2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class warning

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). Engine
compartment Hood
Opening thehood G
WARN
ING Do
not pull therelease leverwhile thevehicle
is in mot ion. Othe rwise, thehood could be
forc edopen bypassing airflow.
This could cause thehood tocome looseand
inj ure you and/o rothe rs. G
WA
RNING Do
not open the hoodwh en the engineis
ove rheated.Yo ucou ldbe serio uslyinju red.
Ob serve the coolant temp eraturedisp layto
de term inewheth erthe enginemaybe
ove rheated.Ifyo use efla mes orsmo ke
comi ngfromthe enginecomp artment, move
aw ay fromt hevehicle. Waituntiltheengine
has cooled. Ifnecessary, callthefire
department. G
WARNING There
isarisk ofinjury ifthe hood isopen,
even ifthe engine isnot running.
Some engine componen tscan become very
hot.
To avoid therisk ofburns, onlytouch those
componen tsdescribed inthe Operator's
Manual andobserve therelevant safetynotes. G
WARNING To
help prevent personal injury,stayclear of
moving partswhen thehood isopen andthe
engine isrunning.
The radiator fanmay continue torun for
approximately 30seconds ormay even
restart aftertheengine hasbeen turned off.
Stay clear offan blades. G
WARNING Vehicles
withgasoline engine:
The engine isequipp edwith atransist orized
ignition system. Because ofthe high voltage
it is dangerous totouch anycomponen ts
(ignition coils,spark plugsocket s,diagnostic
socket )of the ignition system
R with theengine running
R while startin gthe engine
R when theignition isswitched onand the
engine isturned manually G
WARNING Vehicles
withdiesel engine:
The engine isequipp edwith ahigh-voltage
electronic controlunit forthe inject ion
system. Because ofthe high voltage itis
dangerous totouch anycomponen tsof the
inject ionsystem (injectors,electrical wires)
R with theengine running
R while startin gthe engine
R when theignition isswitched on
X Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
switched off. G
WARNING The
windshield wipersandwiper linkage
could beset inmotion.
When thehood isopen, youorothers could
be injured bythe wiper linkage.
Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
switched off.Remove theSmartKey ormake
sure thatnoignition position hasbeen
selected withKEYLES S-GO.Allindicator
lamps mustbeoff inthe instrumen tcluster. 312
Engi
necompar tmentMaintenance and care

Exam
ple: veh icles with adi ese leng ine
X Pa rk the vehicleon alevel surfa ce.
To che ckthe oille vel with the engineat
op era ting temp erature,sw itch theengine
off and waitfor appro xima telyfiv eminu tes.
X Pu lloi ldi psti ck: outo fthe dipstick guide
tube.
X Wipe offoildipstick :.
X Slowly slideoildipstick :into theguide
tube tothe stop, andtake itout again.
If the level isbetween MINmark =and
MAX mark ;,theoillevel iscorrect .
X Ifthe fuel level hassunk toMIN mark =or
below, add0.55 to1.1 USqt(0.5 to1.0 l)
engine oil.
Adding engineoil G
WARNING If
engine oilcomes intocontactwith hot
engine parts,itmay ignite andyoucould burn
yourself. Donot spill anyengine oilon hot
engine parts. H
Environmental
note When
adding oil,take carenottospill any. If
oil enters thesoil orwaterway s,itis harmful
to the environm ent.
! Use only engine oilsand oilfilters that
have been approved forvehicles equipped
with aservice system. Alist ofthe engine
oils and oilfilters tested and approv edin
acc ordan cewith theMerc edes- Benz
Spec ification sfor ServiceProduc tscan be called
upbyvisit inghttp://
www.mb usa.com (USAonly). More
inf orm ation about tested and approv ed
eng ineoils and oilfilters isavailable from
any author izedMerc edes- BenzCent er.
Damage tothe engin eor exhaust systemis
caused bythe following:
R using engineoils and oilfilters which
have notbeen specific allyapproved for
the servic esystem.
R replacing theengin eoil oroil filter after
the replacemen tinterv alreq uired bythe
ser vicesy stem hasel ap sed
R us ing eng ineoilad ditive s.
! Donot addtoo muchoil.If the oille vel is
ab ove the"max" markon the dipsti ck,too
mu choilha sbe en adde d. Thi scan lead to
damag eto theen gin eor thecat alytic
co nvert er. Hav eex ces soil siph oned off. Ex
ample :engi ne oilcap
X Tu rn cap :cou ntercl ockwise and remo ve
it.
X Add engineoil.
If the oille vel isat or below the MIN mark
on the oildi psti ck,
ad d0.55 to1.1 USqt(0.5 to1.0 l)engi ne
oi l.
X Re place cap :onthe fillerneck andturn
clo ckwi se.
Ensu retha tthe cap locks into place
secu rely.
X Ch eck theoille vel againw iththe oil
dipst ick(Ypage 313). 314
Engine
compartm entMaintenance and care

