2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV brake

Do not us
earapid charging device to start the vehicle. If your vehicle' sbattery is discharg ed,
the engine can be jump-starte dfroma nothe rvehicle or fr omasecon dbattery using jump
leads. Observe the following points:
R the battery is not acce ssiblein allvehicles .Ifthe other vehicle' sbattery is not accessible,
jump-start the vehicle using asecond batter yorajump-star ting device.
R vehicles with apetrol engine: only jump-star tthe vehicle when the engin eand exhaust
system are cold.
R do not start the engine if the battery is frozen. Let the battery thaw first.
R jump-starting may only be performed from batteries with anominal voltage of 12 V.
R only use jum pleads that have asufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.
R if the battery is fully discharged, leave the battery that is being used to jump-start connected
for afew minutes befor eattempting to start. Thi scharges the empty battery alittle.
R make sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that:
R the jump leads are not damaged.
R non-insulated parts of the terminal clamps do not come into contact with other metal parts
while the jump leads are connected to the battery.
R the jump leads cannot come into contact with parts such as the V-belt pulle yorthe fan.
These parts mov ewhen the engin eisstarted and whil eitisr unning.
X Secure the vehicle by applying the electric parking brake.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition lock and remove it (Y page 159). On vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO, make sure the ignition is switched off (Y page 159). All indicator lamps in the
instrumen tcluster must be off.
X Switch off all electrical consumer s(e.g. radio, blower, etc.).
X Open the bonnet (Y page 360).Position number
Bidentifies the charged batter yofthe other vehicle or an equivalent jump-
startin gdevice. Jump-starting
387Breakdown assistance Z

X
Slide cover :of positive terminal ;in the direction of the arro w.
X Connect positive terminal ;on your vehicl etopositive terminal =of donor battery B
using the jum plead. Alway sbegin with positive terminal ;on your own vehicle fir st.
X Start th eengine of the donor vehicle and run it at idling speed.
X Connec tnegativ eterminal ?of donor battery Bto eart hpoint Aof your vehicle using
the jum plead, connectin gthe jum plead to donor battery Bfirst.
X Start the engine.
X Before disconnecting the jum pleads, let the engines run for several minutes.
X First, remove the jum pleads from eart hpoint Aand negative terminal ?,then from pos-
itiv eterminal ;and positiv eterminal =,each time beginning at the contacts on your own
vehicle first.
X Close cover :of positive terminal ;after removing the jump leads.
X Have the battery checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
i Jump-starting is not considered to be anormal operatin gcondition.
i Jump-starting cables and further information regarding jum pstartin gcan be obtained at
any qualified specialis tworkshop. Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Safety-relevant func tions are restric tedorn ot
available if:
R the engin eisnot running.
R the brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning
R the voltage supply or the vehicle' selectrical
system is malfunctioning.
If your vehicle is towed, significantly greater
forc emay be required to steer the vehicle or
to brake. There is arisk of an accident.
In such circumstances, use atowing bar.
Make sure that the steering is moving freely
befor etowing. G
WARNING
If the weight of the vehicle to be towed or tow-
started is greater than the permissible gross
weight of your vehicle:
R the towin geye could detach itself
R the vehicle/traile rcombination coul dover-
turn.
There is arisk of an accident.
When towing or tow-startin ganothe rvehicle,
its weight should not be greater than the per-
missible gross weight of your vehicle. G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOL Dfunction
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLD and DISTRONIC PLUS if the
vehicle is to be towed.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit aqualified specialist workshop.
! Only secure the tow rope or towing bar to
the towing eyes. The vehicle may otherwise
be damaged. 388
Towin
gand tow-startingBreakdow nassistance

