2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class low

Dri
vin gtips
Kickd own Use
kick down formax imum acceler ation .
X Ve hic les forUSA: fullydepr essthe
acc eler ator peda l.
The trans mis sions hifts toalower gear
depending onthe engine speed.
X Vehicles forCanada: depressthe
accelerator pedalbeyond thepressure
point.
The transmission shiftstoalower gear
depending onthe engine speed.
Rocking thevehicle free Rocking
thevehicle freebyshifting backand
forth between transmission positionsDand
R can help tofree avehicle thathasbecome
stuck inmud orsnow. Theengine
management systemofthe vehicle limits
shifting backandforth between transmission
positions Dand Rto amaximum speedof
5 mph (9km/h). Toshift back andforth
between transmission positionsDand R,
move theselector leverupand down beyond
the pressure point.
Working onthe vehicle G
WARNING When
working onthe vehicle, engagethe
electronic parkingbrakeandshift the
automatic transmission intopark position P.
Otherwise thevehicle couldrollaway which
could result inan accident and/orserious
personal injury.
Tra iler towing X
Drive inthe middle ofthe engine speed
range onuphill gradients.
X Depending onthe uphill ordownhill
gradient, shiftdown intoshift range 3or
2(Y page 147), evenifcruise controlor
DIS TRONIC PLUSareswitched on. Steering
wheelpaddleshifters You
canrestrict orderestrict theshift range
by using thesteering wheelpaddle
shifters :and ;(Y page147). i
You
canonly change gearwiththe
steering wheelpaddle shifters whenthe
transmission isin position D. Shift
ranges
Introduction In
transmission positionD,you can usethe
steering wheelpaddle shiftertorestrict or
derestrict theshift range forthe automatic
transmission (Ypage 147).
The shift range selected isshown inthe
multifunction display.The automatic
transmission shiftsonlyasfar asthe selected
gear. Driving
situations =
You
canusetheengine's braking
effect . Automat
ictransmission
147Driving and parking Z

5
To
use thebraking effectofthe
engine ondownhill gradients and
for driving:
R on steep mountain roads
R in mountain ousterrain
R in arduous conditions 4
To
use thebraking effectofthe
engine onextr emely steepdownhill
gradients andonlong downhill
stret ches Restr
icting theshift range X
Pull theleft- hand steerin gwheel paddle
shifter.
The automatic transmission shiftsdown
one gear andrestrict sthe shift range tothe
relevant gear. i
If
the engine exceeds themaximum
engine speedwhenshifting down,the
automatic transmission protectsagainst
engine damage bynot shifting down. i
If
the maximum enginespeedforthe shift
range isreached andyoucont inue to
accelerate, theautomatic transmission
shifts up,even ifthe shift range is
restrict ed.This prevents theengine from
overrevving.
Derestricting theshift range X
Pull theright-hand steeringwheelpaddle
shifter.
The shift range isderestrict ed.
Clearing theshift range restriction X
Pull and hold theright-hand steeringwheel
paddle shifteruntilDis shown againinthe
multifunction display.
The automatic transmission shiftsfromthe
current shiftrange directly toD.
or X
Use theDIRECT SELECT lever toshift the
transmission toposition D.
The automatic transmission shiftsfromthe
current shiftrange directly toD.
Selec tingtheideal shiftrange X
Pull theleft-hand steeringwheelpaddle
shifter andhold itin position.
The automatic transmission shiftstothe
gear which allowsoptimum acceleration
and deceleration. Todo this, theautomatic
transmission shiftsdownoneormore
gears. 148
Automat
ictransmissionDriving and parking

Problems
withthetransmission Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
The
transm issionhas
problems shiftinggear. The
transm issionislosing oil.
X Have thetransm issioncheckedataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter,
immediately. The
acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transm issionno
longer changes gear. The
transm issionisin emergency mode.
It is only possible toshift intosecon dgear andreverse gear.