G
WARNING Wash
ersolve nt/antifreeze ishigh ly
flamma ble.Donot spill washer solvent/
antifreez eon hot engine parts,because itmay
ignite andburn. Youcould beseriously
burned.
! Attemperatures belowfreezin g:alwa ys
fill the washer fluidreservoir withamix of
water andwindshield washerconcentrate
(e.g. MBWinterF it).There isotherwise a
risk ofdamaging thewindshield washer
system/headlamp cleaningsystem.
! Only usewasher fluidconcentratewhich
is suitable forplastic lenses. Unsuitable
washer fluidconc entratecould damage the
plastic lensesofthe headlamps.
! Donot add distilled orde-ionized waterto
the washer fluidcontainer. Otherwise, the
level sensor maybedamaged. i
Add
windshield washerconcentrate, e.g.
MB SummerF it,to the washer fluidallyear
round. Example:
washerfluidreservoir
X Mix thewindshield washerfluidina
cont ainer beforehand.
X At temp eratures above freezing: fillthe
washer fluidreservoir withamixof water
and winds hieldwasher concentrate (e.g.
MB Summ erFit).
X At tem peratur es below freezing: fillthe
washer fluidreser voirwith amixof water
and winds hieldwasher concentrate (e.g.
MB Wint erFit).Adapt themixingratioto the outs
idetem perat ure.Forinform ation on
the mixing ratio(Y page 390).
X To open: pullcap:upwards bythe tab.
X Add theprem ixedwasher fluid.
X To close: presscap:ontothe filler neck
unt ilit eng ages.
Br ake fluid level !
Ifyou notice that thebrak efluid level in
the brak efluid reser voirhasfallen tothe
MIN mark orless, checkthe brak esyst em
immed iatelyforleaks. Alsocheckthe
thick ness ofthe brake linings. Contact a
qual ified specialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er
immediately.
Do not add brake fluid.Thisdoes not
corr ectthe error.
Only checkthe brake fluidlevel when the
vehicle isstationary andonalevel surface.
In order tocheck thebrake fluidlevel, the
cover above thebrake fluidreservoir mustbe
removed. X
Remove seal;inthe area around
cover :inthe direction ofthe arrow. 316
Engi
necompar tmentMaintenance and care

Please
bearthefollow inginmind Resetting
theservice interval display
Aq ualifi edspec ialist workshop,e.g. an
auth orizedMer cedes- BenzCent er,will reset
the servic eint erval display afterthe
nec essary servicework hasbeen carried out.
Furt herinfor mation ,on maint enanc efor
example, canbeobtained atan authoriz ed
Mercedes- BenzCenter ordirect lyfrom
Mercedes- Benz.
! Ifthe servic eint erval display hasbeen
reset unintentionally, havethesetting
corr ectedataMercedes- BenzCenter .
Have servic ework carried outasdescribed
in the Serv iceBook let.This may other wise
lead toincr eased wearanddamage tothe
major assemblies orthe vehicle.
Driving abroad
An ext ensive Mercedes- BenzServ icenetwork
is also available inother countries.Youcan
obtain furtherinfor mation fromany
authoriz edMercedes- BenzCenter . Care
Notes
oncare
Regular careofyour vehicle isacon dition for
retain ingthe quality inthe long term.
Use care product sand cleanin gagents
recom mended andapproved byMercedes-
Ben z. G
WARN
ING Many
cleanin gproduct scan behazardous.
Some arepoisonous, othersare flammable.
Always followtheinstruct ions onthe
particular container .Always openyour
vehic le'sdoors orwindows whencleaningthe
inside .
Never usefluids orsolven tsthat arenot
design edfor clean ingyour vehic le.
Always lockaway cleaningproduc tsand keep
the mout ofreach ofchildr en. !
For clean ingyour vehic le,do not use any
of the followin g:
R dry, rough orhard cloths
R abrasive cleaningagent s
R solven ts
R clean ingagent scon tain ingsolven ts
Do not scrub.
Do not touc hthe surfac esorprot ective
films withhard objects, e.g. arin gor ice
scr aper. Youcould otherwise scratc hor
damage thesurfac esand protective film. H
Envir
onment alnote Disp
oseofempt ypack aging andclean ing
clot hsinan env iron men tally respo nsible
mann er.
! Donot park thevehic lefor anext ended
period straight afterclean ingit,part icularly
aft erhavin gclean edthe wheels withwheel
clean er.Wheel cleanerscould cause
inc reased corrosio nofthe brake discsand
brake pads/linings. Forthis reason, you
should driveforafew minutes after
cleaning. Brakingheatsthebrake discsand
the brake pads/linings, thusdrying them.
The vehicle canthen beparked. Exterior
care
Automat iccar wash G
WARNING Braking
efficiency isreduced afterwashing
the vehicle. Thiscould cause anaccident. For
this reason, youmust driveparticularly
carefully afterwashing thevehicle untilthe
brakes havedried.
You canwash thevehicle inan automatic car
wash fromthevery start.
! Never cleanyourvehicle inaTouchless
Automatic CarWash asthese usespecial
cleaning agents.Thesecleaning agentscan
damage thepaintwork orplastic parts. 318
CareMaintenance and care

