Contents
Flat tire .............................................. 497
Preparing the vehicle.................... 497
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 498
Bleeding the fuel system
(diesel engine only) ............................ 505
Battery ............................................... 506
Disconnecting, removing,
reinstalling and reconnecting
the battery.................................... 508
Charging the battery .................... 513
Jump starting ..................................... 514
Towing the vehicle ............................. 517
Installing towing eye bolt.............. 518
Stranded vehicle .......................... 519
Fuses ................................................. 520
Fuse box in engine
compartment................................ 521
Fuse box in cargo compartment ... 521
Fuse box in passenger
compartment................................ 522
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 522
Technical data................................. 523
Parts service ...................................... 524
Warranty coverage............................. 525
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ..................... 525
Identification labels ........................... 526
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 528
R 320 CDI .................................... 528
R 350 ........................................... 528
R 500 ........................................... 528
R 63 AMG..................................... 529
Engine................................................ 530
Rims and tires.................................... 532
Same size tires ............................. 533
Spare wheel (collapsible tire) ....... 534
Electrical system ............................... 535
Main Dimensions ............................... 536
Weights.............................................. 537Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......... 538
Capacities .................................... 538
Engine oils ................................... 540
Engine oil additives ...................... 540
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 540
Brake fluid.................................... 541
Premium unleaded gasoline
(gasoline engine) .......................... 541
Gasoline additives
(gasoline engine) .......................... 542
Fuel requirements ........................ 542
Coolants ...................................... 543
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning* system......... 546
Index................................................. 547
76 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bagiAir bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags), side impacts
(side impact and head protection window curtain
air bags) which exceed preset thresholds, and in
certain rollovers (head protection window cur-
tain air bags). Only during these events will they
provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passengers should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
air bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not deploy. The driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a properly
fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt
is also needed to provide the best possible pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your
passengers that you replace deployed air bags
and repair any malfunctioning air bags to make
sure the vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.
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. Use only 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 front seat
backrests, door trim panels, or door
frame trims, and installation of addition-
al 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 not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when window curtain air bag is de-
ployed.
Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.
315 Controls in detail
Useful features
Third-row storage compartment
Storage compartments are located on the
side trims of the third-row seats.
1Storage compartmentParcel nets Parcel net in front passenger footwell
1Parcel net
Parcel nets on front seat backrests
1Parcel net
iIf your vehicle is equipped with a
3-zone automatic climate control*, the storage
compartment is replaced by an adjustable air
vent (
page 249).
Warning!G
Do not place objects with a combined
weight of more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg) into the
parcel net on the back of the front passen-
ger seat. Otherwise, the Occupant
Classification System OCS (
page 88) may
not be able to properly approximate the
occupant weight category.
Parcel nets are intended for storing
light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges, or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
parcel nets. In an accident, during hard
braking, or sudden maneuvers, they could
be thrown around inside the vehicle and
cause injury to vehicle occupants.
Parcel nets cannot protect transported
goods in the event of an accident.
319 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cupholders in third-row side trim
Cupholders are located in the side trims of
the third-row seats.
1Cup holderAshtrays*
Your vehicle is equipped with an ashtray
and a cigarette lighter (
page 321)
located in the front center console and an
ashtray located in front of the second-row
seats (
page 320).Ashtray in the front center console
Opening the ashtray
Open cover1 (page 312).
1Cover plate
2Ashtray insert
iIf your vehicle is not equipped with a
smoking package*, it has a storage
compartment (
page 312) with a power outlet
(
page 322) instead.
354 Operation
Driving instructions
R320 CDI, R350, R500
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“H”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).
R350, R500 (with Sport Package*)
R350, R500 (with AMG rims*)
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“W”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 168 mph (270 km/h)
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).R63AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km/h).
R 63 AMG with increased top speed*
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
171 mph (275 km/h).Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
shift the automatic transmission to
positionN. Try to keep the vehicle under
control by corrective steering action.
iFor information on speed ratings for winter
tires, see “Winter tires” (
page 405).
For additional general information on tire speed
markings on the tire sidewall, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 403).
iFor information on driving with snow chains,
see “Snow chains” (
page 406).
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
373 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
See an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center for information on tested 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 and
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 under
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. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for
further 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
retreads. The operating safety of the vehicle
cannot be assured when such tires are used.
391 Operation
Tires and wheels
Overinflated tires
Overinflated tires can:
adversely affect handling
characteristics
cause uneven tire wear
be more prone to damage from road
hazards
adversely affect ride comfort
increase stopping distance
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 398)
2DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(
page 396)
3Maximum tire load (
page 397)
4Maximum tire inflation pressure
(
page 398)
5Manufacturer
6Tire ply material (
page 400)
7Tire size designation, load and speed
rating (
page 392)
8Load identification (
page 395)
9Tire name
Warning!G
Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride
comfort, wear unevenly, increase stopping
distance, and result in sudden deflation
(blowout) because they are more likely to
become punctured or damaged by road
debris, potholes etc.
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 532).
393 Operation
Tires and wheels
Rim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 392) is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the
diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is
indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating
The tire load rating5 (
page 392) is a
numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corre-
sponds to a maximum load of 1356 lbs
(615 kg) the tire is designed to support.
See also “Maximum tire load”
(
page 397) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.For additional information on tire load
rating, see “Load identification”
(
page 395).
Tire speed rating
The tire speed rating6 (
page 392)
indicates the approved maximum speed
for the tire.
Warning!G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 401) of your vehi-
cle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the result
which may cause an accident and/or seri-
ous 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 plac-
ard 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 392) and tire
speed rating6 (
page 392) 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.