2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 hood open

512 Operation
Engine compartment
Hood
Opening1Release lever
Pull release lever 1.
The hood is unlocked.
2Lever for opening the hood
Push lever 2 on the hood upwards.
Pull up on the hood and then release it.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts.
Warning!G
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Otherwise the hood could
be forced open by passing air flow.
This could cause the hood to come loose
and injure you and/or others.
Warning!G
You could be injured when the hood is open
– even when the engine is turned off.
Parts of the engine can become very hot. To
prevent burns, only touch owner serviceable
components described in the Operator’s
Manual and comply with all relevant safety
precautions.
!To avoid damage to the windshield wipers or
hood, never open the hood if the wiper arms are
folded forward away from the windshield.
Warning!G
To help prevent personal injury, stay clear of
moving parts when the hood is open and the
engine is running.
The radiator fan may continue to run for ap-
proximately 30 seconds or even restart af-
ter the engine has been turned off. Stay
clear of fan blades.

513 Operation
Engine compartment
Closing
Let the hood drop from a height of ap-
proximately 1 ft (30 cm).
The hood will lock audibly.
Check to make sure the hood is fully
closed.
If you can raise the hood at a point
above the headlamps, then it is not
properly closed. Open it again and let it
drop with somewhat greater force.
Engine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when

the vehicle is new

the vehicle is driven frequently at
higher engine speeds
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.
Warning!G
If you see flames or smoke coming from the
engine compartment, or if the coolant tem-
perature gauge indicates that the engine is
overheated, do not open the hood. Move
away from vehicle and do not open the hood
until the engine has cooled down. If neces-
sary, call the fire department.
Warning!G
The engine is equipped with a transistorized
ignition system. Because of the high voltage
it is dangerous to touch any components (ig-
nition coils, spark plug sockets, diagnostic
socket) of the ignition system

with the engine running

while starting the engine

if ignition is “on” and the engine is
cranked manually
Warning!G
When closing the hood, use extreme caution
not to catch hands or fingers. Be careful that
you do not close the hood on anyone.
Make sure that the hood is securely en-
gaged before driving off. Do not continue
driving if the hood can no longer engage af-
ter an accident, for example. The hood could
otherwise come loose while the vehicle is in
motion and endanger you and/or others.
!Do not use any special lubricant additives,
as these may damage the drive assemblies. Us-
ing special additives not approved by
Mercedes-Benz may cause damage not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
More information on this subject is available at
any Mercedes-Benz Center.

516 Operation
Engine compartment
Checking engine oil level with the oil
dipstick (CL 550)
To check the engine oil level with the oil
dipstick, do the following:
Open the hood (page 512).
CL 550
1Oil dipstick
2Upper mark
3Lower mark
Pull out oil dipstick1.
Wipe oil dipstick1 clean.
Fully insert oil dipstick1 into the dip-
stick guide tube.
Pull out oil dipstick1 again after ap-
proximately 3 seconds to obtain accu-
rate reading.
The oil level is correct when it is between
lower mark3 (min.) and upper mark2
(max.) mark of the oil dipstick.
If necessary, add engine oil.
For adding engine oil (
page 516).
For more information on engine oil, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 684) and
(
page 686).
For more information on messages in the
multifunction display concerning engine
oil, see the “Practical hints” section
(
page 580).Adding engine oil
iThe filling quantity between the upper and
lower marks on the oil dipstick is approximately
2.1 US qt. (2.0 l).
!Only use approved engine oils and oil filters
required for vehicles with Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles. Canada vehicles, depending on
vehicle production date) or FSS PLUS (Canada
vehicles, depending on vehicle production date).
For a listing of approved engine oils and oil fil-
ters, refer to the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet (USA only) in your vehicle
literature portfolio, or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of specification
other than those expressly required for the Main-
tenance System (U.S. vehicles. Canada vehicles,
depending on vehicle production date) or
FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles, depending on vehi-
cle production date), or changing of oil and oil fil-
ter at change intervals longer than those called
for by the Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles.
Canada vehicles, depending on vehicle produc-
tion date) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles, de-
pending on vehicle production date) will result in
engine or emission control system damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

518 Operation
Engine compartment
Coolant level
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze.
When checking the coolant level,

the vehicle must be parked on level
ground

the coolant temperature must be
below 158°F (70°C)
The coolant expansion tank is located on
the passenger side of the engine compart-
ment.
Example illustration from CL 550
1Cap
2Coolant expansion tank
Using a rag, turn cap1 slowly approx-
imately one half turn counterclockwise
to release any excess pressure.
Continue turning the cap counterclock-
wise and remove it.
The coolant level is correct if the level

for cold coolant: reaches the white
marking (plastic bridge) inside the cool-
ant expansion tank

for warm coolant: is approximately
0.6 in (1.5 cm) higher
Add coolant as required.
Replace and tighten cap1.
For more information on coolant, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 689).
Warning!G
In order to avoid potentially serious burns:

Use extreme caution when opening the
hood if there are any signs of steam or
coolant leaking from the cooling system,
or if the coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates that the coolant is overheated.

