2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Brakes

Cert
ainengin esyst ems aredesi gned tokeep
th eleve lof pois onous compo nentsin ex haust
fum eswit hin legal limits.
Thes esyst ems onlywork atpeak efficie ncy
when they are main tainedex act lyin
acc ordanc ewit hth eman ufacturer's
spec ifications.Fo rthis reason, allwork onthe
engine mustbecarried outonly byqual ified
and authorized Mercedes-Ben ztechn icians.
The engin esett ings must notbechanged in
any circumstan ces.Furthermor e,all specific
servic ework must becarried outatregular
int ervals andinaccor dance withthe
Mercedes- Benzservic erequirement s.Det ails
can befound inthe Serv iceBook let. Engine
oil
! Vehicles withadiesel particle filter:
If the vehic leismost lydriven forshort
distan ces,itis possible thatmalfun ctions
may occurduring theautomat icclean ingof
the diesel particle filter. This canlead to
engin edamage. Therefore,ifyou frequen tly
drive short distan ces,make suretodrive
on highways orinter- urban roadsfor20
minut esatleast every 310miles (500km). Br
akes
Imp ortant safet ynotes G
WARN
ING On
slippery roadsurfac es,nev erdowns hiftin
order toobtain brakingact ion. This could
result indrive wheel slipand reduce dvehic le
con trol. Your vehic le'sABSwill notpreve nt
this type ofloss ofcon trol. G
WARN
ING Make
surethatyoudonot endan gerother
road users whenyouapply thebrake s. Downhill
gradient s !
Onlong andsteep gradien ts,you must
reduce theload onthe brake sby shift ing
early toalower gear.Thisallows youtotak e
advant ageofthe engin ebrakin geffe ctand
helps avoidoverheatin gand excessive
wear ofthe brake s.
When youtakeadvant ageofthe engin e
brakin geffe ct,a drive wheel maynotturn
for some time,e.g. onaslippery road
surfac e.This could cause damage tothe
drive train. This type ofdamage isnot
cov ered bythe Merc edes- Benzwarrant y.
Hea vyand lightload s G
WAR
NING De
pre ssin gth ebrak epedal constant lyres ults
in ex ces siveand premat urewear tothebrak e
pads.
It may alsocauseth ebrak estoove rheat,
ser iously impairingth eir effect iven ess.Itm ay
th en notb epossible tostop thevehicle in
sufficien ttime toavoid anacciden t.
If the brakes havebeen subject edtoaheavy
load, donot stop thevehicle immediately, but
drive onfor ashort while. Thisallows the
airflow tocool thebrakes morequickly.
Wet roads G
WARN
ING Aft
erdriving inheavy rainforsome time
without applying thebrakes orthro ugh water
deep enough towet brake compon ents,the
first braking actionmaybesomewhat
reduced. Youhave todepress thebrake pedal
more firmly. Maintain asafe distanc efrom
vehicles infron t.
Aft erdriving onawet road orhaving the
vehicle washed, brakefirmlywhilepaying
atten tiontothe traff iccon ditions .This will
warm upthe brake discs, thereby dryingthem
more quickly andprotec tingthem against
corr osion. Driving
tips
159Driving and parking Z

Limi
tedbraking performa nce onsalt -
tr eat edroa ds G
WAR
NING The
layer ofsalt ontheb rake discs andthe
brake pads/linings maycauseadelay inthe
brakin geffec t,resultin gin asignific antly
longer brakingdistanc e,which couldleadto
an acciden t.
To avoid thisdanger, youshould:
R occ asionally brakecarefully, without
puttin gother roadusers atrisk, when you
are driving onsalted roads. Thishelps to
remov eany salt that may have startedto
build upon the brake discsandthebrake
pads/linin gs.
R maint ainagreater distancetothe vehicle
ahead anddrive withparticular care.
R carefully applythebrakes atthe end ofa
trip and immediately aftercommen cinga
new trip,sothat saltresidues areremoved
from thebrake discs.
Servicing thebrakes !
Ifthe red brake warning lamplights upin
the instr ument cluster andyouhear a
warning tonewhile theengine isrunnin g,
the brake fluidlevel maybetoo low.
Observe additional warningmessages in
the multifunct iondisplay .
The brake fluidlevel maybetoo low due to
brake padwear orleaking brakelines.
Have thebrake system checked
immediately. Thiswork should becarried
out atan authorized Mercedes-B enz
Center.
All check sand mainten ancework onthe
brake system mustbecarried outata
quali fiedspecialist workshop only.Have this
work carried outatan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Have thebrake padsreplaced andthebrake
fluid renewed ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enz
Center. G
WARNING If
brake padsorbrake fluidother thanthose
recommen dedareused, thebraking
properties ofthe vehicle canbedegraded to
an exten tthat safe braking issubstantially
impaired. Thiscould result inan accident.
! Afunct ionorperformance testshould
only becarried outona2 -axl e
dy nam ome ter.Ifyo uar eplanni ngtohave
the vehicleteste don such ady nam ome ter,
conta ctan author izedMer cedes-B enz
Ce nter toobtainfu rthe rinfo rma tionfir st.
Othe rwise, youcou ldda ma gethe drive
trai nor the brakesystem .
! Asthe ESP ®
sy stem opera tes
au toma tically, the engineand theigniti on
mu stbe switch edoff (Sma rtKeyin po sitio n
0 or 1in the igniti onlock orStar t/Stop
bu tton inpo sitio n0 or 1) wh ile the electri c
pa rking brakeisbe ing teste don abra ke
dy nam ome ter(ma ximu m10secon ds).
Brak ingtrigger edautomatic allybyESP®
may seriously damagethebrake system.
If your brake system issubject onlyto
moderate loads,youshould testthe
func tionality ofyour brakes atregular
int ervals bypressing firmlyonthe brake pedal
at high speeds. Thisimproves thegrip ofthe
brake pads. G
WARN
ING Make
surethatyoudonot endanger other
road users whenyouapply thebrakes.
You canfind adescript ionofBrak eAssist
(BAS )on (Ypage 61)orofBA SPLUS on
(Y page 62). 160
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

