belt MERCEDES-BENZ CL550 2008 C216 Owner's Manual

Contents
Introduction....................................... 13
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California retail
buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 16
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 17
Where to find it .................................... 18
Symbols ............................................... 19
Operating safety .................................. 20
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 20
Problems with your vehicle .................. 21
Reporting safety defects...................... 22
Reporting safety defects ................ 22
Vehicle data recording......................... 23
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 23
At a glance.......................................... 25
Exterior view ......................................... 26
Cockpit ................................................. 28
Instrument cluster ................................ 30
Control systems ................................... 32
Storage compartments ......................... 34
Center console ..................................... 36
Overhead control panel ........................ 37
Driver’s door control panel ................... 38Safety and Security............................ 39
Occupant safety ................................... 40
Air bags........................................... 42
Occupant Classification System ..... 48
Seat belts........................................ 53
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®).................................... 56
Children in the vehicle .................... 57
Blocking of rear side
window operation ........................... 63Panic alarm .......................................... 64
Activating........................................ 64
Deactivating.................................... 64
Driving safety systems ......................... 65
ABS ................................................. 65
Adaptive Brake ............................... 66
Adaptive Brake Lights (CL 600 and
CL 65 AMG, USA only) .................... 67
BAS ................................................. 67
BAS Plus* ....................................... 68
EBP ................................................. 70
ESP
®............................................... 70
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only) ................... 75
Anti-theft systems ................................ 79
Immobilizer ..................................... 79
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 79
Canceling the alarm ........................ 80

Contents
Seat ventilation* .......................... 376
Head restraints............................. 376
Steering wheel ................................... 379
Steering wheel adjustment........... 379
Heated steering wheel* ............... 380
Mirrors ............................................... 381
Interior rear view mirror ............... 381
Exterior rear view mirrors ............. 381
Power folding exterior rear view
mirrors ......................................... 382
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 383
Activating exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................. 384
Memory function................................ 385
Storing positions into memory ..... 386
Recalling positions from memory . 386
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 387
Fastening the seat belts..................... 388
Proper use of seat belts ............... 390
Lighting .............................................. 391
Exterior lamp switch ..................... 391
High beam .................................... 395
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 395Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 395
Hazard warning flasher ................ 397
Interior lighting............................. 398
Courtesy lighting .......................... 399
Door entry lamps ......................... 399
Trunk lamp ................................... 399
Windshield wipers .............................. 400
Switching on/off windshield
wipers .......................................... 400
Intermittent wiping....................... 401
Single wipe................................... 401
Wiping with windshield
washer fluid.................................. 401
Power windows .................................. 402
Opening and closing
power windows ............................ 402
Summer opening feature.............. 404
Convenience closing feature ........ 404
Driving and parking............................ 406
Starting the engine....................... 406
Driving off .................................... 409
Turn signals .................................. 410
Problems while driving ................. 411
Parking ......................................... 412
Turning off the engine .................. 415
Releasing seat belts ..................... 416Automatic transmission ..................... 417
Gear selector lever....................... 417
Shifting procedure ....................... 420
Transmission positions ................ 421
Driving tips................................... 424
Gear ranges ................................. 426
Automatic shift program .............. 427
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 428
Manual shift program (CL 63 AMG
and CL 65 AMG only) ................... 430
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 433
Instrument cluster ............................. 434
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 434
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 435
Tachometer .................................. 435
Outside temperature indicator ..... 436
Fuel gauge ................................... 436
Driving systems ................................. 437
Cruise control .............................. 437
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 443
Active Body Control (ABC) ........... 461
Parktronic system* ...................... 463
Park Assist* ................................. 467
Advanced Parking Guidance* ...... 471

Contents
Flat tire .............................................. 696
Preparing the vehicle ................... 696
Mounting the spare wheel............ 696
Batteries ............................................ 702
Disconnecting starter battery ...... 704
Removing starter battery ............. 705
Charging battery .......................... 705
Reinstalling starter battery........... 706
Reconnecting starter battery ....... 706
Jump starting ..................................... 707
Towing the vehicle ............................. 710
Towing with front wheels raised ... 711
Towing with all wheels on the
ground.......................................... 712
Installing towing eye bolt ............. 713
Fuses ................................................. 714
Fuse boxes in
engine compartment .................... 715
Fuse boxes in
passenger compartment .............. 716
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 717
Technical data.................................. 719
Parts service....................................... 720
Warranty coverage ............................. 721
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ...................... 721
Identification labels ............................ 722
Layout of poly-V-belt drive .................. 724
CL 550 .......................................... 724
CL 600 and CL 65 AMG ................ 724
CL 63 AMG ................................... 724
Engine ................................................ 725
Rims and tires .................................... 727
Same size tires ............................. 728
Mixed size tires ............................. 729
Spare wheel .................................. 730
Electrical system ................................ 731
Main dimensions and weights ............ 732
Main dimensions........................... 732
Weights ......................................... 732
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. .......... 733
Capacities ..................................... 733
Engine oils .................................... 736
Engine oil additives ....................... 736Air conditioning refrigerant ........... 736
Brake fluid .................................... 736
Premium unleaded gasoline.......... 737
Fuel requirements......................... 737
Gasoline additives......................... 738
Coolants ....................................... 738
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 741
Index................................................. 743

