2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Battery

Kee
pchildr en away. Obse
rve this Owner' sManual.
For safet yreasons ,Mercedes-Ben zrecom-
mends that you only use batteries which have
been tested and approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz. These batteries provide
inc reased impact protection to preven tvehi-
cle occupant sfrom suffering aci dburns
should the batter ybedamaged in the event
of an accident.
In order for the batter ytoachieve the maxi-
mum possibl eservic elife, it must always be
sufficiently charged.
The vehicle battery, like other batteries, can
discharge over time if you do not use the
vehicle. In such cases, have the batter ydis-
connected at aqualified specialist workshop.
You can also charge the batter ywith a
charger recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
For more information ,please contact aquali-
fied specialist workshop.
Have the batter ycharge checked mor efre-
quently if yo uuse the vehicle mainl yfor short
trips or if you leav eitstanding idle for a
lengthy period .Consult aqualified specialist
workshop if you wish to leave your vehicle
parked up for along period of time.
i When you par kthe vehicle, remove the
key if you do not requir eany electrical con-
sumers .The vehicle will then use ver ylittle
energy, thus conservin gbatter ypower.
i If the power supply has been interrupted,
e.g. if the batter ywas discharged ,you will
have to:
R set the cloc k.Informatio nonsetting the
cloc kcan be found in the separate oper-
ating instructions. On vehicles with COMAND Online and a
navigation system, the clock is set auto-
matically.
R reset the function for folding the exterior
mirror sin/out automati cally, by folding
the mirror sout onc e(Ypage 11 3). Charging the battery
G
WARNING
Durin gchargin gand jump-starting, explosive
gases can escap efrom th ebattery. There is a
risk of an explosion.
Particularly avoid fire, naked flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Ensure there is sufficient
ventilation while chargin gand jump-starting.
Do not lean over abattery. G
WARNING
Battery acid is caustic .There is arisk of injury.
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or clothing.
Do not inhale any battery gases. Do not lean
over the battery. Keep children away from
batteries. Wash battery acid immediately with
water and seek medical attention. G
WARNING
Ad ischarged battery can freeze at tempera-
tures below freezin gpoint .When jump-start-
ing the vehicle or charging the battery ,gases
can escape from the battery. There is arisk of
an explosion.
Allow the frozen battery to thaw out before
charging it or jump-starting.
! Only use battery chargers with amaxi-
mum charging voltage of 14.8 V.
! Only charge the battery using the jump-
start connection point.
Never charge abattery still installed in the
vehicle unless abattery charger unit
approved by Mercedes-Ben zisbeing used. A
batter ycharger uni tspecially adapted for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz is available as an 384
Battery (vehicle)Breakdown assistance

accessory. It permits the chargin
gofthe bat-
tery in its installed position. Contac ta
Mercedes-Ben zService Centre for informa-
tion and availability. Charge the batter yin
accordance with the separate instructions for
the battery charger.
The jump-starting connection point is in the
engine compartmen t(Ypage 386).
Read the batter ycharger' soperating instruc-
tions befor echarging the battery.
X Open the bonnet (Y page 360).
X Connect the battery charger to the positive
terminal and earth point in the sam eorder
as when connecting th edonor battery in
the jump-startin gprocedure
(Y page 386). Battery (vehi
cle)
385Breakdown assistance Z

Jum
p-starting G
WARNING
Battery acid is caustic. There is arisk of injury.
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or clothing. Do not inhale any battery gases. Do not lean over
the battery. Keep children away from batteries. Wash battery acid immediately with water and
seek medical attention. G
WARNING
Durin gcharging and jump-starting, explosive gases can escap efrom th ebattery. There is arisk
of an explosion.
Particularly avoid fire, naked flames, creating sparks and smoking. Ensure there is sufficient
ventilation while charging and jump-starting. Do not lean over abattery. G
WARNING
During the charging process, abattery produces hydrogen gas. If ashort circui toccurs or sparks
are created, the hydroge ngas can ignite. There is arisk of an explosion.
R Make sure that the positive terminal of aconnecte dbattery does not come into contact with
vehicle parts.
R Never place metal objects or tools on abattery.
R It is important that you observe the described order of the battery terminals when connecting
and disconnecting abattery.
R When jump-starting, make sure that the battery poles with identical polarity are connected.
R It is particularly important to observe the described order when connecting and disconnecting
the jump leads.
R Never connect or disconnect the battery terminals while the engine is running. G
WARNING
Ad ischarged battery can freeze at temperatures below freezin gpoint .When jump-startin gthe
vehicle or charging the battery ,gases can escape from the battery. There is arisk of an explosion.
Allow the frozen battery to thaw out before charging it or jump-starting. G
WARNING
Non-combusted fuel can collect in the exhaust system and ignite. There is arisk of fire. Avoid
repeated and lengthy startin gattempts.
! Vehicles with apetrol engine: avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise,
the non-combusted fuel may damage the catalytic converter. 386
Jump-sta
rtingBreak down assistance

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

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