Vehi
cle dime nsions........................... 390
Vehic leemerge ncylocking ................ 80
Vehic leiden tification number
see VIN
Vehic leiden tification plate.............. 381
Vehic lelev el(dis play messag e)....... 258
Vehic letool kit.................................. 328
Video (DVD) ..................... ................... 230
VIN ...................................................... 381W
Warning
andindicator lamps
ABS ............................ .................. .. 272
Brakes ........................................... 271
Che ckEngine ................................. 276
Coo lant .......................................... 277
Distance warning ........................... 279
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 279
ESP ®
.............................................. 273
ESP ®
OFF .......................................274
Fuel tank ............................... 276,277
Overvi ew.......................................... 30
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
indi cator lamp .................................. 44
Res erve fuel....... ....... ............. 276,277
Seat belt........................................ 269
SRS ............................ .................... 275
Tire press uremonitor .................... 280
Warranty ............................................ 381
Washer fluid
Displ aymessa ge............................ 267
see Winds hieldwa sher system
Whee lbol ttight ening torque ........... 337
Whee lcho ck...................................... 334
Whee ls
Cha nging awheel .......................... 333
Che cking ........................................ 351
Cl eani ng....... ....... ..................... ...... 320
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 350
Interchangi ng/changing................ 374
Mou nting awheel .......................... 336
Rem oving awheel .......................... 336
Storing ........................................... 375
Tig htening torque....... .................... 337
Whee lsize/ tires ize ....................... 375Windo
wcurtain airbag
Displ aymessa ge............................ 246
Opera tion............ ...... .......................4 4
Windo ws
Cl eani ng...... ...... ............................. 321
see Side windows
Windshi eld
Defrosting ...................................... 131
Infrared reflective .......................... 309
Winds hieldwasher system.............. 315
Notes ............................................. 390
Winds hieldwiper s
Problem (malfunction) ................... 120
Rea rwindow wiper........................ 118
Rep lacing thewiper blades ............ 119
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 118
Winte rdriving
Imp orta ntsafety note s.................. 352
Slip pery road surfaces................... 162
Snow chains.................................. 353
Winte roperatio n
Ra dia tor cover ............................... 313
Winte rtires
M+S tires....................................... 352
Wiper blades
Cl eani ng....... ..................... ............. 321
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 119
Rep lacing (rearwindow) ................ 119
Rep lacing (windshi eld)................... 119
Woo dentrim (clean ing
ins truction s)...................................... 32420
In
dex
R
to cros sing traffic
R in cur ves
As ares ult, BAS PLUScann otinte rvenein
cri tica lsi tua tions. The reisaris ko fan
acc iden t.Always paycareful attent ion tothe
tr aff icsit uatio nand berea dytobra ke.
Fol lowi ng dama getothe front endofthe
veh icle, ha ve the confi guratio na nd opera tion
of the rada rs ensor schec kedataqualified
specialist workshop.This also applies to
collisions atlow speeds wherethereis no
visible damage tothe fron tofthe vehicle.
If BAS PLUS isnot availa bledue toa
malfunction inthe radar sensor system, the
brake system remains availablewith full
brake boosting effectandBAS. ESP
®
(Ele ctronic Stability Program)
Import antsafety notes i
See
the"Important safetynotes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat thevehicle isdeviating
from thedirection desiredbythe driver, one
or more wheels arebraked tostabilize the
vehicle. Ifnecessary, theengine outputisalso
modified tokeep thevehicle onthe desired
course withinphysical limits.ESP®
assists
the driver whenpullingaway onwet or
slippery roads.ESP®
can also stabilize the
vehicle duringbraking.
If ESP ®
interven es,the ÷ ESP®
warning
lamp flashes inthe instrumen tcluster . G
WARN
ING Und
erno circums tances should you
deact ivateES P®
when the÷ ESP®
warnin glamp inthe instrumen tclust er
flashe s.Proc eedasfollows :
R when drivingoff ,apply aslittlethr ottleas
possible .
R while driving,ease upon the accelerat or
pedal.
R adapt yourspeed tosuit theprev ailing road
and weathe rconditions .
Failure toobserve theseguidelines could
cause thevehicle toskid. ESP®
cann ot
prevent accident sresulting fromexcessive
speed.
! Only operate thevehicle foramaximum
of ten seconds onabrake test
dynamometer. Switchoffthe ignition.
Application ofthe brakes byESP ®
may
otherwise destroythebrake system.
! Funct ionorperformanc etest smay only
be performed ona2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish tooperate thevehicle onsuch a
dynamometer, pleaseconsult an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter
beforehand. Youcould otherwise damage
the drive trainorthe brake system. i
Only
usewheels withtherecommen ded
tire sizes. OnlythenwillESP ®
funct ion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
Traction controlispart ofESP ®
.