!
Observe the following points when towing
wit hat ow rope:
R secur ethe tow rope on the sam eside on
both vehicles.
R the tow rope must not be longer than is
legally permitted. It should be marked in
the middle, e.g. with awhite cloth
(30 x30c m) so that other roa dusers are
aware that avehicle is being towed.
R the tow rope may only be attached to the
towing eyes.
R observ ethe brake lamps of the towing
vehicle while driving. Always maintain a
distanc esothat the tow rope does not
sag.
R do not use steel cables or chains to tow
your vehicle. The vehicle could be dam-
aged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
this could damage the vehicle. If in doubt,
recover the vehicle with acrane.
! When towing, pu llaway slowly and
smoothly .Ifthe tractive power is too high,
the vehicles could be damaged.
! To tow vehicles with KEYL ESS-GO,use
the key instead of the Star t/Stop button.
Th ea utomatic transmission may otherwise
switch to position Pwhen you open the
driver' sorfront-passenger door which
could damag ethe transmission.
! Vehicles with differential locks: make
sur ethe differential lock sare in automatic
mode. When towing, th edifferential locks
must not be switched on. The transmission
may otherwise be damaged.
! You may tow the vehicle for amaximum
of 50km .Atowing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
For towin gdistances over 50 km, the entire
vehicle must be lifted up and transported.
! If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum per- missible gross vehicle weight of your vehi-
cle.
Information on your vehicle' sgros svehicle
weight rating can be foun donthe vehicle
identification plat e(Ypage 422).
Observe the legal requirement sfor the rele-
vant countries when towing.
It is bette rtoh ave the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission dam-
age, have it transported on atransporter or
trailer.
Th ea utomatic transmission must be in posi-
tion Nwhen the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2
R cannot release the electric parking brake
R cannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
i Deactivate the automatic locking feature
(Y page 283). You could otherwis ebe
locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection
(Y page 71) before the vehicle is towed. Towing and tow-starting
389Breakdown assistance Z

Fitting/removing th
etowing eye
Fitting th etowing eye Example: cover
sfor towin geye mountings
: Front cover
; Bac kcover
Vehicles with atrailer to whitch :ify ou intend
to use the vehicle for towing, fold out the ball
coupling (Y page 259) and con nect the tow-
bar to it.
Th eb rackets for th escrew-i ntowing eyes are
located in the bumpers. They ar eatthe front
and at the rear, under the covers.
X Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 377).
X To ope nthe cover at the front: press the
mark on cover :inwards in th edirection
of the arrow.
X To open the cover at the rear: insert a
flat, blunt object into the cutout and lever
cover ;out of the bumper.
X Remove cover :or; from the opening.
X Screw the towing eye in clockwise to the
stop and tighten it. Removing the towing eye X
Loosen the towing eye and unscrew it.
X Attach cover :or; to the bumper and
press until it engages.
X Place the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit. Towing the vehicle with both axles on
the ground
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 388).
The automatic transmission automatically
shifts to position Pwhen you open the driver's
or front-passenger door or when you remove
the key from the ignition lock.
In order to ensure that the automatic trans-
mission stays in position Nwhen towing the
vehicle, you must observe the following
points:
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary and
that the key is in position 0in the ignition
lock.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
On vehicles with KEYL ESS-GO, use the key
instead of the Start/Stop button
(Y pag e159).
X Depres sand hol dthe brake pedal.
X Shif tthe automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parkin gbrake.
X Leave th ekey in position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Switch on the hazar dwarning lamps
(Y page 122).
i In order to signal achange of direction
when towing the vehicle with the hazard
warnin glamps switched on, use the com-
bination switch as usual .Inthis case ,only
the turn signals for the desired direction
flash .When you reset the combination 390
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

switch, the hazard warnin
glamps start
flashing again. Transporting the vehicle
! Only lash the vehicle down by the wheels
or wheel rims, not by parts of the vehicle
such as axle or steering components. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could be damaged.
The towing eyes or trailer tow hitch can be
used to pull the vehicle onto atrailer or trans-
porter if yo uwish to transport it.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the electric parkin gbrake.
X Shift th eautomatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle. Information for 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised; otherwise,
the transmission may be damaged.
If the vehicle has transmission damage or
damage to the front or rear axle, have it trans-
ported on atransporter or trailer.
In the even tofdamage to the ele ctrical
system
If the battery is defective, the automatic
transmission will be locked in position P.To
shif tthe automatic transmission to position
N,y ou must provide power to the vehicle's
electrical system in the same way as when
jump-starting (Y page 386).
Hav ethe vehicle transported on atransporter
or trailer. Recov
ering avehicle that ha sbecome
stuck
! When recovering atrapped vehicle ,donot
je rk the vehicle or pull it at an angle. If the
tractive powe rist oo high, th evehicles
could be damaged.
If th edrive wheels ge ttrapped on loose or
muddy ground, recover th evehicle with the
utmost care, especially so if the vehicle is
laden.
Never attempt to recover avehicle with a
trailer atta ched.
Pull out the vehicle backwards, if possible,
using the tracks it made when it became
stuck. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow-star ted. Otherwise, you
could damage the automatic tra nsmission.
You ca nfind information on "Jump-starting"
at (Y page 386). Electrical fuses
Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
Only use fuses that have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which have the
correct fuse ratin gfor the system scon-
cer ned. Do not attempt to repair or bridge
faulty fuses. Usin gfuses which have not been
approved or attempting to repair or bridge
faulty fuses could cause the fuse to be over-
loaded and result in afire. Have the cause
traced and rectified at aqualified specialist
workshop.
! Only use fuses marked with an "S" for the
fuse box in the engine compartment and
under the rear bench seat. Components or
systems could othe rwise be damaged. Electrical fuses
391Breakdown assistance Z

