
ContentsOperation.........................................  253
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .........  254
Driving instructions ............................  255
Drive sensibly – save fuel .............  255
Drinking and driving .....................  255
Pedals ..........................................  255
Power assistance .........................  256
Brakes ..........................................  256
Driving off.....................................  258
Parking .........................................  259
Tires .............................................  259
Hydroplaning ................................  260
Tire traction ..................................  261
Tire speed rating ..........................  261
Winter driving instructions ...........  262
Standing water .............................  263
Passenger compartment ..............  264
Driving abroad ..............................  264
Control and operation of radio
transmitters..................................  264
Catalytic converter .......................  265
Emission control...........................  265
Coolant temperature ....................  266At the gas station ..............................  267
Refuelling .....................................  267
Check regularly and before a
long trip........................................  269
Engine compartment .........................  270
Hood ............................................  270
Engine oil .....................................  272
Transmission fluid level ................  275
Oil level in the ABC system ..........  275
Coolant ........................................  276
Battery .........................................  277
Windshield washer system and 
headlamp cleaning system ...........  278
Tires and wheels ................................  279
Important guidelines ....................  279
Tire care and maintenance ...........  280
Direction of rotation .....................  282
Loading the vehicle ......................  282
Recommended tire inflation
pressure .......................................  288
Checking tire inflation pressure ...  290
Tire labeling..................................  295
Load identification .......................  299
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) .............................................  300Maximum tire load .......................  301
Maximum tire inflation pressure ..  302
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) .............  302
Tire ply material ...........................  304
Tire and loading terminology ........  305
Rotating tires ...............................  308
Winter driving ....................................  309
Winter tires ..................................  309
Block heater (Canada only) ..........  310
Snow chains.................................  310
Maintenance......................................  312
Clearing the maintenance service
indicator.......................................  313
Maintenance service term
exceeded .....................................  313
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator ..........................  313
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator ..........................  314
Vehicle care.......................................  315
Cleaning and care of the vehicle ..  315 

138 Controls in detailControl systemMenus, submenus and functions
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Menu 6
Menu 7
Menu 8
Standard dis-
play
AUDIO 
NAV
Distronic* 
Vehicle status 
message memory
Settings 
Trip computer
Telephone 
(page 139)
(page 139)
(page 142)
(page 142)
(page 143)
(page 144)
(page 159)
(page 161)
Commands/submenusDigital speedom-
eter
Selecting 
radio station
Activating 
route 
guidance
Calling up 
settings
Calling up vehicle 
malfunction, warn-
ing and system sta-
tus messages 
stored in memory
Resetting to 
factory set-
tings
Fuel consump-
tion statistics 
after start
Loading 
phone book
Calling up main-
tenance service 
indicator
Selecting 
satellite radio 
station*
(USA only)
Instrument 
cluster sub-
menu 
Fuel consump-
tion statistics 
since the last 
reset
Searching for 
name in 
phone book
Time 
submenu
Checking tire in-
flation pressure*
Operating CD 
player
Lighting sub-
menu
Calling up 
range
Checking engine 
oil level
Vehicle sub-
menuConvenience 
submenu 

243 Controls in detail
Useful features
Upgrade scenario
An emergency call is possible even if other 
services are active. Response Center was established, then 
the Tele Aid system could not initiate 
an Information call (e.g. the relevant 
cellular phone network is not avail-
able). The message 
Call failed 
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Information calls can be terminated us-
ing the ìbutton on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel or the respective 
button for ending a telephone call on 
the COMAND headunit.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or 
remain illuminated (in red) at any time, 
the Tele Aid system has detected a 
malfunction or the service is currently 
not active, and may not initiate a call. 
Visit your Mercedes-Benz Center and 
have the system checked or contact 
the Response Center at 
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or 
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon 
as possible.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash 
or the system does not reset, contact 
the Response Center at 
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or 
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or 
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance 
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes 
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or 
Customer Service at 1-800-387-0100 
in Canada. 

313 Operation
Maintenance
Clearing the maintenance service indi-cator
The maintenance service indicator is auto-
matically cleared after approximately 
30 seconds. You can also clear it yourself.
1Reset button
Press reset button1 on the instru-
ment cluster.
The maintenance service indicator is 
cleared and the standard display ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Maintenance service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested ser-
vice term, you will see the following mes-
sage in the right multifunction display:Service A exceeded by xx days
Service A exceeded by xx miles (km)In addition, a signal sounds when the mes-
sage appears.
Any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will 
reset the maintenance service indicator 
following a completed maintenance ser-
vice.Calling up the maintenance service 
indicator
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 134).
Press button k or j on the 
multifunction steering wheel until the 
maintenance service indicator symbol 
9 or ´ appears in the left multi-
function display and the service dead-
line appears in the right multifunction 
display.
 

