322 OperationVehicle careCleaning and care of the vehicle
Regular and proper care will help to main-
tain the value of your vehicle. The best way
to protect your vehicle from harmful envi-
ronmental influences is to wash it and use
protective treatments regularly.
While in operation, even while parked, your
vehicle is subjected to varying external
influences which, if gone unchecked, can
attack the paintwork as well as the vehicle
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 imme-
diately remove:
Grease and oil
Fuel
Coolant
Brake fluid
Bird droppings
Insects
Tree resins, etc.
Frequent washing reduces and/or elimi-
nates 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.
Your vehicle has been treated at the
factory with a wax-base rustproofing in the
body cavities which will last for the lifetime
of the vehicle. Post-production treatment
is neither necessary nor recommended by
Mercedes-Benz because of the possibility
of incompatibility between materials used
in the production process and others
applied later.
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.
325 Operation
Vehicle care
Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of ornamen-
tal moldings, use a use damp cloth.Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
turn signal lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Sham-
poo, with plenty of water.Cleaning the Distronic* system sensor
cover
1Distronic* system sensor cover
Switch off the ignition (
page 39).
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo, with plenty of water and a
non-scratching cloth to clean sensor
cover1.
i
After running the vehicle through an auto-
matic car wash, wipe any wax off of the wind-
shield (
page 326). This will prevent smears
and reduce wiping noise which can be caused by
residual wax on the windshield.
When leaving the car wash, make sure that the
mirrors are folded out. Otherwise they may vi-
brate.
!
Do not use chrome cleaner on ornamental
moldings. Although ornamental moldings may
have chrome appearance, they could be made of
anodized aluminum that will be damaged when
cleaned with chrome cleaner. Instead, use damp
cloth to clean those ornamental moldings.
Very dirty ornamental moldings of which you are
sure are chrome-plated, use a chrome cleaner. If
in doubt whether an ornamental molding is
chrome-plated, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
!
Only use window cleaning solutions that are
suitable for plastic lamp lenses. Window clean-
ing solutions which are not suitable may damage
the plastic lamp lenses of the headlamps. There-
fore, do not use abrasives, solvents or cleaners
that contain solvents.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the lenses.
Do not attempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the lens
surface.
326 OperationVehicle care
Restart the engine after cleaning
sensor cover1.
Cleaning the Parktronic system*
sensors
1Parktronic system* sensors in front
bumper
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo, with plenty of water and a
soft, non-scratching cloth to clean
sensors1 on the bumpers.Cleaning the windows and the wiper
blades
Make sure the hood is fully closed.
Switch on the ignition (
page 39).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 57).
With wiper arms in vertical position,
switch off the ignition (
page 39).
!
To prevent scratches or damage, never ap-
ply strong force and only use a soft, non-scratch-
ing cloth when cleaning Distronic system sensor
cover1. Do not attempt to wipe dirty sensor
with a dry cloth or sponge.
!
Do not apply strong pressure to the sensor
covers. Applying strong pressure may damage
the sensor covers.
Follow the instructions provided by the power
washer manufacturer on maintaining a distance
between the vehicle and the nozzle of the power
washer.
!
To prevent scratches, never apply strong
force and only use a soft, non-scratching cloth
when cleaning the sensors. Do not attempt to
wipe dirty sensors with a dry cloth or sponge.
!
The windshield wipers must be in a vertical
position before folding them away from the wind-
shield. They could otherwise damage the hood.
Never open the hood when the wiper arms are
folded forward.
327 Operation
Vehicle care
Fold the wiper arms forward until they
snap into place.
Clean the wiper blade inserts with a
clean cloth and detergent solution.
Use a soft, clean cloth and a mild win-
dow cleaning solution on all outside
and inside glass surfaces.
An automotive glass cleaner is recom-
mended.Rear window cleaning
Clean the rear window with the hardtop
fully raised and closed.
Use a soft, clean cloth and a mild win-
dow cleaning solution on all outside
and inside glass surfaces.
An automotive glass cleaner is recom-
mended.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the
vehicle’s on-board electronics have
status0.) before cleaning the windshield
and/or the wiper blades. Otherwise, the
wiper motor could suddenly turn on and
cause injury.!
Do not pull on the wiper blade inserts. They
could tear.
!
Fold the windshield wiper arms back onto
the windshield before turning the SmartKey in
the starter switch or pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button (vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*).
Hold on to the wiper when folding the wiper arm
back. If released, the force of the impact from
the tensioning spring could crack the windshield.
!
To clean the window interior, do not use a
dry cloth, abrasives, solvents or cleaners con-
taining solvents. Do not touch the inside of the
front, rear or side windows with hard objects
such as an ice scraper or ring. Doing so may
damage the windows.
Warning!
G
Do not clean the rear window with the hard-
top in a position other than the fully raised
and closed position. Otherwise, the hardtop
may move unexpectedly which may result in
personal injury to you or others.
403 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades
Placing wiper arms in vertical positionWiper blades in vertical positionVehicles with SmartKey
Turn SmartKey to starter switch
position1 (
page 39).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 57).
With wiper arms in the vertical position,
turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.
Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the
vehicle’s on-board electronics have
status0) before replacing a wiper blade.
Otherwise the wiper motor could suddenly
turn on and cause injury. Warning!
