2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV engine overheat

G
WARNING
Make sure tha tother road user sare not
endang ered by your braking.
Downhill gradients On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing
atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time.
i This als oapplies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Never depress the brak epeda lconti nuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by apply ingc onstant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the brakin gdistance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately ,but
drive on for ashort while. This allow sthe air-
flo wtoc ool the brakes mor equickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet road surface If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from th ebrake swhen brak-
ing for the first time. This ma yalso occur after
the vehicle has been washed. You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain
agreater distance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awet road or havin gthe vehi-
cle washed, brake firml ywhile paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protectin gthem against corro-
sion.
Limited braking perfo rmance on salt-
treated roads G
WARNING
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause adelay in the
braking effect ,resultin ginas ignifican tlyl on-
ger brakin gdistance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
R occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
drivin gons alted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreater distance to th evehicle
ahead and driv ewith particular care.
R carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
New brake pads/linin gs G
WARNING
New brak epads/linings only reach their opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
ing effect is reached, you shoul dcompensate
for the reduced brakin geffect by applying
greate rpressure when braking .This also
applies after the brake discs or the brake
pads/linings hav ebeen replaced.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brak epads/linings Driving tips
163Drivingand parking Z

erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and over turn.
R Before tackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1.
R Activat eDSR. If this is not suffici ent, brake
gently. Whe ndoing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R Check that the brakes ar eworking normally
after along downhil lstretch.
i Off-road ABS is activated when the off-
road program or LOW RANGE off-road gear
is selected.
At speeds belo w30km/h, th efront wheels
lock cyclicall yduring braking. The digging-
in effect achieved in the process reduces
the stopping distance when driving off-
road. The steerability of the vehicle is con-
siderably reduced if the wheel slock. Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additiona lengine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstant speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slipper yroads. The driv ewheels may
lose their grip when brakin goraccelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R whe nthere is low visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heav yrain or snow.
General notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients ,especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevent sthe brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise con trol only if roa dand traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonged period. Yo ucan
store any road spee dabove 30 km/h.
Cruise contro llever :
To activate or increase speed
; LIMi ndicato rlamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control 170
Driving systemsDriving and parking

vehicl
eisladen or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you wil lmake use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the loa don
the brake syste mand prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additiona lbraking, depress the
brake peda lrepeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
You can set avariable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speedlimits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term spee drestric-
tions, e.g. when driv ingw ith winter tyres
fitted (Y page174)
i Thes pee dindicated in the spe edometer
ma ydiffer slightly from the limit speed
sto red.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC Cruise control lever
:
To acti vate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the curren tspeed/last
stored speed
? To acti vate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC. X
To switch between variable SPEED-
TRONIC and cruise control/DISTRONIC
PLUS: press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp ; off:
cruise control
or DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp ; on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/ hwhile
the engin eisrunning.
Activating variable SPEEDTRONIC
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the spee dtoany speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly pres sthe cruise con trollever
up : or down ?.
The curren tspeed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
The segment sinthe multifunction display
light up from the star tofthe scal euptot he
stored speed.
Activating at th ecurren tspeed/last
store dspeed G
WARNING
Only select astored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for the
current driving and traffic situation. Other-
wise ,sudden braking could endanger you or
others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
Setting aspeed
X Press the cruise contro llev er up :for a
higher speed or down ?for alower speed.
X Keep th ecruis econtr ol leve rpresse duntil
the desired speed is reached. Drivin
gsystems
173Drivingand park ing Z

G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS canno ttake account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONI Cdoes not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
alr eady active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R befor ecorners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to alane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverte d,e.g. at roadworks on amotor-
way
DISTRONIC PLU Sotherwise maintains the
current spe ed setbyyou or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLU Scannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONI CPLUS:
R if th eroads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy .The wheels coul dlose their grip when
brakin goraccelerating .The vehicle could
star ttos kid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poo rvis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLU Sisactivate d.
Otherwise, you ma yfail to recognise dangers
in time, caus eanaccident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brake syourvehicle up to a
maximu mof4m /s2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must als oapply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONI CPLUS detects arisk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermit tent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluste rlights
up. Brak etoavoidac ollision. G
WAR
NING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by othe rmeans (e.g. in acar wash or
by towing).
The radar senso rsystem is automatically
deactivated near radio teles cope facilities
(Y page 38 0).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor syste mmust be activated
(Y page 249 )and operational.
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automati cally helps you maintain the dis-
tanc etot he vehicle detected in front. It
brakes automatically in orde rtoavoid
exceedi ngthe set speed.
On long and stee pdownhil lgradients, espe-
ciall yifthe vehicle is laden or towing atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effec tofthe engine. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If DI STRONIC PLUS detects aslower-moving
vehicle in front ,your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If ther eisnov ehicle in front ,DISTRONIC
PLUS operate sinthe sam eway as cruise
control in the spee drange between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in fron tofyou, DI STRONIC operates in the
speed range betwee n0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not us eDISTRONIC PLUS on roa dswith
steep gradients. Driving systems
175Drivingand parking Z

