2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 4 way

system
whenthedefective wheelhasbeen
replaced withanew wheel.
Vehicles withtirepressure controlsystem:
all wheels mounted mustbeequip pedwith
function ingsensors. Thedefective wheel
should nolonger beinthe vehicle. MOExtended
tires(tires withrun-flat
propert ies)
MOExt ended tires(tires withrun-flat
properties) allowyou tocont inue driving your
vehicle evenifone ormore tiresareentirely
deflated.
MOExt ended tiresmayonlybeused in
conj unction withtheactivated tirepressure
loss warning systemorwith theactivated tire
pressure monitoring system.
The maximum permissible distancewhich
can bedriven inrun-flat modedepends onthe
load inthe vehicle. Youcandrive 50miles
(80 km) ifthe vehicle ispartiall yladen and
18 miles (30km) ifit is fully laden.
The maximum permissible distancewhich
can bedriven inrun-flat modeiscounted from
the moment thetire pressure losswarning
appea rsinthe multifunction display.
You must notexceed amaximum speedof
50 mph (80km/h). G
WARNING The
handling characteristics ofyour vehicle
deteriorate inrun-flat mode,forexample:
R when cornering
R when braking
R when accelerating rapidly
Adapt yourdriving styleaccordingly andavoid
sudden changes indirection andsudden
acceleration, aswell asdriving overobstacles
(i.e. curbs, potholes), anddriving off-road.
This isparticularly thecase when thevehicle
is heavily laden.
The maximum permissible distancethatcan
be driven inrun-flat modedepends toalarge
extent onthe loads placed onthe vehicle. It can
beshorter duetohigh speeds, aheavy
load, sudden changes indirection, theroad
surface condition, outsidetemperature, etc.,
or further ifyou drive carefully and
conservatively.
Do not cont inue todrive inrun-flat modeif:
R you hear banging noises.
R the vehicle startstoshake.
R you seesmoke andsmell rubber.
R ESP ®
is intervenin gconst antly.
R there aretears inthe sidewa llsofthe tire.
Aft erdriving inrun-flat mode,youmust have
the wheel( s)checked fordamage ata
qual ified speciali stworkshop whichhasthe
necessary specialistknowledge andtools to
carry outthework required. Thedefective tire
must bereplaced inevery case.
Mercedes-Benz recommendsthatyouusean
authorized Mercedes-Benz Centerforthis
purpose. Inparticular, workrelevant tosafety
or on safety-related systemsmustbecarried
out ataqual ified speciali stworkshop. i
When
replacing oneorall tires, make sure
that youonly usetires marked
MOExt ended andofthe specified sizefor
the vehicle. Bat
tery Importa
ntsafety notes
In order forthe battery toachieve the
maximum possibleservicelife,itmust always
be sufficiently charged.
! Have thebattery checked regularlyata
qual ified speciali stworkshop, suchasan
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Adhere tothe service intervals indicated in
the service booklet orask aqual ified
speciali stworkshop, suchasan authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Have thebattery chargechecked more
frequently ifyou usethevehicle mainlyfor 338
Bat
teryBreakdown assistance

short
tripsorifyou leave itstanding idlefor
a lengthy period.
Only replace abattery withabattery thathas
been recommended byMercedes-Benz .
Consult anauthorized Mercedes-Benz Center
if you wish toleave yourvehicle parkedfora
long period oftime. G
WARNING Comply
withsafety precautions andtake
protective measureswhenhandling batteries. Risk
ofexplosion Fire,
naked flames and
smoking areprohibited
when handling thebattery.
Avoid creating sparks. Battery
acidiscaustic.
Avoid contactwith theskin,
eyes orclothing.
Wear suitable protective
clothing, inparticular
gloves, anapron andaface
mask.
Immediately rinseacid
splashes offwith clean
water. Consult adoctor if
necessary. Wear
eyeprotection . Keep
children away. Observe
thisOperator's
Manual . H
Environmental
note Batteries
containdangerous
substances. Itis agai nstthe
law todispose ofthem with
the household rubbish.They must
becollected separately
and recycled toprotect the
environmen t. Dispose
ofbatteries inan
environmen tallyfriendly
manner. Returndischarged
batteries toaqual ified
speciali stworkshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center, ortoaspecial
collection pointforold
batteries. G
WARNING Failure
tofollow theseinstruct ionscanresult
in severe injuryordeath.
Never leanover batteries whileconnecting.
You might getinjured.
