towing MERCEDES-BENZ R350 2006 W251 Owner's Manual

Contents
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 383
Tire ply material ........................... 385
Tire and loading terminology ........ 385
Rotating tires ............................... 388
Winter driving .................................... 390
Winter tires .................................. 390
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 391
Snow chains................................. 391
Maintenance ...................................... 392
Clearing the maintenance service
indicator ....................................... 393
Maintenance service term
exceeded ..................................... 393
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator........................... 393
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator........................... 394
Vehicle care ....................................... 395
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 395
Practical hints.................................. 403
What to do if … ................................... 404
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 404
Lamp in center console................. 414
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display..................... 416
Where will I find ...? ............................ 454
First aid kit .................................... 454
Vehicle tool kit .............................. 454
Spare wheel .................................. 457
Unlocking / locking in an emergency .. 459
Unlocking the vehicle.................... 459
Locking the vehicle ....................... 460
Fuel filler flap ................................ 461
Opening / closing in an emergency ..... 462
Power tilt/sliding sunroof* ........... 462
Replacing SmartKey batteries ............ 463
SmartKey ...................................... 463
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ....... 464
Replacing bulbs .................................. 465
Bulbs ............................................. 465
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 468
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 472Replacing wiper blades ...................... 475
Front wiper blades ........................ 475
Rear wiper blade ........................... 476
Flat tire............................................... 478
Preparing the vehicle .................... 478
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 479
Battery ............................................... 487
Disconnecting, removing,
reinstalling and reconnecting
the battery .................................... 489
Charging the battery ..................... 495
Jump starting...................................... 496
Towing the vehicle.............................. 499
Installing towing eye bolts ............ 501
Stranded vehicle ........................... 502
Fuses.................................................. 503
Main fuse box ............................... 504
Fuse box in cargo compartment ... 504
Fuse box in passenger
compartment ................................ 505

107 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the tow-away alarm
Make sure all doors and the tailgate are
closed.

Lock your vehicle.
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about 10 seconds.
Disarming the tow-away alarm

Unlock your vehicle.Switching off the tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm
feature, switch off the tow-away alarm be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
If the tow-away alarm is set to default en-
abled (
on) in the control system and you
wish to retain the default setting, you can
switch off the tow-away alarm temporarily
on a one-time basis as follows:

Switch off the ignition (
page 38).
With the tow-away alarm set to default
enabled (
on) in the control system, the
following message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.

If you now wish to deactivate the
tow-away alarm on a one-time basis,
press button + or - on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel.
The tow-away alarm is switched off.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display.
iWhen you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms automati-
cally.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed
until you lock your vehicle again.
iThe tow-away alarm feature can be set
to default enabled (
on) or disabled (
off
)
using the control system (
page 191).


130 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate lock automati-
cally when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
For information on towing the vehicle, see
“Towing the vehicle” (
page 499).
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(
page 188).
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press the tailgate closing switch1.


Press the KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch*.


Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*.


Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door).
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more. You could therefore lock yourself
out when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand


during a wheel change

271 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Basic settings
There are two setting from which to
choose:

Raised level, for driving on rough roads


Highway level, for driving on paved
roads in fair or better conditionCompared to the highway level, the vehicle
level changes by


+ 1.97 in (+ 50 mm) in raised level


+/- 0 in (+ 0 mm) in highway level


- 0.78 in (- 20 mm) in highspeed level
The vehicle lowers to highspeed level auto-
matically when


the vehicles speed exceeds
70 mph (112 km/h)


the vehicles speed is between
60 mph (96 km/h) and
70 mph (112 km/h) for longer than 20
seconds
!Keep in mind that in rough or uneven
roads, adjusting the vehicle to a lower
level may cause the vehicle underbody
to come in contact with the road and
result in damage to the vehicle under-
body. Always make sure the vehicle
has sufficient ground clearance before
adjusting it to a lower level.!Before jacking up the vehicle with
equipment that lifts one or more of the
wheels completely off the ground,
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.!Please also note the information in the
section on towing (
page 499).
iThe activation threshold is defined by
the set suspension tuning
(page 269).
iThe high-speed level is not available
when towing a trailer.iThe third available level is the
highspeed level that is set automatical-
ly.
iObey local speed limits. Use prudent
driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.

