Page 396 of 585

395 Operation
Tires and wheels
Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There
are 14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi)
to 1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa)
to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped
by steel cords that hold the tire onto the
rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle
has been sitting for at least 3 hours or
driven no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with stan-
dard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so
equipped, air conditioning and additional
optional equipment, but without passen-
gers and cargo.DOT (D
epartment o
f T
ransportation)
A tire branding symbol which denotes the
tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
GAWR (G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible
axle weight. The gross vehicle weight on
each axle must never exceed the GAWR for
the front and rear axle indicated on the
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
GTW (G
ross T
railer W
eight)
The GTW is the weight of the trailer plus
the weight of all cargo, equipment, luggage
etc. loaded on the trailer.GVW (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare wheel,
installed accessories, passengers and
cargo and, if applicable, trailer tongue
load. The GVW must never exceed the
GVWR indicated on the certification label
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
GVWR (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
This is the maximum permissible vehicle
weight of the fully loaded vehicle (weight of
the vehicle including all options, passen-
gers, fuel, and cargo and, if applicable,
trailer tongue load). It is indicated on
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
Kilopascal (kPa)
The metric unit for air pressure. There are
6.9 kPa to 1 psi; another metric unit for air
pressure is bars. There are 100 kilopascals
(kPa) to 1 bar.
Page 405 of 585

404 OperationVehicle careCleaning and care of the vehicle
Regular and proper care will help to
maintain the value of your vehicle. The
best way to protect your vehicle from
harmful environmental influences is to
wash it and use protective treatments
regularly.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
underbody and cause lasting damage.
Such damage is caused not only by
extreme and varying climatic conditions,
but also by:
Air pollution
Road salt
Tar
Gravel and stone chipping
To avoid paint damage, you should
immediately remove:
Grease and oil
Fuel
Coolant
Brake fluid
Bird droppings
Insects
Tree resins, etc.Frequent washing reduces and/or
eliminates 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.
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.
Page 451 of 585
450 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant level
Stop car, switch engine off
The coolant is too hot.
Among other possible causes
(the cooling fan could be
malfunctioning), the poly-V-belt
could be broken.
Stop the vehicle in safe location or as
soon as it safe to do so.
Apply the parking brake (
page 65).
Turn off the engine.
Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the
engine will overheat due to an inoperative
water pump which may result in damage
to the engine. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
If it is intact:
Do not continue to drive the vehicle with
this message displayed. Doing so could
result in serious engine damage that is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limit-
ed Warranty.
(Continued on next page)
Page 452 of 585

451 Practical hints
What to do if …
During severe operation conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Observe the coolant temperature in the
multifunction display (
page 154).
If the temperature raises again:
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center immediately.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is overheated can
cause some fluids which may have leaked
into the engine compartment to catch fire.
You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns which can occur just by open-
ing the engine hood. Stay away from the en-
gine if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
!
The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C).
Doing so may cause serious damage which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Page 453 of 585

452 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
B
Top up Coolant
See Oper. Manual
The coolant level is too low.
Add coolant (
page 362).
If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You could be seriously burned.Warning!
G
In order to avoid 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.
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.
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.
!
Do not ignore the low engine coolant level
warning. Extended driving with the message and
symbol displayed may cause serious engine
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount of coolant
in the cooling system. The engine will overheat
causing major engine damage.
Page 528 of 585
527 Technical data
Parts service
Warranty coverage
Identification labels
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Engine
Rims and tires
Electrical system
Main Dimensions
Weights
Fuels, coolants, lubricants
Page 533 of 585
532 Technical dataLayout of poly-V-belt driveML 350
1Idler pulley
2Idler pulley
3Automatic belt tensioner
4Power steering pump
5Air conditioning compressor
6Crankshaft
7Coolant pump
8Generator (alternator)
ML 320 CDI
1Coolant pump
2Idler pulley
3Automatic belt tensioner
4Power steering pump
5Air conditioning compressor
6Crankshaft
7Idler pulley
8Generator (alternator)
ML 500
1Automatic belt tensioner
2Power steering pump
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
Page 534 of 585
533 Technical data
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
ML 63 AMG
1Idler pulley
2Idler pulley
3Idler pulley
4Automatic belt tensioner
5Power steering pump
6Air conditioning compressor
7Crankshaft
8Coolant pump
9Generator (alternator)