Battery fluidcontains sulfuric acid.Donot
allow thisfluid tocome incont actwith eyes,
skin orclothing. Incase itdoes, immediately
flush affected areawithwater andseek
medical helpifnecessary.
Ab attery will also produce hydro gengas,
whic his flam mable andexplosiv e.Keep
flam esorspar ksaway from battery, avoid
impr oper connectionof jum per cable s,
smo kinget c. G
WAR
NING Do
notp lace anymetalobje ctson the batt ery
as this could result inashor tcircuit .
Use leak- proof batteries onlytoavoid therisk
of acid burnsin the even tof an acc ident .
Take carethatyoudonot becom estat ically
char ged, e.g.bywearin gsynt het icclo thingor
rubb ing again sttextiles .For this reason, you
also should notpull orpush thebattery over
carpets orother synthet icmaterials.
Never touchthebattery first.First, touch the
outside bodyofthe vehicle inorder torelease
any possible electrostaticcharges.
Do not rub thebattery withrags orcloths. The
battery couldexplode iftouched dueto Bat
tery
339Breakdown assistance
Z

electr
ostaticcharge ordue tospark
format ion.
! Befor eworkin gon the batter y,e.g.
loosenin gthe batter yterm inals, switch off
the engine andremove theSmart Keyfrom
the ignition .Onv ehicles withKEYLE SS-GO,
make surethattheignition isswitch edoff.
Check thatallthe indicat orlamps inthe
inst rument clusterareoff. You may
other wisedestr oyelectr oniccompon ents,
such asthe altern ator.
! Like other batter ies,thevehicle battery
may discharge overtime ifyou donot use
the vehicle. Inthis case have thebatter y
chec kedataqualified specialist workshop,
such asan authoriz edMercedes- Benz
Center .You can also charge thebattery
with acharger recomm endedbyMercedes-
Benz .Cont act anauthorized Mercedes-
Benz Center formore inform ation.
The battery andthecover ofthe positive
termin alclamp mustbeinstalled securely
during operation. i
Remove
theSmart Keyifyou park the
vehicle anddonot require anyelectric al
consumer s.The vehicle willthen usevery
little energy, thusconser vingbattery
power.
Mercedes-B enzrecomm endsthatyoudonot
carry outwork onbatteries yourself,e.g.
removing orcharging. Alwayshavethiswork
performed ataquali fiedspecialist workshop,
e.g. anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter. Charging
thebatt ery G
WARNIN
G Never
charge abattery stillinstalled inthe
vehicle unlessabattery charger unitapproved
by Mercedes-B enzisbeing used.Gases may
escape duringcharging andcause explosions
that may result inpaint damage, corrosion or
personal injury. Ab
attery charge runit spe cially ad apted for
Mer cedes-Be nzveh icles and teste dand
ap pro ved byMer cedes-Be nzisava ilab leas an
acce ssory.It pe rmi tsthe charging ofthe
ba ttery inits installed po sitio n.Co ntact an
au thor izedMer cedes-B enzCenter forfurther
info rma tiona nd ava ilab ility .
Ch arg ethe battery inacco rdance with the
sep arateins truc tions for the battery charger. G
WAR
NING The
reisaris ko facid burns during the
cha rging pro cess dueto the gases which
esca pefrom thebattery .Donot lean over the
battery duringthecharging process. G
WARNING Batt
eryacid iscaustic. Avoidcontactwith the
skin, eyesorclothin g.
! Only charge theinstalled batterywitha
battery charger whichhasbeen testedand
approved byMercedes-B enz.These battery
chargers allowthebattery tobe charged
while stillinstalled.
! Only usebattery chargers witha
maximum chargingvoltageof14.8 V.
! Only charge thebattery usingthejump-
start ingconn ection point.
The jump-st artingconnection pointisin the
engine compartm ent(Ypage 341).
X Open thehood (Ypage 312).
X Connect thebattery charger tothe positive
termin aland earth pointinthe same order
as when connectin gthe donor battery in
the jump-st artingprocedure
(Y page 341).
X Read thebattery charger's operating
instr uctions beforecharging thebattery. 340
Bat
teryBreakdown assistance

Jump
-starting G
WARNING Failure
tofollow thesedirections willcause damage tothe electronic componen ts,and canlead
to abattery explosion andsevere injuryordeath.
Never leanover batteries whileconnecting orjump startin g.You might getinjured.
Battery fluidcontains sulfuric acid.Donot allow thisfluid tocome incont actwith eyes, skinor
clothing. Incase itdoes, immediately flushaffected areawithwater, andseek medical helpif
necessary.
