
Treadwear indicator : appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Storing tires
! Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry place
with as little exposure to light as possible.
Protect tires from contact with oil, grease
and fuels.
Cleaning tires
! 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.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards
The Uniform Tire Quality Grading is a U.S.
Government requirement designed to give
drivers consistent and reliable information
regarding tire performance. Tire
manufacturers are required to grade tires
based on three performance factors:
treadwear :, traction ;, and temperature
resistance =. Although not a Government of
Canada requirement, all tires made for sale in
North America have these grades branded on
the sidewall.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
Quality grades can be found, where
applicable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
TreadwearTractionTemperature200AAA
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
U.S. Government test course. For example, a
tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half
(1 1/2) times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from
the norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
GWarning!
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
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Tire type code
Tire type code ? may, at the option of the
manufacturer, be used as a descriptive code
for identifying significant characteristics of
the tire.
Date of manufacture
The date of manufacture A identifies the
week and year of manufacture.
The first two figures identify the week,
starting with “01” to represent the first full
week of the calendar year. The second two
figures represent the year.
For example, “3202” represents the 32nd
week of 2002.
Tire ply material
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
This marking tells you about the type of cord
and number of plies in the sidewall : and
under the tread ;.
Tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those
standard items which may be replaced) of
automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-installed
equipment (whether installed or not).
Air pressure
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire. Air
pressure is expressed in pounds per square
inch (psi), or kilopascal (kPa) or bar.
Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width expressed
in percentage.
Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There are
14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi) to
1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa) to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped by
steel cords that hold the tire onto the rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle has
been sitting for at least 3 hours or driven no
more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with standard
equipment including the maximum capacity
of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so equipped,
air conditioning and additional optional
equipment, but without passengers and
cargo.
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Locking the vehicle
If you cannot lock the vehicle with the
SmartKey, lock it as follows:
XClose the front passenger door, the rear
doors, and the tailgate.
XOpen the driver’s door.XPress the central locking switch
(Y page 60).
The locking knobs of the front passenger
door, the rear doors, and the tailgate move
down.
XIf the vehicle battery is disconnected or
drained: Press down the locking knobs on
the front passenger door, the rear doors,
and the tailgate.
XExit the vehicle.XClose the driver’s door.XRemove mechanical key ; from the
SmartKey (Y page 221).
XInsert mechanical key ; into the lock
cylinder.
XTurn mechanical key ; clockwise to
position 1.
The vehicle is locked.
XTurn mechanical key ; back and remove
it from the lock cylinder.
XCheck if the tailgate is locked.XIf necessary, lock the tailgate with the
mechanical key (Y page 61).
iThis procedure does not arm the anti-
theft alarm system, nor does it lock the fuel
filler flap.
Manually unlocking the gear selector
lever
If the vehicle’s electrical system is
malfunctioning, the gear selector lever could
remain locked in park position P. In this case
the gear selector lever can be unlocked
manually, e.g. to tow the vehicle.
XEngage the parking brake.XInsert suitable tool : (e.g. a ball point pen)
into the covered opening.
XSimultaneously push tool : downward
and move the gear selector lever out of
park position P.
XRemove tool :.
The gear selector lever is unlocked.
The cover returns to its closed position after
moving the gear selector lever to the
positions D+ and D-.
iThe gear selector lever is locked again as
soon as you move it back to park position
P.
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Fuel filler flapGWarning!
Avoid contact with the vehicle walls as they
may contain sharp edges. Otherwise, you
could injure yourself while releasing the fuel
filler flap.
In case the central locking system does not
release the fuel filler flap, you can open it
manually.
The fuel filler flap release is located on the
passenger side in the cargo compartment
behind the side trim panel.
XOpen the tailgate (Y page 61).XRemove edge protection : in direction of
arrow ;.
iBefore removing side trim panel =
completely, the electrical connectors must
be disconnected.
XPull off side trim panel = in direction of
arrow ? so the electrical connectors are
accessible.
XDisconnect the electrical connectors.XRemove side trim panel = completely.XPull fuel filler flap release A upwards in
direction of arrow.
XOpen the fuel filler flap (Y page 146).XConnect the electrical connectors.XReinstall side trim panel = (Y page 224).XReinstall edge protection :.XClose the tailgate.
Opening/closing manually
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
You can open or close the power tilt/sliding
sunroof manually should an electrical
malfunction occur.
The power tilt/sliding sunroof drive is located
on the driver’s side in the cargo compartment
behind the side trim panel.
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Vehicle equipment ............................246
Parts service .....................................246
Warranty coverage ...........................246
Identification labels ..........................246
Vehicle specification G 550
(463.237) ...........................................248
Vehicle specification G 55 AMG
(463.271) ...........................................249
Rims and tires ...................................250
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......252
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Viscosity grades for engine oils
Using the chart below, select oil viscosity
according to the lowest air temperature
expected before the next oil change.
Engine oil additives
! Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine. Damage or
malfunctions resulting from blending oil
additives are not covered by the Mercedes-
Benz Limited Warranty.
Air conditioning refrigerant
R134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air conditioning
system.
! Never use R 12 (CFC) or mineral-based
lubricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
GWarning!
During vehicle operation, the boiling point of
the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from the
atmosphere.
Under extremely strenuous operating
conditions, this moisture content can lead to
the formation of bubbles in the system, thus
reducing the system’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be replaced
regularly. Refer to your vehicle’s Maintenance
Booklet for replacement interval.
Only brake fluid approved by Mercedes-Benz
is recommended. Any authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center will provide you with additional
information.
Premium unleaded gasoline
GWarning!
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
personal injury.
Never allow sparks, flames or smoking
materials near gasoline!
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid
inhaling fumes and any skin or clothing
contact. Extinguish all smoking materials.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the
inhalation of fuel vapors are damaging your
health.
! To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gasoline
must be used.
If premium unleaded gasoline is not
available and low octane gasoline is used,
follow these precautions:
RHave the fuel tank only partially filled
with unleaded regular gasoline and fill up
with premium unleaded gasoline as soon
as possible.
RAvoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
RDo not exceed an engine speed of
3 000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded with a
light load such as two persons and no
luggage.
RDo not exceed 2/3 of maximum
accelerator pedal position if the vehicle
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