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variation sare pos-
sible. Note that your vehicl emay not be
equippe dwith all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page25). Impo
rtantsafety notes G
WARNING
If wheels and tyres of the wron gsize are used,
the wheel brakes or suspension components
may be damaged. There is arisk of accident.
Always replac ewheels and tyr es with those
that fulfil th especifications of the original part
(designation ,manufacturer, model). G
WARNING
Af lat tyre severely impair sthe driving, steer-
ing and bra king characteristics of the vehicle.
There is arisk of accident.
Tyres withou trun-flat characteristics:
R do not drive with aflat tyre.
R immediately replac ethe fla ttyre with your
emergenc yspare wheel or spare wheel, or
consult aqualified specialist workshop.
Tyres with run-flat characteristics:
R pay attention to the information and warn-
ing notices on MOExtended tyre s(tyres
with run-flat charac teristics).
Accessorie sthat ar enot approved for your
vehicle by Mercedes-Ben zorare not be ing
use dcorrectly can impair the operating
safety. Before purchasing and using non-approved
accessories, visi
taqualified specialist work-
sho pand enquire about:
R suitability
R leg alstipulations
R factory recommendations
Information on the dimensions and types of
wheels and tyres for your vehicle can be
found in the "Wheel/tyre combinations" sec-
tion (Y page 409).
Information on air pressure for the tyres on
your vehicle can be found:
R on the tyre pressure label on the fuel filler
flap (Y page 175)
R in the "Tyre pressure" section
R under "Tyre pressure" (Y page 399)
Modification work on the brake system and
wheels is not permitted. The use of wheel
spacers or brake dust shields is not permit-
ted. This invalidates the general operating
permit for the vehicle.
i Further information on wheels and tyres
can be obtained at any qualified specialist
workshop. Operation
Information on driving
Check the tyre pressures when the vehicle is
heavily laden and, if necessary, adjust.
While driving, pay attention to vibrations,
noises and unusual handling charac teristics,
e.g .pulling to one side .This ma yindicate that
the wheels or tyres are damaged. If you sus-
pect that atyre is defective, reduce your
speed immediately. Stop the vehicle as soon
as possibl etocheckthe wheels and tyres for
damage. Hidden tyr edamage could also be
causing the unusual handling characteristics.
If you find no signs of damage, have the tyres
and wheel schecked at aqualified specialist
workshop.
When parking your vehicle, make sure that
the tyres do not get deformed by the kerb or 396
OperationWheels and tyres

