standard DIN 51628 can lead to increased
wear, engine damage and damage to the
exhaust system.
Do not use the following:
R
marine diesel
R heating oil
R bio-diesel
R vegetable oil
R petrol
R paraffin
R kerosene
Do not add such fuels to diesel fuel and do
not use any special additives (exception:
flow improvers –see "Low outside temper-
atures").
Damage caused by the use of unapproved
fuels or additives is not covered by the
implied warranty.
Further information on "Fuel" (Y page 287).
Low outside temperatures The flow properties of diesel may be inade-
quate at low ambient temperatures.
Diesel fuel with improved cold flow qualities
is available during the winter months. In
Europe, the different climate-dependant cold
categories are defined in standard EN 590.
Refuelling with diesel fuel which complies
with the climatic specifications of standard
EN 590 can help to prevent operating prob-
lems. If the ambient temperature is unusually
low or if you use fuel that has not been adap-
ted to the climatic specifications (e.g. diesel
fuel from the Mediterranean area), the flow
properties of the fuel may be inadequate.
Flow improver
Flow improvers can be added to improve the
cold resistance of diesel fuel. The effective-
ness of aflow improver is not guaranteed with
every fuel.
Correct dosage and thorough mixing are deci-
sive factors in ensuring improvement in low- temperature resistance. Under certain cir-
cumstances, an excessive dosage may
actually decrease low-temperature resist-
ance and should therefore be avoided (follow
the manufacturer's dosing instructions).
Mix the additive with the diesel in good time,
before the flow properties of the diesel
become inadequate. Otherwise, malfunctions
can only be rectified by heating the entire fuel
system, e.g. by parking the vehicle in
aheated
garage.
Observe the information provided by the man-
ufacturer when using aflow improver. Only
use flow improvers that have been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz.Y ou can obtain
further information from any Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre. Enginec
ompartment Bonnet
G
Risk of accident
Do not pull the release lever while the vehicle
is in motion. If you do so, the bonnet may open
up and block your view.
Active bonnet( pedestrian protection) The active bonnet can reduce the risk of injury
to pedestrians in certain accident situations.
Raising the bonnet increases the clearance to
hard components, such as the engine. Fur-
ther information aboutt
he active bonnet
(Y page 256).
Opening G
Risk of injury
There is arisk of injury if the bonnet is open,
even if the engine is not running.
Some engine componentsc an become very
hot.
To avoid the risk of burns, only touch those
componentsd escribed in the Owner's Manual
and observe the relevant safety notes. 180
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G
Risk of injury
The radiator fan between the radiator and the
engine can star tautomatically, eve nifthe key
ha sb eenr emoved from the ignition lock. For
this reason, yo umustn ot reach into the fan
rotation area. Otherwise, yo ucould be
injured.
Vehicles with apetro lengine:
The electroni cignition system uses hig hvolt-
age. For this reason, yo umustn ever touch
ignition system components (ignition coil,
ignition cable ,spark plug connector or test
socket) while:
R the engine is running.
R the engine is being started.
R the ignition is switched on and the engine
is being cranke dbyhand.
You could otherwise suffer an electri cshock
and be seriously or eve nfatall yinjured.
Vehicles with adiese lengine:
The electroni cinjection control uses hig hvolt-
age. For this reason, yo umustn ever touch
injection system components while:
R the engine is running.
R the engine is being started.
R the ignition is switched on.
You could otherwise suffer an electri cshock
and be seriously or eve nfatall yinjured.
X Make sure that the windscreen wiper sare
switched off. G
Risk of injury
The windscreen wiper sand wiper linkage
could be set in motion.
Whe nthe bonne tiso pen, yo uorothers could
be injured by the wiper linkage.
Make sure that the windscreen wiper is
switched off. Remove the key or make sure
that no ignition level ha sbeens elected on
KEYLESS-GO* .Inthe instrument cluster, all
of the indicator lamps mus tbeo ut. The bonne
trelease lever is located in the
driver' sfootwell. X
Pull bonne trelease lever 0046.
The bonne tisr eleased.
! Make sure that the windscreen wipers
are not folded away from the windscreen.
Otherwise, yo ucould damag ethe wind-
scree nwiper sort he bonnet.
The handle for opening the bonne tisl ocated
above the radiator grill eonthe right-hand
sid eoft he vehicle whe nviewe dint he direc-
tion of travel. X
Reach into the gap, pull bonne tcatch han-
dle 0047up and lift the bonnet.
Closing G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as yo uclosethe bonnet. Engine compartment
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X
Lower the bonnet and let it fall from a
heightofa pproximately 20 cm.
