2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R500 belt

261 Controls in detail
Panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel*

Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
Opening

Pull and hold the roof panel switch to
resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 260).
Release the roof panel switch when the
tilt/sliding panel has reached the de-
sired position.
Closing

Press and hold the roof panel switch in
direction of arrow2 (
page 260).
Release the roof panel switch when the
tilt/sliding panel has reached the de-
sired position.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts prop-
erly as entire body parts or portions of them
may protrude from the passenger compart-
ment.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the tilt/sliding
panel.
Do not open the tilt/sliding panel if
there is snow or ice on the roof, as this
could result in malfunctions.iYou can also open or close the tilt/slid-
ing panel using the SmartKey or the
KEYLESS-GO* function, see “Summer
opening feature” (
page 251) and
“Convenience closing feature”
(
page 252).
iThe tilt/sliding panel may also open
when using the air recirculation
buttonÄ on the control panel of the
climate control (
page 218) or auto-
matic climate control (
page 232).

283 Controls in detail
Loading
Expanding cargo compartment
You can separately fold each seat of the
rear passenger compartment to expand
the cargo compartment.Expanding cargo compartment in part
Folding third-row seats

Push in the head restraints of the
third-row seats all the way
(page 139).
1Seat belt holder
2Release handle
3Seat backrest

Remove cargo compartment cover
blind* (
page 288), if so equipped.

Place seat belt in seat belt holder 1.
Warning!
G
When expanding the cargo compartment,
always fully fold the corresponding seats
and always use the partition net
(page 290) when transporting cargo.
Unless you are transporting cargo, the back-
rests must remain properly locked in the up-
right position.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and can cause
injury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
Always use the cargo tie down rings
(page 281).
Warning!
G
Never drive vehicle with the tailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.!When the second-row seats are folded
forward, the front seats may not be
moved to the rearmost position. Other-
wise you could damage the front and
second-row seats.


284 Controls in detailLoading
Pull release handle 2 on seat backrest
3 in direction of arrow.
Seat backrest 3 is released.

Move seat backrest 3 slightly for-
ward.
Seat cushion 4 is released and folds
forward automatically.
3Seat backrest
4Seat cushion

Fold seat backrest 3 to a horizontal
position.Expanding cargo compartment fully
Warning
G
Folded second-row seats are intended to
serve as cargo compartment expansion in
conjunction with folded third-row seats
only. Do not fold the second-row seats and
allow third-row seat occupants to use folded
second-row seats as a footrest while driving.
Third-row seat occupants must, like all vehi-
cle occupants, keep both feet on the floor in
front of their seat. Otherwise, occupants
could slide under the seat belt in a collision.
If occupants slide under it, the belt would
apply force at the abdomen or neck. That
could cause serious or even fatal injuries.
Do not fold the second-row seats and allow
third-row seat occupants to use folded
second-row seats as a table while driving.
Objects placed on folded second-row seats
may come loose during braking, vehicle ma-
neuvers, or an accident and be thrown
around in the vehicle interior. Objects
thrown around in the vehicle interior may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.iWhen folding the seats, it is important
that you fold the second-row seats
first, and then fold the third-row seats.


286 Controls in detailLoading
Pull release lever 3 past the resis-
tance point in direction of arrow as far
as it will go.
Seat backrest 1 is released.

Fold seat backrest 1 forward until it
fully rests on seat cushion 2 in a hori-
zontal position.

Push down on folded seat backrest 1
until it engages in position.Folding third-row seats

Push in the head restraints of the
third-row seats all the way
(page 139).
1Seat belt holder
2Release handle
3Seat backrest

Place seat belt in seat belt holder 1.

Remove cargo compartment cover
blind* (
page 288), if so equipped.

Pull release handle 1 on seat backrest
2 in direction of arrow.
Seat backrest 2 is released.

Slowly move seat backrest 2 forward.
Seat cushion 7 is released and folds
forward automatically.
3Seat backrest (third-row seat)
4Recess (on second-row seat)
5Guide pin
6Seat backrest (second-row seat)
7Seat cushion (third-row seat)


287 Controls in detail
Loading

Fold seat cushion 7 to a horizontal po-
sition.
Guide pin 5 must engage in recess 4
of seat backrest 6.

Fold seat backrest 3 to a horizontal
position.
Returning seats to their original position

Carry out the steps described on
(page 283) to (
page 286) in
reverse order.

