2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E55AMG Engine compartment

301 Operation
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km)
Driving instructions
At the gas station
Engine compartment
Tires and wheels
Winter driving
Maintenance
Vehicle care

310 OperationDriving instructionsRoad salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed.
For more information, see “Winter driving”
(
page 358).
Standing water
Warning!
G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
!Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Before driving
through water, determine its depth.
Never accelerate before driving into
water. The bow wave could force water
into the engine and auxiliary equip-
ment, thus damaging them.
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from
entering the passenger compartment
or the engine compartment. Water in
these areas could cause damage to
electrical components or wiring of the
engine or transmission, or could result
in water being ingested by the engine
through the air intake causing severe
internal engine damage. Any such dam-
age is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

311 Operation
Driving instructions
Passenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you
should request pertinent information from
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitter
COMAND, radio and telephone*Telephones and two-way radios
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
Refer to the radio transmitter operation in-
structions regarding use of an external an-
tenna.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle safely.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System), radio or tele-
phone
1 if road, weather and traffic
conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

319 Operation
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
Hood
Opening
1Hood release

Pull lever1 downwards.
The hood is unlocked and handle2
will extend out of the radiator grille.
2Handle for opening the hood

Pull handle2 to its stop out of radia-
tor grille.

Pull up on the hood (do not pull up on
the handle) and then release it.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts.
Warning!
G
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Otherwise the hood could
be forced open by passing air flow.
!To avoid damage to the windshield wip-
ers or hood, never open the hood if the
wiper arms are folded forward away
from the windshield.
Warning!
G
To help prevent personal injury, stay clear of
moving parts when the hood is open and the
engine is running. Make sure the hood is
properly closed before driving. When closing
the hood, use extreme caution not to catch
hands or fingers.
The radiator fan may continue to run for ap-
proximately 30 seconds or even restart af-
ter the engine has been turned off. Stay
clear of fan blades.

320 OperationEngine compartment
Closing
Let the hood drop from a height of ap-
proximately 1 ft (30 cm).
The hood will lock audibly.

Check to make sure the hood is fully
closed.
If you can raise the hood at a point
above the headlamps, then it is not
properly closed. Open it again and let it
drop with somewhat greater force.
Engine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when

the vehicle is new


the vehicle is driven frequently at
higher engine speeds
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.
Warning!
G
If you see flames or smoke coming from the
engine compartment, or if the coolant tem-
perature gauge indicates that the engine is
overheated, do not open the hood. Move
away from vehicle and do not open the hood
until the engine has cooled. If necessary,
call the fire department.Warning!
G
Gasoline engine: The engine is equipped
with a transistorized ignition system. Be-
cause of the high voltage it is dangerous to
touch any components (ignition coils, spark
plug sockets, diagnostic socket) of the igni-
tion system

with the engine running


while starting the engine


if ignition is “on” and the engine is
turned manually
Warning!
G
Be careful that you do not close the hood on
anyone.
iDo not use any special lubricant addi-
tives, as these may damage the drive
assemblies. Using special additives not
approved by Mercedes-Benz may
cause damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
More information on this subject is
available at any Mercedes-Benz
Center.

321 Operation
Engine compartment
Checking engine oil level with the con-
trol system
(E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG)
When checking the oil level

the vehicle must be parked on level
ground


with the engine at operating tempera-
ture, the vehicle must have been
stationary for at least 5 minutes with
the engine turned off


with the engine not at operating tem-
perature yet, the vehicle must have
been stationary for at least 30 minutes
with the engine turned off
To check the engine oil level via the multi-
function display, do the following:

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
The standard display (
page 153) should
appear in the multifunction display.

Press button k or j on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel until the fol-
lowing message is seen in the
multifunction display:One of the following messages will
subsequently appear in the multifunc-
tion display:


Engine oil level
ok


Add 1.0 Qt.
to reach max. oil level(Canada:
1.0 Liter
)


Add 1.5 Qts.
to reach max. oil level(Canada:
1.5 Liters
)


Add 2.0 Qts.
to reach max. oil level(Canada:
2.0 Liters
)

If necessary, add engine oil.
For adding engine oil, see (
page 323).
For more information on engine oil, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 484) and
(
page 487).
Other display messages
If the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button* is not in position 2, the following
message will appear:
Switch ignition on
to check engine oil level
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
If you see the message:
Observe waiting period
iIf you want to interrupt the checking
procedure, press buttonk orj
on the multifunction steering wheel.


322 OperationEngine compartment
If engine is at operating temperature,
wait 5 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 operating tempera-
ture, wait 5 minutes before checking
oil.

If the engine is not at operating temper-
ature yet, you must wait 30 minutes
before checking oil.If there is excess engine oil with the engine
at 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
multifunction display concerning engine
oil, see the “Practical hints” section
(
page 407). Checking engine oil level with the oil
dipstick (E 350)
When checking the oil level


the vehicle must be parked on level
ground


with the engine at operating tempera-
ture, the vehicle must have been sta-
tionary for at least 5 minutes with the
engine turned off


with the engine not at operating tem-
perature yet, the vehicle must have
been stationary for at least 30 minutes
with the engine turned off
!Excess oil must be siphoned or drained
off. It could cause damage to the
engine and catalytic converter (gaso-
line engine) not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


323 Operation
Engine compartment
1Oil dipstick
2Upper (max) mark
3Lower (min) mark
To check the engine oil level with the oil
dipstick, do the following:
Open the hood (
page 319).

Pull out oil dipstick1.

Wipe oil dipstick1 clean.

Fully insert oil dipstick1 into the
dipstick guide tube.

Pull out oil dipstick1 again after
approximately 3 seconds to obtain ac-
curate reading.
The oil level is correct when it is be-
tween the lower (min) mark3 and
upper (max) mark2 of oil dipstick1.

If necessary, add engine oil.
For adding engine oil, see “Adding en-
gine oil”.
For more information on engine oil, see
“Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.”
(
page 484).
For more information on messages in the
multifunction display concerning engine
oil, see the “Practical hints” section
(page 386).Adding engine oiliThe filling quantity between the upper
and lower marks on the oil dipstick is
approximately 2.1 US qt. (2.0 l).
!Only use approved engine oils and oil
filters required for vehicles with
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or
FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles). For a
listing of approved engine oils and oil
filters, 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.