2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R500 brake light

478 Practical hintsFlat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle in a safe distance from
moving traffic on a hard, flat surface
when possible.

Turn on the hazard warning flasher
(page 153).

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

Set the parking brake (
page 65).

Set the automatic transmission to P
(page 197).
Vehicles with SmartKey:

Turn off the engine (
page 66).

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

Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button once
(page 66).

Open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position 0, 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 spare wheel are dif-
ferent from those of the road wheels. As a
result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a spare wheel
mounted. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly.
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted,
ensure proper tire inflation 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
spare wheel replaced with a regular road
wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Do not switch off the ESP
® with a spare
wheel mounted.
iOpen doors only when conditions are
safe to do so.

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

Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the vehicle tool kit
(page 454).

Remove the remaining wheel bolts.

Remove the wheel.Mounting the spare wheel
1Wheel bolt for 18" and 19" light alloy
wheels
2Wheel bolt for 17" light alloy wheels or
collapsible tire (located in trunk with
spare wheel)
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 the spare wheel with collaps-
ible tire. The use of any wheel bolts oth-
er than wheel bolts2 for the spare
wheel with collapsible tire will physical-
ly damage the vehicle’s brakes.

483 Practical hints
Flat tire
Inflating the collapsible tire
Take the electric air pump out of the
vehicle tool kit storage well
(page 454).1Flap
2On/off switch
3Electrical plug
4Air hose with pressure gauge and vent
screw
5Union nut

Open flap 1 on electric air pump.

Pull out electrical plug 3 and air hose
with pressure gauge 4.

Remove the valve cap from the collaps-
ible tire valve.

Screw union nut 5 onto the collaps-
ible tire valve.

Insert electrical plug 3 into a power
outlet (
page 306).

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1.
or

Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button once without depressing the
brake pedal.

Press I on electric air pump switch 2.
The electric air pump should now
switch on and inflate the collapsible
tire.
Warning!
G
Inflate collapsible tire only after the wheel is
properly mounted.
Inflate the collapsible tire using the electric
air pump (
page 454) before
lowering the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Observe instructions on air pump label.!Do not lower the vehicle before inflat-
ing the collapsible tire. Otherwise the
rim may be damaged.
!The cigarette lighter* (
page 303) is
not designed for use with the electric
air pump. Use a power outlet
(
page 306) for electric air pump
operation.


490 Practical hintsBatteryStep 1 (Disconnecting)

Set the automatic position to P
(page 199).

Firmly depress the parking brake
(page 65).

Turn off the engine (
page 66).

Leave the ignition switched on
(page 38).

Switch off all electrical consumers.

Read and observe safety instructions
and precautions (
page 487).

Open the front passenger door.

Move the front passenger seat to the
most rearward position (
page 43).Step 2 (Disconnecting)
1Seat rail covers, front right
2Seat rail covers, front left

Pull off right seat rail cover 1 in direc-
tion of arrow.

Pull left seat rail cover 2 in direction
of arrow as far as it will go.
Left seat rail cover 2 cannot be re-
moved.
iWith a disconnected battery you will no
longer be able to turn the SmartKey in
the starter switch and pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button will
have no effect.iIf your battery is discharged, the vehi-
cle must be jump started (
page 496)
using the jump start contacts in the
engine compartment, or an accessory
battery charge unit* approved by
Mercedes-Benz must be connected
using the jump start contacts in the
engine compartment (see separate
instructions for the accessory battery
charge unit*) before any of the follow-
ing steps can be performed. If the bat-
tery cannot be jumped or charged,
please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
iOpen doors only when conditions are
safe to do so.

521 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Capacities
Vehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match.Therefore only use products tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved
Service Products pamphlet, or inquire at
your Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
R 350
R 500
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmis-
sion
9.5 US qt (9.0 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Transfer case
0.53 US qt (0.5 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear axle
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
Hypoid gear oil
Front axle
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
Hypoid gear oil
Power steering
approx. 1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid
Front wheel hubs
approx. 1.5 oz (43 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
-
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)

523 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines and durability for
our service intervals. Therefore, only use
approved engine oils and oil filters re-
quired for vehicles with Maintenance Sys-
tem (U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada
vehicles). For a listing of approved engine
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet, or con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
ing system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center will provide you with additional in-
formation.
!Using engine oils and oil filters of
specification other than those express-
ly required 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.
Please follow Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada
vehicles) recommendations for sched-
uled oil changes. Failure to do so could
result in engine damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Under extremely strenuous operating condi-
tions, this moisture content can lead to the
formation of bubbles in the system, thus re-
ducing the system’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be replaced
regularly. Refer to your vehicle’s
Maintenance Booklet for replacement inter-
val.

529 Technical terms
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Accessory weight
(
page 385)
ADS
(Adaptive D
amping S
ystem)
Automatically adapts the optimum sus-
pension damping to prevailing driving
conditions.
Airmatic*
Automatically selects the optimum sus-
pension tuning and ride height for your
vehicle. Airmatic consists of two com-
ponents:


Adaptive Damping System


Vehicle level control
Air pressure
(
page 385)Alignment bolt
Metal pin with thread. The centering
pin is an aid used when changing a tire
to align the wheel with the wheel hub.
Aspect ratio
(
page 385)
Bar
(page 386)
BAS
(Brake A
ssist S
ystem)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied.
Bead
(
page 386)
Bi-Xenon headlamps*
Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more
intense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-Xenon headlamps produce low
beam and high beam.CAC
(C
ustomer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service
center, which can help you with any
questions about your vehicle and
provide assistance in the event of a
breakdown.
CAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control
vehicle functions such as door locking
or windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator / warning lamps in the
passenger compartment needed for
vehicle operation and monitoring.
Cold tire inflation pressure
(
page 386)

536 IndexAir recirculation mode 224, 239
Activating 225, 239
Deactivating 226, 240
Air volume
Adjusting 222, 237
AIRMATIC* 269
Alarm
Audible 95, 106
Canceling 106
Visual 104
Alarm system
Anti-theft 104
Alignment bolt (vehicle tool kit) 481, 529
Anticorrosion/antifreeze 527
Antiglare
Automatic 209
Antilock brake system (ABS) 529
Anti-theft alarm system
Arming 105
Canceling alarm 106
Disarming 106
Anti-theft systems
Anti-theft alarm system 104
Immobilizer 104
Tow-away alarm 106Aquaplaning see Hydroplaning
Armrest
Storage compartment in front of 296
Storage compartments 296
Ashtray
Front center console 303
Aspect ratio 385, 529
ATF (automatic transmission fluid) 350
AUDIO menu 170
Selecting radio station 170
Selecting satellite radio* station 171
Audio system
CD mode 171
Automatic antiglare for rear view
mirror 209
Automatic central locking
Activating/deactivating (control
system) 188
Automatic climate control*
Front defroster 238
Residual ventilation 243Automatic climate control* (3-zone) 230
Adjusting air distribution 236
Adjusting air volume 237
Air recirculation mode 239
Rear passenger compartment 244
Residual heat utilization 243
Setting the temperature 236
Automatic headlamp mode 148
Automatic lighting control
Activating 155
Deactivating 155
Automatic locking when driving 130
Automatic shift program
Automatic transmission* 204
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position 203
Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode) 207
Gear ranges 202
Gear selector lever position 199, 200
Gear shifting malfunctions 207
Kickdown 203
Transmission fluid 350
Automatic transmission*
Automatic shift program 204