If water no longer forms "beads" on the paint
surface, use the paint care products recommen-
ded and approved by Mercedes-Benz. This is the
case approximately every three to five months,
depending on the climate conditions and the
care product used.
If dirt has penetrated the paint surface or if the
paint has become dull, the paint cleaner recom-
mended and approved by Mercedes-Benz
should be used.
Do not use these care products in the sun or on
the hood while the hood is hot.
XUse a suitable touch-up stick, e.g. MB Touch-
Up Stick, to repair slight damage to the paint-
work quickly and provisionally.
Matte finish care
!Never polish the vehicle or the light alloy
wheels. Polishing causes the finish to shine.
!The following can give the paint a glossy
appearance and thus reduce the matt effect:
RRubbing hard with unsuitable agents
RWashing the vehicle in direct sunlight
!Never use paint cleaner, buffing or polishing
products, or gloss preserver, e.g. wax, for the
purpose of paintwork care. These products
are only suitable for high-gloss surfaces. Their
use on vehicles with matte paintwork leads to
considerable surface damage or, more spe-
cifically, to shiny, spotted areas.
Always have paintwork repairs carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
!Only use automatic car washes which cor-
respond to the latest technological stand-
ards. Never use wash programs which finish
by treating the vehicle with hot wax.
Observe these notes if your vehicle has a clear
matte finish. This will help you to avoid damage
to the paintwork due to incorrect treatment.
These notes also apply to light alloy wheels with
a clear matte finish.
iUse only insect remover and car shampoo
from the range of approved Mercedes-Benz
care products.
Cleaning the vehicle parts
Cleaning the wheels
GWARNING
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.
!Do not use acidic wheel cleaning products
to remove brake dust. This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components.
!Do not park your vehicle for a long period of
time directly after cleaning, particularly after
cleaning the wheel rim with wheel cleaner.
Wheel cleaner can lead to the increased cor-
rosion of the brake discs and pads. Therefore,
drive for a few minutes after cleaning. By
heating up the brakes, the brake discs and
pads dry. The vehicle can then be parked for a
long period of time.
Cleaning the windows
GWARNING
You could become trapped by the windshield wipers if they start moving while cleaning the
windshield or wiper blades. There is a risk of
injury.
Always switch off the windshield wipers and
the ignition before cleaning the windshield or
wiper blades.
!Do not use dry cloths, abrasive products,
solvents or cleaning agents containing sol-
vents to clean the inside of the windows. Do
not touch the insides of the windows with
hard objects, e.g. an ice scraper or ring. There
is otherwise a risk of damaging the windows.
!Clean the water drainage channels of the
windshield and the rear window at regular
intervals. Deposits such as leaves, petals and pollen may under certain circumstances pre-
vent water from draining away. This can lead
Care243
Maintenance and care
Z
to corrosion damage and damage to elec-
tronic components.
XClean the inside and outside of the windows
with a damp cloth and a cleaning product that
is recommended and approved by Mercedes-
Benz.
Cleaning the soft top
!Never use any of the following to clean the
soft top:
Rgasoline
Rthinner
Rtar or stain remover
Rother organic solvents
!Remove bird droppings immediately, as
they are corrosive and can therefore cause
the soft-top fabric to leak. Do not wash the
vehicle with a power washer or in a car wash
that uses power washers. Do not use sharp-
edged equipment to remove ice and snow.
XLight soiling: you can clean the soft top while
it is dry or rinse it with clear water.
XNormal to heavy soiling: clean the soft top
with a brush and clear water. Clean stains and
other dirt with a brush and soft top cleaning
agents that have been recommended and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. Always brush
from front to back, following the grain of the
fabric.
Frequent cleaning reduces the soft top's resist-
ance to dirt.
To restore this resistance to dirt, clean the soft
top using soft top cleaning agents that have
been recommended and approved by
Mercedes-Benz.
Incorrect cleaning and care, as well as aging,
can cause the soft-top seams to leak. In the
event of this happening, have the soft-top seams
sealed at a qualified specialist workshop.
iCover the soft top appropriately if you plan
to leave the vehicle outside for a long period
of time.
Cleaning wiper blades
GWARNING
You could become trapped by the windshield wipers if they start moving while cleaning the
windshield or wiper blades. There is a risk of
injury.
Always switch off the windshield wipers and
the ignition before cleaning the windshield orwiper blades.
!Do not pull the wiper blade. Otherwise, the
wiper blade could be damaged.
!Do not clean wiper blades too often and do
not rub them too hard. Otherwise, the graph-
ite coating could be damaged. This could
cause wiper noise.
!Hold the wiper arm securely when folding
back. The windshield could be damaged if the
wiper arm smacks against it suddenly.
XFold the windshield wiper arms away from the
windshield.
XCarefully clean the wiper blades with a damp
cloth.
XFold the windshield wiper arms back again
before switching on the ignition.