X Check that the bonnet has engage dprop-
erly.
i If the bonnet can be raiseds lightly, it is
not properl yengaged. Open it again and
close it with alittle more force. Engine oil
Depending on driving style, the vehicle con-
sumes up to 0.8 loil per 1,000 km. The oil
consumption may be highert han this when
the vehicle is new or if you frequently drive at
high engine speeds.
Checking the engine oil level Before checking the engine oil level the fol-
lowing conditions for the vehicle shouldbe
met:
R
the vehicle shouldbep arked on level
ground.
R the engine shouldbes witched off for at
least five minutes if the engine is at normal
operating temperature.
R the engine shouldbes witched off for at
least 30 minutes if the engine is not at
operating temperature (i.e. if you only start
the engine briefly).
Depending on the engine, the oil dipstick may
be installed at adifferent location. E3
50 (example) X
Pullo il dipstick 0046out of the oil dipstick
tube.
X Wipe off oil dipstick 0046.
X Insert oil dipstick 0046into the oil dipstick
tube to the stop, and take it out again.
The oil level is correct if the level is between
the minimum mark 008Aand maximum
mark 0047.
X Top up the oil if necessary.
Topping up the engine oil H
Environmental note
When topping up the oil, take care not to spill
any. Oil must not be allowed to escape into
the soil or waterways. You would otherwis ebe
damaging the environment. Cap (example)
X Turn cap 0046anti-clockwise and remove.
X Top up with the amount of oil required
(Y page 288).
i The difference in quantity betwee nthe
minimum mark and maximu mmark is
approximately 2litres.
i On vehicle switha4-cylinder petrol
engine and vehicle swith an 8-cylinder pet-
rol engine, the difference betwee nthe MIN
mark and the MAX mark is approximately
1.5 litres.
! Do not add too much oil. If too much oil
is added and the oil level is above the max- 182
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imum mark on the dipstick
,the engine or
catalytic converter could be damaged.
Have excess oil siphoned off.
X Replace cap 0046on the filler nec kand
tighten clockwise.
Ensure that the cap lock sintop lace
securely.
For further information on engine oil, see
(Y page 288). Coolant
Only chec kthe coolan tlevel when the vehicle
is on alevel surface and the engine has cooled
down.
X Turn the key to position 2(Y page 65) in
the ignition lock.
X Check the coolan ttemperature gauge in
the instrumen tcluster. G
Risk of injury
The cooling system is pressurised. Therefore,
only unscrew the cap onc ethe engine has
coole ddown. The coolan ttemperature gauge
must display less than 70 †. Otherwise, you
could be scalde difhot coolan tescapes.
The coolan texpansion tan kislocated in the
engine compartmen tonthe right when
viewed in the direction of travel. X
Slowly tur ncap 0046 half aturna nti-clock-
wise and allow excess pressure to escape.
X Turn cap 0046further anti-clockwise and
remove it.
There is sufficien tcoolan tinexpansion
tank 0047if the coolan tislevel with marks
008A in the filler nec kwhen cold or approx-
imately 1. 5cmhigher when hot.
X If necessary, top up with coolan twhich has
been tested and approved by Mercedes-
Benz.
X Replace cap 0046and tighten all the way to
the stop.
For further information on coolant, see
(Y page 290). Windscreen washer system/head-
lam
pcleaning system*
The washer fluid reservoir for the windscreen
washer system and headlamp cleaning sys-
tem *isl ocated in the engine compartment
on the left-han dside when viewed in the
direction of travel. i
Add windscreen washer concentrate to
the washer fluid all year round. G
Risk of fire
Windscreen washer fluid is highly flammable.
Fire ,naked flames and smoking are prohibi-
ted when handlin gwasher fluid concentrate.
! Only use washer fluid concentrate which
is suitable for plastic lamp lenses. Unsuit- Engine compartment
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Once you have fitted the winter tyres:
X
Check the tyre pressures (Y page 186).
X Restart the tyre pressure loss warning sys-
tem (Y page 187). G
Risk of accident
If you fit the spare wheel* when driving with
winter tyres, bear in mind that driving stability
will be impaired owing to unstable cornering
characteristics caused by the different tyres.
You should therefore adapty our driving style
and drive carefully.
Have the spare wheel* replaced at the near-
est qualified specialist workshop which has
the necessary specialist knowledge and tools
to carry out the work required. Mercedes-
Benz recommends that you use aMercedes-
Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In par-
ticular, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at aquali-
fied specialist workshop. Snow chains
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains which
have been speciallya pproved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz,ora re ofacorresponding
standard of quality.