Ab attery will also producehydro gengas, whichis flam mable andexplosiv e.Keep flamesor
spar ksaway from battery, avoid improper connectiono fjumpe rcables, smoking,etc.
At tempt ingtojum pstart afroz en bat tery can result initexp lodin g,caus ingpers onalinj ury.
Read allinstruct ionsbefo reproc eedin g.
! Avoid repe atedand lengthy start ing attempt s.Ot her wise, non-com bust edfuel may
damage thecat alytic converter27
and creat earisk offire.
Do notu se arapid-charging devicetostart theengine.
Make surethejumper cablesarenot damage d.
Make surethejumper cablesarenot touching anyother metal objects whentheyare
conn ected tothe battery.
If your vehicle's batteryisdischarged, theengine canbejump-start edfrom another vehicle
or from asecond batteryusingjumper cables.
Observe thefollowi ngpoints:
X The battery isnot accessible inall vehicles. Ifthe other vehicle's batteryisnot accessible,
jump-start thevehicle usingasecond batteryorajump- start ing device.
X On lyjum p-start theveh iclewhen theen gin eis co ldand thecat alyti cconvert ersystem has
cooled down28
.
X Do not start theengine ifthe battery isfroz en.Let the battery thawfirst.
X Jump-start ingmay onlybeperformed frombatteries withanominal voltageof12 V.
X Only usejumper cableswhichhaveasufficient cross-section andinsulated terminalclamps.
X Make surethatthejumper cablescannotcome intocontactwith parts, suchasthe pulley
or the fan. These partsmove whentheengine isstart edand while itis runnin g.
X Ifthe battery isfully discharged, leavethebattery thatisbeing usedtojump-st artconn ected
for afew minutes beforeattempt ingtostart .This charges theempty battery alittle. i
Jumper
cablesandfurther information aboutjump-st artingcanbeobtained fromany
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er,for example.
X Make surethatthetwo vehicles donot touch.
X Secure thevehicle byapplying theelectr icparkin gbrake.
X Shift thetran smission toposition P.
27 Only vehicles withagasoline engine.
28 Only vehicles withagasoline engine. Jum
p-starting
341Breakdown assistance Z

Tow
ingand tow-starti ng Impo
rtant safety notes G
WA
RNING If
yo utow thevehicle, youmu stusearig id
tow ingbarif:
R the engine isnot running.
R there isabrake system malfunction.
R there isamal function inthe pow ersup ply
or the vehicl e'selectrical system .
The pow erassi stance forthe steering andthe
brake forcebooste rdo not work when the
engine isnot running. Youwillneed more
force tosteer andbrake, youmay have to
depre ssthe brake pedalwith maximu mforce.
Before towing away,make surethatthe
steering canbemoved andisnot locked.
If you tow ortow-st artanother vehicle,its
weight mustnotexceed themaximum
permissible grossvehicle weightofyour
vehicle. G
WARNING The
vehicle isbraked whentheHOLD function
or DIS TRONIC PLUSisactivated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLDandDISTRONIC PLUSifthe
vehicle isto be towed.
It is better tohave thevehicle transported
than tohave ittowed.
! You may onlytowthevehicle amaximum
distance of30 miles (50km). Atowing
speed of30 mph (50km/ h)must notbe
exceeded.
For towing distances over30miles
(50 km), thevehicle mustloaded ontoa
trans porter.
! Make surethattheelectric parking brake
is released. Ifthe electric parking brakeis
faulty, visitaquali fiedspecialist workshop.
! Only secure thetow rope ortow baratthe
towing eyes.Otherwise, thevehicle could
be damaged. !
Donot use thetowing eyeforrecovery,
as this could damage thevehicle. Ifin
doubt, recover thevehicle withacrane.
! When towing, pullaway slowly and
smoothly. Ifthe tract ivepower istoo high,
the vehicles couldbedamaged.
! Donot tow with sling-t ypeequipment.
This could damage thevehicle.
! When towing vehicles withKEYLE SS-GO,
use thekey instead ofthe Start /Stop
button .Othe rwise, the automa tic
tra nsmi ssion mayshi ftto positio nP wh en
the driver 'sor fro nt-pa ssenge rdo or are
op ene d,wh ich cou ldlead todama getothe
tra nsmi ssion.
! Vehicle swi th diffe renti allocks: make
su re tha tthe differential locksarein
automatic mode.Whentowing, the
differential locksmustnotbeswitched on
by hand. Thiscould otherwise damagethe
transmission.
