Off-road driving
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
If you driv eonas teep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicl ecoulds lip
sideways, tip and overturn. There is arisk of
an accident.
When driving on an incline, drive into the line of fall (upwards or downward sinastraight
line) and do not turn. G
WARNING
Flammable materia lsuch as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system. There is arisk
of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
! There is
arisk of damage to the vehicl eif:
R the vehicl ebecome sstuck, e.g. on ahigh
kerb or an unpaved road
R you drive too quickly over an obstacle, e.g.
ak erb, slowing thresholds or apothol ein
the road
R ah eavy object strikes the underbody or
parts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body ,underbody,
chassi sparts, wheels or tyres coul dbedam-
agedw ithout the damage being visible. Com-
ponents damaged in this way can unexpect-
edlyf ail or, in the case of an accident, no lon-
ger withstand the strain they are designed to withstand.
If the underbody panelling is damaged, com-
bustible materials such as leaves, grass or
twigs can gather between the underbody and
the underbody panelling. If these materials
come into contact with hot parts of the
exhaust system, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicl echecked
and repaired immediatel yataqualified spe-
cialist workshop. If, on continuing yourj our-
ney, you notice that driving safety is impaired, stop the vehicle immediately
,paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. In such
cases, consult aqualified specialist work-
shop.
! If there are steep gradients while driving off-
road, asufficient filling level in the AdBlue ®
tank must be ensured. Make sure for this rea- son that there is aminimum fill level of ten
litres before driving off-road.
When driving off-road, substances such as sand,
mud and water or water mixed with oil may get
into the brakes. This may lead to areduction in
braking performance or total brake failure as a
result of increased wear. The braking charac-
teristics will vary depending on the substances
that get into the brakes. Cleant he brakes after
driving off-road. If you notice grinding noises or ar eduction in braking performance, have the
brake system checked at aqualified specialist
workshop immediately.A dapt your driving style
to the altered braking characteristics.
Driving off-road increases the possibility of dam- age to the vehicle, which may cause assemblies
or systems to fail. Adapt your driving style to the
conditions of the terrain. Drive carefully.H ave
vehicle damage rectified immediately at aquali-
fied specialist workshop.
Do not shift into transmission position Nwhen
driving off-road. You could lose control of the
vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehicle using
the service brake. If the gradient is too steep for your vehicle, back up in reverse gear.
General notes H
Envi
ronmenta lnote
Protection of th eenvironmen tisofprimary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this sectio nbefore driving your vehicle off-
road. Practis ebydriving over mor egentle off-
road terrain first.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R 4ETS (Y page 54)
R Off-road ABS
R transfer case (Y page 124)
R differential lock s(Ypage 125) Driving tips
119Driving and parking Z
Observe the following notes:
R stop the vehicle before you drive off-road and,
if necessary, shift the transfer case to the
LOW RANGE off-road driving position
(Y page 124)
R engage the differential locks if necessary
(Y page 126)
i ABS,4
ETS, ESP ®
and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged. This
allowst he front wheels to lock briefly, so that
they can dig into aloose surface. However,
please note that locked wheels skid and can
no longer steer.
R Make sure that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(Y page 203).
R To avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
R Alwaysk eep the engine running and in gear
when driving on adownhill gradient.
R Alwaysk eep the engine running and in gear
when driving on aslope.
R Drive slowly and evenly, if necessary at walk-
ing pace.
R Ensure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at all times.
R Drive with extreme care on unknown off-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea- sons, get out of the vehicle first and survey
the off-road route.
R Check the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
R Watch out for obstacles.
R Alwaysk eep the doors, the rear door, the side
windows and the sliding sunroof closed while
the vehicle is in motion.
R Do not deviate from marked routes.
R Match your speed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower your speed should be.
R Do not jump with the vehicle. This will inter-
rupt the vehicle's propulsion.
R Avoid high engine speeds. Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds.
R Alwaysc heck the vehicle for damage after off-
road driving.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off- road, on steep uphillord ownhill gradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicle on such surfaces. You can obtain further information aboutr
etro-
fittin gspecial all-terrain tyres from aqualified
specialis tworkshop.
Checklist before off-roa ddriving X
Engine oil level: check the engine oil and top
it up if necessary.
When driving on steep gradients, the oil level must be sufficiently high to ensure acorrect
oil supply in th evehicle.
X Hav ethe AdBlue ®
level checked at aqualified
specialist workshop (Y page 111).
X Tyre-change tool kit: check that thejackis
working and mak esure that th ewheel
wrench, arobus ttow cable and afolding
spade are in th evehicle.
X Wheels and tyres: check thetyret read
dept hand tyr epressure.
X Chec kfor damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g .small stones, fro mthewheels/
tyres.
X Replace any missing valv ecaps.
X Replace dented or damage dwheels .Also
check th espare wheel.
X Wheels: dented or ben twheels can lead to a
loss of tyr epressure and damage to th etyre
bead. Before driving off-road, check the
wheels and replac ethemifn ecessary.
Checklist after off-roa ddriving !