316 Controls in detailUseful featuresThe Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. For
services such as labor and/or towing,
charges may apply. Refer to the Roadside
Assistance Manual for more information.
These programs are only available in the
USA:

Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.
iThe indicator lamp on the Roadside
Assistance button• remains illumi-
nated in red for approximately
10 seconds during the system
self-check after switching on the igni-
tion (together with the SOS button and
the Information button¡).
See system self-check (
page 312) if
the indicator lamp does not come on in
red or stays on longer than
approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp on the Roadside
Assistance button• is flashing
continuously and there was no voice
connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system
could not initiate a Roadside Assis-
tance call (e.g. the relevant cellular
phone network was not available). The
message
Call failed
appears in the
multifunction display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be
terminated using thet button on
the multifunction steering wheel or the
END Button on the Modular COMAND
System.

360 OperationTires and wheelsStep 6 (if applicable)
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle (
page 362).
The following table shows examples on
how to calculate total and cargo load
capacities with varying seating configura-
tions and number and size of occupants.
The following examples use a load limit
of 1 500 lbs. This is for illustration
purposes only. Make sure you are using
the actual load limit for your vehicle stated
on the vehicle’s placard (
page 357).


403 Practical hints
What to do if …
Where will I find ...?
Unlocking / locking in an emergency
Opening / closing in an emergency
Replacing SmartKey batteries
Replacing bulbs
Replacing wiper blades
Flat tire
Battery
Jump starting
Towing the vehicle
Fuses

454 Practical hintsWhere will I find ...?First aid kit
The first aid kit is stored under the cargo
compartment floor, see “Vehicle tool kit”
(page 454).
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit is stored under the car-
go compartment floor.
The vehicle tool kit includes:

Towing eye bolt


Wheel wrench


Alignment bolt


Vehicle jack


Fuse chart


Spare fuses


Fuse extractor


Collapsible wheel chock


Wheel bolts for spare wheel1Cargo compartment floor, lowered
2Handle cover

Open the tailgate (
page 122).

Push in handle cover2 and pull han-
dle in direction of arrow.

Lift cargo compartment floor 1.
iCheck expiration dates and contents
for completeness at least once a year
and replace missing / expired items.

455 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
3Securing hook
Release securing hook 3 (located be-
low the floor handle) from holder.3Securing hook
4Cargo compartment floor, raised
5Upper cargo compartment lip

Engage securing hook 3 on upper
cargo compartment lip 5.You can now access the vehicle tool kit. To
remove the vehicle tool kit storage well
casing, proceed as described on
(
page 458).
6Wheel bolt wrench
7Electric air pump
8Jack
9Spare fuses, fuse extractor, fuse chart
aSpare wheel (collapsible tire)
bAlignment bolt
cTowing eye bolt
dCollapsible wheel chock
eSpare wheel bolts
fVehicle tool kit storage well casing

To remove jackb, loosen the hook
and loop fastener.
!With the cargo compartment cover
blind* installed behind the third-row
seats (
page 288), disengage cargo
compartment cover blind* and flip it
forward. Otherwise the strap of the
securing hook could damage the cargo
compartment cover blind*.

499 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the
vehicle be transported with all wheels off
the ground using flatbed or appropriate
wheel lift/dolly equipment. This method is
preferable to other types of towing.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the
vehicle may be towed with all wheels on
the ground only so far as necessary to have
the vehicle moved to a safe location where
the recommended towing methods can be
employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment, with the SmartKey in starter
switch turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts. Use the towing eyes.
Switch off the ESP
® (page 101),
tow-away alarm (
page 107) and the
automatic central locking
(
page 130).
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
!Do not tow with one axle raised. Doing
so could damage the transfer case,
which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
All wheels must be on or off the ground.
Observe instructions for towing the ve-
hicles with all wheels on the ground.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the automatic transmis-
sion must be in positionN and the
SmartKey must be in starter switch
position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the vehicle may be
towed only for distances up to 30 miles
(50 km) and at a speed not to exceed
30 mph (50 km / h).
If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised (observe instructions re-
garding flexible drive shaft), the engine
must be shut off (SmartKey in starter
switch position1). Otherwise, the
4-ETS may become engaged which may
cause loss of towing control.