2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class winter tires

Contents
Rear View Camera*...................... 477
Night View Assist* ....................... 481
Blind Spot Assist* ........................ 485
Air vents ............................................ 488
Opening and closing air vents ...... 490
Ventilated storage compartment . 490
Automatic climate control ................. 491
Deactivating climate
control system ............................. 493
Operating climate control system
in automatic mode ....................... 493
Setting temperature ..................... 494
Adjusting air volume .................... 494
Front defroster ............................. 494
Rear window defroster ................. 496
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
(USA only) .................................... 496
Air recirculation mode.................. 496
Residual engine heat and
ventilation .................................... 498
Trunk ................................................. 500
Opening trunk .............................. 500
Closing trunk................................ 501
Trunk emergency release ............. 504
Valet locking ................................ 505Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 506
Opening and closing power
tilt/sliding sunroof ........................ 506
Synchronizing ............................... 508
Loading and storing ............................ 509
Loading instructions ..................... 509
Storage compartments ................. 509
Cup holders .................................. 513
Trunk ............................................ 514
Useful features ................................... 516
Sun visors ..................................... 516
Ashtray ......................................... 516
Cigarette lighter ............................ 517
Floormats*.................................... 518
Telephone* ................................... 519
Tele Aid ......................................... 522
Garage door opener ...................... 530
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 536
Operation.......................................... 537
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 538
Driving instructions ............................ 539
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 539
Drinking and driving...................... 539
Pedals ........................................... 539
Power assistance .......................... 539
Brakes .......................................... 540
Driving off ..................................... 542
Parking ......................................... 542
Tires.............................................. 543
Hydroplaning ................................ 543
Tire traction .................................. 544
Tire speed rating ........................... 544
Winter driving instructions ............ 545
Standing water ............................. 546
Passenger compartment............... 547
Driving abroad .............................. 547
Control and operation of
radio transmitters ......................... 547
Catalytic converter ....................... 548
Emission control ........................... 548
Coolant temperature .................... 549

ContentsAt the gas station............................... 550
Refueling ...................................... 550
Check regularly and before a
long trip ........................................ 552
Engine compartment.......................... 553
Hood ............................................ 553
Engine oil...................................... 554
Transmission fluid level ................ 558
Active Body Control (ABC)
fluid level ...................................... 558
Coolant level ................................ 559
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 560
Tires and wheels ................................ 561
Important guidelines .................... 561
Tire care and maintenance ........... 562
Direction of rotation ..................... 564
Loading the vehicle ...................... 564
Recommended tire
inflation pressure ......................... 569
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 571
Tire labeling .................................. 577
Load identification........................ 581
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 581Maximum tire load ....................... 582
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 583
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 583
Tire ply material ........................... 585
Tire and loading terminology ........ 585
Rotating tires ............................... 589
Winter driving .................................... 590
Winter tires .................................. 590
Snow chains ................................. 591
Maintenance ...................................... 592
Maintenance service indicator
message....................................... 592
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display............... 593
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator........................... 594
Vehicle care ....................................... 595
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 595
Practical hints................................. 607
What to do if …? ................................ 608
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 608
Air bag off indicator lamp............. 620
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display.................... 622
Where will I find ...? ........................... 681
First aid kit ................................... 681
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit,
luggage bowl, Minispare wheel .... 681
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 684
Unlocking the vehicle................... 684
Locking the vehicle ...................... 685
Replacing SmartKey batteries ........... 686
Replacing bulbs ................................. 688
Bulbs ............................................ 689
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 691
Replacing bulbs for the
rear lamps .................................... 693
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 694
Placing wiper arms in
vertical position ........................... 694
Removing wiper blades ................ 695
Installing wiper blades ................. 695

65 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
This section contains information about
Adaptive Brake Lights as well as the follow-
ing driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


Adaptive Brake


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


BAS Plus* (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem Plus)