Dri
vin gon wet road s
Hy dropl aning If
wat erhas accumula tedto ace rtain dept h
on thero ad sur face,there isadan ger of
hydr oplaning occur ring,eve nif:
R you drive atlow spee ds.
R the tires have adequa tetread depth.
For this reas on,inthe event ofhea vyrainor
in conditio nsinwhi chhyd ropl aning canoccur
you must driveinthe followi ngmanner:
R low eryou rspeed
R avoid ruts
R brake carefully
Driving onflooded roads !
Donot drive through flooded areas.
Check thedepth ofany water before driving
thr ough it.Driv eslowly through standing
water. Otherwise, water mayenterthe
vehicle interior orthe engin ecompart ment.
This candamage theelect ronic
compon entsin the engin eorthe automatic
transmission. Watercanalso bedrawn in
by the engine's airsuction nozzlesand this
can cause engine damage. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
Set theraised levelbefore driving through
standing water.
Off-r oadfording Fording
depth Steel-spring
vehicles 20
in.
(50 cm) Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC
package Raise
dlevel 20
in.
(50 cm) R
Est ablish howdeep thewater isand the
characterist icsofthe body ofwater before
fording.
R Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
Select thehighest possible vehiclelevel.
R Restrict theshift range to1or 2.
R Avoid highengine speeds.
R Ent erand exitthewater ataflat place and
at asteady walking pace.
! Under nocircumst ancesshould you
accelerate beforeenteringthe water. The
bow wave could cause watertoenter and
damage theengine andother assemblies.
R Drive slowly andatan even speed through
the water.
R Do not stop.
! Donot open anyofthe vehicle's doors
while fording. Otherwise, watercouldget
into thevehicle interior anddamage the
vehicle's electronic sand interior
equipment.
R Water offersahigh degree ofresistance,
and theground isslippery andinsome
cases unstable. Therefore, itis difficult and
dangerous topull away inthe water.
R Ensure thatabow wave doesnotform as
you drive.
R Clea nany mud from thetire tread after
fording.
R Apply thebrakes todry them afterfording. Driving
tips
161Driving and parking Z

Winter
driving
Gene ralnote s G
WARNING If
the vehicl ebecome strappe din snow,
ensure thatsnow iskept away from the
exhau stpip eand from aroundthe vehicl eas
long asthe engine isrunning. Otherwise,
poi sonou scarbo nmonoxide (CO)mayenter
the vehicle, resulting inloss ofconsc iousness
and even death.
To assure sufficient freshairvent ilation, open
a window slightlyonthe side ofthe vehicle
not facing thewind.
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproof edataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. i
Vehicles
withadiesel engine: donot
cover theradiator, e.g.with aprotec tive
cover. Themeasuring functionofthe
Onboard Diagnosis Systemmayotherwise
provide inaccurate values.Someofthese
values arerequired bylaw and must
therefor ealwa ysbe accurate.
Driving withsumm ertires Observe
thenotesinthe "Winter operation"
section (Ypage 352).
Slippery roadsurfa ces G
WARNING The
outside temperature indicatorisnot
designed toserve asan ice-warnin gdevice
and istherefor eunsuitable forthat purpose.
Indicated temperatures justabove the
freezin gpoint donot guarantee thattheroad
surface isfree ofice. The road maystillbeicy,
especially inwooded areasoron bridges. G
WARNING On
slippery roadsurfaces, neverdownshift in
order toobtain braking action.Thiscould result
indrive wheel slipand reduced vehicle
cont rol.Your vehicle's ABSwillnotprevent
this type ofloss ofcont rol.
Drive particularly carefullyonslippery road
surfaces. Avoidsudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. Donot use thecruise
cont rolorDIS TRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threaten sto skid orcann otbe
stopped whenmoving atlow speed:
X Shift thetrans mission toposition N. i
For
more informat ionondriving with
snow chains, see(Ypage 353). G
WARNING Make
surethatyoudonot endanger other
road users whenyouapply thebrakes. Off-r
oaddriving
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING Grains
ofsand, particles ofdirt and other
abrasive materials canenter thebrake
system. Thiscanlead toexcessive wearand
unpredictable brakingefficienc y.
Aft erthe brakes havebeen exposed todirty
condit ions,havethem check edand cleaned
at aquali fiedspecialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
Otherwise, thereisarisk that braking power
may beinsufficient inthe event ofan
emergenc y,or that thebraking effectmaybe
unpredictable. G
WARNING Do
not load items onthe basic carrier bars.It
may cause instability duringsomemaneuvers
which couldresult inan accident .
Drive slowly inunkn ownterrain. Thiswill
make iteasier torecogn izeunexpect ed
obstacles andavoid damage tothe vehicle.
To help avoid thevehicle rollingover,never
turn itaround onsteep inclines. Ifthe vehicle 162
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

