Contents
Introduction....................................... 13
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 16
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle
outside the USA or Canada ............ 17
Where to find it .................................... 18
Symbols ............................................... 19
Operating safety .................................. 20
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 20
Problems with your vehicle .................. 21
Reporting safety defects...................... 22
Reporting safety defects ................ 22
Vehicle data recording......................... 23
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 23At a glance.......................................... 25
Exterior view ......................................... 26
Cockpit ................................................. 28
Instrument cluster ................................ 30
Storage compartments ......................... 32
Control systems ................................... 34
Center console ..................................... 36
Overhead control panel ........................ 37
Driver’s door control panel ................... 38Safety and Security........................... 39
Occupant safety ................................... 40
Air bags .......................................... 42
Occupant Classification System ..... 47
Seat belts ....................................... 52
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) ................................... 56
Children in the vehicle .................... 57
Blocking of rear
side window operation .................... 62
Panic alarm .......................................... 63
Activating........................................ 63
Deactivating.................................... 63
Driving safety systems ......................... 64
ABS ................................................. 64
Adaptive Brake ............................... 65
Adaptive Brake Lights
(CL 600 and USA only) ................... 66
BAS ................................................. 66
BAS Plus* ....................................... 67
EBP ................................................. 69
ESP
®............................................... 69
PRE-SAFE® Brake*
(vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only) ................... 73
ProCarManuals.com
Contents
Controls in detail............................. 321
Locking and unlocking ....................... 322
SmartKey ..................................... 322
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 326
Checking batteries
in the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 332
Loss of the SmartKey
or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* .. 332
Opening doors from the inside ..... 333
Power closing assist for doors and
trunk lid ........................................ 334
Automatic central locking ............ 334
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 335
Starter switch positions ..................... 336
SmartKey ..................................... 336
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 337Seats ................................................. 339
Seat adjustment........................... 339
Folding front
seat backrest forward .................. 342
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 344
Seat heating ................................. 346
Seat ventilation* .......................... 347
Head restraints ............................ 348
Steering wheel ................................... 351
Steering wheel adjustment .......... 351
Heated steering wheel* ............... 352
Mirrors ............................................... 353
Interior rear view mirror ............... 353
Exterior rear view mirrors............. 353
Power folding
exterior rear view mirrors ............. 354
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 355
Activating exterior rear
view mirror parking position......... 356
Memory function ............................... 357
Storing positions into memory ..... 358
Recalling positions from memory . 358
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 359Fastening the seat belts .................... 360
Proper use of seat belts ............... 362
Seat belt height adjustment ......... 362
Lighting ............................................. 363
Exterior lamp switch .................... 363
Switching on high beams ............. 367
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 367
Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 368
Hazard warning flasher ................ 369
Interior lighting ............................ 369
Courtesy lighting .......................... 371
Door entry lamps ......................... 371
Trunk lamp ................................... 371
Windshield wipers ............................. 372
Switching on/off
windshield wipers ........................ 372
Intermittent wiping ...................... 373
Single wipe .................................. 373
Wiping with
windshield washer fluid................ 373
Power windows ................................. 374
Opening and closing
power windows ............................ 374
Summer opening feature ............. 376
Convenience closing feature ........ 376
ProCarManuals.com
Contents
Driving and parking............................ 378
Starting the engine....................... 378
Driving off .................................... 381
Turn signals.................................. 382
Problems while driving ................. 383
Parking......................................... 384
Turning off the engine .................. 387
Releasing seat belts ..................... 388
Automatic transmission ..................... 389
Gear selector lever ....................... 389
Shifting procedure ....................... 392
Transmission positions................. 393
Driving tips ................................... 396
Gear ranges ................................. 398
Automatic shift program .............. 399
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 400
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 401
Instrument cluster ............................. 402
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 402
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 403
Tachometer .................................. 403
Outside temperature indicator ..... 404
Fuel gauge ................................... 404Driving systems .................................. 405
Cruise control ............................... 405
DISTRONIC Plus* .......................... 411
Active Body Control (ABC) ............ 429
Parktronic system* ....................... 431
Park Assist* .................................. 435
Dynamic Rear View Monitor*........ 439
Night View Assist* ........................ 446
Air vents ............................................. 450
Opening and closing air vents ....... 452
Ventilated storage compartment .. 452
Automatic climate control .................. 453
Deactivating
climate control system ................. 455
Operating climate control
system in automatic mode............ 455
Setting temperature...................... 456
Adjusting air volume ..................... 456
Front defroster.............................. 456
Rear window defroster .................. 457
Maximum cooling
MAXCOOL (USA only) ................... 458
Air recirculation mode .................. 458
Residual engine heat
