Contents
Safety and Security........................... 63
Occupant safety................................... 64
Air bags .......................................... 66
Occupant Classification System ..... 71
Seat belts ....................................... 76
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) ................................... 80
Active head restraints .................... 81
Children in the vehicle .................... 82
Blocking of
rear door window operation ........... 87
Panic alarm .......................................... 88
Activating ....................................... 88
Deactivating ................................... 88
Driving safety systems ......................... 89
ABS ................................................ 89
BAS ................................................ 90
Adaptive Brake ............................... 91
EBP................................................. 92
ESP
®............................................... 92
Anti-theft systems................................ 97
Immobilizer..................................... 97
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 97
Controls in detail............................... 99
Locking and unlocking ....................... 100
SmartKey ..................................... 100
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 103
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 108
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 108
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 108
Opening the trunk ........................ 109
Closing the trunk.......................... 111
Trunk emergency release ............. 114
Valet locking ................................ 115
Automatic central locking ............ 116
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 116
Seats ................................................ 118
Front seat active head restraints . 118
Rear seat head restraints ............. 118
Lumbar support............................ 119
Multicontour seat* ....................... 120
Seat heating* ............................... 121
Seat ventilation* .......................... 122Memory function ............................... 123
Storing positions into memory ..... 124
Recalling positions from memory. 124
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 125
Lighting ............................................. 126
Exterior lamp switch .................... 126
Combination switch ..................... 130
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps* (CLS 550 with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps only).......... 130
Hazard warning flasher ................ 132
Interior lighting in the front .......... 133
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 134
Door entry lamps ......................... 135
Trunk lamp ................................... 135
Instrument cluster ............................. 136
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 136
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 137
Resetting trip odometer ............... 137
Tachometer.................................. 138
Outside temperature indicator ..... 138
Control system .................................. 139
Multifunction display.................... 139
Multifunction steering wheel........ 140
Contents
Useful features .................................. 243
Storage compartments................. 243
Cup holders .................................. 246
Ashtrays ....................................... 248
Cigarette lighter ........................... 249
Power outlets ............................... 250
Heated steering wheel
(Canada only) ............................... 251
Floormats ..................................... 252
Telephone*................................... 253
Tele Aid ........................................ 256
Garage door opener ..................... 262
Operation......................................... 269
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km)......... 270
Driving instructions............................ 271
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 271
Drinking and driving ..................... 271
Pedals .......................................... 271
Power assistance ......................... 272
Brakes .......................................... 272
Driving off .................................... 274
Parking ......................................... 275
Tires ............................................. 275
Hydroplaning ................................ 276
Tire traction.................................. 276
Tire speed rating .......................... 277
Winter driving instructions ........... 278
Standing water ............................. 279
Passenger compartment .............. 280
Driving abroad.............................. 280
Control and operation of
radio transmitter .......................... 280
Catalytic converter ....................... 281
Emission control .......................... 281
Coolant temperature .................... 282At the gas station .............................. 283
Refueling ...................................... 283
Check regularly and before a
long trip ....................................... 285
Engine compartment ......................... 286
Hood ............................................ 286
Engine oil ..................................... 287
Transmission fluid level................ 289
Coolant level ................................ 290
Battery ......................................... 291
Washer system and headlamp
cleaning system* ......................... 292
Tires and wheels................................ 293
Important guidelines .................... 293
Tire care and maintenance........... 294
Direction of rotation..................... 295
Loading the vehicle ...................... 296
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 301
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 303
MOExtended system* .................. 313
Tire labeling ................................. 314
Load identification ....................... 318
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 318
Maximum tire load ....................... 320
Contents
Technical data.................................. 431
Parts service ...................................... 432
