2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 spare wheel

433 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?

Tilt both plates upward1.

Fold the lower plate outward2.

Guide the tabs of the lower plate all the
way into the openings of base plate3.
For information on where to place wheel
chocks when changing a wheel, see “Lift-
ing the vehicle” (
page 457).
Spare wheel
Minispare wheel
The Minispare wheel is located under the
cargo compartment floor.
1Minispare wheel
2Towing eye bolt
3Alignment bolt
4Retaining screw
5Wheel bolt wrench with screwdriver

Open the tailgate (
page 118).

Lift the cargo compartment floor
(page 430) and engage the elastic
strap (located below the floor handle)
in the upper edge of the cargo com-
partment.
iRemove spare wheel to gain access to
remaining tools in vehicle tool kit
(page 431).
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the Minispare wheel are
different from those of the road wheels. As
a result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a mounted
Minispare wheel.!To prevent damage, always disengage
the elastic strap and lower the cargo
compartment floor (
page 430) be-
fore closing the tailgate.


434 Practical hintsWhere will I find ...?
Loosen retaining screw3 by turning it
counterclockwise.

Remove Minispare wheel1.
Use the Minispare wheel only temporarily,
while observing the following restrictions:


Do not exceed vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km/h).


Drive to the nearest repair facility to
have the flat tire repaired or replaced
as appropriate.


Do not operate vehicle with more than
one Minispare wheel mounted.iPlease comply with the instructions for
“Mounting the spare wheel”
(page 457).


456 Practical hintsFlat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight ahead po-
sition.

Set the parking brake.

Shift automatic transmission to park
positionP.
Vehicles with Air suspension package*:

Do not open or close a door or tailgate
while mounting the spare wheel.
Vehicles with SmartKey:

Turn off the engine (
page 34).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button once
(page 63).

Open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position0, same as
with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch). The driver’s door then
can be closed again.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the Minispare wheel are
different from those of the road wheels. As
a result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a mounted
Minispare wheel. Adapt your driving style
accordingly.
The Minispare wheel is for temporary use
only. When driving with a Minispare wheel
mounted, ensure proper tire pressure and
do not exceed a vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km/h).
Drive to the nearest Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible to have the
Minispare wheel replaced with a regular
road wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a
Minispare wheel is mounted.
iOpen doors only when conditions are
safe to do so.

457 Practical hints
Flat tire
Mounting the spare wheel
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described
(page 456).

Take the wheel wrench, the collapsible
wheel chock, and the vehicle jack out
of the cargo compartment
(page 430).

Take the Minispare wheel out of the
cargo compartment (
page 433).Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
or other sizable objects.
A collapsible wheel chock is included
with the vehicle tool kit (
page 430).
For information on setting up the col-
lapsible wheel chock, see
(
page 432).
When changing wheel on a level surface:

Place one wheel chock in front of and
another sizeable object behind the
wheel that is diagonally opposite to the
wheel being changed.
Always try lifting the vehicle using the jack
on a level surface. However, should
circumstances require you to do so on a
hill, place the wheel chock and other size-
able object as follows:

Place the wheel chock and another
sizable object on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the axle not
being worked on.
!Vehicles with factory-mounted
running-boards*:
Your vehicle is equipped with a scis-
sors-type jack (located under the cargo
compartment floor) designed for use
with factory-mounted running boards.
Only use this jack when jacking up ve-
hicles with factory-mounted running
boards as otherwise the vehicle’s
underbody can be damaged. See sepa-
rate instructions for scissors-type jack.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure that the jack
arm is fully seated in the jack take-up brack-
et. Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.

459 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and
remove it.

Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied with the tool kit
(page 430).

Remove the remaining bolts.

Remove the wheel.Mounting the new wheel
1Wheel bolt for 18" and 19" light alloy
rims*
2Wheel bolt for 17" light alloy rims or
Minispare wheel (located in vehicle tool
kit (
page 431))
Warning!
G
The jack is intended only for lifting the
vehicle briefly for wheel changes. It is not
suited for performing maintenance work
under the vehicle.

Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised.


Never lie down under the raised vehicle.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolts
and wheel hub threads.
!Wheel bolts2 must be used when
mounting 17" light alloy rims or the
Minispare wheel. The use of any wheel
bolts other than wheel bolts2 for
17" light alloy rims or the Minispare
wheel will physically damage the vehi-
cle’s brakes.


460 Practical hintsFlat tire
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.

Guide spare wheel onto the alignment
bolt and push it on the wheel hub.

Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.

Unscrew the alignment bolt.

Insert the remaining wheel bolt and
tighten it slightly.Lowering the vehicle

Lower vehicle by turning crank coun-
terclockwise until vehicle is resting ful-
ly on its own weight.

Remove the jack.
!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while
installing first wheel bolt.Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are
damaged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be
repaired immediately. Do not continue to
drive under these circumstances! Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center or call Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident.
Make sure to use the correct wheel bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
fall off the jack.


489 Technical data
Rims and tires
Minispare wheel
ML 350
ML 500
Rim
4.0B x 18 H2
Wheel offset
1.58 in (40 mm)
Tire
T 155/90-18 113M
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.!Please compare the recommended tire
inflation pressure for your vehicle with
the tire inflation pressure on the yellow
label located on the Minispare wheel
rim.
If the tire inflation pressure on the
yellow label on the Minispare wheel rim
differs from the values given in this
Operator’s Manual, inflate the tire to
the recommended tire inflation pres-
sure given on the yellow label on the
Minispare wheel rim.
iPlease note that the tire inflation
pressure of the Minispare tire differs
from the tire inflation pressure of the
road tires.
Inflate the Minispare tire to approxi-
mately 61 psi (4.2 bar).

503 Technical terms
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
lever.
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 or DVD digital
maps for navigation.
GVW
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare
wheel, installed accessories, passen-
gers and cargo. The GVW must never
exceed the GVWR, indicated on the
certification label located on the driv-
er’s door pillar.GVWR
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
This is the maximum permissible vehi-
cle weight. It is indicated on certifica-
tion label located on the driver’s door
pillar.
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 SmartKey.
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.
Kilopascal (kPa)
(
page 366)Line of fall
The direct line that an object moves
downhill when influenced by the force
of gravity alone.
Locking knob
Knob on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the locking knob 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.
Maximum load rating
(
page 366)
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
(page 366)