MERCEDES-BENZ E500 2005 W211 Owner's Manual

419 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement

Use only 12 volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.


Switch lights off before changing a bulb
to prevent short circuits.


Always use a clean lint-free cloth when
handling bulbs.


Your hands should be dry and free of oil
and grease.


If the newly installed bulb does not light
up, visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.Have the LEDs and bulbs for the following
lamps replaced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center:


Additional turn signals in the exterior
rear view mirrors


High mounted brake lamp


Xenon* lamps


Front fog lamps


Rear lamps (except license plate
lamps)
Warning!
G
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot. Al-
low the lamp to cool down before changing
a bulb.
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas.
A bulb can explode if you:

touch or move it when hot


drop the bulb


scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in Xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.
iHave the headlamp adjustment
checked regularly.

420 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsReplacing bulbs for front lamps
1Bulb socket for high beam head-
lamp/high beam flasher bulb
2Bulb socket for parking and standing
lamp bulb
3Housing cover for low
beam/Bi-Xenon* headlamp4Bulb socket for turn signal lamp bulb
5Electrical connector for high beam
headlamp/high beam flasher bulb
6Bulb socket for parking and standing
lamp bulb
7Electrical connector for low beam
headlamp bulb (halogen headlamps
only)
Before you start to replace a bulb for a
front lamp, do the following first:

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM (
page 133).

Open the hood (
page 303) (except
for side marker lamps).
Warning!
G
Do not remove the cover3 for the Bi-Xe-
non* headlamp. Because of high voltage in
Xenon* lamps, it is dangerous to replace the
bulb or repair the lamp and its components.
We recommend that you have such work
done by a qualified technician.

421 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Low beam bulb (halogen headlamps
only)
Turn housing cover3 counterclock-
wise and remove it.

Pull electrical connector7 off.

Unclip the retainer spring on the bulb
socket and take out the bulb.

Insert the new bulb so that its base lo-
cates in the recess on the lower left
and is level to it.

Clip on the retainer spring.

Plug electrical connector7 onto the
bulb.

Align housing cover3 and turn it
clockwise.
High beam bulb/high beam flasher
bulb (halogen headlamps)/high beam
flasher bulb (Bi-Xenon* headlamps)

Turn bulb socket1 with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.

Pull electrical connector5 off.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket1.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket1 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Plug electrical connector5 onto the
bulb.

Place bulb socket1 back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.
Front turn signal lamp bulb

Turn bulb socket4 with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket4.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket4 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Place bulb socket4 back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.Parking and standing lamp bulb

Pull out bulb socket6 with the bulb.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket6.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket6 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Press bulb socket6 back into the
lamp.

422 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsSide marker lamp bulb
Carefully slide the lamp towards the
front in direction of arrows.

Remove the rear end first.

Turn the bulb socket with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.

Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket.

Insert the new bulb into the bulb sock-
et.

Place the bulb socket back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.

To reinstall the lamp, set the front end
in the bumper and let the rear end en-
gage.
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps
Tail lamp unit
The tail lamps are equipped with HiP bulbs.License plate lamp
1Screw

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM (
page 133).

Loosen both screws1.

Remove the license plate lamp.

Replace the bulb.

Reinstall the license plate lamp.

Retighten screws1.
Warning!
G
The bulbs in the tail lamps cannot be re-
placed individually. The tail lamp bulbs are
under pressure and could explode during an
attempt to replace them.
If the tail lamps are malfunctioning, have
them exchanged at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

423 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades
Removing wiper blades
Turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position1.

Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 51).

With wiper arm in the vertical position,
turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.

Fold the wiper arm forward until it
snaps into place.

Turn the wiper blade at a right angle to
wiper arm.

Slide the wiper blade sideways out of
the retainer.
!The windshield wipers must be in a ver-
tical position before folding them away
from the windshield. They could other-
wise damage the hood.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: make sure the
vehicle's on-board electronics have status
0) before replacing a wiper blade. Other-
wise, the wiper motor could suddenly turn
on and cause injury.

424 Practical hintsReplacing wiper bladesInstalling wiper blades
Slide wiper blade onto wiper arm until
it locks in place.

Rotate wiper blade into position paral-
lel to wiper arm.

Fold the wiper arm backward to rest on
the windshield. Make sure you hold on
to the wiper when folding the wiper arm
back.
!Never open the hood when the wiper
arm is folded forward.
Hold on to the wiper when folding the
wiper arm back. If released, the force
of the impact from the tensioning
spring could crack the windshield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact
the windshield glass without a wiper
blade inserted.
Make certain that the wiper blades are
properly installed. Improperly installed
wiper blades may cause windshield
damage.
For your convenience, we recommend
that you have this work carried out by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

425 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
In the case of a flat tire, you may tempo-
rarily use the spare wheel when observing
the following restrictions:

Do not exceed a vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km / h).


Drive to the nearest tire repair facility
to have the flat tire repaired or re-
placed as appropriate.


Do not operate vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Engage the steering wheel lock in the
straight-ahead position and set the
parking brake.

Move the selector lever toP.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the spare wheel
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described under
“Preparing the vehicle” on this page.
Take the spare wheel out of the trunk
(page 407).

Take the wheel wrench and the jack
out of the trunk (
page 407).
Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
(not included) or other sizable objects.
When changing wheel on a level surface:

Place one chock in front of and one be-
hind the wheel that is diagonally oppo-
site to the wheel being changed.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the Minispare wheel and
the collapsible tire are different from those
of the road wheels. As a result, the vehicle
handling characteristics change when driv-
ing with a spare wheel mounted.
The spare wheel should only be used tempo-
rarily, and replaced with a regular road
wheel as quickly as possible.

426 Practical hintsFlat tireWhen changing wheel on a hill:
Place chocks on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the other axle.

On wheel to be changed, loosen but do
not yet remove the wheel bolts (ap-
proximately one full turn with wrench). The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housing and
in front of the rear wheel housing.
1Jack take-up bracket
2Jack
3Crank

Position jack2 on firm ground under
the respective jack take-up bracket1.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into either side of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Be sure that the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket. Al-
ways lower the vehicle onto sufficient ca-
pacity jackstands before working under the
vehicle.

427 Practical hints
Flat tire
Make sure the foot of the jack is directly
under the take-up bracket so that it is al-
w a y s v e r t i c a l ( p l u m b - l i n e ) a s s e e n f r o m t h e
side, even if the vehicle is parked on an in-
cline
Turn crank3 until the tire is a maxi-
mum of 1.2 in (3 cm) off the ground.
Never start engine while vehicle is
raised.Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt

Unscrew the upper-most wheel bolt
and remove.

Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.

Remove the remaining bolts.

Remove the wheel.
Warning!
G
Position the jack only on the jack take-up
brackets designed for this purpose.
If the jack is not properly positioned, the ve-
hicle may slip off of the jack.Warning!
G
The jack is intended only for lifting the vehi-
cle briefly for wheel changes. It is not suited
for performing maintenance work under the
vehicle. Never lie down under the raised ve-
hicle. Do not start the engine when the vehi-
cle is raised.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.

428 Practical hintsFlat tireMounting the spare wheel
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.

Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.

Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.

Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with collapsible tire:
Inflate collapsible tire only after the wheel is
properly mounted.
Inflate the collapsible tire using the electric
pump (
page 429)
before
lowering the ve-
hicle.
!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while in-
stalling first wheel bolt.
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident. Be
sure to use the correct wheel bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. They are identi-
fied by the Mercedes star. Other wheel bolts
may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
tip over.