X Stop thevehicle.
X Shift thetransm issiontoposition P.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Wait atleast 10seconds beforerestartingthe engine.
X Shift thetransm issiontoposition Dor R.
If D is selected, thetransm issionshiftsintosecon dgear; ifR is
selected, thetransm issionshiftsintoreverse gear.
X Have thetransm issioncheckedataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter,
immediately. Refueling
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNING Gasoli
neand diesel fuelsarehighly flammable
and poisonous. Theyburnviolently andcan
cause serious injury.
Never allowsparks, flamesorsmoking
materials neargasoline ordiesel fuel!
Turn offthe engine beforerefueling.
Whenever youarearound gasoline ordiesel
fuel, avoid inhaling fumesandanyskin or
clothing contact.Extinguish allsmoking
materials.
Direct skincontactwith fuels andthe
inhalation offuel vapors aredamaging your
health. G
WARNING Overfilling
ofthe fuel tank maycreate
pressure inthe system whichcouldcause a
gas discharge. Thiscould cause thegasoline to
spray backoutwhen removing thefuel
pump nozzle,which couldcause personal
injury. G
WARNING Do
not filldiesel tankswith gasoline. Donot
mix diesel fuelwith gasoline. Otherwise the
fuel system andengine couldbedamaged. In
addition, thevehicle couldcatch fire.
! Donot use gasoline torefuel vehicles with
a diesel engine. Donot use diesel torefuel
vehicles withagasoline engine.Evena
small quantity ofthe wrong fuelwill
damage thefuel system andengine.
! Donot switch onthe ignition ifyou
accidentally refuelwiththewrong fuel.
Otherwise, thefuel willenter thefuel lines.
Notify aqual ified specialist workshop and
have thefuel tank andfuel lines drained
completely. Refueling
149Driving and parking Z

Gasoli
ne
Fuel grade !
You shou ldonly refuel withpremiu m-
grade unleadedgaso line, asthis avoids
dama gingthecataly ticconverter.
Flexibl efuel vehicle s,identifi ablefrom the
lab elinside thefuel filler flap ,can be
refuel edwith E85. Forfurther information
on flexib lefuel ,see "Fue l".
If engine running problemsareapparent,
have thecause checked immediatelyand
repa ired. Excess unburned fuelcan
otherwi seenter thecataly ticconverter,
lea ding tooverhea tingandpossi bly
causi ngafire.
! Use afilter when refuelingfrom afuel can.
Otherwi se,the fuel lines and/or injection
system couldbeblocked byparticl esfrom
the fuel can. i
Only
refuel withpremiu m-grade unleaded
gaso linewith aspecifi edminimu moctane
numb erof91 (avera gevalue of96 RON/
86 MON) .
You willus ua lly find informa tion abou tthe
fuel grade onthe pump. Ifyou cannot find
the label onthe pump, askthestaff for
assistance.
You canfind more information under"Fuel"
(Y page 385), orby cont acting an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zService Center
or visitin ghtt p://ww w.mbu sa.com (USA
only). Diesel
Fuel grade !
Only refuel withULTRA- LOWSULFUR
DIE SELFUE L(ULSD ,15 ppm SULF UR
MAXI MUM). Usingotherdiesel fuelscould
result inincr eased wearanddamage tothe
engin eand/or exhaust system.
Never refuelwithmarine dieselorheating
oil. Do
not mix these fuelswithdiesel fuelsand
do not use anyspecial additives, asthis
may result indamage.
! Use afilter when adding fuelfrom afuel
can. Other wise, thefuel lines and/or the
fuel inject ion system couldbeblocked by
particles fromthefuel can. i
Usually,
youwillfind infor mation about
the fuel grade onthe pump. Ifyou cann ot
find thelabel onthe gasoline pump,askthe
gas stationstaff .
