ContentsReplacing bulbs ................................. 482
Bulbs ............................................ 482
Replacing bulbs for front lamps.... 485
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 490
Adjusting headlamp aim ............... 492
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 494
Front wiper blades ....................... 494
Rear wiper blade .......................... 495
Flat tire .............................................. 497
Preparing the vehicle.................... 497
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 498
Bleeding the fuel system
(diesel engine only) ............................ 506
Battery ............................................... 507
Disconnecting, removing,
reinstalling and
reconnecting the battery .............. 509
Charging the battery .................... 514
Jump starting ..................................... 515
Towing the vehicle ............................. 518
Installing towing eye bolt.............. 520
Stranded vehicle .......................... 521Fuses ................................................. 522
Fuse box in
engine compartment .................... 523
Fuse box in cargo compartment... 523
Fuse box in passenger
compartment ............................... 524
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 525
Technical data................................. 527
Parts service ...................................... 528
Warranty coverage............................. 529
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ..................... 529
Identification labels ........................... 530
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 532
ML 350 ........................................ 532
ML 320 CDI .................................. 532
ML 500 ........................................ 532
ML 63 AMG .................................. 533
Engine................................................ 534
Rims and tires.................................... 536
Same size tires ............................. 537
Spare wheel ................................. 538Electrical system ............................... 540
Main Dimensions ............................... 541
Weights ............................................. 542
Fuels, coolants, lubricants ................. 543
Capacities .................................... 543
Engine oils ................................... 546
Engine oil additives ...................... 546
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 546
Brake fluid.................................... 546
Premium unleaded gasoline
(gasoline engine).......................... 547
Gasoline additives
(gasoline engine).......................... 547
Fuel requirements ........................ 548
Coolants ...................................... 549
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning* system......... 551
Index................................................. 553
353 Operation
At the gas station
Open the fuel filler flap completely.
Turn the fuel cap to the left and hold on
to it until possible pressure is released.
Take off the fuel cap.
To prevent fuel vapors from escaping
into open air, fully insert filler nozzle
unit.
Only fill your tank until the filler nozzle
unit cuts out – do not top up or over-
fill.
Replace the fuel cap by turning it
clockwise until it audibly engages.
Close the fuel filler flap.
You should hear the latch close shut.
!
The fuel filler cap is tethered to the fuel filler
neck. Do not drop the cap. It could damage the
vehicle paint finish.
Warning!
G
Overfilling of the fuel tank may create pres-
sure in the system which could cause a gas
discharge. This could cause the gas to spray
back out when removing the fuel pump noz-
zle, which could cause personal injury.
i
Leaving the engine running and the fuel cap
open can cause the yellow fuel tank reserve
warning lamp to flash and the ?malfunction
indicator lamp (USA only) or the± malfunc-
tion indicator lamp (Canada only) comes on.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 417).
i
Gasoline engine: Only use premium unlead-
ed gasoline with a minimum Posted Octane Rat-
ing of 91 (average of 96 RON/86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can normally be
found on the fuel pump.
For more information on gasoline, see “Premium
unleaded gasoline (gasoline engine)”
(
page 547), see “Fuel requirements”
(page 548), and the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet.
i
Diesel engine: Only use commercially avail-
able vehicular diesel fuels No. 2 or No. 1 (ASTM
D975 No. 2-D or No. 1-D). Information on diesel
quality can normally be found on the fuel pump.
The sulfur content in diesel fuel should not
exceed 50 parts per million (ppm). When using
diesel fuel with a sulfur content of above
300 ppm, the engine oil interval should be
shortened.
For more information on diesel fuels, refer to the
Factory Approved Service Products pamphlet or
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
!
Diesel engine:
The engine is more susceptible to wear and
damage if you use
marine diesel fuel
heating oil
additives
The use of such non-approved fuels and/or
special additives is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
546 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricantsEngine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines and durability for
our service intervals. Therefore, only use
approved engine oils and oil filters re-
quired for vehicles with Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Cana-
da vehicles). For a listing of approved en-
gine oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet, or
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
ing system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center will provide you with additional in-
formation.
!
Using engine oils and oil filters of
specification other than those expressly
required for the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles),
or changing of oil and oil filter at change intervals
longer than those called for by the Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada ve-
hicles) will result in engine or emission control
system damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Please follow Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles)
recommendations for scheduled oil changes.
Failure to do so could result in engine or
emission control system damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
During vehicle operation, the boiling point of
the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from the
atmosphere. Under extremely strenuous op-
erating conditions, this moisture content
can lead to the formation of bubbles in the
system, thus reducing the system’s efficien-
cy.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be replaced
regularly. Refer to your vehicle’s
Maintenance Booklet for replacement inter-
val.
547 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants
Premium unleaded gasoline (gasoline engine)
Gasoline additives (gasoline engine)
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives carbon deposits
can build up, especially on the intake
valves and in the combustion area, leading
to engine performance problems such as:
Warm-up hesitation
Unstable idle
Knocking/pinging
Misfire
Power loss
Warning!
G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
injury.
Never allow sparks, flame or smoking mate-
rials near gasoline!