Warranty coverage ............................. 433
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet...................... 433
Identification labels............................ 434
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 436
CLS 550 ....................................... 436
CLS 63 AMG................................. 436
Engine ................................................ 437
Rims and tires .................................... 438
Same size tires ............................. 439
Mixed size tires ............................ 441
MOExtended tires*....................... 444
Spare wheel ................................. 445
Electrical system................................ 446
Main dimensions and weights............ 447
Main dimensions .......................... 447
Weights ........................................ 447Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. .......... 448
Capacities .................................... 448
Engine oils.................................... 450
Engine oil additives ...................... 450
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 450
Brake fluid .................................... 450
Premium unleaded gasoline ......... 451
Fuel requirements ........................ 451
Gasoline additives ........................ 452
Coolants....................................... 452
Washer system and headlamp
cleaning system* ......................... 455Index................................................. 457
23 At a glance
Exterior view
ItemPage
1Trunk
Unlocking100
Opening and closing109
Spare wheel393
Vehicle tool kit395
2Rear lamps404
3Rear window, defrosting191
4Fuel filler flap283
Fuel requirements451
5Doors
Locking and unlocking100
Opening and closing108
ItemPage
6Towing eye bolt395
Installing towing eye bolt425
7Rims and tires
Checking tire inflation
pressure303
Flat tire412
8Front lamps404
9Hood, opening286
Engine oil287
Coolant290
aWindshield wipers56
Wiper blades, replacing410
Wiper blades, cleaning338
ItemPage
bWindow, cleaning338
cPower tilt/sliding sunroof210
dExterior rear view mirrors
Adjusting47
Auto-dimming183
Parking position184
eSide marker lamps404
27 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
1LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
2vESP® warning lamp345
3Speedometer
4Multifunction display139
5lDistance warning lamp
Vehicles without Distronic*:
Warning lamp without func-
tion. It illuminates with the
ignition on. It should go out
when the engine is running.351
6KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
7Coolant temperature indica-
tor with:
•Coolant temperature
warning lamp350
8Tachometer with:
1Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) indicator lamp 353
-Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) indicator
lamp344
BLow beam headlamp
indicator lamp, de-
pending on vehicle
production date55
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp130
9Main odometer with:
Selector lever position51
Program mode175
aClock with:157
;Brake warning lamp,
USA only347
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only347
ItemPage
úEngine malfunction in-
dicator lamp, USA
only348
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp, Cana-
da only348
HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale,
USA only354
Low tire pressure
telltale, Canada only354
bFuel display with:
AFuel tank reserve
warning lamp351
cReset button for:
Resetting trip odometer137
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination136
Confirming new time
settings157
58 Getting started
Driving
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires
An ignition cable may be damaged.
The engine electronics may not be
operating properly.
Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.
Give very little gas.
Have the problem repaired by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as
soon as possible and turn off the en-
gine. Allow engine and coolant to cool
off.
Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 290).
In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking fuel:
Do not start the engine under any
circumstances.
Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be
determined:
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call Roadside Assistance.
If no damage can be determined on the
major assemblies
fuel system
engine mount:
Start the engine in the usual manner.
137 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Coolant temperature indicatorResetting trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 139).
If it is not displayed, press the è or
ÿ repeatedly until the trip odome-
ter appears.
Press and hold the reset button
(
page 136) until the trip odometer is
reset.
Warning!G
Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.
!Excessive coolant temperature triggers the
coolant temperature warning lamp (
page 350)
and a warning in the multifunction display
(
page 376).
The engine should not be operated with the cool-
ant temperature above 248°F (120°C). Doing so
may cause serious engine damage which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warran-
ty.
iDuring severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant temperature may
rise close to 248°F (120°C).
202 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control
Activating
Switch off the ignition.
Press buttonT (page 191).
REST in display4 (page 191) comes
on.
Deactivating
Press buttonT (page 191) again.
REST in display4 (page 191) goes
out.
Rear climate control
The rear climate control is adjusted via the
front climate control panel (
page 190) or
(
page 191) or the rear climate control
panel.
The rear climate control panel is located in
the rear center console.
iHow long the system will provide heating de-
pends on
the coolant temperature
the temperature set by the operator
The blower will run at speed setting1 regardless
of the air distribution control setting.
iThe residual heat is automatically turned off:
when the ignition is switched on
after about 30 minutes
if the battery voltage drops
if the coolant temperature is too low
1Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right rear center air vent
4Temperature rocker switch, right
5Display
6Temperature rocker switch, left
7Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left rear center air vent