Traction controlbrakes thedrive wheels
individuall yif they spin. Thisenables youto
pull away andaccelerate onslippery surfaces,
for example ifthe road surface isslippery on
one side. Inaddition, moredrivetorque is
trans ferred tothe wheel orwheels with
tract ion. Driving
safetysystems
63Safety Z
Traction
controlremains activeifyou
deactivate ESP®
. G
WARNIN
G Traction
controlcann otreduce therisk ofan
accident ifyou drive toofast. Traction control
cann otoverride thelaws ofphysics.
Deactivating/activat ingESP ® i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61). G
WARN
ING ES
P®
should notbedeactiv atedduring
norm aldrivin gother thaninthe
circ umstan cesdescribed below.Disabling
the system willreduce vehicle stability in
drivin gmaneuver s.
Do not deactiv ateESP®
when theemergen cy
or spare wheel ismount ed.
ES P®
is activ ated automatic allywhen the
engin eis start ed.
It may bebest todeactiv ateESP®
in the
following situations:
R when usingsnowchains
R in deep snow
R on sand orgravel G
WARN
ING Switc
hon ESP®
immediately ifone ofthe
previously statedcon dition sis no longer met.
Other wise, ESP®
cann otstabilize thevehicle
if it begins tolurch orwhen awheel spins.
When youdeactiv ateESP®
:
R ES P®
no longer improves drivingstability.
R the engin e'storque isno longer limited and
the drive wheels canspin. Thespinn ingof
the wheels resultsinacutt ingaction ,which
provides bettergrip.
R trac tion controlis still activ ated.
R ES P®
still provides supportwhenyou
brake. If
ES P®
is deactiv atedandone ormore wheels
start tospin, the÷ ESP®
warning lampin
the instrument clusterflashes. Insuch
situation s,ES P®
will notstabilize thevehicle. X
To deact ivate:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clusterlightsup. G
WARN
ING When
theå ESP®
OFF warning lampislit,
ES P®
is deactiv ated.
If the ÷ ESP®
warning lampandthe
å ESP®
OFF warning lampremain lit,
ES P®
is not available duetoam alfun ction .
When ESP®
is deac tivate dor noto peration al,
vehicle stability instan dard driving
maneuver sis reduced.
Adapt yourspeed anddriving tothe prevailing
road condition sand tothe non-operat ing
stat usofthe ESP®
.
! Avoid spinningthe driven wheels foran
ext ended period withESP®
deactiv ated.
You could otherwisedamage thedrivet rain.
X To activa te:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clustergoesout.
ESP ®
trailer stabiliz ation If
your vehicle withtrailer (vehicle/ trailer
combin ation)begins tolurch, youcan only
stabilize thevehicle/ trailercombin ationby
depressin gthe brake firmly. 64
Driving
safetysystemsSafety
Trave
ling uphi ll
App roac h/depa rture angle :
: 14
;
Ste
el-spri ng
ve hic les 26° 25° 25°
Veh
icle swi th
the AIRMA TIC
pac kag e Hig
hway level 23° 22°
22°
15 Ra
ised level 28° 27° 27°
R
Co mpl ywi th the rulesfor off-roaddri ving .
R Do not drive atan ang leon slop es,incl ines
or gra dients, butinstea dfol low the direct
li ne offall.T he maximum gradient-climbing
capabil ityofyour vehicle is100%, which
corresponds toan approach/departure
angle of45°. Note thatthevehicle's
gradient-c limbingcapabilitydepends on
the off-r oad condition s.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Drive slowly .
R Avoid highengine speeds –drive ata
sui table engine speed(maxi mum 3000
rpm). R
When drivingdow nanincli ne, makeuseof
the engine'sbra king effect. Observethe
eng inespeed;do not overrevthe engine.
R Check thebrakes afterdriving off-road for
a long time. G
WARNING Never
turnthevehicle around onsteep
inclines. Thevehicle mightrollover. Ifthe
vehicle cannotcomplete theattempt edclimb,
back itdown inreverse gear. i
Hill
start assist willaidyou when pulling
away onahill.
For further information ,see "Hill start
assist" (Ypage 142).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability For
good roadsurface condition s,the
maximum gradient-climbingcapabilityis
100%, whichcorresponds toan approach/
departure angleof45°. Note thatthe
vehicle's gradient-c limbingcapability
depends onthe off-r oad condition s.
Acc elerate carefully andmake surethatthe
wheels donot spin when driving onsteep
terrain. i
If
the load onthe front axleisreduced
when pullingaway onasteep uphillslope,
the front wheels haveatenden cytospin.
4ETS recogniz esthis and brakes the
wheels accordingly. Therear wheel torque
is increased, makingiteasier todrive off.
Brow ofhill When
driving upanuphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure onthe accelerator
immediately beforereaching thebrow ofthe
hill. Use thevehicle's ownimpetus todrive
over thetop ofthe hill.