314 OperationMaintenance
Resetting the maintenance service indicator 
In the event that the maintenance service 
on your vehicle is not carried out by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center, you can 
have the maintenance service indicator re-
set. The automotive maintenance facility 
carrying out the maintenance service will 
find the information for resetting the main-
tenance service indicator in the mainte-
nance-relevant information for your 
vehicle. Such information is available ei-
ther from an authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Center or directly from Mercedes-Benz.
iIf the battery supplying the vehicle’s 
electrical consumers is disconnected, 
the days of disconnection will not be in-
cluded in the count shown by the ser-
vice indicator. To arrive at the true 
service deadline, you will need to sub-
tract these days from the days shown 
in the service indicator. 
Do not confuse the service indicator 
with the engine oil level indicator :.
!If the maintenance service indicator 
was inadvertently reset, have an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center correct it.
Only reset if the proper service has 
been performed. Resetting the system 
without performing proper service as 
called for by the maintenance service 
indicator will result in engine damage 
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty.
 

440 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 depending on vehi-
cle settings and/or ambient condi-
tions.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and 
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle 
operation and monitoring.
Collapsible tire
An especially compact spare tire that 
must be inflated with a provided air 
pump before using. It should only be 
used to bring the vehicle to the nearest 
service station.COMAND
(Co
ckpit Man
agement and 
D
ata System)
Information and operating center for 
vehicle sound and communications 
systems, including the radio, CD 
changer and navigation system, as well 
as other optional equipment (e.g. tele-
phone).
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 control.
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
(->Distr
onic*)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer 
and placed on the cylinder block to 
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced. 

441 Technical terms
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency Tensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal 
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat 
belts. 
->SRS
FSS (Canada vehicles)
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the multifunction 
display that informs the driver when 
the next vehicle maintenance service is 
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to 
the automatic transmission for shifting. 
The automatic gear shifting process 
can be adapted to specific operating 
conditions using the gear selector le-
ver.GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying 
geographic location information to and 
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for 
navigation.
Head-thorax airbag
Installed in the doors, these airbags 
protect occupants during side impact 
collisions exceeding a preset thresh-
old. Unlike normal side airbags, 
head-thorax airbags are also designed 
to provide protection for the head area.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning 
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer, 
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the 
vehicle without the use of a key. Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the 
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear. 
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal 
acceleration needs.
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 tracks distance driven and teh 
time elapsed since the last mainte-
nance service, calculates other mainte-
nance service work required, and calls 
for the next service accordingly. 

452 IndexEmission control 265
Emission control label 418
Engine
Compartment 270
Starting with KEYLESS-GO* 49
Starting with the SmartKey 48
Turning off 58
Turning off with KEYLESS-GO* 59
Turning off with the SmartKey 58
Engine number 440
Engine oil 272, 433
Adding 274
Additives 433
Checking level 272
Consumption 272
Display messages 355
Filler neck 274
Messages in display 273
Engine oil level see Oil levelESP 79, 82, 440
Control switch 30
Switching off 83
Switching on 84
Synchronizing 341
Warning lamp 82
ESP/ABS warning lamp 25
ETD see Emergency Tensioning Device
Express-close front side windows 195
Express-open front side windows 194
F
Fahrenheit
Setting temperature units 148
Fastening the seat belts 45
Fine adjustment
Cruise control 208
First aid kit 372
Flat tire 388
Spare wheel 393
TIREFIT kit 388Flexible Service System (FSS), Canada 
only 312, 441
Fluid level 275
Fog lamp, rear 127, 381
Replacing bulb 385
Fog lamps 127
Fog lamps, front 127
Replacing bulbs 381
Front airbags 68
Front lamps 381
Replacing bulbs 383
FSS (Flexible Service System, Canada 
only) 312, 441
Fuel 267
Additives 435
Fuel reserve warning lamp 27, 330
Gasoline additives 435
Premium unleaded gasoline 268, 
432, 434
Requirements 434
Fuel consumption statistics
After start 159
Since reset 160