31 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Coolant temperature gauge
435
2
Fuel gauge with:
Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp
-ABS indicator lamp
=SRS indicator lamp
660
395
608
617
3
Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for left
front area
465,
470
4
Multifunction display with:Speedometer0
USA only
!
Canada only
Electronic
parking brake
warning or indi-
cator lamps
610
Item
Page
;
USA only
3
Canada only
Brake warning
lamp
609
615
HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale, USA
only
Low tire pressure tell-
tale, Canada only
618
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
410
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
410
vESP
® warning lamp
614
lDistance warning
lamp*
1
76,
446,
614
1Vehicles without DISTRONIC Plus*: Warning lamp
without function. It illuminates when the ignition is
on. It should go out when the engine is running.
Item
Page
5
Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for right
front area
465,
470
6
Gear position/range
indicator
426
7
Tachometer with:±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
612
8
Selected program mode
indicator
427
9
Main menu for control sys-
tem, multifunction display
282
a
Outside temperature
436
b
Display with:Additional speedometer
301
:PRE-SAFE
® Brake*
indicator
298

40 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts (
page 53)


Child restraints (
page 57)


Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) (
page 61)
Additional protection potential provide


Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with

Air bags (
page 42)


Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)


Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 56)


Seat belt force limiter (
page 56)


Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) (page 56)Air bag system components with


Front passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp (
page 51)


Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 48)
Although independent systems, their pro-
tective functions work in conjunction with
each other.The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates early detection of malfunctions.
The =indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 30) comes on when the
ignition is switched on and goes out no lat-
er than a few seconds after the engine has
been started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness when the =indicator lamp is
not lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the =indicator lamp:


fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds after the engine was started


does not come on at all


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
i
For information on infants and children trav-
eling with you in the vehicle and restraint sys-
tems for infants and children, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 57).

41 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Modifications to or work improperly con-
ducted on restraint systems (such as seat
belts and anchors, emergency tensioning
devices, seat belt force limiters or air bags)
or their wiring, as well as tampering with in-
terconnected electronic systems, can lead
to the restraint systems no longer function-
ing as intended.
Air bags or emergency tensioning devices,
for example, could deploy inadvertently or
fail to deploy in accidents although the de-
celeration threshold for air bag deployment
is exceeded. Therefore, never modify the re-
straint systems. Do not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software.
Warning!
G
In the event that the =indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not deploy when needed in an accident,
which could result in serious or fatal injury,
or it might deploy unexpectedly and unnec-
essarily which could also result in injury.
In addition, improper work on the SRS cre-
ates a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative
or causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be per-
formed by qualified technicians. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system
to accommodate a person with disabilities,
contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.

42 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyAir bagsWarning!
G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags, driver-side knee bag),
side impacts (side impact air bags and win-
dow curtain air bags) or rollovers (window
curtain air bags). However, no system avail-
able today can completely eliminate injuries
and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 388).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:


Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.


Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

43 Safety and Security
Occupant safety


Occupants, especially children, should
always sit as upright as possible, proper-
ly use the seat belts and use an appro-
priately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended
for the size and weight of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat.
There is a possibility for a side impact air
bag related injury if occupants, especially
children, are not properly seated or re-
strained when next to a side impact air bag
which needs to deploy rapidly in a side im-
pact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
side impact air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the side impact air bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts, and for all chil-
dren 12 years old and under, use an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom-
mended for the size and weight of the
child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
rear seat occupants to have the rear mount-
ed side impact air bags deactivated, then
deactivation can be accomplished upon
your written request to do so at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center at an additional
cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.

44 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
i
Air bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags, driver-side
knee bag), and in side impacts (side impact and
window curtain air bags) which exceed preset
thresholds, and in certain rollovers (window cur-
tain air bags). Only during these events will they
provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passengers should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
air bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not deploy. The driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a properly
fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt
is also needed to provide the best possible pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
sengers that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
the vehicle will continue to provide supplemental
crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Only use
seat belts installed or supplied by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergency
Tensioning Devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that is deployed must be
replaced. PRE-SAFE
® has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners in
addition to the pyrotechnic ETDs.


Air bags and Emergency Tensioning De-
vices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate materi-
al, which may require special handling
and regard for the environment. Check
with your local government’s disposal
guidelines. California residents, see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWa
ste/Perchlorate/index.cfm.


Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.


Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.

46 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFront air bags
1Driver air bag
2Front passenger front air bag
3Knee bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact air
bagsThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protec-
ted by the fastened seat belts.The front passenger front air bag will only
be deployed if:


the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front
passenger seat is occupied


the 59indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(page 51)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
Knee bag
The knee bag3 is located on the
driver-side lower instrument panel. It is
designed to operate together with the
driver air bag in certain frontal impacts
exceeding a preset threshold. The
knee bag3 operates best in conjunction
with a properly positioned and fastened
seat belt.
i
The front air bags in this vehicle have been
designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the
air bag to have different rates of inflation that are
based on the rate of relevant vehicle decelera-
tion as assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the front passenger side, the front air bag de-
ployment is additionally influenced by the pas-
senger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 48).
The lighter the front passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.