spare wheel MERCEDES-BENZ R500 2006 W251 Owner's Guide

478 Practical hintsFlat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle in a safe distance from
moving traffic on a hard, flat surface
when possible.

Turn on the hazard warning flasher
(page 153).

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight-ahead
position.

Set the parking brake (
page 65).

Set the automatic transmission to P
(page 197).
Vehicles with SmartKey:

Turn off the engine (
page 66).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button once
(page 66).

Open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position 0, same as
with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch). The driver’s door then
can be closed again.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the spare wheel are dif-
ferent from those of the road wheels. As a
result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a spare wheel
mounted. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly.
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted,
ensure proper tire inflation pressure and do
not exceed a vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km/ h).
Drive to the nearest Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible to have the
spare wheel replaced with a regular road
wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Do not switch off the ESP
® with a spare
wheel mounted.
iOpen doors only when conditions are
safe to do so.

479 Practical hints
Flat tire
Mounting the spare wheel
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described
(page 478).

Take the wheel wrench and the vehicle
jack from the vehicle tool kit
(page 455).

Take the spare wheel from the wheel
well under the cargo compartment
floor (
page 458).Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
or other sizable objects.
One wheel chock is included with the
vehicle tool kit (
page 455).
When changing wheel on a level surface:

Place the wheel chock in front of and
another sizable object behind the
wheel that is diagonally opposite to the
wheel being changed.
Always try lifting the vehicle using the jack
on a level surface. However, should cir-
cumstances require you to do so on a hill,
place the wheel chock and another sizable
object as follows:

Place the wheel chock and another
sizable object on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the axle not
being worked on.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides 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,
especially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket.
Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.

481 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and
remove.

Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the vehicle tool kit
(page 454).

Remove the remaining wheel bolts.

Remove the wheel.Mounting the spare wheel
1Wheel bolt for 18" and 19" light alloy
wheels
2Wheel bolt for 17" light alloy wheels or
collapsible tire (located in trunk with
spare wheel)
Warning!
G
The jack is intended only for lifting the
vehicle briefly for wheel changes. It is not
suited for performing maintenance work
under the vehicle.

Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised.


Never lie down under the raised vehicle.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolts
and wheel hub threads.
!Wheel bolts2 must be used when
mounting the spare wheel with collaps-
ible tire. The use of any wheel bolts oth-
er than wheel bolts2 for the spare
wheel with collapsible tire will physical-
ly damage the vehicle’s brakes.

482 Practical hintsFlat tire
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.

Guide spare wheel onto the alignment
bolt and push it on.

Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.

Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.
!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while
installing first wheel bolt.Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are
damaged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be
repaired immediately. Do not continue to
drive under these circumstances! Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
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.
Make sure to use the correct wheel bolts.
Warning!
G
Only use genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the
vehicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle
could fall off the jack.

484 Practical hintsFlat tire
Inflate the spare wheel tire to the rec-
ommended tire inflation pressure given
in the “Technical data” section
(page 514).
This takes about 5 minutes for the col-
lapsible tire.

Press 0 on electric air pump switch 2.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0.
or

Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button twice without depressing the
brake pedal.

If the tire inflation pressure is above
the recommended tire inflation pres-
sure given in this Operator’s Manual,
release excess tire inflation pressure
using the vent screw.
Warning!
G
Air hose
4
and union nut
5
can become
hot during inflation. Exercise proper caution
to avoid burning yourself when using the
equipment.
!Please compare the recommended tire
inflation pressure for your vehicle with
the tire inflation pressure on the yellow
label located on the spare wheel rim.
If the tire inflation pressure on the yel-
low label on the spare wheel rim differs
from the values given in this Operator’s
Manual, inflate the tire to the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure given on
the yellow label on the spare wheel rim.!Do not operate the electric air pump
longer than 8 minutes without interrup-
tion. Otherwise it may overheat.
You may operate the electric air pump
again after it has cooled off.


486 Practical hintsFlat tire
Store jack and all other vehicle tool kit
items back into the storage well.iThe removed road wheel cannot be
stored in the spare wheel well under
the cargo compartment floor, but
should be transported in the cargo
compartment wrapped in a protective
wrap.