EBP (E
lectronic B
rake P
roportioning)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (Pre
ventive Occu-
pant Safe
ty Brake)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 30) comes on when you
switch on the ignition (
page 365). It goes
out when the engine is running.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The driving safety systems described in this
section cannot reduce these risks or pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.
Always adapt your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions and
keep a safe distance to other road users and
objects on the street.
i
In winter operation, the maximum effective-
ness of the ABS, Adaptive Brake, BAS,
BAS Plus*, EBP and ESP
® only achieved with
winter tires (
page 590), or snow chains as re-
quired.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

479 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Special attention must be paid to objects
outside of the camera’s field of view such as
those located very close to or below the rear
bumper, or above the recessed grip of the
luggage compartment lid. Such objects may
not be detected by the system and can dam-
age the vehicle.
The Rear View Camera does not warn you
about impending collisions with objects. The
driver is always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to the imme-
diate surroundings while parking or maneu-
vering the vehicle. This applies not only to
the area behind the vehicle, but also to the
area in front of and to the sides of the vehi-
cle. Failure to do so could result in injury to
persons and/or damage to the vehicle or
other property. We also recommend that the
driver uses the Parktronic system* or Park
Assist* when parking or maneuvering the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.Warning!
G
The Rear View Camera may not function if:

the trunk lid is not completely closed


it is raining or snowing heavily, or if
there is thick fog


in a very dark area


the camera is exposed to very strong
white light (white stripes may appear on
the COMAND display)


the surrounding area is lit with fluores-
cent light (the COMAND display can
flicker)


outside temperatures are very high (lens
condensation)


there is a sudden change in tempera-
ture, for example when you drive out of
the cold into a heated garage in winter
(lens condensation)


the camera lens is dirty or covered, see
“Cleaning the Rear View Camera* lens”
(page 602)


the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In
this case, have the position and setting
of the camera checked by a qualified
technician. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not use the Rear View Camera if the
roads are icy, slippery or covered with snow.
The vehicle could slip causing the actual ve-
hicle position to deviate from the one shown
on the COMAND display.
This may cause injury to you or others, or
damage the vehicle or objects.
Mounting tires/rims of other specification
than the original equipment tires/rims may
impair the function of the Rear View Cam-
era. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

537 Operation
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
Driving instructions
At the gas station
Engine compartment
Tires and wheels
Winter driving
Maintenance
Vehicle care

544 OperationDriving instructionsTire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or
icy road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.Mercedes-Benz recommends winter tires
(
page 590) with a minimum tread depth
of approximately
1/6in (4 mm) on all four
wheels for the winter season to ensure
normal balanced handling characteristics.
On packed snow, they can reduce your
stopping distance compared to summer
tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still consid-
erably greater than when the road is not
covered with snow or ice. Exercise appro-
priate caution.
Tire speed rating
Regardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.
Warning!
G
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel. This may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
Warning!
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or serious
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.

545 Operation
Driving instructions
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of

All models except AMG vehicles:
130 mph (210 km/h)


CL 63 AMG:
CL 65 AMG:
155 mph (250 km/h)


CL 63 AMG with increased top speed*:
CL 63 AMG (Performance Package*):
CL 65 AMG with increased top speed*:
186 mph (300 km/h)
The factory equipped tires on your vehicle
may have a tire speed rating above the
maximum speed permitted by the elec-
tronic speed limiter.
Make sure your tires have the required tire
speed rating as specified for your vehicle in
the “Technical data” section (
page 727),
for example when purchasing new tires.For information on how to identify the tire
speed rating on a tire’s sidewall, see “Tire
size designation, load and speed rating”
(
page 577).
If you are uncertain about the correct read-
ing of the information given on a tire’s side-
wall, any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center will be glad to assist you.
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
or DISTRONIC Plus* system under such
conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move gear selector lever to neutral
positionN. Try to keep the vehicle under
control by corrective steering action.
i
For information on speed ratings for winter
tires, see (
page 580) and (
page 590).
i
For information on driving with snow chains,
see “Snow chains” (
page 591).
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.

561 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
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 of less than
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. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for further informa-
tion. 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 worn to minimum tread depth,
or if the tires have sustained damage, re-
place 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 re-
treads. The operating safety of the vehicle
cannot be assured when such tires are used.