2008 MERCEDES-BENZ GL320 light

407 Operation
Tires and wheels
General:
Depending on the design standards used,
the tire size molded into the sidewall may
have no letter or a letter preceding the tire
size designation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter “P” preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “LT” preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “T” preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only.Tire width
The tire width1 (
page 406) indicates
the nominal tire width in mm.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 406) is the
dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width and is
expressed in percentage. The aspect ratio
is arrived at by dividing section height by
section width.
Tire code
The tire code3 (
page 406) indicates
the tire construction type. The “R” stands
for radial tire type. Letter “D” means diag-
onal or bias ply construction; letter “B”
means belted-bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a “ZR” in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 408).Rim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 406) is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the
diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is
indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating
The tire load rating5 (
page 406) is a
numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corre-
sponds to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs
(615 kg) the tire is designed to support.
See also “Maximum tire load”
(
page 412) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.
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410 Operation
Tires and wheels
Load identification
1Load identificationIn addition to tire load rating, special load
identification1 may be molded into the
tire sidewall following the letter designat-
ing the tire speed rating (
page 406).
No specification given: absence of any text
(like in above example) indicates a
standard load (SL) tire.
XL or Extra Load: designates an extra load
(or reinforced) tire.
Light Load: designates a light load tire.
C, D, E: designates load range associated
with the maximum load a tire can carry at
a specified pressure.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S. tire regulations require each new tire
manufacturer or tire retreader to mold a
TIN into or onto a sidewall of each tire
produced.
The TIN is a unique identifier which facili-
tates efforts by tire manufactures to notify
purchasers in recall situations or other
safety matters concerning tires and gives
purchasers the means to easily identify
such tires.
The TIN is comprised of “Manufacturer’s
identification mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type
code” and “Date of manufacture”.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
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420 Operation
Winter driving
Before the onset of winter, have your
vehicle winterized at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. This
service includes:

Check of anticorrosion and antifreeze
concentration.

Addition of cleaning concentrate to the
water of the windshield and headlamp
cleaning system. Add MB Concentrate
“MB SummerFit” to a premixed wind-
shield washer solvent/antifreeze
which is formulated for temperatures
below freezing point (
page 569).

Battery test. Battery capacity drops
with decreasing ambient temperature.
A well charged battery helps to make
sure that the engine can be started
even at low ambient temperatures.

Tire change. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends M+S rated radial-ply tires with a
minimum tread depth of approximately
1/6in (4 mm) on all four wheels for the
winter season.
Winter tires
Always use winter tires at temperatures
below 45°F (7°C) and whenever wintry
road conditions prevail. Not all M+S rated
tires provide special winter performance.
Make sure the tires you use show the
mountain/snowflake.marking on the
tire sidewall. These tires meet specific
snow traction performance requirements
of the Rubber Manufacturers Association
(RMA) and The Rubber Association of Can-
ada (RAC) and have been designed specif-
ically for use in snow conditions. Use of
winter tires is the only way to achieve the
maximum effectiveness of the ABS, ESP
®,
4-ETS, and EBP in winter operation.
For safe handling, make sure all mounted
winter tires are of the same make and have
the same tread design.Always observe the speed rating of the
winter tires installed on your vehicle. If the
maximum speed for which your tires are
rated is below the speed rating of your
vehicle, you must place a notice to this
effect where it will be seen by the driver.
Such notices are available from your tire
dealer or from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Warning!G
Winter tires with a tread depth of less than 1/6in (4 mm) must be replaced. They are no
longer suitable for winter operation.
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421 Operation
Winter driving
Snow chains
Snow chains should only be driven on
snow-covered roads at speeds not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). Remove chains
as soon as possible when driving on roads
without snow.Please observe the following guidelines
when using snow chains:

Use of snow chains is not permissible
with all wheel/tire combinations
(
page 555).

Snow chains should only be used on
the rear wheels. Follow the manufac-
turer’s mounting instructions.

Only use snow chains that are
approved by Mercedes-Benz. Any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center will be glad to advise you on this
subject.

Use of snow chains may be prohibited
depending on location. Always check
local and state laws before installing
snow chains.

