Engine compartment
206R
Vegetable oil
R Petrol
R Petroleum
R Kerosene
Do not add such fuels to diesel fuel and do
not use any special additives (exception:
flow improvers – see "Low outside temper-
atures").
Damage caused by the use of unapproved
fuels or additives is not covered by the war-
ranty.
Low outside temperatures The flow properties of diesel may be insuffi-
cient at low ambient temperatures.
To prevent operating problems, diesel fuel
with improved cold flow qualities is available
during the winter months. Your vehicle must
be refuelled with this winter diesel at temper-
atures of -5 °C or below.
You can use this winter diesel at tempera-
tures down to about -20 °C without problems.
If only summer diesel fuel or less cold-resist-
ant winter diesel fuel (e.g. in Mediterranean
regions) is available, you should add an
amount of flow improver to the fuel corre-
sponding to the outside temperature. Mix the additive with the diesel in good time,
before the flow properties of the diesel
become insufficient. Otherwise, malfunctions
can only be rectified by heating the entire fuel
system, e.g. by parking the vehicle in a heated
garage. G
Risk of fire
Do not use petrol to refuel vehicles with a
diesel engine. Never mix diesel with petrol.
This would damage the fuel system and
engine and could result in a vehicle fire.
Flow improver
The effectiveness of a flow improver is not
guaranteed with every fuel. Observe the infor -
mation provided by the manufacturer when
using a flow improver. Only use flow improv-
ers that have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Information about flow
improvers that have been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Engine compartment
Bonne
t G
Risk of accident
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. The bonnet could other-
wise open.
Opening G
Risk of injury
There is a risk of injury if the bonnet is open,
even if the engine is not running.
Some engine components can become
very hot.
To avoid the risk of burns, only touch thos e
components described in the Owner’s Man-
ual and observe the relevant safety notes. G
Risk of injury
The radiator fan between the radiator and
the engine can start automatically, even if
the key has been removed from the ignition
lock. For this reason you must not reach
into the turning area of the fan. You could
otherwise sustain an injury.
Vehicles with a petrol engine: Operatio
n
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Engine compartment
208 Engine oil
Depending on how it is driven, the vehicl e
consumes a maximum of 0.8 l oil per 1,000
km. The oil consumption may be higher than
this when the vehicle is new or if you fre-
quently drive at high engine speeds. You can
only estimate the oil consumption after yo u
have driven a considerable distance.
You will find further information about engine
oil in the "Technical data" section
( Y page 336).
Checking the engine oil level Before checking the engine oil level the fol-
lowing conditions for the vehicle should be
met:
R
It should be parked on level ground
R The engine should be switched off for at
least five minutes if the engine was at nor-
mal operating temperature
R The engine should be switched off for at
least 30 minutes if the engine was not at
operating temperature (i.e. if you only star-
ted the engine briefly) Using the oil dipstick
Illustration: vehicle with a petrol engine
1
Oil dipstick
2 Upper mark
3 Lower mark Example illustration of a vehicle with a diese
l
engine
1 Oil dipstick
2 Upper mark
3 Lower mark
X Pull oil dipstick 1out of the oil dipstick
tube.
X Wide off oil dipstick 1.
X Insert oil dipstick 1into the oil dipstick
tube to the stop, and take it out again.
The oil level is correct if the level is between
lower mark 3and upper mark 2.
X Top up the oil if necessary (Y page 209).
i The difference in quantity between lower
mark 3and upper mark 2is approxi-
mately 2 litres. Operation
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Engine compartment
209
Topping up the engine oil
Illustration: vehicle with a petrol engin
e
1 Cove r Example illustration of a vehicle with a diese
l
engine
1 Cove r X
Unscrew cap 1and remove it.
X Top up by the amount of oil required.
! Do not add too much oil. If too much oil
is added, there is a risk of damage to the
engine or the catalytic converter.
X Screw cap 1onto the filler neck. H
Environmental not
e
When topping up the oil, take care not to
spill any. Oil must not be allowed to escape
into the soil or waterways. You would oth-
erwise be damaging the environment . Coolan
t G
Risk of injury
The cooling system is pressurised. There-
fore, only unscrew the cap once the engine
has cooled down. This means the coolant
temperature gauge must display less than
70 °C. You could otherwise be scalded by
escaping hot coolant.
Coolant consists of water and antifreeze/cor -
rosion inhibitor. Only check the coolant leve l
when the vehicle is on a level surface and th e
engine has cooled down. Checking the coolant level The expansion tank is located in the engin
e
compartment on the right-hand side of the
vehicle . 1
Cove r
2 Expansion tank
3 Marker bar
X Slowly turn cap 1by half a turn anti-clock -
wise to allow excess pressure to escape.
X Turn cap 1further anti-clockwise and
remove it.
There is sufficient coolant in expansion
tank 2if the coolant is level with marker
bar 3in the filler neck when cold or
approximately 1.5 cm higher when hot .
X Top up the coolant if necessary. Operation
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Car
e 227Care
Notes on care
Regular and proper care maintains the value
of your vehicle.
i It is advisable to use Mercedes-Benz care
products.