Country Radio type approval number
Brazil 1489-10-4415
Dubai TRA, Registered NO
0016161/08
TRA, Registered NO
0016162/08
Morocco MR5527 ANRT 2010
/27. April
2010
MR5526 ANRT 2010/ 27. April
2010 Ph
ilip-
pines ESD-1105558C
Singa-
pore Compliance with IDA Standard
N0140-09
South
Africa TA-2008/1068
TA-2008/1069
Changing
awheel Flat tyre
Yo uc an find information on wha ttodointhe
even tofa flat tyre in th e"Breakdown assis-
tance" sectio n(Ypage 378). Instruction sfor
drivin gwith MOExtended tyres in the event of
af lat tyre are also provided there.
Vehicles with an emergency spare
wheel: in the event of aflat tyre, the emer-
gency spare wheel is fitted according to the
description under "Fittin gawheel"
(Y page 405). Inte
rchangin gthe wheels G
WARNING
Interchanging the front and rear wheel smay
severely impair the driving characteristic sif
the wheels or tyres have differen tdimensions.
The wheel brakes or suspension componen ts
may als obedamaged. There is arisk of acci-
dent. Interchange front and rear wheels only if the
wheels and tyre
sare of th esame dimensions.
! On vehicles fitted with atyre pressure
monitor ,electronic componen tsare loca-
ted in the wheel.
Tyre-fittin gtools should not be applied in
the area of the valve, as this coul ddamage
the electronic components.
Only have tyre schanged at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Interchanging the front and rear wheel sof
diff ering dimension scan render the general
operating permit invalid.
Obse rvet he instructions and safet ynotes in
the "Fi ttin gaw heel" section (Y page 405).
The wear pattern sonthe fr ont an drear tyr es
diff er,depending on the operating conditions.
Interchange the wheels befor eaclear wear
pattern ha sform edon the tyr es.F ront tyres
typicall ywearm ore on the shoulder sand the
rea rtyre sint he centre.
On vehicles that have the same size front and
rear wheels, you can interchange the wheels
every 5000k mto10,000 km depending on
the degre eoftyre wear. Maintain the direc-
tion of tyre rotation.
Clea nthe con tact surface softhe wheel and
the brake disc thoroughly ever ytime awheel
is interchanged. Chec kthe tyr epressure and,
if necessary, restart th etyre pressure loss
warning syste morthe tyrepressure monitor. Directio
nofrotation
Tyres with aspecified direction of rotation
have additional benefits, e.g. if there is arisk
of aquaplaning. You will only gain these ben-
efits if the correct direction of rotation is
observed.
An arrow on the sidewall of the tyre indicates
its correct direction of rotation. 404
Changing
awheelWheels and tyres

Securing the vehicle on level ground
X
On level ground: place chocks or oth er
su itabl eitem sunder the front and rea rof
the whee lthat is diagonally opposite the
whee lyou wish to change. Securing the vehicle on slight downhill gradients
X On ligh tdownhill gradients: place
chocks or other suitabl eitems in front of
the wheels of the front and rear axle.
Raisin gthe vehicle G
WARNING
If you do not positio nthe jac kcorrectly at the
appropriate jackin gpoint of the vehicle, the
jac kc ould tip over with the vehicle raised.
There is arisk of injury.
Only position the jack at the appropriate jack-
ing point of the vehicle. The base of the jack
must be positioned vertically, directly under
the jackin gpoint of the vehicle.
! AMG vehicles equipped with the
"Minispare" emergency spare wheel:
Use the "Minispare" emergency spare wheel
only on th erear axle.Ift he
"Minispare" emergenc yspare wheel is
mounted on the front axle, it could damage
the brak esystem.
If at yre on the front axle is faulty, an intact
whee lfrom th erear axle must first be
replaced by the "Minispare" emergency
spare wheel. The faulty tyr eonthe front
axl es hould then be replaced by the intact
tyr efrom th erear axle.
Be sure to observ ethe instruction label on
the "Minispare" emergenc yspare wheel.
The following must be observed when raising
the vehicle:
R to raise the vehicle, only use the vehicle-
specifi cjack that has been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz .Ifthe jac kis
used incorrectly, it could tip over while the
vehicle is raised.
R the jack is designed only to raise and hold
the vehicle for ashort tim ewhile awheel
is being changed. It is not suited for per-
forming maintenance wor kunder the vehi-
cle.
R avoid changing the wheel on uphil land
downhil lslopes.
R before raising the vehicle, secure it from
rolling away by applying the parkin gbrake
and inserting whee lchocks. Never disen-
gage the parkin gbrake whil ethe vehicle is
raised.
R the jac kmust be placed on afirm ,flat and
non-slip surface. On aloose surface, a
large, load-bearing underlay must be used.
On aslippery surface, anon-slip underlay
must be used, e.g. rubber mats.
R do not use wooden block sorsimilar
objects as ajack underlay .Otherwi se,the
jack wil lnot be able to achiev eits load-
bearing capacity due to the restricted
height.
R mak esure that the distanc ebetween the
underside of the tyr es andthe grou nddoes
not exceed 3cm. 406
Changing
awheelWheels and tyres