Contents
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 520
Front wiper blades ....................... 520
Rear wiper blade .......................... 521
Flat tire .............................................. 523
Preparing the vehicle.................... 523
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 524
Bleeding the fuel system
(diesel engine only) ............................ 529
Battery ............................................... 530
Disconnecting, removing,
reinstalling and
reconnecting the battery .............. 532
Charging the battery .................... 537
Jump starting ..................................... 538
Towing the vehicle ............................. 540
Installing towing eye bolt.............. 542
Stranded vehicle .......................... 543
Fuses ................................................. 544
Fuse box in engine compartment . 545
Fuse box in cargo compartment ... 545
Fuse box in
passenger compartment .............. 546
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 546
Technical data................................. 547
Parts service ...................................... 548
Warranty coverage............................. 549
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ..................... 549
Identification labels ........................... 550
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 552
GL 320 CDI .................................. 552
GL 450 ......................................... 552
Engine................................................ 553
Rims and tires.................................... 554
Same size tires ............................. 555
Minispare wheel ........................... 556
Electrical system ............................... 557
Main Dimensions ............................... 558
Weights.............................................. 559Fuels, coolants, lubricants ................. 560
Capacities .................................... 560
Engine oils ................................... 562
Engine oil additives ...................... 562
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 562
Brake fluid.................................... 562
Premium unleaded gasoline
(gasoline engine) .......................... 563
Fuel requirements ........................ 563
Gasoline additives
(gasoline engine) .......................... 564
Coolants ...................................... 565
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*......... 567
Index................................................. 569
78 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
Warning!G
Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergency
Tensioning Devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that is deployed must be
replaced.
Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the seat back-
rests, door trim panels, or door frame
trims, and installation of additional
electrical/electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).
Do n o t h a ng i te ms su ch as c o at ha n ger s
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when the window curtain air bag is
deployed.
Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other potentially more serious injuries
resulting from air bag deployment.
322 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cup holders in third-row side trim
Cup holders are located in the side trims of
the third-row seats.
1Cup holderRemoving and reinstalling cup holder
The front cup holder can be removed for
cleaning purposes.
1Cup holder
2Bridge with card, ticket holder
Hold cup holder at its bridge2 and
pull out bridge in direction of arrow.
Pull cup holder1 out in direction of ar-
row.
First, insert the cup holder1 and then
insert bridge2.
Ashtrays*
Your vehicle is equipped with an ashtray
and a cigarette lighter (
page 324) locat-
ed in the front center console and an ash-
tray located in front of the second-row
seats (
page 323).
Ashtray in the center console
1Ashtray insert
2Cover plate
iIf your vehicle is not equipped with a smok-
ing package*, it has a storage compartment
(
page 318) with a power outlet (page 325)
instead.
359 Operation
Driving instructions
Checklist before off-road driving
Engine oil level
Check the engine oil level with the oil
dipstick (
page 381).
Only with a proper oil level can the
vehicle obtain a trouble-free oil supply,
even on steep gradients.Tires
Check the tread depth and maintain
specified tire inflation pressure
(a placard with the recommended tire
inflation pressures is located on the
driver’s door B-pillar (
page 389)).
Check tires for possible damage and
remove foreign objects.
Replace missing valve caps.
Rims
Dented or bent rims can cause tire in-
flation pressure loss and damage the
tire beads. For this reason, check and,
if necessary, change rims before driv-
ing off-road.
Vehicle tool kit
Check if the vehicle jack (page 497)
is functional.
In all cases take the vehicle tool kit, a
strong tow rope, a shovel and a small
plank (to put under the vehicle jack on
sandy soil) with you.
In sandy soil, drive at a steady speed as al-
lowed by conditions. This helps overcome
the vehicle rolling resistance and reduces
the likelihood of the vehicle sinking into the
ground.
Do not initiate jumps with the vehicle. It
interrupts the forward momentum of the
vehicle.
Always drive onto slopes with the engine
running and the vehicle in gear.
Do not shift automatic transmission to
positionN.
Warning!G
Do not reduce the tire inflation pressure
before driving through sand. However, if you
do so, remember to correct the tire inflation
pressure (
page 396) before continuing
your trip. Driving with reduced tire inflation
pressure increases the risk of losing control
of the vehicle and rolling over.
!If the engine oil level warning lamp
(
page 476) comes on while driving, stop the
vehicle in a safe location or as soon at is safe to
do so. Check the engine oil level (
page 381).