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
# The battery is no
tbeing charged.
Aw arning ton ealso sounds.
Possible causes:
R fault yalternator
R torn poly-V-belt
R am alfunction in th eelectronics
X Stop th evehicle immediately, payin gattentio ntoroad and traf-
fic conditions, and switc hoff th eengine.
X Ope nthe bonnet.
X Chec kwhether the poly-V-belt is tor n.
If the poly-V -belt is torn:
! Do not continue driving. The engine could otherwise overheat.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop.
If the poly-V-belt is OK:
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 4
Chec
keng. oil lev. when next
refuelling Th
eo il level has dropped to the minimum level.
Aw arning ton ealso sounds.
X Chec kthe oil level, at the latest when nex trefuelling
(Y page 320).
X If necessary, top up the engine oil (Y page 320).
X Hav ethe engin echecked at aqualified specialist worksho pif
the engine oil needs topping up more often than usual. 8
Reserv
efuel level Th
ef uel level has dropped into the reserve range.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated when the fuel level
drops into the reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. C There is only
avery small amount of fuel in the fuel tank.
The auxiliary heatin gcannot be operated.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station without fail. ¸
Replace
air cleaner Vehicles with
adiesel engine: the engine air filter is dirty and must
be replaced.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. Display messages
267On-boardcomputer and displays Z

Coolant
Important safety notes The coolan
tisamixture of water and anti-
freeze/corrosio ninhibitor. It performs the
following tasks:
R anti-corrosio nprotection
R antifreeze protection
R raising th eboiling point
i When the vehicle is first delivered, it is fil-
led with acoolant mixtur ethat ensures
adequate antifreeze and corrosion protec-
tion.
! Only add coolant that has been premixed
with the desired antifreeze protection. The
engin ecould otherwise be damaged.
Further information on coolants and on fill-
ing can be found in the Mercedes-Benz
Specifications for Servic eProducts ,MB
Approval 310.1 ,e.g. on the Internet at
http ://bevo.mercedes-benz.com .You can
also consult aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
! Alway suseasuitable coolant mixture,
even in countries where high temperatures
prevail.
Otherwise, the engine cooling system is not
sufficiently protected from corrosion and
overheating.
If antifreeze/corrosio ninhibitor is present in
the correc tconcentration, the boilin gpoint of
the coolant during operation will be around
13 0†.
The antifreeze/ corrosion inhibitor con centra-
tion in the engine cooling system should:
R be at leas t50%. This wil lprotect the engine
coolin gsystem agains tfreezin gdown to
around -3 7†.
R not excee d55% (antifreeze protection
down to -45 †);otherwise, heat will not be
dissipated as effectively.
If the vehicle has los tcoolant, top it up with
equal amount sofwater and antifreeze/cor- rosion inhibitor. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends an antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor
which has been approved for Mercedes-Benz.
! The engin ecoolin gsystem is filled with
coolant that must be renewed after 15
years, or after 250,000 km at the lates t. Vehicl
edata
Pleas enotet hat for the speci fied vehicle
data:
R the height sspecified may var yasaresult
of:
- tyres
- load
- conditio nofthe suspen sion
- optional equipment
R item sofo ptional equipmen tincrease the
unlade nweight and reduc ethe maximum
payload. The unladen weight is speci fied in
accordanc ewith EC directive and includes:
- driver (68 kg)
- luggage (7 kg)
- all fluids (fuel tan k90% full)
R veh icle-specific weigh tinformation can be
found on the vehicl eidentification plate
(Y page 37 2).
R only for cer tain countries: you can find vehi-
cle-specific vehicle data in the COC docu-
ment s(CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY).
Thes edocuments ar edelivered with your
vehicle.
Missing values were not available at tim eof
going to print. All models
Vehicle lengt
h(ECE) 480
4mm Vehicle width
including exterior
mirrors
214
1mm Vehicle width with-
out exterior mirrors 192
6mm Vehicl
edata
377Techni caldata Z