
Protecting the environment
General notes
H
Environmental note
The pollutant emission of your vehicle is
directly related to the vehicle's operation.
You can make a contribution to environmental protection by operating your vehicle in an
environmentally responsible manner. To do
this, observe the following recommendations
on operating conditions and your personal
driving style.
Operating conditions:
R Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
R Do not carry any unnecessary weight with
you (e.g. a roof rack which is no longer
required).
R Observe the service intervals. A regularly
serviced vehicle will contribute to environ-
mental protection.
R Always have maintenance work carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop.
Personal driving style:
R Do not depress the accelerator pedal when
starting the engine.
R Do not warm up the engine while station-
ary.
R Drive carefully and maintain a sufficient dis-
tance to other vehicles.
R Avoid frequent, sudden acceleration and
braking.
R Shift gears in good time and use each gear
only up to 00C3of its maximum engine speed.
R Switch off the engine in stationary traffic,
e.g. use the ECO start/stop function.
R Drive in a fuel-saving manner. Pay attention
to the ECO display for a fuel-efficient driving
style. Environmental concerns and recom-
mendations
Wherever the Operator's Manual requires you to
dispose of materials, first try to recycle or re-use them. Observe the relevant environmental rules
and regulations when disposing of materials. In
this way you will help to protect the environ-
ment. Genuine Mercedes-Benz parts
H
Environmental note
Daimler AG also supplies reconditioned major
assemblies and parts which are of the same
quality as new parts. They are covered by the
same Limited Warranty entitlements as new
parts.
! Air bags and Emergency Tensioning Devi-
ces, as well as control units and sensors for
these restraint systems, may be installed in
the following areas of your vehicle:
R doors
R door pillars
R door sills
R seats
R cockpit
R instrument cluster
R center console
Do not install accessories such as audio sys-
tems in these areas. Do not carry out repairs or welding. You could impair the operating
efficiency of the restraint systems.
Have aftermarket accessories installed at a
qualified specialist workshop.
You could jeopardize the operating safety of
your vehicle if you use parts, tires and wheels as well as accessories relevant to safety which
have not been approved by Mercedes-Benz. This could lead to malfunctions in safety-relevant
systems, e.g. the brake system. Use only genu-
ine Mercedes-Benz parts or parts of equal qual-
ity. Only use tires, wheels and accessories that
have been specifically approved for your vehi-
cle.
Genuine Mercedes-Benz parts are subject to
strict quality control. Every part has been spe-
cifically developed, manufactured or selected
for and adapted to Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Therefore, only genuine Mercedes-Benz parts
should be used. 24
Genuine Mercedes-Benz partsIntroduction

Exception: it is permissible to mount a differ-
ent type or make in the event of a flat tire.
R Only mount tires of the correct size onto the
wheels.
R Break in new tires at moderate speeds for the
first 60 miles (100 km). The new tires only
reach their full performance after this dis-
tance.
R Do not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth. This significantly reduces the
traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
R Replace the tires after six years at the latest,
regardless of wear. Winter operation
General notes
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"
section (Y page 281). Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehicle to M+S tire s. Using summer tires at very cold
temperatures could cause cracks to form,
thereby damaging the tires permanently.
Mercedes-Benz cannot accept responsibility for
this type of damage. M+S tires
G
WARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
00CF in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than 00CFin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7 †), use winter
tires or all-season tires. Both types of tire are
identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the 004Dsnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking provide the best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tires will allow driving safety systems
such as ABS and ESP ®
to function optimally in
winter. These tires have been developed specif-
ically for driving in snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all wheels to maintain safe handling characteris-
tics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted the M+S tires:
X Check the tire pressures (Y page 266).
X Restart the tire pressure monitor
(Y page 271). Snow chains
G
WARNING
If snow chains are installed to the front
wheels, they may drag against the vehicle
body or chassis components. This could
cause damage to the vehicle or the tires.
There is a risk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
R never install snow chains to the front
wheels
R always install snow chains in pairs to the
rear wheels.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that have been specially approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz, or are of a corresponding
standard of quality. For more information,
please contact a qualified specialist workshop.
If you intend to mount snow chains, please bear
the following points in mind:
R Snow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Permissible
wheel/tire combinations (Y page 285).
R Only use snow chains when driving on roads
completely covered by snow. Remove the
snow chains as soon as possible when you
come to a road that is not snow-covered. Winter operation
265Wheels and tires Z

Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
parts and more than 5 lbs (2.3 kg). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-volt-
age battery, are not included in the curb weight
and the weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire Identification Number) This is a unique identifier which can be used by
a tire manufacturer to identify tires, for example
for a product recall, and thus identify the pur-
chasers. The TIN is made up of the manufactur- er's identity code, tire size, tire type code and
the manufacturing date.
Load bearing index
The load bearing index (also load index) is a code that contains the maximum load bearing capa-
city of a tire.
Traction
Traction is the result of friction between the tires and the road surface.
Treadwear indicators Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are distrib-
uted over the tire tread. If the tire tread is level
with the bars, the wear limit of 00CDin (1.6 mm)
has been reached.
Occupant distribution
The distribution of occupants in a vehicle at their designated seating positions.
Total load limit Nominal load and luggage load plus 68 kg
(150 lbs) multiplied by the number of seats in
the vehicle. Changing a wheel
Flat tire
The "Breakdown assistance" section
(Y page 250) contains information and notes on
how to deal with a flat tire. Rotating the wheels
G
WARNING
Interchanging the front and rear wheels may
severely impair the driving characteristics if
the wheels or tires have different dimensions. The wheel brakes or suspension components
may also be damaged. There is a risk of acci-
dent.
Rotate front and rear wheels only if the wheels and tires are of the same dimensions.
! On vehicles equipped with a tire pressure
monitor, electronic components are located
in the wheel.
Tire-mounting tools should not be used near
the valve. This could damage the electronic
components.
Only have tires changed at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes in the "Mounting a wheel" section
(Y page 282).
The wear patterns on the front and rear tires
differ, depending on the operating conditions.
Rotate the wheels before a clear wear pattern
has formed on the tires. Front tires typically
wear more on the shoulders and the rear tires in
the center.
On vehicles that have the same size front and
rear wheels, you can rotate the wheels accord-
ing to the intervals in the tire manufacturer's
warranty book in your vehicle documents. If no
warranty book is available, the tires should be
rotated every 3,000 to 6,000 miles (5,000 to
10,000 km). Depending on tire wear, this may
be required earlier. Do not change the direction
of wheel rotation.
Clean the contact surfaces of the wheel and the
brake disc thoroughly every time a wheel is rota- ted. Check the tire pressure and reactivate the
tire pressure monitor if necessary. Direction of rotation
Tires with a specified direction of rotation have
additional benefits, e.g. if there is a risk of hydro- planing. These advantages can only be gained if
the tires are installed corresponding to the
direction of rotation. Changing a wheel
281Wheels and tires Z