2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class maintenance

645 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Service
See Oper. Manual
CL 600 and CL 65 AMG only:
The brake system sensors are malfunction-
ing. The brake system continues to function
normally with full brake force boost.

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
(USA only)(Canada only)
Check
Brake Pad Wear
The brake pads have reached their wear
limit.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon as
possible.
!
Brake pad thickness must be visually
checked by a qualified technician at the intervals
specified in the Maintenance Booklet.

699 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and re-
move.

Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.

Remove the remaining bolts.

Remove the wheel.Attaching the Minispare wheel
Warning!
G
Position the jack only on the jack take-up
brackets designed for this purpose.
If the jack is not properly positioned, the ve-
hicle may fall off the jack and cause serious
personal injury or damage to the vehicle.Warning!
G
The jack is intended only for lifting the
vehicle briefly for wheel changes. It is not
suited for performing maintenance work
under the vehicle.

Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised.


Never lie down under the raised vehicle.
!
Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt. This
could result in damage to the bolt and wheel hub
threads.
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident.
Make sure you are using the correct wheel
bolts.

702 Practical hintsBatteriesYour vehicle is equipped with two batter-
ies:

The starter battery, located in the en-
gine compartment


The battery for electrical consumers
(consumer battery), located in the
trunk
The batteries should always be sufficiently
charged in order to achieve its rated ser-
vice life. Refer to Maintenance Booklet for
battery maintenance intervals.
If you use your vehicle mostly for short-dis-
tance trips, you will need to have the bat-
tery charge checked more frequently.
When replacing the batteries, always use
batteries approved by Mercedes-Benz.
If you do not intend to operate your vehicle
for an extended period of time, consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center about
steps you need to observe.Batteries contain materials that can harm
the environment if disposed of improperly.
Large 12-volt storage batteries contain
lead. Recycling of batteries is the preferred
method of disposal. Many states require
sellers of batteries to accept old batteries
for recycling.
!
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries.
Risk of explosion.
Fire, open flames and smoking
are prohibited when handling
batteries. Avoid creating sparks.
Battery acid is caustic. Do not
allow it to come into contact
with skin, eyes or clothing.
Wear suitable protective cloth-
ing, especially gloves, apron and
faceguard.
Wear eye protection.
Rinse any acid spills immediate-
ly with clear water. Contact a
physician if necessary.
Keep children away.
Follow the instructions in this
Operator’s Manual.

703 Practical hints
Batteries
!
The consumer battery located in the trunk is
a valve-r
egulated l
ead a
cid (VRLA) battery, also
referred to as “fleece” battery. Such batteries do
not require topping-up of the electrolyte level.
VRLA batteries therefore do not have cell caps
and the battery cover is non-removable. Do not
attempt to open the consumer battery as other-
wise the battery will be damaged.
Even though VRLA batteries do not require top-
ping-up of the electrolyte level and cannot be
opened to check the electrolyte level, the bat-
tery condition must be checked periodically by
performing a battery conductance test. Refer to
Maintenance Booklet for battery condition test-
ing intervals.
As with any other battery, disconnect the con-
sumer battery if you do not intend to operate
your vehicle for an extended period of time to
prevent battery discharge or connect an acces-
sory battery charge unit expressly approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model to main-
tain the battery charge. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for further information.
!
The factory-equipped VRLA battery is
leak-proofed. Only use a battery as replacement
that has the same security features and is of
identical size, voltage, and capacity as the facto-
ry-equipped battery.
The battery, the battery ventilation and the later-
al plug must always be securely installed when
the vehicle is in operation.
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting,
you might get injured.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not
allow this fluid to come in contact with eyes,
skin or clothing. In case it does, immediately
flush affected area with water and seek
medical help if necessary.
A battery will also produce hydrogen gas,
which is flammable and explosive. Keep
flames or sparks away from battery, avoid
improper connection of jumper cables,
smoking, etc.Warning!
G
Do not place metal objects on the battery as
this could result in a short circuit.
Use leak-proof battery only to avoid the risk
of acid burns in the event of an accident.
Take care that you do not become statically
charged, e.g. by wearing synthetic clothing
or rubbing against textiles. For this reason,
you also should not pull or push the battery
over carpets or other synthetic materials.
Never touch the battery first. First touch the
outside body of the vehicle in order to re-
lease any possible electrostatic charges.


704 Practical hintsBatteries
Starter battery (example illustration from
CL 550)1Negative terminal
2Positive terminal
Disconnecting starter battery
Secure vehicle in place with electronic
parking brake (
page 412).

