2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 belt

240 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Opening and closing
Warning!G
When closing the tilt/sliding sunroof, make
sure that there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
If the tilt/sliding sunroof encounters an ob-
struction that blocks its path in a circum-
stance where you are closing the tilt/sliding
sunroof by moving the tilt/sliding sunroof
switch past the resistance point, or by
pressing and holding button‹ on the
SmartKey, by pressing and holding the lock
button (vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*) on the
door handle, the automatic reversal function
will not operate.
The opening/closing procedure of the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the switch or, if the switch
was moved past the resistance point and re-
leased, by moving the switch in any direc-
tion.
The tilt/sliding sunroof is made out of glass.
In the event of an accident, the glass may
shatter. This may result in an opening in the
roof.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts prop-
erly as entire body parts or portions of them
may protrude from the passenger compart-
ment.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.!To avoid damaging the seals, do not trans-
port any objects with sharp edges which can
stick out of the tilt/sliding sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if there is
snow or ice on the roof, as this could result in
malfunctions.
!Please keep in mind that weather conditions
can sometimes change rapidly. Make sure to
close the tilt/sliding sunroof when leaving the
vehicle. If water enters the vehicle interior,
vehicle electronics could be damaged which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
iWhen the tilt/sliding sunroof is open, reso-
nance noises may result in addition to the usual
wind noises. They are caused by minimal pres-
sure changes in the passenger compartment. To
reduce or eliminate these noises, change the po-
sition of the tilt/sliding sunroof or open a side
window slightly.
iYou can also open or close the tilt/sliding
sunroof using the SmartKey or the
KEYLESS-GO* function, see “Summer opening
feature” (
page 237) and see “Convenience
closing feature” (
page 238).

267 Controls in detail
Loading
Load distribution
The gross vehicle weight which is the
weight of the vehicle including fuel, tools,
spare wheel, installed accessories, pas-
sengers and luggage/cargo must never
exceed the load limit and Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) for your vehicle as
specified on the placard located on the
driver’s door B-pillar (
page 510). In addi-
tion, the load must be distributed in such a
way so that the weight on each axle never
exceeds the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for the front and rear axle. The
GVWR and GAWR for your vehicle are indi-cated on the certification label which can
be found on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 510).
For more information, see “Tire and Load-
ing Information” (
page 352).
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Please pay attention to and comply with
the following instructions when loading the
vehicle and transporting cargo:

Always place items being carried
against front or rear seat backrests,
and fasten them as securely as possi-
ble.

The heaviest portion of the cargo
should always be kept as low as possi-
ble against front or rear seat backrests.For additional safety when transporting
cargo while the rear seats are unoccupied,
fasten the outer seat belts crosswise into
the opposite side buckles.
iThe cargo compartment is the preferred
place to carry objects. The expanded cargo com-
partment (
page 269) should only be used for
items which do not fit in the cargo compartment
alone.

272 Controls in detail
Loading
Installing blind
Place left side of blind2 in left mount.
Position right side of blind2 over right
mount.
Press release button1 and guide
cover2 into mount.
Make sure the cargo compartment
cover blind is securely fastened.Removing blind
1Release button
2Blind
Roll the blind up (page 271).
Push release button1.
Pull blind2 to the left against the
spring pressure until the spring in the
cover audibly engages.
Remove the blind.
Cargo net*
iBefore installing cargo compartment cover
blind behind the front seats, fold the rear seats
forward.
iBefore removing cargo compartment cover
blind behind the rear seats, fold the left or right
rear seat forward. Afterwards, return the left or
right rear seat into its original position.
Warning!G
Make sure the cargo net is properly engaged
at top and bottom position and the tighten-
ing belts are securely fastened.
Never use a damaged cargo net.
To help avoid personal injury from smaller
objects being thrown around in the occu-
pant compartment during a collision or sud-
den maneuver, always use cargo net when
transporting cargo.
The cargo net cannot prevent the movement
of large, heavier objects into the passenger
compartment in an accident. Such items
must be properly secured using the cargo
tie-down rings (
page 268) in the cargo
compartment floor.
Passenger use of seats behind installed
cargo net is restricted because of the
footwell being taken up by the net.

