360 OperationTires and wheelsPSI (P
ounds per s
quare i
nch)
A standard unit of measure for air pressure
-> bar, kilopascal (kPa).
Recommended tire inflation pressure
Recommended tire inflation pressure
listed on Tire and Loading Information
placard located on driver’s door B-pillar for
normal driving conditions. Provides best
handling, tread life and riding comfort.
Rim
A metal support for a tire or a tire and tube
assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Sidewall
The portion of a tire between the tread and
the bead.TIN (T
ire I
dentification N
umber)
Unique identifier which facilitates efforts
by tire manufacturers to notify purchasers
in recall situations or other safety matters
concerning tires and gives purchases the
means to easily identify such tires. The TIN
is comprised of “Manufacturer’s identifica-
tion mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type code”
and “Date of manufacture”.
Tire load rating
Numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
Tire ply composition and material used
This indicates the number of plies or the
number of layers of rubber-coated fabric in
the tire tread and sidewall. Tire manufac-
turers also must indicate the ply materials
in the tire and sidewall, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.Tire speed rating
Part of tire designation; indicates the
speed range for which a tire is approved.
Total load limit
Rated cargo and luggage load plus
68 kilograms (150 lb) times the vehicle’s
designated seating capacity.
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the road
via the tires. The amount of grip provided.
Tread
The portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bands, sometimes called
“wear bars” that show across the tread of
a tire when only
1/16in (1.6 mm) of tread
remains.
363 Operation
Winter driving
Winter driving
Before the onset of winter, have your
vehicle winterized at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. This service
includes:
Check of anticorrosion and antifreeze
concentration.
Addition of cleaning concentrate to the
water of the windshield and headlamp
cleaning system.
Add MB Concentrate “S” to a premixed
windshield washer solvent/antifreeze
which is formulated for temperatures
below freezing point (
page 494).
Battery test. Battery capacity drops
with decreasing ambient temperature.
A well charged battery helps to make
sure that the engine can be started
even at low ambient temperatures.
Tire change.
Winter tires
Always use winter tires at temperatures
below 45°F (7°C) and whenever wintry
road conditions prevail. Not all M+S rated
tires provide special winter performance.
Make sure the tires you use show the
mountain/snowflake.marking on the
tire sidewall. These tires meet specific
snow traction performance requirements
of the Rubber Manufacturers Association
(RMA) and the Rubber Association of Can-
ada (RAC) and have been designed specif-
ically for use in snow conditions. Use of
winter tires is the only way to achieve the
maximum effectiveness of the ABS, ESP
®
and 4MATIC in winter operation.
For safe handling, make sure that all
mounted winter tires are of the same make
and have the same tread design.Always observe the speed rating of the
winter tires installed on your vehicle. If the
maximum speed for which your tires are
rated is below the speed rating of your ve-
hicle, you must place a notice to this effect
where it will be seen by the driver. Such no-
tices are available at your tire dealer or any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Winter tires with a tread depth of less than 1/6in (4 mm) must be replaced. They are no
longer suitable for winter operation.
Warning!
G
If you use your spare tire when winter tires
are fitted on the other wheels, be aware that
the difference in tire characteristics may
very well impair turning stability and that
overall driving stability may be reduced.
Adapt your driving style accordingly.
368 OperationVehicle careCleaning and care of vehicle
While in operation, even while parked, your
vehicle is subjected to varying external in-
fluences which, if gone unchecked, can at-
tack the paintwork as well as the vehicle
underbody and cause lasting damage.Such damage is caused not only by ex-
treme and varying climatic conditions, but
also by:
Air pollution
Road salt
Tar
Gravel and stone chipping
To avoid paint damage, you should imme-
diately remove:
Grease and oil
Fuel
Coolant
Brake fluid
Bird droppings
Insects
Tree resins etc.
Frequent washing reduces and/or elimi-
nates the aggressiveness and potency of
the above adverse influences.More frequent washings are necessary to
deal with unfavorable conditions:
near the ocean
in industrial areas (smoke, exhaust
emissions)
during winter operation
You should check your vehicle from time to
time for stone chipping or other damage.
Any damage should be repaired as soon as
possible to prevent corrosion.
In doing so, do not neglect the underbody
of the vehicle. A prerequisite for a thor-
ough check is a washing of the underbody
followed by a thorough inspection. Dam-
aged areas need to be re-undercoated.
Your vehicle has been treated at the facto-
ry with a wax-base rustproofing in the body
cavities which will last for the lifetime of
the vehicle. Post-production treatment is
neither necessary nor recommended by
Mercedes-Benz because of the possibility
of incompatibility between materials used
in the production process and others ap-
plied later.
Warning!
G
Many cleaning products can be hazardous.
Some are poisonous, others are flammable.
Always follow the instructions on the partic-
ular container. Always open your vehicle’s
doors or windows when cleaning the inside.
Never use fluids or solvents that are not de-
signed for cleaning your vehicle.
Always lock away cleaning products and
keep them out of reach of children.
