reset MERCEDES-BENZ R320 2008 W251 Owner's Manual

Contents
Safety and Security.......................... 69
Occupant safety................................... 70
Air bags .......................................... 72
Occupant Classification System ..... 77
Seat belts ....................................... 82
Active head restraints .................... 86
Rear head restraints ....................... 87
Children in the vehicle .................... 87
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 97
Panic alarm .......................................... 98
Activating ....................................... 98
Deactivating ................................... 98
Driving safety systems ......................... 99
ABS ................................................ 99
BAS .............................................. 101
ESP
®............................................. 101
EBP............................................... 105
Anti-theft systems.............................. 106
Immobilizer................................... 106
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 106
Controls in detail............................. 109
Locking and unlocking ....................... 110
SmartKey ..................................... 110
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 113
Checking the batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 118
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 118
Opening the doors from the inside 118
Tailgate/Power tailgate*.............. 119
Automatic central locking ............ 126
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 126
Seats ................................................. 128
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 128
Lumbar support............................ 132
Multicontour seat* ....................... 132
Front seat active head restraints . 133
Rear seats .................................... 133
Seat heating* ............................... 139
Seat ventilation* (Canada only) ... 140Memory function* ............................. 141
Storing positions into memory ..... 142
Recalling positions from memory. 142
Lighting ............................................. 143
Exterior lamp switch .................... 143
Combination switch ..................... 147
Corner-illuminating front
fog lamps* ................................... 148
Hazard warning flasher ................ 150
Interior lighting ............................ 150
Door entry lamps ......................... 153
Cargo compartment lamp ............ 153
Instrument cluster ............................. 154
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 154
Resetting trip odometer ............... 155
Tachometer.................................. 155
Outside temperature indicator ..... 155

Contents
Oxidation catalyst
(diesel engine).............................. 349
Emission control .......................... 350
Coolant temperature .................... 350
At the gas station .............................. 352
Refueling ...................................... 352
Check regularly and before a
long trip........................................ 354
Engine compartment ......................... 356
Hood ............................................ 356
Engine oil ..................................... 358
Transmission fluid level ................ 360
Coolant level ................................ 360
Windshield/rear window washer
system and headlamp cleaning
system* ....................................... 362
Tires and wheels ................................ 363
Important guidelines .................... 363
Tire care and maintenance........... 364
Direction of rotation ..................... 365
Loading the vehicle ...................... 366
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 371
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 373
Tire labeling.................................. 384
Load identification ....................... 388DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) .............................................. 388
Maximum tire load ........................ 390
Maximum tire inflation pressure ... 390
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) .............. 391
Tire ply material ............................ 393
Tire and loading terminology......... 393
Rotating tires ................................ 396
Winter driving ..................................... 398
Winter tires ................................... 398
Snow chains.................................. 399
Maintenance....................................... 400
Maintenance service indicator
message ....................................... 400
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display ............... 402
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator ........................... 402
Vehicle care........................................ 403
Cleaning and care of the vehicle ... 403
Practical hints.................................. 413
What to do if … ................................... 414
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 414
Lamp in center console ................ 425
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display .................... 427
Where will I find ...? ............................ 467
First aid kit.................................... 467
Vehicle tool kit.............................. 467
Spare wheel .................................. 471
Unlocking / locking in an emergency .. 474
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 474
Locking the vehicle ....................... 475
Fuel filler flap ................................ 475
Resetting activated head restraints.... 477
Vehicles without Rear Seat
Entertainment Package................. 477
Vehicles with Rear Seat
Entertainment Package*............... 478
Replacing SmartKey batteries ............ 479
Replacing bulbs .................................. 480
Bulbs............................................. 480
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 483
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 487

27 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
1LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
2To dim instrument cluster
illumination154
3Reset button for:

Resetting trip odometer

Resetting all settings
155
171
4To brighten instrument
cluster illumination154
5KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
6Clock176
ItemPage
7Speedometer with:
-Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
indicator lamp414
’Variable speed limiter
indicator lamp1
lDistance warning
lamp2262,
414
1Lamp without function. It illuminates when the
ignition is on. It should go out when the engine is
running.
2Vehicles without Distronic*: Warning lamp without
function. It illuminates when the ignition is on.
It should go out when the engine is running.
ItemPage
;Brake warning lamp,
USA only415
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only415
vElectronic Stability
Program (ESP®)
warning lamp
419
HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS
malfunction telltale,
USA only422
Low tire pressure
telltale*, Canada only422