Do not use snow chains on the spare
wheel (
page 558).
Warning!G
If you use your spare tire when winter tires
are fitted on the other wheels, be aware that
the difference in tire characteristics may
very well impair turning stability and that
overall driving stability may be reduced.
Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Have the spare tire replaced with a winter
tire at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.!Even on vehicles with all-wheel-drive use
snow chains on rear tires only.
Some tire sizes do not leave adequate clearance
for snow chains. To help avoid serious damage to
your vehicle or tires, use of snow chains is not
permissible with the spare wheel.
!Vehicles with ADS*:
When driving with snow chains, do not select
SPORT mode (
page 279).
iWhen driving with snow chains, you may
wish to deactivate the ESP® (page 105)
before setting the vehicle in motion. This will
improve the vehicle’s traction.
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422 Operation
Maintenance
We strongly recommend that you have
your vehicle serviced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center, in
accordance with the Maintenance Booklet
at the times called for by the maintenance
service indicator display.
Maintenance service indicator
message
The maintenance service indicator mes-
sage will notify you when the next mainte-
nance service is due.Starting approximately 1 month before the
next maintenance service is due, one of
the following messages will appear in the
multifunction display while you are driving
or when you switch on the ignition (exam-
ple service A):
Service A In XXXXX Miles (Km)
Service A In XXX Days
Service A In X Day
Service A Due Now
The maintenance services will be indicated
by showing a service type A through type H
in the multifunction display. Types A
through H are classified based on estimat-
ed time needed to perform the mainte-
nance service, ranging:
from
Service A
(approximately 1 hour)
to
Service H
(approximately 8 hours)Refer to Maintenance Booklet for a listing
of maintenance services and intervals they
need to be performed at.
!Failure to have the vehicle maintained in
accordance with the Maintenance Booklet and
maintenance service indicator at the designated
times/mileage will result in vehicle damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
iThe Maintenance System in your vehicle
tracks distance driven and the time elapsed
since the last maintenance service and calcu-
lates other maintenance service work required.
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423 Operation
Maintenance
Clearing the maintenance service
indicator message
The maintenance service indicator mes-
sage is automatically cleared

after approximately 10 seconds when
you switch on the ignition or when
reaching the maintenance service
threshold while driving

after approximately 30 seconds, once
the suggested maintenance service
term has passedYou can also clear it yourself:
1Reset button
Press reset button1 on the instru-
ment cluster.
The maintenance service indicator
message is cleared and the standard
display appears in the multifunction
display (
page 162).Maintenance service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested main-
tenance service term, you will see the fol-
lowing message in the multifunction
display:
Service A Exceeded By XXXXX Miles (Km)
Service A Exceeded By XXX Days
Service A Exceeded By X Day
In addition, a signal sounds when the
message appears.
Any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center will reset the maintenance service
indicator following a completed mainte-
nance service.
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424 Operation
Maintenance
Calling up the maintenance service
indicator display
You can call up the maintenance service in-
dicator display at any time to check when
the next maintenance service is due.
Switch on the ignition (page 42).
Press buttonè orÿ on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the standard display appears in
the multifunction display (
page 162).
Press buttonk orj until the
maintenance service indicator display
with the service symbol9 and the
service deadline appears in the multi-
function display.Resetting the maintenance service
indicator
In the event that the maintenance service
on your vehicle is not carried out by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center, you can have the maintenance
service indicator reset. The automotive
maintenance facility carrying out the
maintenance service will find the informa-
tion for resetting the maintenance service
indicator in the maintenance-relevant
information for your vehicle. Such informa-
tion is available from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center or di-
rectly from Mercedes-Benz.
iIf the battery is disconnected, the days of
disconnection will not be included in the count
shown by the maintenance service indicator.To arrive at the true maintenance service dead-
line, you will need to subtract these days from
the days shown in the maintenance service indi-
cator message or maintenance service indicator
display.
Do not confuse the maintenance service indica-
tor with the engine oil level indicatorN.
!If the maintenance service indicator was
inadvertently reset, have an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center correct it.
Only reset if the proper maintenance service has
been performed. Resetting the system without
performing the proper service as called for by
the maintenance service indicator will result in
engine damage and/or other vehicle damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
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426 Operation
Vehicle care
Your vehicle has been treated at the facto-
ry 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 ap-
plied later.
We have selected car-care products and
compiled recommendations which are
specially matched to our vehicles and
which always reflect the latest technology.
You can obtain Mercedes-Benz approved
car-care products at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Scratches, corrosive deposits, corrosion or
damage due to negligent or incorrect care
cannot always be removed or repaired with
the car-care products recommended here.
In such cases it is best to seek aid at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.The following topics deal with the cleaning
and care of your vehicle and give important
“how-to” information as well as references
to Mercedes-Benz approved car-care
products.
Power washerTar stains
Quickly remove tar stains before they dry
and become more difficult to remove. A tar
remover is recommended.
Paintwork, painted body components
Mercedes-Benz approved Paint Care
should be applied when water drops on the
paint surface do not “bead up”. This should
normally be done every 3 to 5 months,
depending on the climate and washing
detergent used.
Mercedes-Benz approved Paint Cleaner
should be applied if the paint surface
shows signs of dirt embedding (i.e. loss of
gloss).
!Follow the instructions provided by the
power washer manufacturer on maintaining a
distance between the vehicle and the nozzle of
the power washer.
Never use a round nozzle to power-wash tires.
The intense jet of water can result in damage to
the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.
Always keep the jet of water moving across the
surface. Do not aim directly at electrical parts,
electrical connectors, seals, or other rubber
parts.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of water, and
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is in close
proximity, i.e. within approximately 3 ft (approxi-
mately 1 m), the vehicle could be inadvertently
locked or unlocked.
!Affixing stickers, adhesive tape or similar
materials to painted body components may
damage the paintwork.
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