You canfind more information under“Fuel”
(Y page 385),or by con tact ingan
authoriz edMercedes- BenzService Center
or visitin ghtt p://ww w.mbu sa.com (USA
only).
Low outsid etem pera tures !
Donot use gasoline torefuel vehicles with
a diesel engine.Never mixdiesel with
gasoline orkeros ene,asthis may result in
damage tothe engin eor fuel system.
Diesel fuelwith improved coldflowpropert ies
is available duringthewinter months.Furt her
infor mation onfuel propert iescan be
obtained fromoilcompan ies,e.g. atgas
stat ions. Refueling
Fuel filler flap The
fuel filler flapisunlock edorlocked
automatic allywhen youopen orclose the
vehicle withtheSmart Keyorusing KEYLE SS-
GO.
The position ofthe fuel filler capisdisplayed
in the instrument cluster8.T hearrow
next tothe filling pump indicates theside of
the vehicle. 150
RefuelingDriving and parking

When
the Remainin
gStarts: 16 message
is shown inthe multifunc tiondisplay, youcan
start theengine 16more times. IfDE Fis not
added, itwill notbepossible torestar tthe
engine. Fillthe DEF tank withapprox. 1gal
(3.8 l)DEF ,or have itfilled ataqual ified
specialist workshop. i
If
you drive thevehicle fasterthan10mph
(16 km/h), the Check
Additive See Operator's
Manual message
goesoff
after approximately oneminute.
Further information aboutBlueTEC exhaust
gas aftertr eatment andDEF isavaila bleatany
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
Adding DEF G
WARN
ING Make
sure
R DE Fdoes notcome intocontact with skin,
eyes, orcloth ing
R to keep DEFout ofthe reach ofchildren
If you and/or othershave come intocontact
with DEF:
R IfDE Fhas gotteninto contact with eyes,
flush withplenty ofwater immediately and
seek medical help.
R Clean affectedskin immediately withplenty
of water.
R IfDE Fw asswallowe d,rin se mout h
imm ediat elywith plentyof wate rand drink
pl enty ofwa ter. Consu ltaphy sicia n. G
WAR
NING If
yo uop en the DEF tank cap,sma llamo unts
of amm oniavap orma ybe released .This
depends inparticular upontheage ofthe DEF .
Ammon iavapors haveapungent odorandare
particularly irritatingto:
R skin
R mucous membranes
R eyes You
may experience aburning sensation in
your eyes, noseandthroat, aswell as
coughing andwatering ofthe eyes.
Do not inhale anyammonia vaporsthatmay
be released. Fillthe DEF tank onlyinwell-
ventilated areas.
! Only useDEF inaccordance with
ISO 22241 .Do not mix anyadditives with
DEF ,and donot dilute DEFwith water. This
may destroy theBlueTEC exhaustgas
aftertr eatment system.
! The vehicle mustbeparked onlevel
ground tofill the DEF tank.The DEF tank
can only befilled asinten dedwith the
vehicle parkedonalevel surface. This
avoids falselevelreadings. Fillingthetank
is not permitted ifthe vehicle isnot parked
on alevel surface. Thereisadanger of
overfilling, whichcouldresult indamage to
componen tsof the BlueTEC exhaustgas
aftertr eatment .
If the outside temperature islower than
Ò11 †,damage mayoccur whenadding DEF.
If DEF isfrozen andthere isan active warning
indicator, addingmaynotbepossible. Park
the vehicle inawarmer place,e.g.inagarage,
until DEFhasbecome fluidagain. Fillingis
then possible again.Alternatively, havethe
DEF tank refilled ataqual ified specialist
workshop.
! Rinse surfaces thathave come into
cont actwith DEFimmediately withwater or
remove DEFusing adamp clothandcold
water. Ifthe DEF hasalread ycrystallized,
use asponge andcold water toclean it.DEF
residues crystallize aftertimeand
cont aminate theaffected surfaces.
