Page 26 of 514
25 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Combination switch
Turn signals
56
Windshield wipers
57
Rear window wiper
59
High beam
56
2
Cruise control lever
Cruise control
246
Distronic*
249
3
Instrument cluster
26,
152
4
Multifunction steering
wheel
28,
156
5
Horn
6
Lever for Voice Control
System*, see separate
operating instructions
Item
Page
7
Dual-zone automatic
climate control, USA only
206
4-zone automatic climate
control*
222
8
Overhead control panel
31
9
Mobile phone/Glasses box
280
a
Glove box lid release, glove
box lock
280
b
Glove box
280
c
COMAND system, see sepa-
rate operating instructions
d
Center console
29
e
Starter switch
38
Item
Page
f
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk
45
Heated steering wheel
(Canada only)
288
g
Headlamp cleaning button*
200
h
Parking brake pedal
54, 62
j
Hood lock release
324
k
Parking brake release
54
l
Door control panel
34
m
Exterior lamp switch
141
n
Steering wheel gearshift
control (E 63 AMG only)
195
Page 325 of 514

324 OperationEngine compartmentHood
OpeningWarning!
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
If you see flames or smoke coming from the
engine compartment, or if the coolant tem-
perature indicator 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. If necessary,
call the fire department.
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, let the engine cool off com-
pletely before touching any components on
the vehicle. Comply with all relevant safety
precautions.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.
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
turned manually
Page 326 of 514
325 Operation
Engine compartment
1Release lever
Pull release lever1.
The hood is unlocked. 2Handle for opening the hood
Lift the hood slightly.
Handle2 will extend out of the radia-
tor grille.
Pull handle2 to its stop out of radia-
tor grille.
Lift bottom of hood at edge of radiator
grille.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts.
!
To avoid damage to the windshield wipers or
hood, never open the hood if the wiper arms are
folded forward away from the windshield.
!
To avoid damage to handle2 never pull up
the hood on handle2.
Page 330 of 514

329 Operation
Engine compartment
Coolant level
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze. To check
the coolant level, the vehicle must be
parked on level ground and the engine
must be cool.
The coolant expansion tank is located on
the driver’s side of the engine compart-
ment.
1Marking bar in the expansion tank
2Cap
3Coolant expansion tank
Using a rag, turn the cap2 slowly ap-
proximately one half turn counterclock-
wise to release any excess pressure.
Continue turning the cap2 counter-
clockwise and remove it.
The coolant level is correct if the level:
for cold coolant: reaches marking
bar1 in the expansion tank3
for warm coolant: is approximately
0.6 in (1.5 cm) higher
Add coolant as required.
Replace and tighten cap2.
For more information on coolant, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 491).
Warning!
G
In order to avoid any 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.
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.
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.
Page 449 of 514

448 Practical hintsReplacing wiper blades
Placing front wiper arms in vertical po-sitionWiper blades in vertical positionVehicles with SmartKey
Turn SmartKey to starter switch
position1 (
page 37).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 57).
With wiper arms in the vertical position,
turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.
Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
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 replacing a wiper blade.
Otherwise, the wiper motor could suddenly
turn on and cause injury.Warning!
G
Wiper blades are components that are sub-
ject to wear and tear. Change the wiper
blades twice a year, preferably in the spring
and fall. Otherwise the windows will not be
properly wiped. As a result, you may not be
able to observe surrounding traffic condi-
tions and could cause an accident.
!
To avoid damage to the hood:
The wiper arms should only be folded for-
ward when in the vertical position.
Never open the hood when the wiper arm is
folded forward.
!
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 wind-
shield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact the wind-
shield glass without a wiper blade inserted.
Make sure the wiper blades are properly in-
stalled. Improperly installed wiper blades may
cause windshield damage.
For your convenience, we recommend that you
have this work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.