Scratches, corrosive deposits, areas affected
by corrosion and damage caused by inade-
quate care cannot always be completely
repaired. In such cases, visit a qualified spe-
cialist workshop immediately, e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Repair damage caused by loose chippings
and remove the following substances imme-
diately, whilst avoiding rubbing too hard:
R Soak insect remains with insect remover
and rinse off afterwards .
R Soak bird droppings with water and rins e
off afterwards.
R Remove tree resin, oils, fuels and grease by
rubbing gently with a cloth soaked in clean-
ing or lighter fluid .
R Use silicone remover to remove wax.
R Use tar remover to remove tar stains. H
Environmental not
e
Dispose of empty packaging, cleaning
cloths and polishing wads in an environ-
mentally-responsible manner.
! Do not affix :
R stickers
R films
R magnetic plates or similar
to painted surfaces, otherwise you could
damage the paintwork. Vehicle care
! Do not park the vehicle for a long perio d
of time directly after cleaning, especially if
the wheels have just been cleaned with a
wheel cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
rapid corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. After cleaning, park
the vehicle when it is at normal operatin g
temperature.
Automatic car wash You can wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash from the very start,!
Do not use high pressure car wash sys-
tems. The strong water jet could damage
painted parts or attachments.
! Do not use a brush-free automatic car
wash that uses chemical agents to wash
the vehicle.
but preferably one without brushes.
If the vehicle is very dirty, prewash it befor e
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
! Make sure that the automatic car wash is
suitable for the size of the vehicle. Fold in
the exterior mirrors before the vehicle is
washed. There is otherwise a risk of dam-
age to the exterior mirrors.
! Make sure the side windows are com-
pletely closed, the ventilation/heater
blower is fully turned off and the wind-
screen wiper switch is set to 0. The rai n
sensor may otherwise be activated, for
instance, leading to inadvertent wiper
sweeps being triggered. This could cause
damage to the vehicle.
After using an automatic car wash, wipe off
wax from the windscreen and the wiper
blades. This will prevent smears and reduce
wiping noises caused by residue on the wind-
screen. Operation
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Service products and capacities
369Coolant
The coolant is a mixture of water and anti-
freeze/corrosion inhibitor. It performs the
following tasks:
R Anti-corrosion protection
R Antifreeze protection
R Raising the boiling poin t
i When the vehicle is first delivered, it is
topped up with a coolant that will ensure
adequate antifreeze and corrosion protec -
tion.
! Only top up with coolant that has been
premixed with the desired quantity of anti -
freeze protection. You could otherwise
damage the engine.
There is more information about coolant
and topping it up on Mercedes-Benz Spec-
ifications for Service Products Sheet
310.1.
! Always use a suitable coolant mixture,
even in countries where high temperatures
prevail.
Otherwise, the cooling system will not be
sufficiently protected from corrosion, and
the boiling point will be too low .If antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor is present in
the correct concentration, the boiling point of
the coolant will be around 130 °C.
The antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor concentra-
tion in the cooling system should:
R
be at least 50%. This will protect the coolin g
system against freezing down to around
-37 °C.
R not exceed 55% (antifreeze protection
down to -45 °C), otherwise heat will not be
effectively dissipated .
If the vehicle is losing coolant, top it up with
equal amounts of water and antifreeze/cor-
rosion inhibitor. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends an antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor
which has been approved for Mercedes-Benz.
! The cooling system contains a lifetime
supply which must be renewed after 15
years, or after 250, 000 km at the latest.
Have the renewal confirmed in the Service
Booklet.
The warranty is only valid if you top up with
an antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor which
has been approved by Mercedes-Benz. Technical data
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Service products and capacities
371Brake fluid
Over a period of time, the brake fluid absorbs
moisture from the air; this lowers its boiling
point. G
Risk of accident
If the boiling point of the brake fluid is too
low, vapour pockets may form in the brake
system when the brakes are applied hard
(e.g. when driving downhill). This woul d
impair braking efficiency.
Have the brake fluid renewed every two
years with a brake fluid that has been
approved by Mercedes-Benz and have this
confirmed in the Service Booklet.
i There is usually a notice in the engine
compartment to remind you when the next
brake fluid change is due. Windscreen washer system
The washer fluid reservoir holds approxi-
mately 4.0 litres.
The headlamp cleaning system* and the
windscreen washer system are both supplied
from the washer fluid reservoir.
X At temperatures above freezing point:
Top up the washer fluid reservoir with a
mixture of water and windscreen washer
concentrate (Y page 210).
X At temperatures below freezing point:
Top up the washer fluid reservoir with a
mixture of water, antifreeze and wind-
screen washer concentrate (Y page 210).
Adapt the mixing ratio to the outside tem-
peratures . G
Risk of fire
Windscreen washer concentrate is highly
flammable. Fire, naked flames and smoking
are prohibited when windscreen washe r
concentrate is being handled. Technical data
* optiona l
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