! DEF isnot afuel additive andmust notbe
added tothe fuel tank .If DEF isadded to
the fuel tank ,this canlead toengine
damage.
Further information onDEF (Ypage 387). Refueling
153Driving and parking Z

Closing
theDEF filler capand fuel filler
fla p X
Plac eDE Ffiller cap;onthe filler neckand
tur nit clo ckwi se.
X To closethe fuel fillerf lap, press itin the
direc tionofarrow :.
X Dr ive ataspeed above10mph (16km/h) .
The Chec
kAddi tive SeeOperator's Manu
al mess
agedisappears after
approx imatelyone minute. i
If
the Chec
kAddi tive See Oper
ator'sManu al mess
agecontinues
to be shown inthe mult ifunc tiondisplay,
you need toadd moreDE F. Par
king Imp
ortant safety notes G
WARN
ING Do
not park thisvehic lein areas where
com bustib lemat erials cancom eint ocon tact
with thehot exhaust system. Donot park the
vehic leon dry grass landorharve stedgrain
fields. Combust iblematerials, suchasgrass ,
hay orleaves couldbeignit edbythe hot
exh aust systemand cause avehic lefire . Unin
tended vehic lemov emen tcan cause
serio usperso nalinjury ordamage tothe
vehic leor the vehic ledrive train. Toreduc e
such risks,always dothe followin gbefor e
tur nin goff the engineand leavin gthe vehic le:
R keep yourright footonthe brak epedal.
R apply theelect ricpark ingbrak e.
R shift theautom atictransm ission intopark
posit ionP.
R slowly release thebrak epedal.
R when parkedon anincline, always turnthe
front wheels towards theroad curb.
R turn theSmartKey inthe ignition lockto
position 0and remove theSmartKey from
the ignition lock,orpress theKEYLES S-GO
Start /Stopbutton.
R take theSmartKey withyouand lock the
vehicle whenleaving. Switching
offthe engine
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING Never
switch offthe engine whilethevehicle
is in motion.
There isno brake boostforthe service brake
if the engine isnot running. Ifthe ignition is
switched off,there isalso nopower
assistance forthe steering.
You willrequire considerably moreeffort to
steer andbrake andyoucould therefore lose
cont rolofthe vehicle andcause anaccident. G
WARNING Keep
inmind thatturning offthe engine alone
only willshift theautomatic transmission into
neutral position Nautomatically .
Always shifttheautomatic transmission into
park position Pbefore turning offthe engine.
Otherwise thevehicle couldrollaway which
could result inan accident and/orserious
personal injury. Park
ing
155Driving and parking Z

X
App lythe electri cpark ing brak e.
X Sh ift thetrans mis sion toposi tionP.
Using theSm artKey X
Turn theSm artKey toposi tion0 inthe
ign ition lockand remove it.
The imm obiliz erisact ivat ed. i
If
you turnoff theen gin ewit hth e
Sm artKey and then rem ove itfrom the
ign ition lockor open afron tdoor ,th e
auto matictrans mis sion shiftsto P
auto maticall y.
Using KEYLESS- GO X
Pre sstheSt art /S topbut ton( Ypage 139).
The engin estops andallthe indicat or
lamps inthe instrument clustergoout. i
If
you usetheStart/ Stop butt ontoswitc h
off the engin e,the automatic transmission
shift sto Nautomatic ally.Ifyou then open
one ofthe fron tdoors, theautomatic
trans mission shiftstoP. i
In
an emergenc y,the engine canbe
turned offwhile thevehicle isin motion by
pressing andholding theStart /Stopbutton
for three seconds. Elec
tric par king brake
General information i
The
electric parking brakeperforms a
funct iontest atregular intervalswhile the
engine isswitched off.The sounds thatcan
be heard whilethisisoccurrin gare normal. G
WARNIN
G When
leaving thevehicle, alwaysremove the
Smart Keyfrom thestart erswitch, takeitwith
you, andlock thevehicle. Donot leave
children unattendedinthe vehicle, orwith
access toan unlocked vehicle.Children could
release theparking brakeand/or shiftthe
automatic transmission outofpark position P,
either ofwhich couldresult inan accident
and/or serious personal injury. Applying/releasing
manually X
To app ly:press handle :.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster lightsup. i
The
electric parking brakecanalso be
applied whentheSmart Keyisremoved.