Make sure all seats are properly locked
in position.
The second-row seats have red markings
on the seat base that indicate when a
second-row seat is not properly locked.

When the red marking on a seat base is
visible, push seat backrest back until
the seat audibly engages.
With the seat properly locked in posi-
tion, you will not see the red marking
on the seat base.
iThe second-row seats must be in their
rearmost position (
page 137).
Warning
G
Make sure all seats are properly locked in
position before driving off. Do not drive with
seats not properly locked.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
not properly locked as this can be danger-
ous. The seat could move forward and the
seat backrest could fold. You could slide un-
der the seat belt during braking, vehicle ma-
neuvers, or in an accident. If you slide under
it, the belt would apply force at the abdomen
or neck. That could cause serious or even fa-
tal injuries.
The seat backrest and seat belt provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and the belt is properly po-
sitioned on the body.

290 Controls in detailLoading
With the cargo compartment cover
installed behind third-row seats, insert
extension guide rail 5 into
mounting6.

Push extension into mounting6 as far
as it will go.
Partition net*Use of the partition net is a particularly im-
portant safety factor when the vehicle is
loaded higher than the top of the seat
backrests with smaller objects.
The partition net can be installed in two lo-
cations:
1Holder in B-pillar
2Holder in C-pillar


With the cargo compartment expanded
in part (
page 283), use holders
above C-pillars 2 and the cargo
tie-down rings in the third-row footwell
(
page 282).
Warning!
G
Make sure the partition net is properly en-
gaged top and bottom position and the tight-
ening belts are securely fastened.
Never use a damaged partition net.
To help avoid personal injury from smaller
objects being thrown around in the occu-
pant compartment during a collision or sud-
den maneuver, always use partition net
when transporting cargo.
The partition net cannot prevent the move-
ment of large, heavier objects into the pas-
senger compartment in an accident. Such
items must be properly secured using the
cargo tie-down rings in the cargo compart-
ment floor (
page 281).
Passenger use of seats behind installed par-
tition net is restricted because of the foot-
well being taken up by the net.


358 OperationTires and wheelsThe placard showing the load limit informa-
tion is located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
If your vehicle is equipped with the Tire and
Loading Information placard (Example A),
locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX lbs.”
on this placard. The combined weight of all
occupants, cargo/luggage and trailer
tongue load (if applicable) should never
exceed the weight referenced in that
statement.
Placard (Example B)
1Load limit information on the Vehicle
Tire Information placardThe placard showing the load limit informa-
tion is located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
If your vehicle is equipped with the Vehicle
Tire Information placard (Example B),
locate the heading “Vehicle Capacity
Weight” on this placard. The combined
weight of all occupants, cargo/luggage
and trailer tongue (if applicable) should
never exceed the weight listed next to
vehicle capacity weight.
Seating capacity
The seating capacity gives you important
information on the number of occupants
that can be in the vehicle. Observe front
and rear seating capacity. Depending on
production date, your vehicle may be
equipped with placard Example A or plac-
ard Example B.
Your vehicle may not be equipped with
placard A nor other placard posting the
seating capacity. If this is the case, legal
requirements at time of production of your
vehicle did not require manufacturers to
post the seating capacity. Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are designated seating posi-
tions and seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt.
iData shown on placard examples are
for illustration purposes only. Seating
data are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in the illus-
tration below. Refer to placard on vehi-
cle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.

377 Operation
Tires and wheels
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 376) is the
dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width and is
expressed in percentage. The aspect ratio
is arrived at by dividing section height by
section width.
Tire code
The tire code3 (
page 376) indicates
the tire construction type. The “R” stands
for radial tire type. Letter “D” means diag-
onal or bias ply construction; letter “B”
means belted-bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a “ZR” in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 378).Rim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 376) is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the
diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is
indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating
The tire load rating5 (page 376) is a
numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corre-
sponds to a maximum load of 1356 lbs
(615 kg) the tire is designed to support.
See also “Maximum tire load”
(
page 382) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.
Warning!
G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 386) of your vehi-
cle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the result
which may cause an accident and/or seri-
ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the same
designation, manufacturer and type as
shown on the original part.
Warning!
G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the plac-
ard located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
Overloading the tires can overheat them,
possibly causing a blowout. Overloading the
tires can also result in handling or steering
problems, or brake failure.