock the vehicle with
the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*, do the following:
Close the passenger doors and the
trunk lid.
Press the central locking switch in the
center console (
page 113).
Check to see whether the locking
knobs on the passenger doors have
moved down.
If necessary push them down manually.
Except for the driver's door, the vehicle
should now be locked.1Unlocking
Remove the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 383).
Insert the mechanical key into the driv-
er’s door lock until it stops.
Turn the mechanical key clockwise to
position1.
The driver’s door is locked.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
410 Practical hintsTowing the vehicle
Installing towing eye bolt
1Cover on right side of front bumper
2Cover on right side of rear bumperRemoving cover
Press mark on cover in direction of ar-
row.
Lift cover off to reveal threaded hole for
towing eye bolt.
Installing towing eye bolt
Take towing eye bolt and wheel wrench
out of trunk (
page 379).
Screw towing eye bolt clockwise into
its stop and tighten with wheel wrench.
Removing towing eye bolt
Loosen towing eye bolt counterclock-
wise with wheel wrench.
Unscrew towing eye bolt.
Store towing eye bolt and wheel
wrench in trunk.
Installing cover
Fit cover and snap into place.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 35) in
position2, the vehicle doors lock if the
le ft f ront whe el as wel l a s t he rig ht rea r
wheel are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(
page 89).
To prevent the vehicle doors from lock-
ing, deactivate the automatic central
locking (
page 112).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to vehicle chassis,
frame or suspension parts.
438 Technical termsCAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
COMAND
(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 that auto-
matically maintains 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.
440 Technical termsLine of fall
The direct line that an object moves
downhill when influenced by the force
of gravity alone.
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
Maintenance 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 Maintenance
System in your vehicle tracks distance
driven and the time elapsed since your
last maintenance service, and calls for
the next maintenance service accord-
ingly.
Memory function
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and exterior mirror posi-
tions for each SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*.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
Display field in the speedometer used
to present information provided by the
control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
of 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.
Parktronic system (Parking assist)*
System which uses visual and acoustic
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.
Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.
450 IndexDistance
Decreasing in Distronic* 225
Increasing in Distronic* 225
Setting in Distronic* 224
Warning function 225
Distance to empty (range)
Calling up 157
Distance warning function* 225
Activating 226
Deactivating 226
Distance warning lamp 225
Intermittent warning sound 225
Symbol in multifunction display 156
Distronic* 217, 438
Activated 221
Activating 222
Calling up settings 156, 220
Cleaning system sensor 333
Cruise control lever 221
Deactivated 221
Deactivating 224
Deceleration 220
Decreasing distance 225
Decreasing time interval 224
Displays in the speedometer dial 219
Distance warning function 225Driving hints 226
Fine adjustment 223
Increasing distance 225
Increasing time interval 224
Intermittent signal tone 219
Menu 220
Messages in display 351
Sensor cover 333
Setting a higher speed 222
Setting a slower speed 223
Setting following distance 224
Setting the current speed 222
Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function) 223
Warning and indicator lamps 219
Document holder 242
Door control panel 30
Door entry lamps 139
Door unlock
With Tele Aid 262
Doors
Message in display 361
Opening from inside vehicle 102
Opening from outside 94, 99
DOT 322Downhill driving
Cruise control 215
Downshifting 175
Drink holder see Cup holder 248
Drinking and driving 273
Drive-dynamic seat* 124
Adjusting 172
Driving
Abroad 280
General instructions 43, 273
Hydroplaning 277
In winter 279
Problems 54
Safety systems 80
Through standing water 280
With Distronic* 226
Driving abroad 280
Driving instructions 273
Driving off 275
Driving safety systems
4MATIC 85
ABS 80
BAS 81
ESP 82
451 Index
Driving systems 214
ABC 231
AIRMATIC 229
Airmatic 229
Cruise control 214
Distronic* 217
Driving safety systems 80
Parktronic system* 235
Vehicle level control 230, 232
E
Easy-entry/exit feature 114
Activating 170
Electrical fuses 411
Electrical system 427
Electrically folding exterior rear view
mirrors 188
Electronic Stability Program see ESP 82,
439
Emergency call system* 255
Emergency calls
Initiating an emergency call 257
With Tele Aid 256
Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode) 185Emergency operations
Closing the power tilt/sliding
sunroof 386
Locking the vehicle 384
Opening the power tilt/sliding
sunroof 386
Remote door unlock 262
Unlocking the vehicle 383
Emergency tensioning device see
ETD 69, 439
Emission control 282
Emission control information label 418
Ending
A call (telephone) 154
Engine 420
Compartment 286
Message in display 340, 341
Starting 46
Starting with KEYLESS-GO* 47
Starting with the SmartKey 46
Turning off with the SmartKey or the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 57
Engine cleaning 332
Engine compartment 286
Fuse box in 413
Hood 286Engine malfunction indicator lamp 340,
341
Engine number 418, 439
Engine oil 287
Adding 291
Additives 431
Checking level 287
Consumption 287
Display messages 362
Filler neck 291
Messages in display 289, 362
Viscosity 439
Engine oil level see Oil level 285
Entry position
Messages in display 364
ESP 82, 439
Four wheel electronic traction system
with ESP 85
Switching off 83
Switching on 84
Synchronizing 352
Warning lamp 342, 343
ETD 439
Safety guidelines 64
ETD (Emergency tensioning device) 69
Exterior lamp switch 131