Cleaning the exterior lighting
!Only use cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
which are suitable for plastic light lenses.
Unsuitable cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
could scratch or damage the plastic light len- ses.
XClean the plastic lenses of the exterior light-
ing using a wet sponge and a mild cleaning
agent, e.g. Mercedes-Benz car shampoo or
cleaning cloths.
Cleaning the mirror turn signals
!Only use cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
that are suitable for plastic lenses. Unsuitable
cleaning agents or cleaning cloths could
scratch or damage the plastic lenses of the
mirror turn signals.
XClean the plastic lenses of the mirror turn sig-
nals in the exterior mirror housing using a wet
sponge and mild cleaning agent, e.g.
Mercedes-Benz car shampoo or cleaning
cloths.
244Care
Maintenance and care
The electrolyte of the battery is cor-
rosive. Avoid contact with skin, eyes
or clothing.
Wear suitable protective clothing,
especially gloves, apron and face-
guard.
Immediately rinse electrolyte
splashes off with clean water. Con-
tact a physician if necessary.
Wear eye protection.
Keep children away.
Observe this Operator's Manual.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use batteries which have
been tested and approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz. These batteries provide
increased impact protection to prevent vehicle
occupants from suffering acid burns should the
battery be damaged in the event of an accident.
In order for the battery to achieve the maximum
possible service life, it must always be suffi-
ciently charged.
Like other batteries, the vehicle battery may
discharge over time if you do not use the vehicle.
In this case, have the battery disconnected at a
qualified specialist workshop. You can also
charge the battery with a special charger rec-
ommended by Mercedes-Benz. Contact a quali- fied specialist workshop for further information.
Have the battery condition of charge checked
more frequently if you use the vehicle mainly for
short trips or if you leave it standing idle for a
lengthy period. Consult a qualified specialist
workshop if you wish to leave your vehicle
parked for a long period of time.
When you use the SmartKey in the ignition and
you park the car, remove the SmartKey if you do not require any electrical consumers. The vehi-
cle will then use very little energy, thus conserv-
ing battery power.
If the power supply has been interrupted, e.g. if
you reconnect the battery, you will have to:
Rreset the function for automatically folding
the exterior mirrors in/out by folding the mir-
rors out once (
Ypage 92)
Rreset the side windows, see (Ypage 78)
Charging the battery
!
Only use battery chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 14.4 V.
!Only charge the battery using the jump-
starting connection point.
The jump-starting connection point is in the
engine compartment (
Ypage 254).
XOpen the hood.
XConnect the battery charger to the positive
terminal and ground point in the same order
as when connecting the donor battery in the
jump-starting procedure (
Ypage 254).
Keep away from fire and open flames. Do not
lean over a battery. Never charge the battery if it
is still installed in the vehicle, unless you use a
battery charger which has been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. A battery charger
unit specially adapted for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles and tested and approved by Mercedes-
Benz is available as an accessory. It permits the
charging of the battery in its installed position.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for further information and availability. Read the
battery charger's operating instructions before
charging the battery.
Do not charge a battery which has been
removed at low temperatures with a battery
charger. Allow the battery to warm up gently
first, if necessary. Otherwise, the service life can
be shortened and the starting characteristics
impaired, especially at low temperatures.
Jump-starting
XFor the jump-starting procedure, use only the jump-starting connection point in the engine com- partment, consisting of a positive terminal and a ground point.
254Jump-starting
Breakdown assistance
All vehicles:
XSlide cover Aof positive terminal :inthe direction of the arrow.
XConnect positive terminal :on your veh icleto positive terminal ;of donor battery Busing the
jumper cable. Always begin with positive terminal :on your own vehicle first.
XStart the engine of the donor veh icleand run itat idling speed.
XConnect negative terminal =of donor battery Bto ground point ?of your vehicle using the
jumper cable. Beg in with donor battery Bfirst.
XStart the engine of your own veh icle.
XLet the engines run for several minutes.
XBefore disconnecting the jumper cables, switch on an electrical consumer in your own vehicle,
e.g. the rear window heating or the lighting.
XWhen the jump-starting procedu reis finished: first, remove the jumper cables from ground
poin t? and from negative terminal =of the donor battery, and then from positive terminal :
and positive terminal ;of the donor battery. Beg ineach time at the contacts on your own vehicle
first.
XAfter removing the jumper cables, close cover Aof positive terminal :.
XOnly for vehicles with a carbon-fiber engine cover: insert the cover of the jump-starting
connection point. Make sure all mountings for the fasteners are positioned precisely behind the
corresponding recesses inthe cover.
Press the fasteners into the mountings. Turn the fasteners by Õof a turn to engage.
XHave the battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Jump-starting isnot cons idered to bea normal operating condition.
iJumper cables and further information regarding jump-starting can be obtained at a qualified
specialist workshop.
256Jump-starting
Breakdown assistance