Do not remove pressure cap on coolant
reservoir if coolant temperature is
above 158°F (70°C). Allow engine to
cool down before removing cap. The
coolant reservoir contains hot fluid and
is under pressure.

Using a rag, slowly open the cap approx-
imately 1/2 turn to relieve excess pres-
sure. If opened immediately, scalding
hot fluid and steam will be blown out un-
der pressure.

Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine
parts. Antifreeze contains ethylene gly-
col which may burn if it comes into con-
tact with hot engine parts.

562 Operation
Vehicle care
Cleaning the windows and the wiper
blades
Make sure the hood is fully closed.
Placing wiper arms in vertical position
Vehicles with SmartKey:
Turn SmartKey in starter switch
position1.
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 372).
With wiper arm in vertical position, turn
the SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board elec-
tronics have status 1 (
page 337).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 372).
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
repeatedly until windshield wipers
start.
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
when the wiper arms are in a vertical
position.
Cleaning
Fold the wiper arms forward until they
snap into place.
Clean the wiper blade inserts with a
clean cloth and detergent solution.
Use a soft, clean cloth and a mild win-
dow cleaning solution on all outside
and inside glass surfaces.
An automotive glass cleaner is recom-
mended.
!The windshield wipers must be in a vertical
position before folding them away from the wind-
shield. They could otherwise damage the hood.
Never open the hood when the wiper arms are
folded forward.
Warning!G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the
vehicle’s on-board electronics have
status0) before cleaning the windshield
and/or the wiper blades. Otherwise, the
wiper motor could suddenly turn on and
cause injury.
!Do not pull on the wiper blade inserts. They
could tear.
!Fold the windshield wiper arms back onto
the windshield before turning the SmartKey in
the starter switch or pressing the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*).
Hold on to the wiper when folding the wiper arm
back. If released, the force of the impact from
the tensioning spring could crack the windshield.
!To clean the window interior, do not use a
dry cloth, abrasives, solvents or cleaners con-
taining solvents. Do not touch the inside of the
front, rear or side windows with hard objects
such as an ice scraper or ring. Doing so may
damage the windows.

584 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display Possible cause/consequencePossible solution
DISTRONIC PLUS
inoperativeDISTRONIC Plus* is malfunctioning.
BAS Plus* and PRE-SAFE® Brake* are also
not available.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as pos-
sible.
DISTRONIC PLUS
overrideYou have depressed the accelerator pedal,
DISTRONIC Plus* is no longer controlling
the speed of the vehicle.Release the accelerator pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - mph
(USA only)
DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - km/h
(Canada only)You have attempted to activate DISTRONIC
Plus* at a speed below 20 mph (30 km/h)
without the vehicle in front being displayed
in the multifunction display (
page 411).
Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) and activate DISTRONIC
Plus* again.
ESP® is switched off.Switch on ESP® (page 69).
The automatic transmission is in position P,
R or N.Shift the automatic transmission toD (page 389).
The system is overheated.Wait until the system cools down.
The vehicle is secured in place by the elec-
tronic parking brake.Release electronic parking brake (page 384).
The driver’s door is open and the drivers
seat belt is unbuckled.Close the driver’s door and fasten your seat belt.
The hood is open.Close the hood (page 513).

610 Practical hints
What to do if …?
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display Possible cause/consequencePossible solution
Coolant level
Stop vehicle!
Switch engine offThe coolant is too hot. Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and immediately turn off
the engine.
Only start the engine again after the message
disappears. You could otherwise damage the
engine.
Observe the coolant temperature gauge in
the instrument cluster (
page 30).
Warning!G

Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.

Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns which can occur
just by opening the engine hood. Stay
away from the engine if you see or hear
steam coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.!The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C). Do-
ing so may cause serious engine damage which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

613 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display Possible cause/consequencePossible solution
Gas cap openA loss of pressure has been detected in the
fuel system. The fuel cap may not be closed
properly or the fuel system may be leaky.Check the fuel cap (page 509).
If it is not closed properly:
Close the fuel cap.
If it is closed properly:
Have the fuel system checked by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
You are driving with the hood open.Stop your vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so.
Close the hood (page 513).
There is otherwise danger of an accident.