274 Controls in detail
Loading
Pulling the cargo net tight
Belt hook attached behind the front seats
1Belt hook
2Cargo tie-down ring
3Tightening belt
Hook belt hook1 into cargo tie-down
ring2 in direction of arrow.
Pull tightening belt3 by the loose end
in direction of arrow until the cargo net
is pulled tight.
After driving a short distance, make
sure the cargo net is still tight and, if
necessary, pull it tight again.Loosening the cargo net
Belt hook attached behind the front seats
1Buckle
2Belt hook
3Cargo tie-down ring
Loosen the tightening belt by pulling
buckle1 upward in direction of arrow.
Remove belt hook2 from cargo
tie-down ring3.Removing and storing the cargo net
Take cargo net bar2 out of holder1,
see “Installing the cargo net”
(
page 273).
Press the red button on the upper and
lower cargo net bar.
Fold the cargo net.
Roll up the cargo net.
Close the hook and loop fasteners on
the cargo net package.

275 Controls in detail
Loading
Cargo management system*
Your vehicle may be equipped with a cargo
management system and accompanying
accessories which enables you to utilize
your cargo compartment in a variety of
ways. You can store the cargo manage-
ment system in the pouch that comes with
the vehicle.
1Cargo railsInserting the mounting elements into
the cargo rails
1Cargo rail
2Mounting element
You can move the mounting element2 to
various engaging points on the
cargo rail1 and fix it in place.
These engaging points are located
2 inches apart from one another on the
cargo rail and are indicated by markings.
Turn mounting element2 toL.
Insert mounting element2 in cargo
rail1.
Turn mounting element2 until it en-
gages in the ‹position.
You should be able to feel the mounting
element engage in the cargo rail.
iThe pouch and the telescoping rod are locat-
ed under the cargo compartment floor.
iYou can turn the mounting element in the
cargo rail to four positions:
‹To lock the mounting element.
NTo insert or remove the cargo tie-down
ring, the belt reel or the telescoping rod.
LTo insert or remove the mounting ele-
ment.
STo move the mounting element to the
next engaging point.

276 Controls in detail
Loading
Inserting the cargo tie-down ring in the
mounting element
1Cargo tie-down ring
2Mounting element
Turn mounting element2 in the cargo
rail toN.
Insert cargo tie-down ring1 into
mounting element2.
Turn mounting element2 until it en-
gages in the ‹position.
You should be able to feel the mounting
element engage in the cargo rail.
Belt reel
1Belt reel
2Mounting element
3Locking button
Insert two mounting elements2 into a
cargo rail.
Turn mounting element2 in the cargo
rail toN.
Insert belt reel1 into mounting
element2.
Turn mounting element2 in the cargo
rail until it engages in the‹ posi-
tion.
You should be able to feel the mounting
element engage in the cargo rail.
Press locking button3 on the belt
reel1 and pull cargo net out in direc-
tion of arrow.
Warning!G
The cargo tie-down rings should be subject
to equal loads. Make sure to comply with the
information provided in the loading instruc-
tions (
page 266).
iThe belt reel can be used to tighten
light-weight loads against the side wall of the
cargo compartment, thus securing them from
slipping.

277 Controls in detail
Loading
Place load between the cargo net and
the side wall of the cargo compart-
ment.
Press locking button3 on belt
reel1. With the other hand, slowly
pull net over load until it is taut.
Telescoping rod
1Telescoping rod
2Mounting elementInsert one mounting element2 into
each cargo rail.
Turn mounting element2 in cargo rail
toN.
Insert telescoping rod1 into mount-
ing element2.
Turn mounting element2 in cargo rail
until it engages in the‹ position.
You should be able to feel the mounting
element engage in the cargo rail.Removing rear seat cushions
If your vehicle is equipped with the cargo
management system* you can remove the
rear seat cushions.
Removing the rear seat cushions will pro-
vide you with a larger cargo compartment.
Fold the seat cushions forward
(
page 269).
Example illustration passenger-side
1Release lever
2Plug for seat heating*
iThe telescoping rod can be used to tighten
the load against the rear seats so as to secure it
from slipping.


371 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 370) indicates
the nominal tire width in mm.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 370) 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 370) 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 372).Rim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 370) 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 370) 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 376) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.