MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 2016 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: MERCEDES-BENZ, Model Year: 2016, Model line: CLS, Model: MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 2016Pages: 342, PDF Size: 10.12 MB
Page 281 of 342

Care
General notes
H Environmental note
Dispose of empty packaging and cleaning
cloths in an environmentally responsible man-
ner.
! For cleaning your vehicle, do not use any of
the following: R
dry, rough or hard cloths R
abrasive cleaning agents R
solvents R
cleaning agents containing solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective films
with hard objects, e.g. a ring or ice scraper.
You could otherwise scratch or damage the
surfaces and protective film.
! Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after cleaning.
Braking heats the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings, thus drying them. The vehicle
can then be parked.
Regular care of your vehicle is a condition for
retaining the quality in the long term.
Use care products and cleaning agents recom-
mended and approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Washing the vehicle and cleaning the
paintwork
Automatic car wash
G WARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
After the vehicle has been washed, brake
carefully while paying attention to the traffic
conditions until full braking power is restored. ! If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function is
activated, the vehicle brakes automatically in
certain situations.
To prevent damage to the vehicle, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or other similar situations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
! Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
! Make sure that: R
the side windows and the sliding sunroof
are fully closed. R
the ventilation/heating is switched off (the
OFF button has been pressed). R
the windshield wiper switch is in position 0 .
Otherwise, the vehicle might be damaged.
! In car washes with a towing mechanism,
make sure that the automatic transmission is
in transmission position N , otherwise the
vehicle could be damaged. R
Vehicles with a SmartKey:
Do not remove the SmartKey from the igni-
tion lock. Do not open the driver's door or
front-passenger door when the en gine is
switc hed off. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission selects park position P auto-
matically and locks the wheels. You can
prevent this by shifting the automatic trans-
mission to N beforehand. R
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO:
Do not open the driver's door or front-
passenger door when the engine is
switched off. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission selects park position P auto-
matically and locks the wheels.
Observe the following to make sure that the
automatic transmission stays in position N :X
Make sure the vehicle is stationary and the
ignition is switched off. X
Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the ignition
lock ( Y
page 127).
Use the SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop
button on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO. X
Depress and hold the brake pedal. X
Shift the automatic transmission to position
N . Care 279
Maintenance and care Z
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X
Releas e th e brak e pedal .X
Releas e th e parking brake.X
Switc h off th e ignition and leav e th e SmartKey
in th e ignition lock.
You can wash th e vehicl e in an automatic car
wash from th e ver y start .
If th e vehicl e is ver y dirty, pre-was h it before
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
Afte r usin g an automatic car wash, wipe off wax
from th e windshield and th e wiper blades. This
will preven t smears and reduce wipin g noises
caused by residue on th e windshield.
Washing by hand In som e countries, washing by han d is only
allowe d at specially equipped washing bays.
Observ e th e legal requirements in eac h country.X
Do no t use hot water and do no t wash th e
vehicl e in direct sunlight.X
Use a sof t spong e to clean.X
Use a mild cleaning agent, suc h as a car
shampoo approve d by Mercedes-Benz.X
Thoroughly hos e down th e vehicl e wit h a gen -
tl e je t of water.X
Do no t poin t th e water je t directly towards th e
air inlet .X
Use plenty of water and rinse out th e spong e
frequently. X
Rins e th e vehicl e wit h clean water and dry
thoroughly wit h a chamois.X
Do no t let th e cleaning agen t dry on th e paint-
work.
Carefully remove all deposit s of road salt as
soo n as possibl e when driving in winter.
Power washers
G WARNIN G
The water je t from a circular je t nozzle (dir t
blasters ) can caus e invisible exterio r damag e
to th e tires or chassi s components. Compo-
nent s damaged in this way may fail unexpect-
edly. There is a ris k of an accident.
Do no t use power washers wit h circular je t
nozzles to clean th e vehicle. Hav e damaged
tires or chassi s component s replace d imme-
diately. ! Always maintai n a distanc e of at least
11.8 in (30 cm) between th e vehicl e and th e
powe r washe r nozzle. Information about th e
correc t distanc e is available from th e equip -
men t manufacturer.
Mov e th e powe r washe r nozzle around when
cleaning your vehicle.
Do no t aim directly at any of th e following:R
tires R
door gaps , roo f gaps , joints, etc.R
electrical component sR
battery R
connectors R
lights R
seals R
trim R
ventilation slot s
Damaged seals or electrical component s can
lead to leak s or failures .
Cleaning the paintwork
! Do no t affix: R
stickers R
film s R
magnetic plates or similar items
to painte d surfaces. You could otherwise
damag e th e paintwork .
Scratches, corrosiv e deposits, areas affecte d by
corrosio n and damag e caused by inadequat e
car e canno t always be completely repaired. In
suc h cases, visit a qualified specialist workshop. X
Remove dirt immediately, wher e possible,
while avoidin g rubbing to o hard.X
Soak insec t remain s wit h insec t remove r and
rinse off th e treated areas afterwards .X
Soak bird droppings wit h water and rinse off
th e treated areas afterwards .X
Remove coolant, brak e fluid , tree resin, oils ,
fuel s and greases by rubbing gentl y wit h a
cloth soaked in petroleum ether or lighte r
fluid . X
Use tar remove r to remove tar stains. X
Use silicon e remove r to remove wax.
If water no longer forms "beads " on th e pain t
surface, use th e pain t car e products recommen -
ded and approve d by Mercedes-Benz . This is th e
cas e approximately every three to fiv e months,280
Care
Maintenance and care
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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. X
Use 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 may cause the paint to
become shiny and thus reduce the matte
effect: R
strong rubbing of the paintwork with
unsuitable materials R
frequent use of automatic car washes R
washing the vehicle in direct sunlight
! Never use paint cleaner, buffing or polishing
products, or gloss preserver, e.g. wax. These
products are only suitable for high-gloss sur-
faces. Their use on vehicles with matte finish
leads to considerable surface damage (shiny,
mottled areas).
Always have paintwork repairs carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! Do not use wash programs with a hot wax
treatment under any circumstances.
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.
i The vehicle should preferably be washed by
hand using a soft sponge, car shampoo and
plenty of water.
i Use only insect remover and car shampoo
from the range of recommended and
approved Mercedes-Benz care products. Cleaning the vehicle parts
Cleaning the wheels
G WARNING
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 the vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleaning it, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after cleaning.
Braking heats the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings, thus drying them. The vehicle
can then be parked.
Cleaning the windows
G WARNING
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- Care 281
Maintenance and care Z
Page 284 of 342

vent water from draining away. This can lead
to corrosion damage and damage to elec-
tronic components. X
Clean the inside and outside of the windows
with a damp cloth and a cleaning product that
is recommended and approved by Mercedes-
Benz.
Cleaning wiper blades
G WARNING
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 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. X
Fold the windshield wiper arms away from the
windshield. X
Carefully clean the wiper blades with a damp
cloth. X
Fold 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. X
Clean 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. 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. X
Clean 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.
Cleaning the sensors
! If you clean the sensors with a power
washer, make sure that you keep a distance
of at least 11.8 in (30 cm) between the vehicle
and the power washer nozzle. Information
about the correct distance is available from
the equipment manufacturer.
X
Clean sensors C of the driving systems with
water, car shampoo and a soft cloth.
Cleaning the rear view camera
! Do not clean the camera lens and the area
around the rear view camera with a power
washer.282
Care
Maintenance and care