509 Practical hints
Battery
Disconnecting, removing, reinstalling and reconnecting the battery
Step 1 (Disconnecting)
Set the automatic transmission to
positionP (
page 187).
Firmly depress the parking brake
(page 65).
Turn off the engine (
page 66).
Leave the ignition switched on
(page 40).
!
Never loosen or detach battery terminal
clamps while the engine is running or the
SmartKey is in the starter switch. Otherwise the
alternator and other electronic components
could be severely damaged.
Have the battery checked regularly by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Contact your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center for further information.
Warning!
G
Do not place metal objects on the battery as
this could result in a short circuit.
Use leak-proof battery only to avoid the risk
of acid burns in the event of an accident.
Warning!
G
Disconnecting, removing, reinstalling and
reconnecting the battery is a complicated
and technically demanding procedure that
also requires safety precautions to avoid the
risk of injury. We strongly recommend that it
be performed by a qualified technician or an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center only. Please read the instructions
fully before beginning operation and only
undertake it if you feel fully capable of
performing all of the tasks involved as de-
scribed in these instructions. Observe all
safety instructions and precautions when
handling automotive batteries
(page 507). Performing the tasks involved
incorrectly can cause damage to the vehicle
and impair the operating safety of the
vehicle, and/or cause severe injury to you
or others.
i
With a disconnected battery you will no
longer be able to turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch and pressing the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button will have no effect.
i
If your battery is discharged, the vehicle
must be jump started (
page 515) using the
jump start contacts in the engine compartment,
or an accessory battery charge unit* approved
by Mercedes-Benz must be connected using the
jump start contacts in the engine compartment
(see separate instructions for the accessory bat-
tery charge unit*) before any of the following
steps can be performed. If the battery cannot be
jumped or charged, please contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
511 Practical hints
Battery
2Perforated floor carpet, unfolded
Fold the floor carpet piece2 in
direction of the arrow.
Move the front passenger seat to the
most forward and upward position
again (
page 44).
Switch off the ignition (
page 40).
Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have status0 (Turn off
the engine or all electrical systems
using the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button. Open the driver’s door. With
the driver’s door open, the vehicle’s
on-board electronics have status0,
same as with the SmartKey
removed from the starter switch).
Enter the rear passenger compartment
again.Step 4 (Disconnecting)
3Air channel
4Clip with pin insert
Pull pin out of clip4 in direction of
arrow.
Pull clip with pin4 outwards.
Remove air channel3 by pulling it out
in direction of arrow.
i
If the vehicle battery is discharged and you
had the vehicle jump started, turn off the engine.
513 Practical hints
Battery
Step 8 (Removing)
cBattery
Tilt the batteryc with the negative
terminal side upwards.
Take out the battery maintaining its
tilted position in the direction of the
arrow.Step 9 (Reinstalling)
Carry out step 8 in reverse order
(page 513).
Battery, shown removed for illustration9Battery ventilation hose
dVent plug
Carry out step 10 to reconnect the
battery (
page 513).
Follow steps 5 to 1 in reverse order to
completely reinstall the battery
(page 512) to (
page 509).
Step 10 (Reconnecting)
If the battery has been removed, first
carry out step 8 in reverse order
(page 513).
Open the driver’s door.
Make sure all electrical consumers are
turned off.
Make sure the SmartKey is removed
from the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have status0 (Open the
driver’s door. With the driver’s door
open, the vehicle’s on-board elec-
tronics have status0, same as with
the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch (
page 39)).
!
The battery, the battery ventilation hose9
and the lateral plugd (
page 513) must
always be securely installed when the vehicle is
in operation.
518 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleMercedes-Benz recommends that the
vehicle be transported with all wheels off
the ground using flatbed or appropriate
wheel lift/dolly equipment. This method is
preferable to other types of towing.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the
vehicle may be towed with all wheels on
the ground only so far as necessary to have
the vehicle moved to a safe location where
the recommended towing methods can be
employed.!
Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equipment,
with the SmartKey in starter switch turned to
position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment. Towing
with sling-type equipment over bumpy roads will
damage radiator and supports.
To prevent damage during transport, do not tie
down vehicle by its chassis or suspension parts.
Use the towing eyes.
Switch off the ESP
® (page 99) and the auto-
matic central locking (page 126).
!
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised. Doing so
could damage the transfer case, which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
All wheels must be on or off the ground. Observe
instructions for towing the vehicle with all
wheels on the ground.
!
When towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, the automatic transmission must be
in positionN and the starter switch must be in
position2 (
page 40).
When towing the vehicle with all wheels on the
ground, the vehicle may be towed only for
distances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed
not to exceed 30 mph (50 km/h).
Keep in mind that it is important for the
SmartKey to be in the respective starter switch
positions as described above. As soon as the
SmartKey is removed from the starter switch or
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is removed
from the vehicle, the automatic transmission will
shift to park positionP see “Starter switch posi-
tions” (
page 39).
519 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Warning!
G
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:
the engine will not run
there is a malfunction in the power
supply or in the vehicle’s electrical sys-
tem
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make sure the starter switch is
in position2 (
page 40).
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the
vehicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
i
To signal turns while being towed with
hazard warning flasher in use, set the starter
switch to position2 and activate combination
switch for left or right turn signal in usual manner
– only the selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the hazard
warning flasher will operate again.
i
If the battery is disconnected or discharged,
the automatic transmission will remain locked in
positionP and the SmartKey will not turn in the
starter switch. For more information, see “Bat-
tery” (page 507) and “Jump starting”
(
page 515).
!
When towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, note the following:
With the automatic central locking activated and
the ignition in position2 (
page 40), the vehicle
doors lock if the left front wheel is turning at a
speed of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
above.
To prevent the vehicle doors from locking,
deactivate the automatic central locking
(
page 126).
Towing of the vehicle should only be done using
the towing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable, tow
rope or tow rod to vehicle chassis, frame or sus-
pension parts.
522 Practical hintsFusesThe electrical fuses in your vehicle serve to
switch off malfunctioning power circuits.
If a fuse is blown, the components and sys-
tems secured by that fuse will stop operat-
ing.If a newly inserted fuse blows again, have
the cause determined and rectified by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
The following aids are available to help you
replace fuses. They are included with the
vehicle tool kit (
page 469):
Fuse chart
The fuse chart explains the fuse alloca-
tion and fuse amperages.
Spare fuses
Fuse extractor
The electrical fuses are located in different
fuse boxes:
Fuse box in engine compartment
(page 523)
Fuse box in cargo compartment
(page 523)
Fuse box in passenger compartment
(page 524)Before replacing fuses:
Apply parking brake (
page 65).
Make sure the automatic transmission
is set toP (
page 187).
The gear position indicator in the multi-
function display should be on
P.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Turn off the engine (
page 40).
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Open the driver’s door (this puts
the starter switch in position0,
same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch). The
driver’s door then can be closed
again.
Warning!
G
Only use fuses approved by Mercedes-Benz
with the specified amperage for the system
in question and do not attempt to repair or
bridge a blown fuse. Using other than ap-
proved fuses or using repaired or bridged
fuses may cause an overload leading to a
fire, and/or cause damage to electrical
components and/or systems. Have the
cause determined and remedied by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.i
A blown fuse must be replaced by an appro-
priate spare fuse (recognizable by its color or the
fuse rating given on the fuse) of the amperage
recommended in the fuse chart. Any
Mercedes-Light Truck Center will be glad to
advise you on this subject.
554 IndexAutomatic climate control (3-zone)* 220
Air conditioning, Cooling 230, 231
Air distribution, Front 226
Air distribution, Rear 234
Air recirculation mode 228
Air vents, Front 226
Air volume 227
Control panel, Front 222
Control panel, Rear 232
Deactivating system 224
Defogging 227
Defrosting 227
Maximum cooling, MAX COOL 228
Rear passenger compartment 232
Rear window defroster 205
Residual engine heat (REST) 232
Using driver-side settings for
all temperature zones 231
Automatic headlamp mode 137
Automatic lighting control, Interior
lighting 143
Automatic locking when driving 126
Automatic shift program
(ML 63 AMG only) 196Automatic transmission 54
Accelerator position 191
Automatic shift program
(ML 63 AMG only) 196
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) 198
Gear ranges 193
Gear selector lever 54, 185
Gear shifting malfunctions 198
Hill start assist system 192
Kickdown 191
Kickdown, manual shift program
(ML 63 AMG only) 198
Manual shift progam
(ML 63 AMG only) 196
Program mode selector switch
(ML 63 AMG only) 195
Shift program (ML 63 AMG only) 195
Shifting procedure 188
Starting the engine 54
Steering wheel gearshift control 194
Towing a trailer 192
Transmission fluid level 362
Transmission positions 189
Automatic Transmission Fluid see ATFB
Backrest
Seat 44
Seat, Lumbar support 130
Seat, Multicontour* 130
Backup lamps
Messages in the
multifunction display 458
Replacing bulbs 490
Bar 395
BAS 97
Lamps in instrument cluster 414
Messages in the
multifunction display 430
Basic carrier bars* 281
Batteries, SmartKey
Check lamp 108, 112
Checking battery condition 111
Messages in the
multifunction display 446
Replacing 480
Battery, Vehicle 507
Charging 514
Disconnecting and connecting 509
Jump starting 515
Removing and installing 509
557 Index
Cup holders 298
Cleaning 299
Front center console 299
Front center console,
Removing/Installing 299
Rear armrest 299
Curb weight 395
Current transmission program
mode (AMG vehicles only) 147
D
Date display, Setting 169, 170
Daytime running lamp mode 138
Setting 171
Deep water see Standing water
Defogging windshield 213, 227
Defrosting, Front 213, 227
Defrosting, Rear 205
Delayed shut-off
Exterior lamps 172
Interior lighting 173
Department of Transportation see DOT
Diesel engine
Preglow indicator lamp 29Difficulties
While driving 63
While starting 57
Digital clock see Clock
Digital speedometer 147, 155
Dimensions, Vehicle 541
Direction of rotation (tires) 368
Displays
Digital speedometer 147, 155
Distronic* 253
Maintenance service indicator 401
Messages in the
multifunction display 428
Multifunction display 147
Outside temperature 147, 155
Selecting 168
Symbol messages 446
Text messages 430
Vehicle status message 163, 428
Vehicle system settings,
Control system 151, 153, 164
Distance to empty (range), Trip
Computer 180Distronic* 250
Activating 256
Cleaning system sensor 408
Control system 255
Deactivating 259
Distance warning function* 179, 263
Driving hints 261
Messages in the
multifunction display 432
Sensor cover 408
Warning and indicator lamps 253
Door
Entry lamps 144
Locking, In an emergency 476
Locking/unlocking,
KEYLESS-GO* 39, 68
Locking/unlocking, SmartKey 38, 68
Messages in the
multifunction display 455
Opening from inside/outside 109,
118
Remote door unlock (Tele Aid*) 315
Unlocking, Mechanical key 475