504 Practical hintsFusesMain fuse box
The main fuse box is located on the pas-
senger side of the engine compartment.
Open the hood (
page 345).
1Clamp
2Main fuse box cover

Switch off the ignition (
page 38) and
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Switch off the ignition (
page 39).

Open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position 0, same as
with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch). The driver’s door then
can be closed again.

Release clamp1.

Lift fuse box cover2 up.

Install main fuse box cover in reverse
order.
Fuse box in cargo compartment
The fuse box is located behind under the
cargo compartment cover on the
right-hand side of the spare wheel well.
Open the tailgate (
page 122).

Lift the cargo compartment cover
(page 454).

Secure cargo compartment cover with
strap (
page 455).
1Cover
2Handle

Lift cover1 at handle 2.
!The fuse box cover must be installed
properly to prevent moisture and/or
dirt from entering the fuse box and pos-
sibly impairing fuse operation.

517 Technical data
Rims and tires
Spare wheel (collapsible tire)
All models
Rim
6.5 B x 18 H2
Wheel offset
1.58 in (40 mm)
Collapsible tire
195/75-18 106P
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.!Please compare the recommended tire
inflation pressure for your vehicle with
the tire inflation pressure on the yellow
label located on the spare wheel rim.
If the tire inflation pressure on the yel-
low label on the spare wheel rim differs
from the values given in this Operator’s
Manual, inflate the collapsible tire to
the recommended tire inflation pres-
sure given on the yellow label on the
spare wheel rim.
iPlease note that the tire inflation
pressure of the collapsible tire differs
from the tire inflation pressure of the
road tires.
Inflate the collapsible tire to
44 psi (3.0 bar).

530 Technical termsCollapsible tire
An especially compact spare tire that
must be inflated with a provided air
pump before using. It should only be
used to bring the vehicle to the nearest
service station.
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for
automatically maintaining the vehicle
speed set by the driver.
Curb weight
(
page 386)
DOT
(Department o
f Transportation)
(
page 386)Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine
produced.
Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
®(Electronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRSFSS PLUS (Canada vehicles)
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem PLUS)
Maintenance service indicator in the
speedometer display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. FSS evaluates en-
gine temperature, oil level, vehicle
speed, engine speed, distance driven
and the time elapsed since your last
service, and calls for the next mainte-
nance service accordingly.
GAWR
(G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
(
page 386)
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the gear selector
lever.

542 IndexEngine malfunction indicator lamp 407,
433
Engine malfunction indicator lamp (Cana-
da only) 27
Engine malfunction indicator lamp (USA
only) 27
Engine number 530
Engine oil 346, 523
Adding 349
Additives 523
Checking level 346
Consumption 346
Display messages 437–438
Messages in display 347, 437–438
Viscosity 530
ESP
®
25, 99, 530
Switching off 101
Switching on 102
Warning lamp 409
ETD 530
Safety guidelines 74
ETD (Emergency tensioning device) 80
Extending cargo compartment 283
Exterior mirrors
Folding 211Exterior rear view mirrors
Adjusting 48
Power folding* 211
Synchronizing 211
F
Fastening the seat belts 50
First aid kit 454
Flat tire 478
Lowering the vehicle 485
Preparing the vehicle 479
Spare wheel 457
Flexible Service System PLUS (FSS
PLUS) 530
Floormats* 328
Fluid level
Automatic transmission 350
Fog lamp, rear
Switching on 151
Fog lamps, front*
Messages in display 442
Replacing bulbs 466
Switching on 151
Folding
Exterior mirrors 2114-ETS 102
Front air bags 75
Front defroster 223, 238
Front fog lamps
Indicator lamp 147
Front lamps
Messages in display 442
Replacing bulbs 466, 468
Front seats
Head restraints 44
Front towing eye 501
Front wiper blades
Installing 476, 477
Removing 475
FSS PLUS (Flexible Service System
PLUS) 530
Fuel 343
Additives 525
Fuel reserve warning lamp 409
Gasoline additives 525
Premium unleaded gasoline 343,
524
Requirements 524
Fuel additives 525
Fuel cap
Message in display 439