If you detect damage to the vehicl
eafter
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on normal
roads. After driving off-road, check the vehicle.
This allowsy ou to detect damage promptly and
reduce the risk of an accident to yourselfa nd
other road users.
X Shift the transfer case to the on-road position
HIGH RANGE (Ypage 124).
X Disengage the differential locks
(Y page 127).
X Cleant he headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage.
X Cleant he front and rear licence plates.
X Cleant he wheels and tyres with awater jet
and remove any foreign objects. 120
Drivingt
ipsDriving and parking
Display messages
Possible causes/consequence
sand M
MSolutions C There is very little fuel in the fuel tank.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated.
X You must refuel at the nearest filling station. ¸
Replace Replace
air
aircleaner
cleaner
element
element Veh
icleswithad ieselengine: the engine ai rfilter is dirty and must
be replaced.
X Consult aquali fied specialist workshop. !
Clean the fue
lfil‐
Clean the fuel fil‐
ter ter Veh
icleswithad ieselengine: there is water in the fue lfilter. The
water mus tbed raine doff.
X Consult aquali fied specialist workshop. Ø
Refill AdBlue See Refill AdBlue See
Owner'
sManual
Owner's Manual The AdBlue
®
level has fallen below the reserve range. Awarning tone
also sounds.
X Have AdBlue ®
refilled as soon as possible at aqualified specialist
workshop.
or X Refill AdBlue ®
yourself as soon as possible (Y page 111).Ø
Refill AdBlue No Refill AdBlue No
start in .. km start in .. km The AdBlue
®
level is only sufficient for the indicated distance. Awarn-
ing tonea lso sounds.
X Have AdBlue ®
refilled as soon as possible at aqualified specialist
workshop.
or
X Refill AdBlue ®
yourself immediately (Y page 111).Ø
Refill AdBlue Eng. Refill AdBlue Eng.
start not possible start not possible The AdBlue
®
tank is empty. Awarning tonea lso sounds. You can no
longer start the engine.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
or X Refill AdBlue ®
yourself immediately (Y page 111).Ø
Check AdBlue See Check AdBlue See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. Awarning tonea lso sounds.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. Ø
Eng. start not pos‐ Eng. start not pos‐
sible in ..km sible in ..km The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. Awarning tonea lso sounds.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop immediately. Ø
Eng. start not pos‐ Eng. start not pos‐
sible sible The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. Awarning tonea lso sounds.
You can no longer start the engine.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop immediately. 148
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays
Vehicl
eidentificatio nnumber (VIN) :
VIN
The VIN can alsobef ound on the vehicle iden-
tification plate (Y page 249).
For certain countries only: the VIN can also be
found on the lower edge of the windscreen. Engine number
The engine number is stampe dintot he crank-
case. You can obtain further informatio nfrom
any qualified specialist workshop. Service products and capacities
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Servic eproduct can be poisonous and haz-
ardous to health. There is arisk of injury.
Observe the instructions on the respective
original container when using, storing and dis- posing off service products. Always store ser-
vice products in the sealed original container. Always keep service products out of the reach
of children. H
Environmental note
Dispose of service products in an environ-
mentally -responsible manner.
Servic eproduct sinclude th efollowing:
R fuels
R exhaust gas aftertreatmen tadditive, e.g.
AdBlue ®
R lubricant s(e.g .engine oil, transmission oil) R
coolant
R brake fluid
R windscreen washer fluid
R climat econtrol system refrigerant
Components and service products mus tbe
matched. Use only products recommended by
Mercedes-Benz. Damage caused by the us eof
products that have not bee nrecommended is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty or
goodwil lgestures. The yare listed in this
Mercedes-Benz Owner's Manua linthe appro-
priate section.
You can identify service products approved by
Mercedes-Benz by the following inscriptions on
the container:
R MB-Freigabe (e. g. MB-Freigabe 229.51)
R MB Approva l(e. g. MB Approva l229.51)
Other designations or recommendations indi-
cate alevel of quality or aspecification in
accordance with an MB Shee tNumber (e.g .MB
229.5). The yhaven ot necessaril ybeen
approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Other designations ,for example:
R 0W-30
R 5W-30
R 5W-40
You can obtain further information at any quali-
fie ds pecialist worksho poronthe Internet at
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com. Fuel
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Fuel is highly flammable .Ifyou handl efuel
incorrectly ,there is arisk of fire and explo-
sion.
You must avoi dfire, naked flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and, if applicable,t he auxiliary heating before
refuelling. G
WARNING
Fuel sare poisonous and hazardous to health.
There is adange rofinjury.
Do not swallowf uel or let it come into contact
with skin, eyesorc lothing. Do not inhal efuel 250
Service products and capacitiesTechnical data
vapours. Keep fuel
sout of the reach of chil-
dren.
If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following:
R Wash the fuel off any affected area sofskin
with water and soap immediately.
R If you get fuel in youre yes, rinse them thor-
oughly with clea nwater immediately. Seek
immediate medical attention.
R If fuel is swallowed,s eek immediate medi-
cal attention. Do not induce vomiting.