G
Wiper blades are components that are sub-
ject to wear and tear. Change the wiper
blades twice a year, preferably in the spring
and fall. Otherwise the windows will not be
properly wiped. As a result, you may not be
able to observe surrounding traffic condi-
tions and could cause an accident.
!
To avoid damage to the hood:
The wiper arms should only be folded for-
ward when in the vertical position.
Never open the hood when the wiper arm is
folded forward.
!
Never open the hood when the wiper arms
are folded forward.
Hold on to the wiper when folding the wiper arm
back. If released, the force of the impact from
the tensioning spring could crack the windshield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact the wind-
shield glass without a wiper blade inserted.
Make sure the wiper blades are properly in-
stalled. Improperly installed wiper blades may
cause windshield damage.
For your convenience, we recommend that you
have this work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
418 Practical hintsBatteries
Charge batteries in accordance with
the instructions of the battery charger
manufacturer.
Reinstall the charged batteries. Follow
the previously described steps in re-
verse order.
Reconnecting the batteries
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Install starter battery in the designated
location in the engine compartment.
Install consumer battery in the desig-
nated location in the trunk.
Attach supports and brackets.
Tighten support and bracket screws.
Connect positive lead 4 (
page 414)
of the consumer battery and positive
lead 1 (
page 414) of the starter bat-
tery and fasten covers.
Connect negative lead 2
(page 414) of the starter battery.
Connect negative lead 5
(page 414) of the consumer battery.
Reinstall the trunk floor.
Close trunk luggage cover
(page 206).
!
Always connect the batteries in the order
described below. Otherwise the vehicle’s elec-
tronics can be damaged.
!
Never invert the terminal connections!
i
The following procedures must be carried
out following any interruption of battery power
(e.g. due to reconnection):
Resynchronize the ESP
® (page 355).
Resynchronize side windows (
page 198).
460 IndexK
Key, Mechanical 391
Valet locking 117
Key, SmartKey
Battery check lamp 102
Factory setting 103
Locking/unlocking 38, 63, 102
Messages in the multifunction
display 378
Opening retractable hardtop 201
Remote control 102
Replacing batteries 395
Selective setting 104
Starter switch positions 40
Turning off the engine 62
Unlocking, Trunk lid 111
Key, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 105
Battery check lamp 106
Closing, Trunk 116
Factory setting 108
Locking/unlocking 39, 63, 105
Messages in the multifunction
display 378
Opening retractable hardtop 201
Remote control 105
Replacing battery 395Selective setting 109
Starter switch positions 40
Turning off the engine 62
Unlocking, Trunk lid 111
KEYLESS-GO*
Closing windows 198
Important notes 107
Locking/unlocking 39, 63, 105
Messages in the multifunction
display 378
Start/stop button 31, 40, 53
Starter switch positions 40
Starting the engine 53
Turning off the engine 62
Unlocking, Trunk lid 111
Kickdown 171
Kilopascal 313
Knee bag 72
L
Labels, identification 430
Lamp bulbs, exterior 397
Lamps, exterior
Delayed switch-off 160
Exterior lamp switch 25, 55
Front 398
Light sensor 380Replacing bulbs for rear 398, 402
Switching off 128
Switching on 128
Lamps, indicator and warning
ABS 29, 334
ABS/ESP
®
332
Brakes 335
CHECK ENGINE 336, 337
Coolant 337
DTR* 216
Electro-hydraulic brake system 92
Engine diagnostics 336, 337
Engine malfunction 29
ESP
®
89
Front passenger front
air bag off 72, 76, 345
Fuel reserve 339
Seat belts 341
SRS 67, 342
Turn signals 27
Language
Multifunction display 156
Leather upholstery
Cleaning 329
License plate lamps 159, 398, 402
Light alloy wheels, cleaning 328
463 Index
P
Paintwork code see Certification label
Panic alarm 86
Panic button on SmartKey 86
Panorama roof*
Sunshade 208
Sunshade closing 208
Sunshade opening 208
Parcel net
In front passenger footwell 236
Parcel net in trunk 237
Parking 263
Parking assistance (Parktronic*) 228
Parking brake
Engaging 61
Releasing 54
Parking brake pedal 25
Parking lamps 398
Switching on 128
Parktronic* 32, 228
Activating 231
Cleaning system sensors 326
Malfunctioning 231
Minimum distance 230
Range 229Rear sensors 230
System sensors 326
Warning indicators 25, 230
Parktronic* deactivation switch 32
Parts service 428
PASS AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp see
Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp
Passenger side
Front air bag 72
Pedals 259
Phone book* 166
Loading 167
Quick search 167
Phone number*
Dialing 166
Redialing 167
Plastic parts, cleaning 328
Poly-V-belt drive
Layout 432
Potential problems associated with under-
inflated and overinflated tires 301
Power assistance 260
Power closing assist for trunk lid 118
Power outlet 242Power seat
Adjusting backrest tilt 44
Adjusting head restraint height 44
Adjusting head restraint tilt 44
Adjusting seat cushion depth 44
Adjusting seat cushion tilt 44
Adjusting seat height 44
Power windows 196
Cleaning 326
Closing with KEYLESS-GO* 198
Side windows 196
Synchronizing 198
Problems while driving 59
Production options weight 313
Program mode selector switch
Automatic transmission 32, 173
PSI 313
PULSE function (Massage function) 122
Q
Quick search
Phone book* 167