and ventilation .............................. 460Trunk .................................................. 461
Opening trunk ............................... 461
Closing trunk ................................ 462
Trunk emergency release ............. 464
Valet locking ................................. 465
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 466
Opening and closing
power tilt/sliding sunroof ............. 466
Synchronizing ............................... 468
Loading and storing............................ 469
Loading instructions ..................... 469
Storage compartments ................. 469
Cup holders .................................. 473
Trunk ............................................ 474
Useful features ................................... 476
Sun visors ..................................... 476
Ashtray ......................................... 476
Cigarette lighter ............................ 477
Floormats* ................................... 478
Telephone* ................................... 479
Tele Aid ......................................... 482
Garage door opener ...................... 490
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 496
ProCarManuals.com
Contents
Technical data.................................. 671
Parts service ...................................... 672
Warranty coverage ............................. 673
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet...................... 673
Identification labels............................ 674
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 676
CL 550 ......................................... 676
CL 600 ......................................... 676
Engine ................................................ 677
Rims and tires .................................... 678
Same size tires ............................. 679
Mixed size tires ............................ 680
Minispare wheel ........................... 681
Electrical system................................ 682
Main dimensions and weights ............ 683
Main dimensions .......................... 683
Weights ........................................ 683Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......... 684
Capacities .................................... 684
Engine oils.................................... 686
Engine oil additives ...................... 686
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 686
Brake fluid .................................... 687
Premium unleaded gasoline ......... 687
Fuel requirements ........................ 688
Gasoline additives ........................ 688
Coolants....................................... 689
Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system .... 691Index................................................. 693
ProCarManuals.com
31 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
1Coolant temperature gauge403
2Fuel gauge with:
Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp
-ABS indicator lamp
=SRS indicator lamp
573
367
566
575
3Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for left
front area 433,
437
4Multifunction display with:
Speedometer
0
USA only
!
Canada onlyElectronic
parking brake
warning or indi-
cator lamps568
ItemPage
;
USA only
3
Canada onlyBrake warning
lamp567
pressure*/TPMS mal-
function telltale*576
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp382
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp382
vESP® warning lamp572
lDistance warning
lamp*174,
414,
572
1Vehicles without DISTRONIC Plus*: Warning lamp
without function. It illuminates when the ignition is
on. It should go out when the engine is running.
ItemPage
5Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for right
front area 433,
437
6Gear position/range indica-
tor 398
7Tachometer with:
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp570
8Selected program mode indi-
cator 399
9Main menu for control sys-
tem, multifunction display256
aOutside temperature 404
bDisplay with:
Additional speedometer271
:PRE-SAFE® Brake*
indicator268
ProCarManuals.com
40 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
In this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are
Seat belts (page 52)
Child restraints (page 57)
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) (
page 61)
Additional protection potential provide
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with
Air bags (page 42)
Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)
Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 55)
Seat belt force limiter (page 55)
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE®) (page 56)Air bag system components with
Front passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp (
page 50)
Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(
page 47)
Although independent systems, their pro-
tective functions work in conjunction with
each other.The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates early detection of malfunctions.
The =indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 30) comes on when the
ignition is switched on and goes out no lat-
er than a few seconds after the engine has
been started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness when the =indicator lamp is
not lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the =indicator lamp:
fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds after the engine was started
does not come on at all
comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
iFor information on infants and children trav-
eling with you in the vehicle and restraint sys-
tems for infants and children, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 57).
ProCarManuals.com
41 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Modifications to or work improperly con-
ducted on restraint systems (such as seat
belts and anchors, emergency tensioning
devices, seat belt force limiters or air bags)
or their wiring, as well as tampering with in-
terconnected electronic systems, can lead
to the restraint systems no longer function-
ing as intended.
Air bags or emergency tensioning devices,
for example, could deploy inadvertently or
fail to deploy in accidents although the de-
celeration threshold for air bag deployment
is exceeded. Therefore, never modify the re-
straint systems. Do not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software.
Warning!G
In the event that the =indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not deploy when needed in an accident,
which could result in serious or fatal injury,
or it might deploy unexpectedly and unnec-
essarily which could also result in injury.
In addition, improper work on the SRS cre-
ates a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative
or causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be per-
formed by qualified technicians. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system
to accommodate a person with disabilities,
contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
ProCarManuals.com
42 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags, driver-side knee bag),
side impacts (side impact air bags and win-
dow curtain air bags) or rollovers (window
curtain air bags). However, no system avail-
able today can completely eliminate injuries
and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 360).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.
Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
ProCarManuals.com