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.
549 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants
Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze, which
provides:
Corrosion protection
Freeze protection
Boiling protection (by increasing the
boiling point)
The cooling system was filled at the factory
with a coolant providing freeze protection
to approximately -35°F (-37°C) and corro-
sion protection.If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).
The coolant solution must be used year
round to provide the necessary corrosion
protection and increase boil-over protec-
tion. Refer to Maintenance Booklet for
replacement interval.
Coolant system design and coolant used
determine the replacement interval. The
replacement interval published in the
Maintenance booklet is only applicable if
MB 325.0 anticorrosion/antifreeze solu-
tion or other Mercedes-Benz approved
products of equal specification (see
Factory Approved Service Products
pamphlet) are used to renew the coolant
concentration or bring it back up to the
proper level.To provide important corrosion protection,
the solution must be at least 45% anticor-
rosion/antifreeze (equivalent to freeze
protection to approx. - 22°F [-30°C]). If
you use a solution that is more than 55%
anticorrosion/antifreeze (freeze protec-
tion to approx. - 49°F [-45°C]), the engine
temperature will increase due to the lower
heat transfer capability of the solution.
Therefore, do not use more than this
amount of anticorrosion/antifreeze.
If the coolant level is low, water and
MB 325.0 anticorrosion/antifreeze should
be used to bring it up to the proper level
(have cooling system checked for signs of
leakage). Please make sure the mixture is
in accordance with label instructions.
The water in the cooling system must meet
minimum requirements, which are usually
satisfied by normal drinking water. If you
are not sure about the water quality, con-
sult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
!
Add premixed coolant solution only. Adding
water and MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze
separately from each other, could cause engine
damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
550 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricantsAnticorrosion/antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of
aluminum parts. The use of aluminum
components in motor vehicle engines ne-
cessitates that anticorrosion/antifreeze
coolant used in such engines be
specifically formulated to protect the aluminum parts. (Failure to use such anti-
corrosion/antifreeze coolant will result in
a significantly shortened service life.)
Therefore, the following product is strongly
recommended for use in your vehicle:
Mercedes-Benz 325.0 anticorrosion/anti-
freeze agent.Before the start of the winter season (or
once a year in hot southern regions), you
should have the anticorrosion/antifreeze
concentration checked. The coolant is also
regularly checked each time you bring your
vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center for service.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze quantityModel
Approx. freeze protection– 35°F (– 37°C)
– 49°F (– 45°C)
ML 320 CDI
5.1 US qt (4.75 l)
5.5 US qt (5.2 l)
ML 350
5.1 US qt (4.75 l)
5.5 US qt (5.2 l)
ML 500
5.4 US qt (5.0 l)
5.8 US qt (5.5 l)
ML 63 AMG
6.0 US qt (5.75 l)
6.7 US qt (6.3 l)
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
555 Index
Bead 395
Belt reel 291
Beverage holder see Cup holder
Block heater (Canada only) 400
Bolts, Collapsible tire
(ML 63 AMG only) 474
Bolts, Minispare wheel
(except ML 63 AMG) 473
Brake fluid 546
Checking 354
Messages in the
multifunction display 449
Brake lamp
Cleaning lenses 408
Messages in the
multifunction display 458
Replacing bulbs 490
Brake pads 326
Messages in the
multifunction display 447
Brakes 326
Warning lamp 415
Break-in period 324
Bulbs, replacing see Replacing bulbs
Button for Voice control*
system 30, 148C
California retail buyers and lessees,
Important notice for 11
Camera see Rear view camera*
Can holder see Cup holder
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants 543
Card holder 32, 35, 299
Cargo compartment cover blind 286
Cargo tie-down rings 283
Carpets, Cleaning 411
Catalytic converter
(gasoline engine) 349
CD changer* 161, 294
CD player 161
Center console
Lower part 32
Upper part 31
Central locking
Automatic 126
Locking/unlocking from
the inside 126
Switch 126
Certification label 530CHECK ENGINE malfunction
indicator lamp 417, 418
Checking tire pressure electronically with
the Advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (Advanced TPMS)*,
(Canada only) 381
Checking tire pressure electronically with
the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS), (USA only) 379
Checklist
Off-road driving 336
Returning from off-road driving 341
Children in the vehicle 82
Air bags 73, 82
Blocking rear door window
operation 93
Indicator lamp, Front passenger front
air bag 89
Infant and child restraint systems 77,
82
LATCH-type child seat anchors 91
Occupant Classification System
(OCS) 85
Cigarette lighter* 301
556 IndexClimate control 206
Air conditioning, Cooling 216
Air distribution, Front 212
Air distribution, Rear 219
Air recirculation mode 214
Air vents, Front 212
Air volume 212
Control panel*, Rear 217
Control panel, Front 208
Deactivating system 210
Defogging 213
Defrosting 213
Rear window defroster 205
Residual engine heat (REST) 216
Clock 27, 169
Setting time 169
Cloth upholstery,
Cleaning and care of 412
Cockpit 24
Cockpit Management and Data System
see COMAND system
Cold tire inflation pressure 395
Collapsible tire 538
Collapsible tire (ML 63 AMG only) 474
Collapsible wheel chock 472COMAND system see separate operating
instructions
Combination switch 59, 60, 62, 140
Compass 321
Adjustment 174
Calibration 175
Calling up the compass 321
Control and operation of radio
transmitters 348
Control system 147
Multifunction display 147
Multifunction steering wheel 148
Resetting to factory default 165
Control system menus 147
AIRMATIC*/Compass 162
AMG menu 156
Audio 159
Distronic* 162
Nav* 161
Settings 164
Standard display 154
Tel* 182
Trip computer 180
Vehicle configuration 178
Vehicle status message memory 163Control system submenus 151, 153, 166
Comfort* 177
Instrument cluster 167, 168
Lighting 171
Time/Date 169
Vehicle 174
Coolant 362, 549
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
mixing ratio and quantity 550
Capacities 543
Checking coolant level 354, 362
Messages in the multifunction
display 450, 452
Temperature 350
Temperature display 154
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps* 140
Messages in the
multifunction display 458
Replacing bulbs 488
Crossing obstacles 339
Cruise control 245
Activating 247
Messages in the
multifunction display 431
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