X To release: pullhandle :.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster goesout. i
The
electric parking brakecannotbe
released unlesstheSmart Keyisin position
1 in the ignition lockorthe ignition has
been switched onusing theStart /Stop
button .
To ensure thatyoudon't rollbackwards when
pulling awayonanuphill slope, engage the
electric parking brake(Ypage 141).
Applying automat ically Your
vehicle's electricparking brakeis
automatically appliedifDIS TRONIC PLUSor
the HOLD functionbring thevehicle toa
standst ill,orare engaged tokeep thevehicle
station ary.Inaddition, atleast oneofthe
following conditionsmust befulfilled: 156
Par
kingDriving and parking

R
the engineissw itch edoff.
R the driver 'sdo or isop en and theseat belt
is not faste ned .
R the vehicleis sta tionar yfor alength y
pe riod .
Th ered F (USA only)or ! (Cana da
onl y)ind icator lamp inthe instrument cluste r
li gh ts up .
Rel easing auto matic ally Yo
ur veh icle'sel ectr icpa rki ng bra keis
au toma tically rel easedifallof the followi ng
cond itions aremet:
R the engineisrunning .
R the transmi ssion isin po sitio nD or R.
R the seat beltha sbe en faste ned .
R yo ude pre ssthe accelera tor pedal.
If the transmi ssion isin po sitio nR, the trunk
li d mu stbe closed.
If yo ur seat beltis not faste ned ,the followi ng
cond itions mustbe fulfille d to automa tically
rel ease the electr icpa rki ng bra ke:
R the driver 'sdo or isclo sed.
R yo uha ve shifted outo ftransmis sion
posi tion Por you have previouslydrive n
faster than2mph (3km/h) .
Emerge ncybraking The
vehicl ecan alsobe braked duringan
emerge ncyusing the electric parking brake.
X Whil edrivi ng,pus hhandl e: ofthe electric
parking brake(Ypag e156). i
The
vehicl eis braked aslong asyou keep
the handl eof the electric parking brake
presse d.The longer theelectric parking
brake handleis depre ssed, thegrea terthe
braking force. During
braking:
R awa rning tonesound s.
R the Release
parkingbrake messa
ge
app ears.
R the red F (USAonly)or ! (Canada
only )indica torlamp inthe instrument
cluster flashes.
When thevehicl ehas been braked toa
standstil l,the electric parking brakeis
engag ed. Parking
thevehi cleforalong period
If you leave theveh icle park edfor longer than
four week s,thebatt erymay bedamage dby
exh aust ivedisc harg e.
X Conn ectatrick lechar ger. i
You
canobtain inform ationabout trick le
char gers from aqualifie dspec ialist
work shop,e.g .ana uth orizedMer cedes-
Ben zCen ter.
If you leave theveh iclep ark edfor longer than
six week s,theveh icle may sufferdamag eas
a res ult oflack ofuse.
X Visi taqu alified specialist workshopand
seek advice. Driving
tips General
driving tips
Impor tantsafet ynotes G
WARN
ING Always
remembe rthat you must concentrat e
primarily ondriving thevehicle. Thedriver's
conc entrat ionmust alwaysbe directed
primarily atroad traffic. Foryour ownsafety
and that ofothers, werecommen dthat you
stop thevehicle atasafe place andin
accordance withthetraffic conditions before
making oraccepting aphone call.
Comply withalllegal requirements ifyou use
the telephone whiledriving. Usethehands-
free system andonly usethetelephone when Driving
tips
157Driving and parking
Z