14 With AMG bodystyling.
15 166
Driving
tipsDriving and parking
The ML 350 4MATIC model has a departure angle of 23°.
G
WARNING Make
suretouse theorigi nallength wheel
bolts when remou ntingtheorigi nalwhee l
after ithas been repaired.
X Cle anthe whee land whee lhub contact
surfa ces.
! Toprevent damagetothe paintwork, hold
the whee lsecure lyaga inst thewhee lhub
whi lescrewi nginthe first whee lbolt. X
Slide theemerge ncysparewhee lonto the
ali gnment boltandpushit on.
X Tigh tenthewhee lbolts untiltheyare
finger-tigh t.
X Unscrew thealignment bolt.
X Tigh tenthelastw heel boltuntil itis finger-
tight.
Low ering thevehicle X
Place theratchet wrench ontothehexagon
nut ofthe jack sothat theletters ABare
visible.
X Turn theratchet wrench untilthevehicle is
once again standing firmlyonthe ground.
X Place thejack toone side. X
Tighten thewheel boltsevenly ina
crosswise patterninthe sequence
indicated (: toA). Thetighten ingtorque
must be110 lb-ft (150 Nm). G
WARNING Have
thetighten ingtorque checked
immediately afterawheel ischanged. The
wheels couldcome looseifthey arenot
tighten edtoatorque of110 lb/ft
(150 Nm).
X Turn thejack back toits initial position and
store ittogether withtherest ofthe tire-
change toolkitinthe cargo compartmen t.
Vehicles withanemergency sparewheel:
X Wrap thedefective wheelinthe protect ive
film included withtheemergency spare
wheel andtransport thewheel inthe cargo
compartmen t.
or
X Depending onthe size ofthe wheel, you
may alsobeable tosecure thedefective
wheel inthe emergency sparewheel well.
In this case, youmust remove thestowage
tray from theemergency sparewheel well
and store itsecurely inthe cargo
compartmen t. i
When
youaredriving withthecollapsibl e
spare wheel mounted, thetire pressure
loss warning systemorthe tire pressure
monitorin gsystem cannotfunction
reliabl y.Only restart thetire pressure loss
warning system/t irepressure monitorin g Flat
tire
337Breakdown assistance Z
Trac
tion
Tra ctio nis the resultof frictio nbe twe enthe
tire sand theroadsu rfa ce. TWR
(Tongue We ight Ratin g)
The TWRsp eci fiesthe maxim um permi ssible
we ight tha tthe ball coupling ofthe trailer tow
hitch cansupport. Tread
wearindicators
Narrow bars(tread wearbars) thatare
distributed overthetire tread. Ifthe tire tread
is level withthebars, thewear limitof1
/ 16 in
(1.6 mm) hasbeen reached. Occupant
distribution
The distribution ofoccupants inavehicle at
their designated seatingpositions. Total
loadlimit
Rated cargoandlugga geload plus
68 kilograms (150lbs)times thevehicle's
designated seatingcapacity. Changing
awhee l Fl
at tire
The "Brea kdown assistance" section
(Y pag e329) contains informationandnotes
on how todea lwith afla ttire. Italso provides
inst ruct ions onchan gingawheel ormoun ting
the spare wheel/ emergencyspare wheel. Inter
chang ingthewheels G
WARN
ING Rotat
efro ntand rear wheels onlyifthe tires
are ofthe same dimen sion. If
your vehic leisequipped withmixed-s ize
tir es (diff eren ttire dimen sionsfro ntvs. rear),
tir erot ation isnot possible . G
WARN
ING Have
thetightening torque chec kedafter
chan gingawheel. Thewheels couldcome
loose ifthe yare not tightenedtoator que of
110 lb-ft(150 Nm).
Only usegenuin eMerc edes- Benzwheel bolts
specified foryour vehicle's rims.
The wear pattern son the front andrear tires
differ, depending onthe operating conditions.
Rotate thewheels beforeaclear wearpattern
has formed onthe tires. Front tirestypically
wear more onthe shoulders andtherear tires
in the cent er.
If your vehicle's tireconfiguration allows,you
can rotate thewheels according tothe
intervals inthe tire manufacturer's warranty
book inyour vehicle documents. Ifthis isnot
availa ble,thetires should thenbereplaced
every 3000to6000 miles
(5000 to10,000 km),orearl ierifthe tire wea r
requ iresthis. Donot change thedirection of
whee lrotation.
Cle anthe contact surfacesofthe whee land
the brake discthoroug hlyevery timeawhee l
is interchanged .Check thetire pressures.
Inform ationonchanging awheel and
mounting thespare wheel (Ypage 333).
! Onvehicles equippedwith atire pressure
monitor, electronic componentsare
located inthe wheel.
Tire-mountin gtools should notbeused
near thevalve. Thiscould damage the
electronic components.
Always havethetires changed ataqual ified
specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zCent er. 374
Changing
awhee lWheels and tires