After using an automatic car wash, wipe off
wax from the windshield and the wiper
blades. This will prevent smears and reduce
wiping noises caused by residue on the wind- shield.
Washing by hand In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at specially equipped washing bays.
Observe the legal requirements in all coun-
tries concerned.
When using the vehicle in winter, remove all
traces of road salt deposits carefully and as
soon as possible.
When washing the vehicle underbody, also
clean the inside of the wheels.
X Do not use hot water and do not wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
X Use a soft sponge to clean.
X Use a mild cleaning agent, such as a car
shampoo approved by Mercedes-Benz.
X Thoroughly hose down the vehicle with a
gentle jet of water.
X Do not point the water jet directly towards
the air inlets.
X Use plenty of water and rinse out the
sponge frequently.
X Rinse the vehicle with clean water and dry
thoroughly with a chamois.
X Do not let the cleaning agent dry on the
paintwork.
Power washers G
WARNING
The water jet from a circular jet nozzle (dirt
blasters) can cause invisible exterior damage to the tires or chassis components. Compo-
nents damaged in this way may fail unexpect-edly. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not use power washers with circular jet
nozzles to clean the vehicle. Have damaged
tires or chassis components replaced imme-
diately. !
Always maintain a distance of at least
11.8 in (30 cm) between the vehicle and the
power washer nozzle. Information about
the correct distance is available from the
equipment manufacturer.
Move the power washer nozzle around
when cleaning your vehicle.
Do not aim directly at any of the following:
R tires
R door gaps, roof gaps, joints, etc.
R electrical components
R battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim
R ventilation slots
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to leaks or failures.
Cleaning the wheels !
Do not use acidic wheel cleaning products
to remove brake dust. This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components.
! Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after clean-
ing. Braking heats the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings, thus drying them. The
vehicle can then be parked.
Cleaning the paintwork !
Do not affix:
R stickers
R films
R magnetic plates or similar items
to painted surfaces. You could otherwise
damage the paintwork. 282
CareMaintenance and care
switch, the hazard warning lamps start
flashing again.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock (Y page 133).
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Shift the transfer case to neu-
tral(Y page 188).
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake (Y page 151).
i The transmission can only change gear if
the battery has sufficient charge.
If you cannot move the selector lever to N,
the propeller shafts to the driven axles
must be removed. Transporting the vehicle
! You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as
axle or steering components. Otherwise,
the vehicle could be damaged.
Use the towing eyes to pull the vehicle if it
needs to be transported on a trailer or trans-
porter (Y page 299).
X Apply the parking brake.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock (Y page 133).
X Move the selector lever to N.
X Shift the transfer case to neutral
(Y page 188).
X Secure the towing cable to the towing eyes
(Y page 299).
X Make sure that the vehicle cannot roll
away.
X Release the parking brake.
X Load the vehicle onto the transporter. As soon as the vehicle has been loaded:
X Apply the parking brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the igni-
tion lock (Y page 133) and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle. Recovering a vehicle that has become
stuck
! When recovering a vehicle that has
become stuck, pull it as smoothly and
evenly as possible. Excessive tractive
power could damage the vehicles.
If the drive wheels have become stuck in
loose or muddy ground, pull the vehicle out
with extreme caution, especially so if the vehi-
cle is loaded.
Never attempt to recover a stuck vehicle with
a trailer attached.
Pull out the vehicle backwards, if possible
using the tracks it made when it became
stuck. Towing in the event of malfunctions
General notes !
If you are removing the propeller shaft,
use M10 nuts as spacers on the M8 bolts
and secure them with M8 nuts.
New self-locking nuts must be used when
the propeller shafts are refitted.
X Observe the safety notes as you do so
(Y page 298).
i Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. 300
Towing and tow-startingRoadside Assistance
rectly, the jack could tip over with the vehi-
cle raised.
R The jack is designed only to raise and hold
the vehicle for a short time while a wheel
is being changed. It is not suited for per-
forming maintenance work under the vehi- cle.
R Avoid changing the wheel on uphill and
downhill slopes.
R Before raising the vehicle, secure it from
rolling away by applying the parking brake
and inserting wheel chocks. Never disen-
gage the parking brake while the vehicle is raised.
R The jack must be placed on a firm, flat and
non-slip surface. On a loose surface, a
large, load-bearing underlay must be used.
On a slippery surface, a non-slip underlay
must be used, e.g. rubber mats.
R Do not use wooden blocks or similar
objects as a jack underlay. Otherwise, the
jack will not be able to achieve its load-
bearing capacity due to the restricted
height.
R Make sure that the distance between the
underside of the tires and the ground does
not exceed 1.2 in (3 cm).
R Never place your hands and feet under the
raised vehicle.
R Never lie under the raised vehicle.
R Never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised.
R Never open or close a door or the tailgate
when the vehicle is raised.