If the vehicle hassuffered transmission
damage, haveittransport edon atransport er
or trailer.
The automatic transmission mustbein
position Nwhen thevehicle isbeing towed.
The battery mustbeconn ected andcharged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turntheSmartK eytoposition 2in
the ignition lock
R cannot shifttheautomatic transmission to
position N i
Before
thevehicle istowed, switchoffthe
automatic lockingfeature(Ypage 235).
You could otherwise belocked outwhen
pushing ortowing thevehicle. Installing/
removingthetowing eye
Installing thetowing eye Vehicles
withatrailer towhitch: ifpossible,
secure thetowing deviceonthe trailer tow
hitch (Ypage 210). Towing
andtow-star ting
343Breakdown assistance Z

Trans
portingthe vehic le
The towingeyes ortra iler tow hitch can be
us ed topullthe vehicleonto atra iler or
tra nsp orte rif yo uwi sh totra nsp ortit.
X Tu rn the Sma rtKeyto positio n2 in the
ig niti onlock.
X Shi ftthe automa tictransmi ssion to
po sitio nN.
As soon asthe vehic leisloade d:
X Pre vent thevehiclefro mr olling awayby
apply ingthe electric parking brake.
X Shift theautomatic transmission to
position P.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 0in the
ignition lockandremove theSmart Key
from theignition lock.
X Secure thevehicle.
! Only lashthevehicle downbythe wheels
or wheel rims,notbyparts ofthe vehicle
such asaxle orsteerin gcompon ents.
Otherwise, thevehicle couldbedamaged. Notes
for4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with4MATIC mustnotbetowed
with either thefront orthe rear axle raised,
as doing sowill damage thetrans mission.
If the vehicle hastrans mission damage or
damage tothe front orrear axle, have it
trans ported onatrans porter ortrailer.
In the event ofdam agetothe electrical
system
If the battery isdefectiv e,the automatic
trans mission willbelocked inposition P.To
shift theautomatic transmission toposition
N, you must provide powertothe vehicle's
electric alsystem inthe same wayaswhen
jump-st arting(Ypage 341).
Have thevehicle transported onatrans porter
or trailer. Recovering
avehicle that ha sbecome
stu ck
! Pull away smoothly, slowly, andina
st raigh tline when pulling outavehic lethat
has beco mestuck .Ex cess ivetract ive
power coulddamage thevehic les.
If the drive wheels havebecomestuck in
loose ormuddy ground,pull thevehic leout
with extreme caution,particularly ifit is
laden.
Neve rattemp ttorecover astuck vehicle with
a trailer attached.
Pull outthevehicle backwards, ifpossible
using thetrack sit made whenitbecame
stuck . Tow-star
ting(emergency starting)
! Vehicles withautomatic transmission
must notbestart edbytow-st arting. This
could otherwise damagethetrans mission. Fuses
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G Only
usefuses thathave been approved for
Mercedes-B enzvehicles andthat have the
correc tfuse rating forthe systems
conc erned. Donot attempt torepair orbridge
faulty fuses. Usingfusesthathave notbeen
approved orattempt ingtorepair orbridge
faulty fusescould cause thefuse tobe
overloaded andresult inaf ire. Have thecause
tr aced andrectified ataqualified specialist
work shop.
The fuses inyour vehic leserv eto clos edown
faulty circuits. Ifaf use blows ,all the
co mpo nentson thecir cuit andtheir fun ction s
st op oper ating.
Blo wn fuse smust berep lace dwithfuses of
the same rating, which youcan recogn izeby Fuses
345Breakdown assistance Z

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Impor
tant safet ynotes Consult
anauthoriz edMerc edes-B enzCent er
if you require information onapproved and
recom mende dtires andwheels forsummer
and winteroperation .Advice onpurchasin g
and carin gfor tires isalso available there. G
WARN
ING Replace
rimsortires withthesame
designat ion,manufac turerandtype asshown
on the original part.Forfurther infor mation
con tact anauthoriz edMerced es-BenzCente r.
If inco rrectlysized rimsandtires are
mount ed,the wheel brakes orsuspension
compon entscan bedamaged. Also,the
operatin gclearanc eof the wheels andthe
tires maynolonger becorr ect. G
WARN
ING Worn
,old tires cancause acciden ts.Ifthe tire
tread isworn tominimum treaddepth, orif
the tires have sustaine ddamage, replace
them .