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid in-
haling fumes and skin or clothing contact,
extinguish all smoking materials.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the inha-
lation of fuel vapors can damage your
health.
!
To maintain the engine’s durability and per-
formance, premium unleaded gasoline must be
used. If premium unleaded is not available and
low octane fuel is used, follow these precau-
tions:
Have the fuel tank only partially filled with
unleaded regular and fill up with premium
unleaded as soon as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt acceler-
ation.
Do not exceed an engine speed of 3000 rpm
if the vehicle is loaded with a light load such
as two persons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum accelerator
pedal position if the vehicle is fully loaded or
operating in mountainous terrain.
548 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricantsIn areas where carbon deposits may be
encountered due to lack of availability of
gasolines which contain these additives,
Mercedes-Benz recommends the use of
additives approved by us for use on
Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Refer to Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet for a
listing of approved product(s). Follow
directions on product label.
Do not blend other fuel additives with fuel.
This only results in unnecessary costs and
may be harmful to the engine operation.
Damage or malfunction resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending addition-
al fuel additives other than those tested
and approved by us for use on
Mercedes-Benz vehicles listed in the
Factory Approved Service Products
pamphlet are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Fuel requirements
Gasoline engine
Only use premium unleaded fuel.
The octane number (posted at the
pump) must be 91 min. It is an average
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) /2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not
exceed 10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains
10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline,
can be used.These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Diesel engine
Only use commercially available vehicular
diesel fuels No. 2 or No. 1 (ASTM D975 No.
2-D or No. 1-D).
To prevent malfunctions, diesel fuel with
improved cold flow characteristics is of-
fered in the winter months. Check with
your fuel retailer.
!
Do not fill the tank with gasoline. Do not
blend diesel fuel with gasoline or kerosine. The
fuel system and engine will otherwise be dam-
aged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
560 IndexETD 80, 423
Safety guidelines 73
Expanding cargo compartment 284
Exterior rear view mirrors 49, 201
Folding 202
Power folding* 202
Synchronizing 202
F
Fastening the seat belts 51
Filler neck, Engine oil
(ML 350, ML 320 CDI) 361
Filler neck, Engine oil
(ML 500, ML 63 AMG) 361
First aid kit 469
Flat tire 497
Collapsible tire
(ML 63 AMG only) 474, 538
Lifting the vehicle 498
Lowering the vehicle 504
Minispare wheel
(except ML 63 AMG) 473
Mounting the spare wheel 498
Preparing the vehicle 498
Spare wheel 538Flexible Service System PLUS see FSS
PLUS
Floormats* 303
Fluids
Automatic transmission fluid 362
Brake fluid 354, 544, 546
Capacities 543
Engine coolant 354, 362, 549
Engine oil 358, 546
Power steering fluid 544
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning system* 355,
545, 551
Fog lamps 139
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamps* 140
Messages in the
multifunction display 458
Rear fog lamp 139
Replacing bulbs 488
4-ETS 102
Off-road - 4-ETS 102Front air bags 75
Front defroster 213, 227
Front lamps see Headlamps
Front passenger front air bag 70, 75
Messages in the multifunction
display 440, 441, 442, 443
Front passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp 31, 89, 426, 427
Front seat heat restraints see
Head restraints
Front towing eye 520
FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles) 361, 402
Fuel 353
Additives 547
Capacities, Fuel tank 545
Consumption statistics 180, 181
Diesel fuel 545
Filling the tank 352
Fuel filler flap and cap 352, 477
Fuel gauge 29
Fuel tank reserve warning lamp 29,
420
Premium unleaded gasoline 353,
547, 548
Requirements, Octane rating 548
572 IndexT
Tachometer 29, 146
Overspeed range 146
Tail lamps 490
Cleaning lenses 408
Messages in the
multifunction display 462
Replacing bulbs 483, 491
Tailgate
Closing 121
Closing from the inside,
Electrically* 121
Closing from the outside
(vehicles without
KEYLESS-GO*) 123
Opening 119
Opening from the inside,
Electrically* 119
Opening from the outside 119
Unlocking and opening the tailgate in
an emergency 476
Unlocking and opening with
KEYLESS-GO*, Power
tailgate* 117
Unlocking and opening with SmartKey,
Power tailgate* 111Tar stains 405
Technical data 527
Air conditioning refrigerant 546
Brake fluid 544, 546
Capacities fuels, coolants, lubricants
etc. 543, 544
Coolant 549
Dimensions, Vehicle 541
Electrical system 540
Engine 534
Engine oil 546
Engine oil additives 546
Fuel requirements 548
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. 543
Gasoline additives 547
Main dimensions 541
Premium unleaded gasoline 547
Rims 536
Tires 536
Weights 542
Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system* 545
Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning* system 551Tele Aid* 308
Call priority 314
Emergency calls 310
Hands-free microphone 33
Information 313
Initiating an emergency call
manually 311
Messages in the
multifunction display 464
Remote door unlock 315
Roadside Assistance 312
SOS button 311
Stolen Vehicle Recovery
services 315
System self-check 309
Telephone cradle*
Changing 307