44 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switch is located on
the entry side of each front seat base.
1 Head restraint height (vehicles with
memory function)*
2Seat cushion tilt
3Seat height
4Seat backrest tilt
5 Seat fore and aft adjustment
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional informa-
tion, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 87).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
!When moving the seats, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats;
otherwise you could damage the seats.
!When the second-row seats are folded
forward, e.g. for cargo compartment expansion
(
page 292), the front seats may not be moved
to the rearmost position. Otherwise you could
damage the front and second-row seats.
!When adjusting the seat backrest tilt and
head restraint height, make sure the sun visor is
folded up (
page 205). If the head restraint is in
the uppermost position, it could hit and damage
the sun visor.
iVehicles without memory function*:
The seats can be adjusted within 5 minutes after
either front door has been opened. The counter
resets each time

you open or close a front door

you insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch

you remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch

you switch the ignition on or off
iThe memory function* (page 141) lets
you store the settings for the seat position
together with the settings for the steering wheel
and the exterior rear view mirrors.

59 Getting started
Driving
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in
direction of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampLorK in the instrument
cluster flashes.
The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ment.Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Single wipe
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
2Switching on windshield wipers
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
iTo signal minor directional changes such as
changing lanes, press combination switch only
to point of resistance and release. The corre-
sponding turn signals will flash three times.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

Always sit as upright as possible,
properly use the seat belts and use an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom-
mended 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.
It should be noted that with respect to both,
front side impact air bags or the rear side
impact air bags*, there is a possibility for a
side impact air bag related injury if occu-
pants, especially children, are not properly
seated or restrained when next to a side im-
pact air bag which needs to deploy rapidly in
a side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible,
properly use the seat belts and for
children 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.
(2) Always wear seat belts properly.
iAir bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags), side impacts
(side impact and window curtain air bags)
which exceed preset thresholds, and in certain
rollovers (window curtain 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
passengers that you replace deployed air bags
and repair any malfunctioning air bags to make
sure the vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.Front air bags
1Driver air bag
2Passenger air bag
Driver and front passenger air bags are
deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts

if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold

independently of the side impact air
bags
Warning!G
Only use seat covers which have been test-
ed and approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle model. Using other seat covers may
interfere with or prevent the deployment of
the front side impact air bags or the rear
side impact air bags*. Contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for
availability.
iThe 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
deployment is additionally influenced by the
passenger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 77).
The lighter the front passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.

76 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 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 sensor read-
ings, senses that the front passenger
seat is occupied

the 59indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(
page 81)

the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment thresholdSide impact air bags, window curtain
air bags
1Front side impact air bag
2Window curtain air bag
3Rear side impact air bag
(second-row seats, USA only)
The side impact air bags and window
curtain air bags are deployed:

on the impacted side of the vehicle

in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold

independently of the front air bags
Warning!G
The pressure sensors for side impact air bag
control are located in the doors. Do not
modify any components of the doors or door
trim panels including, for example, the addi-
tion of door speakers.
Improper repair work on the doors or the
modification or addition of components to
the doors creates a risk of rendering the
side impact air bags inoperative or causing
unintended air bag deployment. Work on the
doors must therefore only be performed by
qualified technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
If the 59indicator lamp is illu-
minated, the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 59indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is activated and will be deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts

if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold

independently of the side impact air
bags.
If the front passenger front air bag is de-
ployed, the rate of inflation will be influ-
enced by

the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
as assessed by the air bag control unit

the front passenger’s weight category
as identified by the Occupant Classifica-
tion System (OCS)
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or child restraint recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates in a collision
which could occur under some circum-
stances, even with the air bag tech-
nology installed in your vehicle. The only
means to completely eliminate this risk
is to never place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


84 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries in case of an accident.

Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag, pas-
senger front air bag, side impact air
bags, window curtain air bags for side
windows) and ETD (seat belt emergency
tensioning device), and front seat knee
bolsters. The system is designed to en-
hance the protection offered to properly
belted occupants in certain frontal (front
air bags and ETD) and side (side impact,
window curtain air bags and ETD) im-
pacts which exceed preset deployment
thresholds and in certain rollovers (win-
dow curtain air bags and ETD).

Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would in-
crease the chance of head and neck in-
juries. The belt would also apply too
much force to the ribs or abdomen,
which could severely injure internal or-
gans such as your liver or spleen.

Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, SmartKeys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
p e r s o n a t t i m e . D o n o t f a s t e n a s e a t b e l t
around a person and another person or
other objects.

Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you would not have the full width
of the belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.