When replacin grims, onlyusegenuine
Mercede s-Benz wheel boltsspecified forthe
partic ularrimtype. Failure todo socan result
in the bolts loosenin gand possibly an
acciden t.
Retreaded tiresarenot testedor
recom mended byMercede s-Benz ,sinc e
previous damagecannotalways be recog
nized on retr eads. Theoperatin gsafety
of the vehicle cannotbe assured whensuch
tires areused. G
WARN
ING If
you feel asudden significantvibration or
ride disturban ce,oryou suspect thatpossible
damage toyour vehicle hasoccurred, you
should turnonthe hazard warning flashers,
carefully slowdown, anddrive withcaution to
an area which isasafe distan cefrom theroad.
Inspe ctthe tires andthevehicle underbody
for possible damage. Ifthe vehicle appears
unsafe, havethevehicle towedtothe nearest
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente ror tire
dealer forrepairs. G
WARN
ING Do
not drive withaflat tire. Aflat tire affect s
the ability tosteer orbrake thevehicle. You
might losecontrolof the vehicle. Continued
drivin gwith aflat tire ordrivin gat high speed
with aflat tire willcause excessive heatbuild-
up and possibly afire. i
Furt
herinfor mation aboutTiresand
wheels canbeobtained fromany
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente r. Oper
ation Not
eson driving
R Ifthe vehicle isheavily laden,checkthe tire
pressures andcorrect themifnecessary.
R When parking yourvehicle, makesurethat
the tires donot getdeformed bythe curb
or other obstacles. Ifit is necessary todrive
over curbs, speedhumps orsimilar
elevations, trytodo soslowly andatan
obtuse angle.Otherwise, thetires,
particularly thesidewa lls,can get
damaged. 350
Operat
ionWheels and tires

(100
km)as they onlyreach theirfull
perfo rmanceafter thisdistan ce.
R Do not use tiresthat areexcessively worn
as the tire tract ion onwet road surfac es
decr eases significantlywhen thetread
depth isless than 1
/ 8 inc
h(3 mm).
R Replace thetiresafter sixyears atthe
latest ,regardles sof wear. Thisalso applies
to the spare wheel/em ergencyspare
wheel.
The servicelife oftire sdepends onthe
followin gfact orsamong stothe rthings:
R driving style
R tire pressure
R mileage MOExtended
tires(tires withrun-flat
proper ties)
MOExt ended tires(tires withrun-flat
properties) allowyoutocont inue driving your
vehicle evenifone ormore tiresareentirely
deflated.
MOExt ended tiresmaybeused onlyin
conj unction withtheactivated tirepressure
loss warning systemorthe activated tire
pressure monitorin gsystem andonly on
wheels specifically testedbyMercedes-Ben z.
You willfind notes ondriving with
MOExt ended tiresinthe "Breakdown
assistance" section(Ypage 338). Winter
operation Please
bearthefollow inginmind
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproofed ataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Observe thenotes inthe "Cha nging awheel"
section (Ypage 374). Driving
withsumm ertires
At temperatures below45‡(+7 †), the
elasticity ofsummer tiresandtherefore also
tract ionand braking capabilityare reduced
considerably —equip your vehicle with
M+S tires.Using summer tiresatvery cold
temper aturescouldcause tearstoform ,
ther eby damaging thetires perman ently.
Mercede s-Benz cann otaccept responsibility
for this type ofdamage. M+S
tires
At temper aturesbelow45‡(+7 †), use
winter tiresorall-season tires.Both types of
tire areidentified bythe M+S marking.
Only winter tiresbearing thei snowflake
symbol inaddition tothe M+S marking
provide thebest possible gripinwintry road
condit ions.Onlythese tireswillallow driving
safety systems suchasABS andESP®
to
funct ionoptimally inwinter, asthese tires
have been designed specifically fordriving on
snow.
Use M+S tiresofthe same make andtread on
all wheels tomaintain safehandling
charact eristics. G
WARNIN
G M+S
tireswithatread depth ofless than 1
/ 6
inch (4mm) must bereplaced. Theyareno
longer suitable forwinter operation.
Always observe themaximum permissible
speed specified forthe M+S tiresyouhave
mounted.
Once youhave mounted thewinter tires:
X Check thetire pressures (Ypage 357).
X Restart thetire pressure losswarning
system (Ypage 357). G
WARNIN
G If
you mount thespare wheel whendriving
with M+S tires, bearinmind thatdriving
stability willbeimpaired duetounstable 352
Winter
operationWheels and tires