If you intend to fit snow chains, pleaseb ear
the following points in mind:
R you may not attach snow chains to all
wheel-tyre combinations; see the "Tyres
and wheels" section in the "Technical data"
chapter.
R snow chains must not be fitted to emer-
gency spare wheels, e.g. a"Minispare"
emergency spare wheel.
R Fit snow chains only in pairs and only to the
rear wheels. Comply with the manufactur-
er's installation instructions.
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 50 km/h.
i You may wish to deactivate ESP ®
when
pulling awayw ith snow chains fitted (Y
page 54). This way,y ou can allowthe
wheels to spin in acontrolled manner, ach-
ieving an increased driving force (cutting
action). Winter driving
G
Risk of accident
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion, steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Vehicles with manual transmission: engage
neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
shift the selector lever to N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control by
using corrective steering. Driving tips
Rolling with the engines
witchedoff G
Risk of accident
Never switch the engine off while the vehicle
is in motion.
There is no power assistance for the steering
and the service brake when the engine is not
running.
You will require considerably more effort to
steer and brake and you could therefore lose
control of the vehicle and cause an accident. 190
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Brakes
G
Ris
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Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslipper yroads urface. Thi scould
cause the drive wheels to lose thei rgripa nd
the vehicl ecould skid. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Make sure tha tothe rroa du sers are not
endangere dbyyourb raking.
Downhil lgradients On long and stee
pdownhil lstretches ,espe-
ciall yift he vehicl eisladen or towing atrailer,
yo um usts hift to alower gearing oodtime or,
on vehicles with automatic transmission*,
select shift range 1,2or 3.
i Thisalsoa pplies if youhavea ctivated
cruis econtrol, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS*.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed .Thisr elieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. If yo uneed
additional braking ,depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather tha ncontinuously.
Heavy and light loads If the brakes have been subjected to
aheavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicl eimmediately, but
drive on for ashort while. Thi sallow sthe air-
flo wtoc oolthe brakes more quickly. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Never depress the brake peda lcontinuously
whil ethe vehicl eisinmotion, e.g .neve rcause
the brakes to ru bbyapplyingconstant slight
peda lpressure. Thi scauses the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been used onl ymoderately,
yo us houl doccasionall ytest thei reffective-
ness .Todot his, brake more firmly from a highe
rspeed .Thisi mprove sthe gri pofthe
brakes.
Wet roads If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time withou tbraking ,ther em aybe a
delaye dreactio nfrom the brakes when brak-
ing for the first time .Thism ayalso occu rafter
the vehicl ehasbeen washed.
Yo uh avetod epress the brake peda lmore
firmly .Maintain agreate rdistance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awetroa dorh aving the vehi-
cle washed, brake firmly whil epayin gatten-
tio ntot he traffic conditions. Thi swaythe
brake discs will become warm, drying more
quickly, which will protect them against cor-
rosion.
Limite dbraking performanc eonsalt
treate droads G
Ris
kofa ccident
The laye rofsaltont he brake discs and the
brake pads/lining smaycause adelay in the
braking effect, resulting in asignificantly lon-
ger braking distance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid thi sdanger ,you should:
R occasionall ybrake carefully, withou tput-
ting othe rroa du sers at risk, when yo uare
driving on salte droads. Thi shelps to
remove any salt tha tmayhave started to
buil dupont he brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreate rdistance to the vehicle
ahea dand drive with particula rcare.
R carefull yapply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediatel yaftercommencing a
new trip ,sothats altr esidue sare removed
from the brake discs. Driving tips
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New brak
epads/linings For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mend
stha tyou onl yhaveb rake pads/linings
fitted to your vehicl ewhich have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which correspond to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake pads/lining swhich have not
been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which ar enot of an equivalent quality could
affec tyou rv ehicle' soperating safety. G
Ris
kofa ccident
New brake pads/lining sonlyr each their opti-
mu mb raking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before thi soptimum brak-
ing effect is reached, yo ushoul dcompensate
for the reduced braking effect by applying
greate rpressure when braking .Thisa lso
applie safter the brake discs or the brake
pads/lining shaveb eenr eplaced. Tyre grip
G
Ris
kofa ccident
Whil ethe vehicl ecan be full ycontrolle data
certai nspeed on dry roads ,you must reduce
your spee donwetor icy roads to achieve the
same roa dsafety .Otherwise, yo ucould cause
an accident.
Pa yp articula rattentio ntothe roa dconditions
at temperatures around freezing point.
