446 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Brake fluid
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
provide you with additional information.Premium unleaded gasoline
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
operating conditions, this moisture content
can lead to the formation of bubbles in the
system, thus reducing the system’s
efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be replaced
regularly. Refer to your vehicle’s
Maintenance Booklet for replacement
interval.
Warning!G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
personal injury.
Never allow sparks, flame or smoking mate-
rials near gasoline!
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid
inhaling fumes and skin contact, extinguish
all smoking materials.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the
inhalation of fuel vapors are damaging to
your health.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and per-
formance, premium unleaded gasoline must be
used. If premium unleaded gasoline is not avail-
able and low octane fuel is used, follow these
precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially filled with
unleaded regular gasoline and fill up with
premium unleaded gasoline as soon as
possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of 3 000 rpm
if the vehicle is loaded with a light load such
as two persons and no luggage.
Do not exceed 2/3of maximum accelerator
pedal position if the vehicle is fully loaded or
operating in mountainous terrain.
447 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuel requirements
Only use premium unleaded fuel:
The octane number (posted at the
pump) must be 91 min. It is an
average of both the Research Octane
Number (RON) and the Motor Octane
Number (MON): (RON+MON)/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 not to 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.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz only recommends
only the use of quality gasoline containing
additives that prevent the build-up of
carbon deposits.
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 lossIn 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
(USA only) or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center 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 engine operation.
!Damage or malfunction resulting from poor
fuel quality or from blending additional fuel
additives other than those tested and approved
by us for use on Mercedes-Benz vehicles are not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
448 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze, which pro-
vides:
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
-35°F (-37°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 are used to
renew the coolant concentration or bring it
back up to the proper level.
For information on other Mercedes-Benz
approved products of equal specification,
refer to the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet (USA only) or contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.To provide important corrosion protection,
the solution must be at least
50% anticorrosion/antifreeze (equivalent
to freeze protection to approximately
-35°F [-37°C]). If you use a solution that is
more than 55% anticorrosion/antifreeze
(freeze protection to approximately
-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 anticorro-
sion/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-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz 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.
449 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of
aluminum parts. The use of aluminum
components in motor vehicle engines
necessitates 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:
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze 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
Center for service.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze quantity
ModelApproximate freeze protection
-35°F (-37°C)-49°F (-45°C)
SLK 280, SLK 3505.4 US qt (5.1 l)6.0 US qt (5.6 l)
SLK 55 AMG5.9 US qt (5.5 l)6.4 US qt (6.1 l)
450 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*
Both the windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* are supplied
from the windshield washer reservoir.
The windshield washer reservoir has a
capacity of approximately 7.4 US qt (7.0 l).
Refill the reservoir with MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate “MB SummerFit”
and water (or concentrate and
commercially available premixed wind-
shield washer solvent/antifreeze, de-
pending on ambient temperatures).Windshield and headlamp washer fluid
mixing ratio
For temperatures above freezing point,
use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
“MB SummerFit” and water:
1 part “MB SummerFit” to100 parts
water
(1.34 fl oz [40 ml] “MB SummerFit” to
1gal [4.0l] water)For temperatures below freezing point, use
MB Windshield Washer
Concentrate “MB SummerFit” and com-
mercially available premixed windshield
washer solvent/antifreeze:
1 part “MB SummerFit” to 100 parts
solvent
(1.34 fl oz [40 ml] “MB SummerFit” to
1 gal [4.0 l] solvent)
Warning!G
Washer solvent/antifreeze is highly flamma-
ble. Do not spill washer solvent/antifreeze
on hot engine parts because it may ignite
and burn. You could be seriously burned.
460 Index
Manual transmission 153
Driving 53
Gearshift pattern 51
Starting with SmartKey 51
Maximum inflation pressure 329
Maximum load rating 328
Maximum loaded vehicle weight 328
Mechanical key see SmartKey
Memory function* 107
Menus see Control system menus
Messages in the multifunction display see
Multifunction display messages
Mirror lamp* see Sun visors
Mirrors 168
Additional turn signals 394
Adjusting 46
Antiglare position 168
Auto-dimming* 169
Exterior rear view mirrors 46
Interior rear view mirror 46Mobile phone see Telephone*
MOE tires* see MOExtended system*
MOExtended system* 317, 414
MON 292, 447
Motor Octane Number see MON
MP3 210
Multifunction display 121
Multifunction display messages 356
ABS 358
Air bags 361–364
Battery, Vehicle 366
Brake fluid 367
Brakes 367
Bulbs 375–380
Coolant 368–370
Cruise control 358
Doors 371
Engine oil 372–373
ESP
®358, 359Passenger front air bag 363
Fuel 374
Hood 375
Maintenance service indicator 334
Parking brake 366
Retractable hardtop 374, 381
Run Flat Indicator* 365
Seat belt 381
SmartKey 375
SRS 360
Symbol messages 366
Telephone* 381
Text messages 358
Transmission 360
Trunk lid 381
Vehicle status message memory 135
Washer fluid 381
Multifunction steering wheel 28, 122
Heating* 276
465 Index
Steering wheel gearshift control one-touch
gearshifting
Automatic transmission* 163
Stolen vehicle, Recovery services
(Tele Aid*) 269
Storage compartments 32, 252
Armrest 32, 252
Between seat backrests 32, 253
Cup holder 32, 254
Door pockets 32
Glove box 32, 252
Parcel net 32, 253
Storage tray 32
Telephone* compartment 32, 252
Trunk 32
Storing tires 306
Summer opening*
Power windows 238
Retractable hardtop 244
Sun visors 170
Symbols in display 366T
Tachometer 119
Tail lamps 395
Tar stains see Vehicle care
TDMA or CDMA network phones
(Telephone*) 226
Technical data
Air conditioning refrigerant 445
Brake fluid 446
Coolants 448
Electrical system 440
Engine 433
Engine oil 445
Fuel additives 447
Fuel requirements 447
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. 443
Headlamp cleaning system* 450
Main dimensions 441
Parts service 428
Premium unleaded gasoline 446
Rims and tires 434
Weights 442
Windshield washer system 450Tele Aid system* 261
Call priority 268
Initiating an emergency call 264
Remote door unlock 269
Requirements 262
Roadside Assistance 265
Stolen Vehicle Recovery
services 269
System self-check 263
Telephone* 258
Changing mobile phone cradle 261
Compartment 33, 252
GSM network phones 219
Inserting in cradle 259
Installing a different mobile phone
cradle 261
Operation 149, 193
Removing from cradle 260
Tightening torque
Wheel bolts 413