2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S63AMG Owner's Manual

688 Practical hints
Flat tire
The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housings and
in front of the rear wheel housings.
2Jack take-up bracket
3Jack
4Crank
Place jack2 on firm ground.
Position jack3 under take-up
bracket2 so that it is always vertical
(plumb-line) as seen from the side,
even if the vehicle is parked on an
incline.
Turn crank4 clockwise until jack3
is fully seated in take-up bracket2
and the jack base evenly meets the
ground.
Jack up the vehicle until the wheel is a
maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground. Never start engine while
vehicle is raised.
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.


689 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and
remove.
Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.
Remove the remaining bolts.
Remove the wheel.Attaching the spare wheel
1Wheel bolt for light alloy rims and
Minispare wheel with light alloy rim
2Wheel bolt for Minispare wheel with
steel rim (located in trunk with spare
wheel)
!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.
Warning!G
Only use Genuine Mercedes-Benz wheel
bolts. Other wheel bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
fall off the jack.

690 Practical hints
Flat tire
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.
Unscrew the alignment bolt, install the
last wheel bolt and tighten slightly.Lowering the vehicle
Lower vehicle by turning crank coun-
terclockwise until vehicle is resting ful-
ly on its own weight.
Remove the jack.
1 - 5 Wheel bolts
!Wheel bolts2 must be used when mount-
ing a Minispare wheel with steel rim. The use of
any wheel bolts other than wheel bolts2 for a
Minispare wheel with steel rim will physically
damage the vehicle’s brakes.
Wheel bolts1 must be used when mounting a
Minispare wheel with light alloy rim. The use of
any wheel bolts other than wheel bolts1 for
a Minispare wheel with light alloy rim will physi-
cally damage the vehicle’s brakes.
Warning!G
Make sure to use the original length wheel
bolts when remounting the original wheel
after it has been repaired.!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while installing first
wheel bolt.

691 Practical hints
Flat tire
6Wheel wrench
Tighten the five wheel bolts evenly, fol-
lowing the diagonal sequence illustrat-
ed (1 to 5), until all bolts are tight.
Observe a tightening torque of
110 lb-ft (150 Nm).
Fully collapse the jack, with handle
folded in (storage position),
(
page 669).
Store the jack and the other vehicle
tools in the designated storage space
underneath the trunk floor
(
page 668).
Warning!G
Have the tightening torque checked after
changing a wheel. The wheels could come
loose if they are not tightened to a torque of
110 lb-ft (150 Nm).
iVehicles with Advanced TPMS*:
Do not activate the tire inflation pressure moni-
tor until a full size wheel/tire with functioning
sensor has been placed back into service on the
vehicle.

692 Practical hints
Batteries
Your 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.

693 Practical hints
Batteries
!The consumer battery located in the trunk is
a v
alve-regulated lead acid (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.


694 Practical hints
Batteries
Starter battery (example illustration from
S550)
1Negative terminal
2Positive terminal
Disconnecting starter battery
Secure vehicle in place with electronic
parking brake (
page 395).
Shift the automatic transmission toP
(
page 399).
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 695)
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.
iOnly 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.
iRemove SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the vehicle’s
on-board electronics have status 0)
(
page 344) 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.
iIf the consumer battery is discharged, you
must use the mechanical key to unlock the vehi-
cle (
page 671). 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.


695 Practical hints
Batteries
Switching off vehicle’s internal
electrical functions
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Turn SmartKey in starter switch to po-
sition 0.
Turn SmartKey in starter switch to po-
sition 1.
Wait for 30 seconds.
The vehicle’s internal electrical func-
tions are switched off.
Turn SmartKey in starter switch to po-
sition 0.Disconnecting starter battery
Open the hood (page 541).
Use a 10-mm open-end wrench to dis-
connect the battery negative lead.
Remove cover2 (page 694) from
the positive terminal.
Disconnect the battery positive lead.
Removing starter battery
Pull out the battery ventilation hose
from the battery (depending on battery
arrangement in your vehicle model, the
ventilation hose is located either on the
left or right side of the battery).
Fold bar on starter battery up.
Take out the starter battery.
Charging battery
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
KEYLESS-GO button (
page 345) and use the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO like a normal
SmartKey.
!Do not remove the SmartKey!
iFor your convenience, have the starter bat-
tery removed by a Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle unless the accessory battery
charge unit approved by Mercedes-Benz is
being used. Gases may escape during charg-
ing and cause explosions that may result in
paint damage, corrosion or personal injury.
An accessory battery charge unit specially
adapted for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and
tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz is
available, permitting the charging of the bat-
tery in its installed position. Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
information and availability. Charge battery
in accordance with the separate instruc-
tions for the accessory battery charger.
iHave the batteries charged by a
Mercedes-Benz Center. If you charge the batter-
ies yourself, follow the operating instructions for
your charging device.