If
the vehicle isvery dirty, pre-wa shitbefore
cleaning itin an automa ticcar was h.
! Incar was hes with atowing mechanism,
make surethattheautoma tictransmission
is in transmission positionN, otherwis ethe
vehicle couldbedama ged.
R Vehicle swith aSmartKey:
Do not remove theSmartKey fromthe
ignition lock.Donot open thedriver's
door orfront-passenger doorwhen the
engine isswitched off.Otherwise ,the
automa tictransmission selectspark
positio nP automa ticallyand locks the
whee ls.You canprevent thisbyshifting
the automa tictransmission toN
beforeha nd.
R Vehicle swith KEYLESS- GO:
Do not open thedriver's doororfront-
passe ngerdoor when theengine is
switched off.Otherwise ,the automa tic
transmission selectsparkpositio nP
automa ticallyand locks thewhee ls.
Observe thefollo wing tomake surethatthe
automa tictransmission staysinpositio nN:
X Make surethevehicle isstationary andthe
ignition isswitched off.
X Turn theSmartKey topositio n
2 (Y page 139)inthe ignition lock.
Use theSmartKey insteadofthe Start/
Stop button onvehicle swith KEYLESS- GO.
X Depress andhold thebrake pedal.
X Shift theautoma tictransmission to
positio nN.
X Rel ease thebrake pedal.
X Rel ease theelectric parking brake.
X Switch offthe ignition andleavethe
SmartKey inthe ignition lock.
! Make surethat: R
the side window sand thesliding sunroof
are fullyclosed.
R the ventilation/hea tingisswitched off
(the OFF button hasbeen pressed ).
R the windshi eldwiperswitch isin positio n
0.
Otherwise ,the vehicle mightbedama ged.
After using anautoma ticcar was h,wip eoff
wax from thewindshi eldand thewiper
bla des. Thiswillprevent smearsandreduce
wip ing noises causedby residu eon the
windshi eld.
Washing byhand In
some countries, washing byhand isonly
all owed atspecia llyequ ippe dwas hing bays.
Observe thelega lrequi rements inall
countries concerned.
X Do not use hotwater anddonot was hthe
vehicle indirect sunlight.
X Use asoft sponge toclean.
X Use amild cleaning agent,suchasacar
shampo oapp roved byMercedes-Benz.
X Thorou ghlyhose down thevehicle witha
gentle jetofwater.
X Do not point thewater jetdirectly towards
the airinlet.
X Use plenty ofwater andrinse outthe
sponge frequently.
X Rinse thevehicle withclean water anddry
thoroughl ywith achamois.
X Do not letthe cleaning agentdryonthe
pai ntwork.
When usingthevehicle inwinter, remove all
traces ofroad saltdepos itscareful lyand as
soon aspossi ble.
Pow erwashe rs G
WARNING Do
not use powe rwasher swith circular -jet
no zzles (dirt grinders )to cle anyour vehicle,in
part icular thetir es. You couldot her wise
damage thetir es and caus ean acc iden t. Car
e
319Maintenance and care Z