If ice ha sformed on the roa dsurface (e.g.
fro mf og), athinf ilmofw ater rapidl yforms on
the ice when yo ubrake, considerabl yreduc-
ing tyr egrip. Drive with particula rcareins uch
weather conditions. Driving on we
troads
If water ha saccumulate dtoacertaindepth
on the roa dsurface, there is adangerofa qua-
planing occurring, eve nif:
R yo ud rive at lo wspeeds
R the tyres have adequate trea ddepth For thi
sreason, do not drive in tyr eruts, and
brake carefully. Driving on flooded roads
If yo uhavetod rive on stretche sofroadon
which water ha scollected ,pleas ebearin
mind that:
R the maximum permissibl estill water depth
is 25 cm.
R yo us houl ddrive no faste rtha natw alking
pace.
! Bea rinm indt hatv ehicles travelling in
front or in the opposite directio ncreate
waves .Thism aycause the maximum per-
missibl ewater depth to be exceeded.
Failur etoo bserve these note smayresult
in damage to the engine ,electrica lsys tems
and transmission. Driving abroad
Points to remember
An extensive Mercedes-Benz Service network
is also availabl einother countries .The
Service Hotline's current telephone numbers
for us ewheny ou area broa da reto be found
in the "Service24h" chapte rofthe Service
Booklet.
Onl ylow -octan efuelisa vailable in certain
countries.
Yo uc an find furthe rinformation abou tfuel
grade son(Ypage 178). Symmetrical dipped beam
If your journey take syou to countries where
vehicles ar edriven on the opposite side of the
roa dtot he country in which the vehicl eis
registered, your headlamps must be switched
to symmetrical dipped beam .Thisp revents
oncoming traffi cfromb eing dazzled.
Have the headlamps converte dasclose as
possibl etothe borde rbefor ed riving in these 192
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Coupling up
atrailer G
Ris
kofi njury
Do no tdisconnect atrailer wit hanengaged
overrun brake. Otherwise, your han dcould
become trapped between th ebumpe rand
trailer drawbar.
! Do no tdisconnect atrailer wit han
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by th erebound-
ing of th eoverrun brake.
X Positio nthe trailer leve lbehin dthe vehicle.
X Couple up th etrailer.
X Establish th eelectrical connection
between th evehicle and th etrailer.
Driving tips G
Ris
kofa ccident
If the Check traile rhitch locking
mechanism message appear sinthemulti-
function display while th evehicle is in motion,
pull ove rimmediately and check whether the
ball couplin giscorrectly engaged.
i Observ ethe note sonE SP®
trailer stabi-
lisation (Y page 55).
In Germany, th emaximum permissible speed
for vehicle/trailer combinations depends on
th et ype of trailer and is either 80 km/h or
10 0k m/ h. In som ecountries ,higher maxi-
mum speeds are permissible for vehicle/
trailer combinations .Before beginnin gthe
journey, check th etrailer' sdocuments to see
what th emaximum permitted spee dis.
For certain Mercedes-Ben zvehicles, th emax-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. Refer to th e"Technical
data" sectio ntofindo ut whether this applies
to your vehicle .Ifyou utilise any of th eadded
maximum rear axle load when towing atrailer,
th ev ehicle/trailer combinatio nmay not
excee damaximum spee dof100km/h for
reason sconcernin gthe operatin gpermit. This also applies in countries in whic
hthe
permissible maximum spee dfor vehicle/
trailer combinations is abov e100 km/h. G
Ris
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Always observ ethe maximum spee dpermit-
te dinG ermany for vehicle/traile rcombina-
tions ,eveninc ountries wher ehigher speeds
are permitted. This lower sthe riskofana cci-
dent.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristic swill be different in comparison
to when driving without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleratio nand gradi-
ent-climbin gcapability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected mor ebystron gc rosswinds
R demands mor esensitive steering
R consumes mor efuel
On lon gand steep downhill gradients ,you
must selec talower gear in good time, or on
vehicle switha utomatic transmission*, select
shif trange 1,2or 3.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONI CorDIS-
TRONIC PLUS*.
This will use th ebraking effect of th eengine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
th es peed. This relieves th eload on th ebrake
system and prevents th ebrakes from over-
heating and wearin gtoo quickly. If you need
additional braking ,depress th ebrak epedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Never depress th ebrak epedal continuously
while th evehicle is in motion ,e.g.n ever cause
th eb rakes to rub by applyin gconstant slight
pedal pressure .This causes th ebrak esystem
to overheat, increases th ebraking distance
and can lead to th ebrakes failin gcompletely. Trailer towing*
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