R Change any clothing that has come into
contact with fuel immediately.
Tank capacity Model Total capa-
city G3
50dPROFESSIONAL Approx.
96.0 l Model Of which
reserve fuel G3
50dPROFESSIONAL Approx.
14.0 l Diesel
Fuel grade
G
WARNING
If you mix diesel fuel with petrol, the flash
point of this fuel mixture is lower than that of pure diesel fuel.W hen the engine is running,
components in the exhaust system may over-
heatu nnoticed. There is arisk of fire.
Never refue lwith petrol. Never add petrol to
diesel fuel.
! When refuelling, only use diesel fuel that
conforms to the European standard EN 590 or is of equivalent quality .Fuel that does not
conform to EN 590 can leadtoi ncreased wear
as wellasd amage to the engine and 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 mix such fuels with diesel fuel and do
not use any special additives. Otherwise,
engine damage may occur.
! Vehiclesw
ith diesel particle filters: in
countries outside the EU, only use low sulphur
Euro diesel with asulphurc ontent of under
50 ppm. Otherwise, the emission control sys- tem could be damaged.
You will usually find information aboutt he fuel
quality on the pump. If you cannot find the label
on the petrol pump, ask the filling station staff.
Information on refuelling (Y page 109).
Low outside temperatures In winter months, diesel fuel with an improved
cold flow quality is available. In Europe, the
EN 590 standard defines various climate-
dependent temperature categories. Malfunc-
tions can be avoided by refuelling with diesel
fuel that corresponds to the climatic specifica-
tions outlined in EN 590. At unusually low out-
side temperatures, it is possible that the flow
characteristics of the diesel fuel could be insuf- ficient. Accordingly, diesel fuel from warmer
areas may not be suitablef or operation in colder
climatic conditions.
i Further information on country-specific fuel
properties and fuel types with low-tempera-
ture resistance can be obtained from oil com- panies, e.g. at filling stations. AdBlue
®
Important safety notes Comply with the important safety notes for ser-
vice produc tswhen handlin gAdBlue ®
(Y page 250). Service products and capacities
251Technical data Z
AdBlue
®
is aw ater-soluble fluid for the exhaust
ga sa ftertreatment of diese lengines. It is:
R non-toxic
R colourless and odourless
R non-flammable
If yo uopent he AdBlue ®
tank, small amounts of
ammoni avapour mayber eleased.
Ammonia vapour shaveap ungent odou rand are
particularly irritating to the skin, mucou smem-
branes and eyes. Yo umayexperience aburning
sensation in your eyes, nose and throat. You
ma yalsoe xperience coughing and watery eyes.
Do not inhal eany ammoni avapours thatmaybe
released .Fillt he AdBlue ®
tank onl yinwell-ven-
tilate dareas.
Lo wo utside temperatures AdBlue
®
freeze satat emperature of approx-
imatel y-11 †. The vehicl eisdelivere dfrom the
factory equipped with an AdBlue ®
preheating
system .Winter operatio ncan thu sbeguaran-
tee devenatt emperature sbelow -11 †.
Additives !
Onl
yuse AdBlue ®
in accordance with ISO
22241. Do not use additives with AdBlue ®
and do not dilute AdBlue ®
with water. This
may destroy the BlueTEC exhaust gas after-
treatment system.
Purity !
Impurities in AdBlue ®
(e.g. due to other ser-
vice products, cleaning agents or dust) lead
to:
R increased emission values
R damage to the catalytic converter
R engine damage
R malfunctions in the BlueTEC ®
exhaust gas
aftertreatments ystem
Assuring the purity of AdBlue ®
is particularly
important with regard to avoiding malfunctions
in the BlueTEC exhaust gas aftertreatments ys-
tem.
If AdBlue ®
is pumped out of the AdBlue ®
tank,
e.g. during repair work, do not use this fluid to
refill the tank. The purity of the fluid can no lon-
ger be guaranteed. Fillin
gcapacities Model Tota
lcapacity G3
50dPROFES-
SIONAL 15.0 l
Engine oil
General notes When handling engin
eoil, observe the important
safety notes on service products (Y page 250).
The quality of the engine oil is decisive for the
function and service life of an engine. After
extensive tests, Mercedes-Benz approves
engine oils that correspond to the curren ttech-
nical standard.
Therefore, only Mercedes-Benz-approved
engine oils may be used in Mercedes-Benz
engines.
Further information on tested and approved
engine oils can be obtained from any Mercedes-
Benz Servic eCentre. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you have the oil change carried out
at aq ualified specialist workshop. Mercedes-
Benz approval is indicated on the oil container
by the inscription „MB-Freigabe“ or „MB
Approval“ and the corresponding designation,
e.g. MB-Freigabeor MB Approval 229.51.
You can call up an overview of approved engine oils on the Internet at
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com by entering
the designation ,e.g. 229.5.
The table shows which engine oils have been
approved for your vehicle. Model MB-Freigabe or
MB Approval
G3
50dPROFESSIONAL 229.51, 229.52252
Service products and capacitiesTechnical data