394 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Vehicle status messages in the multi-function display
Warning and malfunction messages ap-
pear in the multifunction display located in
the instrument cluster.
Certain warning and malfunction messag-
es are accompanied by an audible signal.
Address these messages accordingly and
follow the additional instructions given in
this Operator’s Manual.
Selecting the vehicle status message
memory menu in the control system
(page 168) displays both cleared and
uncleared messages.
High-priority messages appear in the
multifunction display in red color.Certain messages of high priority cannot
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 152) or
buttonj, k, ÿ or è on the
multifunction steering wheel.
Other messages of high priority and mes-
sages of less immediate priority can be
cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (page 152) or
buttonj, k, ÿ or è on the
multifunction steering wheel. They are
then stored in the vehicle status message
memory (
page 168). Remember that
clearing a message will only make the mes-
sage disappear. Clearing a message will
not correct the condition that caused the
message to appear.
Warning!
G
All categories of messages contain impor-
tant information which should be taken note
of and, where a malfunction is indicated, ad-
dressed as soon as possible at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Failure to repair condition noted may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty, or result in property dam-
age or personal injury.
395 Practical hints
What to do if …
On the pages that follow, you will find a
compilation of the most important warning
and malfunction messages that may
appear in the multifunction display.
For your convenience the messages are di-
vided into two sections:
Text messages (
page 396)
Symbol messages (
page 409)
Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warning/
indicator lamps, malfunction/warning mes-
sages or the failure of any systems. Driving
characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, please do so
with added caution. Visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
i
Switching on the ignition causes all instru-
ment cluster lamps (except low beam headlamp
indicator lamp, high beam headlamp indicator
lamp, and turn signal indicator lamps unless ac-
tivated) as well as the multifunction display to
come on. Make sure the lamps and multifunction
display are in working order before starting your
journey.
399 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
DISTRONIC
currently unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
Distronic* is deactivated because the
functionality is impaired by external in-
terferences, e.g. high-frequency sources
such as too stations, speed measuring
systems etc.
Leave the area of the external interference.
Activate Distronic* again (
page 254) when
the message
DISTRONIC available
again ap-
pears.
Distronic* is deactivated because the
Distronic* sensor has not sensed any
other vehicles or objects, e.g. roadsign or
such, for a long time.
Activate Distronic* again (
page 254) when
the message
DISTRONIC available
again ap-
pears.
Warning!
G
Distronic* cannot take weather conditions
into account. Switch off Distronic* or do not
turn it on if the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished as a result of snow, rain or fog.
The distance control may be impaired even
before the system is able to detect a dirty
sensor. The message
DISTRONIC
currently unavailable
See Operator’s Manualwill be displayed in the multifunction display
and Distronic* will be turned off.
402 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause/con-
sequence
Possible solutionMonitor the 75 indicator lamp on the center console (
page 29) and
the multifunction display in the instrument cluster (
page 26) for the following:
With the seat unoccupied and the ignition turned on,
the 75 indicator lamp on the center console should illuminate
and remain illuminated, indicating that the OCS (
page 75) has deactivated
the front passenger front air bag.
the message
Front passenger airbag enabled See Operator’s Manual
or
the message
Front passenger airbag disabled See Operator’s Manual
should not appear in the multifunction display at any time the seat is unoccu-
pied. Wait at least 60 seconds for the system to complete the necessary check
cycles and to make sure neither message appears in the multifunction display.
If above conditions are met, you can occupy the front passenger seat again. De-
pending on the front passenger classification sensed by the OCS (
page 75), the
75 indicator lamp will remain illuminated or go out.
If above conditions are not met, the system is not working properly. Have the sys-
tem checked as soon as possible by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the 75indicator lamp
remains out even after performing the above
corrective steps, do not have any children
12 years old and under and
other small individuals use the front passen-
ger seat until the system has been repaired.
404 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause/con-
sequence
Possible solutionMonitor the 75 indicator lamp on the center console (
page 29) and
the multifunction display in the instrument cluster (
page 26) for the following:
With the seat unoccupied and the ignition turned on,
the 75 indicator lamp on the center console should illuminate and
remain illuminated, indicating that the OCS (
page 75) has deactivated the
front passenger front air bag.
the message
Front passenger airbag enabled See Operator’s Manual
or the
message
Front passenger airbag disabled See Operator’s Manual
should
not appear in the multifunction display at any time the seat is unoccupied. Wait
at least 60 seconds for the system to complete the necessary check cycles and
to make sure neither message appears in the multifunction display.
If above conditions are met, you can occupy the front passenger seat again. De-
pending on the front passenger classification sensed by the OCS (
page 75), the
75 indicator lamp will remain illuminated or go out.
If above conditions are not met, the system is not working properly. Have the sys-
tem checked as soon as possible by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the 75 indicator lamp
remains illuminated with an adult occupant
on the front passenger seat even after per-
forming the above corrective steps,
do not have any passenger use the front
passenger seat until the system has been
repaired.