R Make sure that no persons are present in
the vehicle when the vehicle is raised. X
Using lug wrench :, loosen the bolts on
the wheel you wish to change by about one full turn. Do not unscrew the wheel bolts
completely. Pump lever
;
X Assemble the pump lever for the jack. It can
be found with the vehicle tool kit
(Y page 290). Changing a wheel
329Wheels and tires Z
X
Turn pressure release screw =clockwise
as far as it will go using notch ;on the
pump lever.
Pressure release screw =is closed.
i Do not turn pressure release screw
=by
more than one to two revolutions. Other-
wise, hydraulic fluid could escape. X
Set jack :on solid ground.
X Position jack :on the axle carrier tube ;
of the front or rear axle. Jack :must
always stand vertically, even on slopes.
Make sure that jack :is correctly posi-
tioned under axle carrier tube ;. The front
or rear axle must sit securely in the recess of jack :.
X Raise the vehicle by pumping in the direc-
tion of the arrow until the tire is 1.2 in
(3 cm) off the ground at the most.
Removing a wheel !
Do not place wheel bolts in sand or on a
dirty surface. The bolt and wheel hub
threads could otherwise be damaged when you screw them in.
X Unscrew the wheel bolts.
X Remove the wheel.
Mounting a new wheel G
WARNING
Oiled or greased wheel bolts/wheel nuts and damaged wheel bolt/wheel nut/wheel hub
threads can cause wheel bolts/wheel nuts to come loose. As a result, you could lose a wheel while driving. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Never oil or grease wheel bolts/wheel nuts. In the event of damage to the threads, contact a
qualified specialist workshop immediately.
Have the damaged wheel bolts/wheel nuts or hub threads replaced/renewed. Do not con-
tinue driving. G
WARNING
If you tighten the wheel bolts or wheel nuts
when the vehicle is raised, the jack could tip
over. There is a risk of injury.
Only tighten the wheel bolts or wheel nuts
when the vehicle is on the ground.
! To prevent damage to the paintwork, hold
the wheel securely against the wheel hub
while screwing in the first wheel bolt.
Always pay attention to the instructions and
safety notes in the "Changing a wheel" sec-
tion (Y page 327).
X Clean the wheel and wheel hub contact
surfaces.
X Place the new wheel on the wheel hub and
push it on.
X Tighten the wheel bolts until they are fin-
ger-tight.
Lowering the vehicle G
WARNING
The wheels could work loose if the wheel nuts and bolts are not tightened to the specified
tightening torque. There is a risk of accident.
Have the tightening torque immediately
checked at a qualified specialist workshop
after a wheel is changed. 330
Changing a wheelWheels and tires
X
Open the pressure release screw on the
jack using the pump lever (Y page 328) by
approximately one turn.
X Lower the vehicle until it is once again
standing firmly on the ground.
X Place the jack to one side.
X Tighten the wheel bolts evenly in a cross-
wise pattern in the sequence indicated ( :
to A). The specified tightening torque is
96 lb-ft (130 Nm).
X Disassemble the pump lever.
X Push the jack piston back in and close the
drain plug.
X Use the bolts to secure the faulty wheel to
the spare wheel bracket (Y page 291).
X Stow the jack and the vehicle tools in the
vehicle again.
X Check the tire pressure of the newly instal-
led wheel and adjust it if necessary.
A table with the tire pressures for your vehi-cle can be found on the B-pillar on the driv-
er's side. Wheel and tire combinations
General notes
G
WARNING
If wheels and tires of the wrong size are used, the wheel brakes or suspension components
may be damaged. There is a risk of an acci-
dent. Always replace wheels and tires with those
that fulfill the specifications of the original
part.
When replacing wheels, make sure to use the
correct:
R designation
R model
When replacing tires, make sure to use the
correct:
R designation
R manufacturer
R model G
Warning
A flat tire severely impairs the driving, steer-
ing and braking characteristics of the vehicle.
There is a risk of an accident.
do not drive with a flat tire. Immediately
replace the flat tire with your spare wheel, or
consult a qualified specialist workshop.
! For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you only use tires, wheels
and accessories which have been approved by Mercedes-Benz specifically for your
vehicle. These tires have been specially
adapted for use with the driving safety sys-
tems, such as ABS or ESP ®
.
Only use tires, wheels or accessories tes-
ted and approved by Mercedes-Benz. Cer-
tain characteristics, e.g. handling, vehicle
noise emissions or fuel consumption, may
otherwise be adversely affected. In addi-
tion, when driving with a load, tire dimen-
sion variations could cause the tires to
come into contact with the bodywork and
axle components. This could result in dam-
age to the tires or the vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz accepts no liability for
damage resulting from the use of tires,
wheels or accessories other than those tes- ted and approved.
Further information about wheels, tires and
approved combinations can be obtained Wheel and tire combinations
331Wheels and tires Z