Shift the automatic transmission to
park positionP (
page 417).
Do not rub the battery with rags or cloths.
The battery could explode if touched due to
electrostatic charge or due to spark forma-
tion.!
Switch off the engine and switch off the ve-
hicle’s internal electrical functions (
page 705)
before you disconnect or remove the battery’s
terminal clamps. You could otherwise destroy
electronic assemblies such as the generator.
Have the battery checked regularly by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center. Refer to Mainte-
nance Booklet for maintenance intervals or
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
further information.
!
Do not connect any consumers directly to
the starter battery. The starter battery will other-
wise be discharged.
i
Only replace a discharged battery with a bat-
tery recommended by Mercedes-Benz. The con-
sumer battery is installed in the trunk in such a
way that it is safeguarded as much as possible
against mechanical destruction in the event of
an accident.
i
Remove SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the vehicle’s
on-board electronics have status 0)
(
page 365) when you turn off the engine and
no longer require any electrical consumers. The
vehicle then uses very little power and the con-
sumer battery is spared.
i
If the consumer battery is discharged, you
must use the mechanical key to unlock the vehi-
cle (page 684). Since the vehicle has a sepa-
rate starter battery, however, you can still start
the vehicle.
!
Always disconnect the starter battery in the
order described below. You could otherwise
damage the vehicle’s electronics.
!
Switch off the vehicle’s internal electrical
functions before disconnecting the starter bat-
tery. If the vehicle is stationary for more than one
hour with the SmartKey removed, you do not
need to switch off the vehicle’s internal electrical
functions.


727 Technical data
Rims and tires
Rims and tires
!
Only use tires which have been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. Tires approved by
Mercedes-Benz are developed to provide best
possible performance in conjunction with the
driving safety systems on your vehicle such as
ABS or ESP
®. Tires specially developed for
your vehicle and tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz can be identified by finding the
following on the tire’s sidewall:


MO = M
ercedes-Benz O
riginal equipment
tires
AMG vehicles only:
Does not apply to all approved tires on AMG
vehicles. For information on tested and
approved tires for AMG vehicles, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using tires other than those approved by
Mercedes-Benz may result in damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!
Using tires other than those approved by
Mercedes-Benz can have detrimental effects,
such as


poor handling characteristics


increased noise


increased fuel consumption
Moreover, tires and rims not approved by
Mercedes-Benz may, under load, exhibit dimen-
sional variations and different tire deformation
characteristics that could cause them to come
into contact with the vehicle body or axle parts.
Damage to the tires or the vehicle may be the
result.
i
Further information on tires and rims is
available at any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. A Tire and Loading Information placard
with the recommended tire inflation pressures is
located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 564). Some vehicles may have supple-
mental tire inflation pressure information for
driving at high speeds (
page 570) or for vehi-
cle loads less than the maximum loaded vehicle
condition (
page 577). If such information is
provided, it can be found on the tire inflation
pressure label located on the inside of the fuel
filler flap. The tire inflation pressure should be checked
regularly and should only be adjusted on cold
tires. Follow tire manufacturer’s maintenance
recommendation included with vehicle.
i
The following pages also list the approved
wheel rim and tire sizes for equipping your vehi-
cles with winter tires. Winter tires are not avail-
able as standard or optional factory equipment,
but can be purchased from an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Depending on vehicle model and the standard or
optional factory-equipped wheel rim/tire config-
uration on your vehicle (Appearance Package,
Sport Package etc.), equipping your vehicle with
winter tires approved for your vehicle model may
also require the purchase of two or four wheel
rims of the recommended size for use with these
winter tires. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for more information.

736 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Engine 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
required for vehicles with Maintenance
System. For a listing of approved engine
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet (USA
only), or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Engine oil additivesAir conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
ing system.
Brake fluid
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Any au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will pro-
vide you with additional information.
!
Using engine oils and oil filters of
specification other than those expressly
required for the Maintenance System, or chang-
ing of oil and oil filter at change intervals longer
than those called for by the Maintenance System
will result in engine or emission control system
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
Please follow Maintenance System recommen-
dations for scheduled oil changes. Failure to do
so will result in engine or emission control sys-
tem damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
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.
!
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based
lubricating oil. Otherwise damage to the system
will occur.
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 condi-
tions, this moisture content can lead to the
formation of bubbles in the system, thus re-
ducing the system’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be replaced
regularly. Refer to your vehicle’s
Maintenance Booklet for replacement inter-
val.

739 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
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 re-
placement 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% anticor-
rosion/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 in-
crease due to the lower heat transfer capa-
bility 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).
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 Center.Anticorrosion/antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of alumi-
num parts. The use of aluminum compo-
nents in motor vehicle engines
necessitates that anticorrosion/antifreeze
coolant used in such engines be specifical-
ly formulated to protect the aluminum
parts. Failure to use such anticorrosion/
antifreeze coolant will result in a signifi-
cantly 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.