2012 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class height

Active Body Control (ABC)
Vehicle level
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to improve driving safety and reduce
fuel consumption.
Depending on the vehicle height that has
been set, the vehicle automatically adjusts its
height dependent on the current speed. As
speed increases, the vehicle is lowered by up
to 0.4 in (10 mm). As the speed is reduced,
the vehicle is raised up to the set vehicle
height.
GWARNING
The vehicle is lowered when the engine is
switched off. Therefore, make sure that
nobody is in the vicinity of the wheel housing
or under the vehicle when you switch off the
engine. Otherwise, limbs could become
trapped.
! The vehicle is lowered when the engine is
switched off. Make sure when parking that
you position your vehicle so that it does not
make contact with the curb as the vehicle
is lowered. Your vehicle could otherwise be
damaged.
i For AMG vehicles: when the engine is
switched off, the vehicle is lowered by
approx. 0.2 in (5 mm).
Setting the vehicle level
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.
GWARNING
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands and
feet away from wheel housing area, and stay
away from under the vehicle when lowering
the vehicle chassis.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is not lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
Setting the normal level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to normal level.
Suspension tuning
The electronically controlled ABC suspension
system works continuously. This improves
driving safety and comfort.
The ABC suspension system is tuned
individually to each wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection, i.e. sports or
comfort
R the vehicle load
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Driving systems305Driving and parkingZ

GWARNING
Objects located above the height range of
Parking Guidance will not be detected when
the parking space is measured. These objects
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. Under some circumstances, Parking
Guidance might therefore issue steering
instructions too soon. This may lead to a
collision. For this reason, you should avoid
using Parking Guidance in such situations.
GWARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the maneuvering range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
! Pay particular attention to low objects or
objects with flat surfaces, such as trailer
drawbars, posts, cross beams and curbs.
These types of objects cannot be detected
by Parking Guidance and may damage the
vehicle.
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Parking
Guidance is also unavailable.
Use Parking Guidance for parking spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, i.e.
not on the pavement, for example. Parking
Guidance may not detect flat curbs
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive past the parking
space as close as possible.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
( Y page 308) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
R when transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you must not use Parking
Guidance.
R never use Parking Guidance with snow
chains or an emergency spare wheel
installed.
R make sure that the tire pressures are
always correct. This has a direct effect on
the steering instructions.
R the way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the
position and shape of the vehicles parked
in front and behind it and the conditions of
the location. In some cases, Parking
Guidance may guide you too far or not far
enough into a parking space. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the curb. If necessary, cancel the parking
procedure with Parking Guidance.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at
a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Detecting a parking space:Detected parking space on the left;Parking symbol=Detected parking space on the right
Parking Guidance is automatically activated
when you drive forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation, the
system independently locates and measures
parking spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
At speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h), you see
white parking symbol ; in the instrument
cluster as a status indicator. Parking
Driving systems311Driving and parkingZ

Bag hooks
! The bag hook can bear a maximum load
of 6.6 lbs (3 kg). Do not use it to secure a
load.
XPull bag hook ; down by tab :.
Stowage well under the trunk floor
:Stowage well;Hook=Trunk floor coverXAttach trunk floor cover = to the upper
edge of the trunk with hooks ;.
Features
Cup holders
Important safety notes
GWARNING
In order to help prevent spilling liquids on
vehicle occupants and/or vehicle equipment,
only use containers that fit into the cup
holder. Use lids on open containers and do
not fill containers to a height where the
contents, especially hot liquids, could spill
during braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in an
accident. Liquids spilled on vehicle occupants
may cause serious personal injury. Liquids
spilled on vehicle equipment may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
When not in use, keep the cup holder closed.
An open cup holder may cause injury to you
or others when contacted during braking,
vehicle maneuvers, or in an accident.
Keep in mind that objects placed in the cup
holder may come loose during braking,
vehicle maneuvers, or in an accident and be
thrown around in the vehicle interior. Objects
thrown around in the vehicle interior may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Cup holder in the front-compartment
center console
You can remove the cup holder to clean it.
Clean with clear, lukewarm water only.
Features391Stowing and featuresZ

