338 OperationVehicle care
Light alloy wheels
If possible, clean wheels once a week.
Use Mercedes-Benz approved Wheel
Care, a soft bristle brush and a strong
spray of water for cleaning the light al-
loy wheels.Plastic and rubber parts
Use a gentle dishwashing detergent or
mild detergent for delicate fabrics as a
washing solution.
Wipe with a cloth moistened in a luke-
warm solution.
The surface may temporarily change
color. If this is the case, wait for it to
dry.
!
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.
!
Only use acid-free cleaning materials. Acid
may cause corrosion or damage the clear coat.
!
The vehicle should not be parked for an ex-
tended period of time immediately after it has
been cleaned, especially not after the wheel rims
have been cleaned with wheel rim cleaner.
Wheel rim cleaners can lead to increased corro-
sion of the brake disks and brake pads.
Non-approved wheel cleaners may also damage
the wheel paint if the car is not driven after
cleaning. Therefore, the vehicle’s brake system
should always be warmed-up before it is parked
after cleaning. To do so, please drive your vehicle
for several minutes to allow the brakes to dry.
When applying Mercedes-Benz approved Tire
Care and Mercedes-Benz approved Wheel Care
products, take care not to spray them on the
brake disks.
Warning!
G
Do not use cleaners or cockpit care sprays
containing solvents to clean the cockpit or
the steering wheel. Cleaners containing sol-
vents will make the surface porous and vehi-
cle occupants could suffer serious injuries
from plastic parts coming loose in the event
of air bag deployment.
339 Operation
Vehicle care
Hard plastic trim items
Use Mercedes-Benz approved Interior
Care, a soft, lint-free cloth and apply
with light pressure.
Steering wheel and gear selector lever
Wipe with a damp cloth and dry thor-
oughly or clean with Mercedes-Benz
approved Leather Care.Carpets
Use Mercedes-Benz approved Carpet
and Fabric Care for cleaning the car-
pets.
Headliner and shelf below rear window
Use a soft bristle brush or a dry-sham-
poo cleaner in case of excessive dirt.
Seat belts
Only use clear, lukewarm water and
soap.Upholstery
Using aftermarket seat covers or wearing
clothing that have the tendency to give off
coloring (e.g. when wet, etc.) may cause
the upholstery to become permanently dis-
colored. By lining the seats with a proper
intermediate cover, contact-discoloration
will be prevented.
!
Do not use oil, wax or scouring agents on
these parts.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the surface.
Do not attempt to wipe the surface with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the sur-
face.
!
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the surface.
Do not attempt to wipe the surface with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the sur-
face.
!
The seat belts must not be treated with
chemical cleaning agents. Do not dry the seat
belts at temperatures above 176°F (80°C) or in
direct sunlight.
Warning!
G
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Warning!
G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
354 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
(USA only)75The indicator lamp does not illuminate
and/or does not remain illuminated
with the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint or less on the front passenger
seat.
The system is malfunctioning.
Make sure that there is nothing between seat cush-
ion and child seat and check installation of the child
seat.
Make sure that no objects applying supplemental
weight onto the seat are present.
Make sure that no objects which apply forces to the
seat are present (e.g. objects such as books, brief-
cases etc. lodged behind or around the seat, head
restraints pushing against roof etc.). The system
may recognize such forces as supplemental weight.
If the light remains out, have the system checked as
soon as possible by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. Do not transport a child on the front passen-
ger seat until the system has been repaired.
Read and observe messages in the multifunction
display and follow corrective steps (
page 356).
Warning!
G
If the
75
indicator lamp does
not illuminate or remains out with the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child
in a standard child restraint or less on the
front passenger seat, do not transport a
child on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.
406 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsRear lamps Notes on bulb replacement
Use only 12 volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.
Switch lights off before changing a bulb
to prevent short circuits.
Always use a clean lint-free cloth when
handling bulbs.
Your hands should be dry and free of oil
and grease.
If the newly installed bulb does not light
up, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Lamp
Type
7
High mounted brake
lamp
LED
8
Brake, tail, parking,
standing, backup lamps
and turn signal lamps.
Rear fog lamp
HiP
LED*
9
License plate lamps
C5W
Warning!
G
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot. Al-
low the lamp to cool down before changing
a bulb.