!
Never polish thevehicle orthe light alloy
wheels. Polishingcauses thefinish to
shine.
! The followi ngmay cause thepaint to
become shinyandthus reduce thematte
effect:
R Vigorous rubbingwithunsuitabl e
materials.
R Frequent useofcar washes.
R Washing thevehicle indirect sunlight.
! Never usepaint cleaner, buffingor
polishi ngproducts, orgloss preserver, e.g.
wax. These products areonly suitabl efor
high-gloss surfaces.Theiruseonvehicles
with matte finishleadsto considerable
surface damage (shiny,spotted areas).
Alway shave paintwork repairsperformed
at aqual ified speciali stworkshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
! Donot use wash programs withahot wax
treatment underanycircumstances. i
The
vehicle shouldpreferably bewashed
by hand using asoft sponge, carshampoo
and plenty ofwater. i
Use
only insect remover andcarshampoo
from therange ofrecommended and
approved Mercedes-Benz careproducts.
Cle aning thewindow s G
WARNING Before
cleaning thewindshiel dorwiper
blades, switchoff the windsh ieldwipers and
remo vethe Smar tKey fromthe ignit ionlock .
On vehic leswith KEYLE SS-GO, press the
St art/ Stop butt onrepeat edlyuntilall
indic atorlamps inthe inst rumen tcluster have
gon eout. Thewindsh ieldwipers could
oth erwise moveandinjure you.
X Clean theinside andouts ideofthe
windows withadamp clothand aclean ing
agent thatisrec omme ndedandapprov ed
by Merc edes- Benz. !
Donot use drycloths,abrasive products,
solven tsor clean ingagent scont aining
solvent sto clean theinside ofthe windows.
Do not touch theinsides ofthe windows
with hard object s,e.g. anice scraper or
ring. There isotherwise arisk ofdamaging
the windows.
! Clean thewater drainage channelsofthe
windshield andtherear window atregular
interv als.Deposits suchasleaves, petals
and pollen mayunder certain
circumst ancesprevent waterfromdraining
away .This can lead tocorrosion damage
and damage toelectron iccomponen ts.
Cleanin gthe wiper blades G
WARNING Before
cleaning thewindshield orwiper
blades, switchoffthe windshield wipersand
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock.
On vehicles withKEYLES S-GO,pressthe
Start /Stopbutton repeatedly untilall
indicator lampsinthe instrumen tcluster have
gon eout. Thewindsh ieldwipers could
oth erwise moveandinjure you.
! Donot pull thewiper blade. Otherwise,
the wiper bladecouldbedamaged.
! Donot clean wiper blades toooften and
do not rub themt oohard. Otherwise, the
graphite coatingcouldbedamaged. This
could cause wipernoise.
X Fold thewiper armsaway fromthe
windshield.
X Carefully cleanthewiper blades witha
damp cloth.
X Fold thewindshield wipersbackagain
before switching onthe ignition.
! Hold thewiper armsecurely whenfolding
back. Thewindshield couldbedamaged if
the wiper armsmacks againstitsuddenly. Care
321Maintenance and care Z

G
WARNING Do
not bleach ordye seat beltsas this may
severe lywea ken them. Inacrash, theymay
not beableto provid eade qua teprotection.
Cle aning theheadli nerand carpets X
Headli ner:useasoft brushor aclea ning
age ntrecommende dand approved by
Mercede s-Benztoremove heavysoil ing.
X Carpets: usethecarpe tand texti le
cle ani ng agents recomme ndedand
ap pro ved byMer cedes-B enz. Ca
re
325Maintenance and care 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). Wher
ewill Ifind. ..? First
-aidkit
X Open thetailgate. X
Remove first-aid kit: from theparcel net. i
Check
theexpirat iondate onthe first -aid
kit atleast onceayear. Replace the
con tentsifnec essary, andreplace missing
con tents. Vehicle
toolkit
Not es The
vehicle toolkitcan befound inthe
stowage wellunder thecargo compar tment
floor. i
When
theyleave thefactory, vehicles
without a"Minispare" emergencyspare wheel
arenot equipped withthetools
needed tochan geawheel, suchasajack .
Countr y-specificdiffer encesare possible.
Some toolsforchan gingawheel are
specific tothe vehicle. Youcanobtain tools
that areapproved foruse onyour vehicle
at aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
Vehicles withaTIREFIT kit X
Lif tth etrunk floor up (Ypage 292). :
Lug wren ch
; Jack
= Tiresealan tfiller bottle
? Align mentbolt
A Tire inflation compressor
B Folding wheelchock
C Warning triangle
D Ratchet wrench
E Towing eye
Vehicles witha"Mini spare" emerge ncy
spare wheel X
Lift the trunk floorup(Y pag e292).
X Remo vethe "Minispa re"emerge ncyspare
whee l(Y pag e329). 328
Where
willIfind...?Breakdown assistance