XPull release lever : for the hood.
The hood is released.
! Make sure that the windshield wipers are
not folded away from the windshield. You
could otherwise damage the windshield
wipers or the hood.
XReach into the gap, pull hood catch
handle ; up and lift the hood.
Once you have lifted the hood about
15 inches (40 cm), it is automatically
opened the rest of the way and held open
by the gas-filled struts.
Closing the hood
GWARNING
When closing the hood, use extreme caution
not to catch hands or fingers. Be careful that
you do not close the hood on anyone.
Make sure the hood is securely engaged
before driving off. Do not continue driving if
the hood can no longer engage after an
accident, for example. The hood could
otherwise come loose while the vehicle is in
motion and injure you and/or others.
XLower the hood and let it fall from a height
of approximately 8 inches (20 cm).XCheck that the hood has engaged properly.
If the hood can be raised slightly, it is not
properly engaged. Open it again and close
it with a little more force.Engine oil
Notes on the oil level
Depending on the driving style, the vehicle
consumes up to 0.9 US qts. (0.8 l) of oil over
a distance of 600 miles (1000 km). The oil
consumption may be higher than this when
the vehicle is new or if you frequently drive at
high engine speeds.
Checking the oil level using the oil
dipstick
On vehicles with a 12-cylinder engine, the oil
level can be checked using the on-board
computer. On all other models, the dipstick
must be used to check the engine oil level.
XPark the vehicle on a level surface.
To check the oil level with the engine at
operating temperature, switch the engine
off and wait for approximately five minutes.XPull oil dipstick : out of the dipstick guide
tube.XWipe off oil dipstick :.XSlowly slide oil dipstick : into the guide
tube to the stop, and take it out again.
If the level is between MIN mark = and
MAX mark ;, the oil level is correct.XIf the fuel level has sunk to MIN mark = or
below, add 0.55 to 1.1 US qt (0.5 to 1.0 l)
engine oil.Engine compartment409Maintenance and careZ

performing maintenance work under 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 lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under the
vehicle.
Always firmly engage the parking brake and
block the wheels with wheel chocks or other
sizable objects before raising the vehicle with
the jack. Do not disengage the parking brake
while the vehicle is raised.
Make sure that the ground on which the
vehicle is standing and where you place the
jack is solid, level and not slippery. If
necessary, use a large underlay. On slippery
surfaces, such as tiled floors, you should use
a non-slip underlay, for example a rubber mat.
Do not use wooden blocks or similar objects
as a jack underlay. Otherwise, the jack may
not be able to achieve its load-bearing
capacity if it is not at its full height.
Never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised.
Also observe the notes on the jack.XUsing lug wrench :, loosen the bolts on
the wheel you wish to change by about one
full turn. Do not unscrew the bolts
completely.
The jacking points for the jack are located
behind the wheel housings of the front wheels
and in front of the wheel housings of the rear
wheels (arrows).GWARNING
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking up
the vehicle at the jacking points. The jack
saddle must be placed centrally under the
jacking point.
If you do not position the jack correctly in the
jacking point, the vehicle can fall off the jack
and seriously or fatally injure you or others.
! The jack is designed exclusively for
jacking up the vehicle at the jacking points.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged.
XPosition jack = at jacking point ;.Flat tire427Breakdown assistanceZ

DLoad index (Y page 461)ETire name
i
Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Tire size designation, load-bearing
capacity and speed rating
:Tire width;Nominal aspect ratio in %=Tire code?Rim diameterALoad bearing indexBSpeed rating
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
General: depending on the manufacturer's
standards, the size imprinted in the tire wall
may not contain any letters or may contain
one letter that precedes the size description.
If there is no letter preceding the size
description (as shown above): these are
passenger vehicle tires according to
European manufacturing standards.
If "P" precedes the size description: these are
passenger vehicle tires according to U.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "LT" precedes the size description: these
are light truck tires according to U.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "T" precedes the size description: these are
compact emergency spare wheels at high tire
pressure, to be used only temporarily in an
emergency.
Tire width: tire width : shows the nominal
tire width in millimeters.
Nominal aspect ratio: aspect ratio ; is the
size ratio between the tire height and the tire
width and is shown in percent. The aspect
ratio is calculated by dividing the tire width by
the tire height.
Tire code: tire code = specifies the tire type.
"R" represents radial tires. "D" represents
diagonal tires, "B" represents diagonal radial
tires.
Optionally, tires with a maximum speed of
over 149 mph(240 km/h) may have "ZR" in
the size description depending on the
manufacturer (e.g. 245/40 ZR 18).
Rim diameter: rim diameter ? is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the diameter
of the rim flange. The rim diameter is
specified in inches (in).
Load bearing index: load bearing index A
is a numerical code which specifies the
maximum load-bearing capacity of a tire.GWARNING
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR of your vehicle. Otherwise,
sudden tire failure may be the result which
could cause an accident and/or serious injury
to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with rims and
tires having the same specifications
(designation, manufacturer and type) as
shown on the original part.
GWARNING
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information placard on the
driver's door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also result
in handling or steering problems, or brake
failure.
Tire labeling459Wheels and tiresZ