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas. A
bulb can explode if you:
touch or move it when hot
drop the bulb
scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in Xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.
415 Practical hints
Flat tire
Jack up the vehicle until the wheel is a
maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground. Never start engine while
vehicle is raised.Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew the upper-most wheel bolt
and remove.
Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.
Remove the remaining bolts.
Remove the wheel.Mounting the spare wheel
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.
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 bolt and wheel hub
threads.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with collapsible tire:
Inflate collapsible tire only after the wheel is
properly mounted.
Inflate the collapsible tire using the electric
pump (
page 416) before
lowering the
vehicle.
!
To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while installing first
wheel bolt.
416 Practical hintsFlat tire
Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.
Vehicles with Minispare wheel:
Continue the procedure by following
the instructions under “Lowering the
vehicle” (
page 418).
Vehicles with collapsible tire:
Continue the procedure by following
the instructions under “Inflating the
collapsible tire” and then “Lowering the
vehicle” (
page 418).Inflating the collapsible tire
Take the electric air pump out of the
trunk (
page 391).
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be
repaired immediately. Do not continue to
drive under these circumstances! Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident. Be
sure to use the correct wheel bolts.
Warning!
G
Only use genuine Mercedes-Benz wheel
bolts. Other wheel bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the
vehicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle
could fall off the jack.
!
Do not lower the vehicle before inflating the
collapsible tire. Otherwise the rim may be dam-
aged.
Warning!
G
Observe instructions on air pump label.
452 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Only use premium unleaded fuel:
The octane number (posted at the pump)
m u s t b e 9 1 m i n . I t i s a n a v e r a g e o f b o t h t h e
Research Octane Number (RON) and the
Motor Octane Number (MON):
(RON+MON)/2. This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Warning!
G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious per-
sonal injury.
Never allow sparks, flame or smoking mate-
rials near gasoline!
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid in-
haling fumes and skin or clothing contact,
extinguish all smoking materials.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the inha-
lation of fuel vapors can damage your
health.
!
To maintain the engine’s durability and per-
formance, premium unleaded gasoline must be
used. If premium unleaded gasoline is not avail-
able and low octane fuel is used, follow these
precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially filled with
unleaded regular gasoline and fill up with
premium unleaded gasoline as soon as pos-
sible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt acceler-
ation
Do not exceed an engine speed of 3000 rpm
if the vehicle is loaded with a light load such
as two persons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum accelerator
pedal position if the vehicle is fully loaded or
operating in mountainous terrain.
458 IndexAutomatic climate control (4-zone) 190
Air recirculation mode 200
Deactivating 195
Rear window defroster 189
Setting the temperature 197
Automatic headlamp mode 129
Automatic lighting control, Interior
lighting 135
Automatic locking when driving 165
Automatic shift program 177
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position 175
Automatic shift program 177
Emergency operation (limp-home
mode) 184
Gear ranges 176
Gear selector lever 171
Gear selector lever control one-touch
gearshifting 178
Gear selector lever positions 173
Gear shifting malfunctions 184
Kickdown 175
Kickdown, manual shift program
CLS 63 AMG 183Manual shift program
CLS 63 AMG 181
Program mode selector switch 177
Shifting procedure 172
Starting the engine 51
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting* 179
Auxiliary bulbs 404
Messages in display 381
B
BabySmart
TM
Airbag deactivation system 76
Self-test 77
Backrest
Seat 42
Seat, multicontour* 122
Backup lamps see Reverse lamps
Bar 323
BAS 92
Batteries, SmartKey
Checking battery condition 110
Replacing 402
Batteries, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Checking battery condition 110
Replacing 402Batteries, vehicle 420
Charging 422
Disconnecting 421
Jump starting 423
Messages in display 370, 371
Reconnecting 422
Reinstalling 422
Removing 421
Bead 323
Beverage holder see Cup holders
Bi-Xenon headlamps see
Headlamps 128
Block heater* (Canada only) 328
Brake fluid
Checking 285
Brake lamps
Cleaning lenses 336
Replacing bulbs 406
Brake pads
Message in display 371
Brakes
High-performance brake system
(CLS 63 AMG only) 274
Warning lamp 344
Break-in period 270
Bulbs, replacing see Replacing bulbs