The engine oil level warnings should not be
ignored. Extended driving with the symbol
displayed could result in serious engine damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
385 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center for information on test-
ed and recommended rims and tires for
summer and winter operation. They can
also offer advice concerning tire service
and purchase.Important guidelines
Only use sets of tires and rims of the
same type and make.
Tires must be of the correct size for the
rim.
Break in new tires for approximately
60 miles (100 km) at moderate
speeds.
Regularly check the tires and rims for
damage. Dented or bent rims can
cause tire inflation pressure loss or
damage to the tire beads.
If vehicle is heavily loaded, check tire
inflation pressure and correct as
required.
Do not allow your tires to wear down
too far. Adhesion properties on wet
roads are sharply reduced at tread
depths of less than
1/8in (3 mm).
When replacing individual tires, you
should mount new tires on the front
wheels first (on vehicles with
same-sized wheels all around).
Warning!G
Replace rims or tires with the same designa-
tion, manufacturer and type as shown on the
original part. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for fur-
ther information. If incorrectly sized rims
and tires are mounted:
The wheel brakes or suspension
components can be damaged.
The operating clearance of the wheels
and the tires may no longer be correct.
Warning!G
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the
tire tread is badly worn, or if the tires have
sustained damage, replace them.
When replacing rims, only use genuine
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts specified for the
particular rim type. Failure to do so can
result in the bolts loosening and possibly an
accident.
Retreaded tires are not tested or recom-
mended by Mercedes-Benz, since previous
damage cannot always be recognized on re-
treads. The operating safety of the vehicle
cannot be assured when such tires are used.
406 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire labeling
Besides tire name (sales designation) and
manufacturer name, a number of markings
can be found on a tire.
Following are some explanations for the
markings on your vehicle’s tires:1Uniform Quality Grading Standards
(
page 413)
2DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(
page 410)
3Maximum tire load (
page 412)
4Maximum tire inflation pressure
(
page 412)
5Manufacturer
6Tire ply material (
page 415)
7Tire size designation, load and speed
rating (
page 406)
8Load identification (
page 410)
9Tire nameTire size designation, load and speed
rating
1Tire width
2Aspect ratio in %
3Radial tire code
4Rim diameter
5Tire load rating
6Tire speed rating
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
For more information, see “Rims and tires”
(
page 554).
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
408 Operation
Tires and wheels
For additional information on tire load
rating, see “Load identification”
(
page 410).
Tire speed rating
The tire speed rating6 (
page 406)
indicates the approved maximum speed
for the tire.Summer tires
Warning!G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 416) of your
vehicle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the
result which may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the same
designation, manufacturer and type as
shown on the original part.
Warning!G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information placard located on
the driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the
tires can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iTire load rating5 (page 406) and Tire
speed rating6 (
page 406) are also referred
to as “service description”.
Warning!G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the
maximum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire
failure, causing loss of vehicle control and
possibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.
iTire load rating5 (page 406) and Tire
speed rating6 (
page 406) are also referred
to as “service description”.
IndexSpeed rating
Qup to 100 mph (160 km/h)
Rup to 106 mph (170 km/h)
Sup to 112 mph (180 km/h)
Tup to 118 mph (190 km/h)
Hup to 130 mph (210 km/h)
Vup to 149 mph (240 km/h)
Wup to 168 mph (270 km/h)
Yup to 186 mph (300 km/h)
(Y)above 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZRabove 149 mph (240 km/h)
419 Operation
Tires and wheels
In some cases, such as when your vehicle
is equipped with mixed-size tires (different
tire dimension front vs. rear), tire rotation
is not possible.
If applicable to your vehicle’s tire configu-
ration, tires can be rotated according to
the tire manufacturer’s recommended in-
tervals in the tire manufacturer’s warranty
pamphlet located in your vehicle literature
portfolio. If none is available, tires should
be rotated every 3 000 to 6 000 miles
(5 000 to 10 000 km), or sooner if neces-
sary, according to the degree of tire wear.
The same rotation (spinning) direction
must be maintained (
page 388).
Rotate tires before the characteristic tire
wear pattern becomes visible (shoulder
wear on front tires and tread center wear
on rear tires).
Thoroughly clean the mounting face of
wheels and brake disks, i.e. the inner side
of the wheels/tires, during each rotation.
Check for and ensure proper tire inflation
pressure.For information on wheel change, see the
“Practical hints” section (
page 495) and
(
page 523).
Warning!G
Have the tightening torque checked after
changing a wheel. Wheels could become
loose if not tightened with a torque of
110 lb-ft (150 Nm).
Only use genuine Mercedes-Benz wheel
bolts specified for your vehicle’s rims.