Kilopascal (kPa)
Metric unit for tire pressure. 6.9 kPa is the
equivalent of 1 psi. Another unit for tire
pressure is bar. There are 100 kilopascals
(kPa) to 1 bar.
Load index
In addition to the load bearing index, the load
index may also be imprinted on the sidewall
of the tire. This specifies the load bearing
capacity more precisely.
Curb weight
The weight of a vehicle with standard
equipment including the maximum capacity
of fuel, oil and coolant. It also includes the air-
conditioning system and optional equipment
if these are installed in the vehicle, but does
not include passengers or luggage.
Maximum load rating
The maximum load rating in kilograms or
pounds is the maximum weight for which a
tire is approved.
Maximum permissible tire pressure
Maximum permissible tire pressure for one
tire.
Maximum load on one tire
Maximum load on one tire. This is calculated
by dividing the maximum axle load of one axle
by two.
PSI (pounds per square inch)
A standard unit of measure for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio
Relationship between tire height and tire
width in percent.
Tire pressure
This is pressure inside the tire applying an
outward force to each square inch of the tire's
surface. The tire pressure is specified in
pounds per square inch (psi), in kilopascal
(kPa) or in bar. The tire pressure should only
be corrected when the tires are cold.
Tire pressure of cold tires
The tires are cold:
R if the vehicle has been parked without
direct sunlight on the tires for at least three
hours and
R if the vehicle has not been driven more than
1 mile (1.6 km).
Tread
The part of the tire that comes into contact
with the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sits
securely on the wheel. There are several steel
wires in the bead to prevent the tire from
coming loose from the wheel rim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the tread and the
bead.
Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
part and more than 2.3 kilograms (5 lbs).
464Definition of terms for tires and loadingWheels and tires

protection and to provide protection from
overheating. In the Service Booklet, you can
find information on the intervals for renewal.
The renewal interval is determined by the
coolant type and the engine cooling system
design. The renewal interval in the Service
Booklet is only valid if the coolant is renewed
or filled up with Mercedes-Benz approved
products. Therefore, only use MB 325.0 or
326.0 anticorrosion/antifreeze or another
Mercedes-Benz approved product of the
same specification.
Information on other products with the same
specifications that are approved by
Mercedes-Benz can be obtained at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or on the
Internet at http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com.
The coolant is checked at every maintenance
interval at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
The antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor
concentration in the engine cooling system
should:
R be at least 50%. This will protect the engine
cooling system against freezing down to
approximately -35 ‡ (-37 † ).
R not exceed 55% (antifreeze protection to
-49 ‡ [-45 † ]); otherwise, heat will not
dissipate as effectively.
If the coolant level is too low, MB 325.0 or
326.0 anticorrosion/antifreeze should be
added. Have the engine cooling system
checked for possible leaks.
Windshield/headlamp cleaning
system
GWARNING
Washer solvent/antifreeze is highly
flammable. Do not spill washer solvent/
antifreeze on hot engine parts, because it may
ignite and burn. You could be seriously
burned.
Use MB SummerFit windshield washer
concentrate at temperatures above freezing:XMix 1 part MB SummerFit with 100 parts
water.
Use MB WinterFit windshield washer
concentrate at temperatures below freezing:
XAt temperatures down to 14 ‡(Ò 10 †): mix
1 part MB WinterFit with 2 parts water.XAt temperatures down to Ò 4 ‡( Ò 20 †): mix
1 part MB WinterFit with 1 part water.XAt temperatures down to
Ò 20.2 ‡(Ò 29 †): mix 2 parts MB WinterFit
with 1 part water.
! Only SummerFit and WinterFit can be
mixed. Otherwise, the jets could become
blocked.
Vehicle data
For the specified vehicle data, please note
that:
R The heights specified may vary due to:
- tires
- load
- condition of the suspension
- optional equipment
All modelsVehicle length200.8 in (5099 mm)Vehicle width
including exterior
mirrors83.9 in (2130 mm)Vehicle height55.9 in (1419 mm)Wheelbase116.3 in (2955 mm)Front track63.0 in (1601 mm)Rear track63.3 in (1607 mm)Turning circle38.2 ft (11.63 m)Maximum trunk
loadMaximum 220 lb (100 kg)480Vehicle dataTechnical data