Check
listbefor edr iving off-road X
Engine oillevel: check theen gin eoil and
add oilifne ces sary.
When drivingonsteep grad ients,th eoil
leve lmust besuff iciently high toensure a
co rrect oilsupply inthev ehicle.
X DEF tank (BlueTEC vehicles): checkthe
fluid level and,ifnec essary, refilltothe
maximum (13l)(Y page 152).
X Wheel-changing toolkit:chec kthat the
jack isworkin gand make sureyouhave the
lug wrenc h,arobust towcable andafolding
spade inthe vehicle.
X Wheels andtires: chec kthe tire tread
depth andtirepressure.
X Check fordamage andremove anyforeign
objec ts,e.g. small stones,from the
wheels/tir es.
X Replace anymissing valvecaps.
X Replace dentedordamaged wheels.
X Rims: dentedorbent rimscanresult ina
loss oftire pressure anddamage thetire
bead. Therefor e,chec kyour rims before
driving off-road andreplace themas
required.
! Ifthe engine oilwarning lamplights up
while thevehicle isin motion ,stop the
vehicle inasafe place assoon aspossible.
Check theengine oillevel. Theengine oil
warning lampwarning mustnotbeignored.
Continuing thejourney whilethesymbol is
display edcould leadtoengine damage.
Checklist afterdriving off-road G
WARNIN
G If
you notic esudden significant vibrationsor
unusual handling performanc eor ifyou
suspect thatdamage hasoccurred tothe
vehicle, youshould activate thehazard
warning lamps,gentlyreduce speedand
carefully headforanarea thatislocated ata
safe distance fromtheroad.
Check thetires andtheunderside ofthe
vehicle fordamage. Ifthe vehicle seems unsafe,
havethevehicle towedawaytothe
nearest Mercedes-B enzCenter ortire dealer
to be repaired.
! Ifyou detect damage tothe vehicle after
driving off-road, havethevehicle checked
immediately ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop.
Drivin gover rough terrain placesgreater
demands onyour vehicle thandriving on
normal roads.Afterdriving off-road, check
the vehicle. Thisallows youtodetect damage
promptly andreduce therisk ofan accident
to yourself andother roadusers.
X Deact ivateDSR(Ypage 208).
X Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
lower thevehicle toaride height suitable
for the road condit ions,e.g.tothe
highway /high-speed level.
X Clean theheadlamps andrear lights and
check fordamage.
X Clean thefront andrear license plates.
X Clean thewheels/tires withawater jetand
remove anyforeign objects.
X Clean thewheels, wheelarches andthe
vehicle underside withawater jet;check
for any foreign objectsand damage.
X Check whether twigsorother partsof
plants havebecome trapped. These
increase therisk offire and candamage
fuel pipes, brakehoses orthe rubber
bellows ofthe axle jointsand propeller
shafts.
X Aft erthe trip, examine withoutfailthe
entire undercarriage, wheels,tires,brakes,
bodywork structure,steerin g,chassis and
exhaust systemfordamage.
X Aft erdriving forexten dedperiods across
sand, mud,gravel, waterorinsimilarly dirty
condit ions,havethebrake discs, wheels,
brake pads/linings andaxle jointscheck ed
and cleaned.
X Ifyou detect strongvibrations afteroff-road
travel, checkforforeign objectsin the
wheels anddrive trainandremove themif 164
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

Trave
ling uphi ll
App roac h/depa rture angle :
: 14
;
Ste
el-spri ng
ve hic les 26° 25° 25°
Veh
icle swi th
the AIRMA TIC
pac kag e Hig
hway level 23° 22°
22°
15 Ra
ised level 28° 27° 27°
R
Co mpl ywi th the rulesfor off-roaddri ving .
R Do not drive atan ang leon slop es,incl ines
or gra dients, butinstea dfol low the direct
li ne offall.T he maximum gradient-climbing
capabil ityofyour vehicle is100%, which
corresponds toan approach/departure
angle of45°. Note thatthevehicle's
gradient-c limbingcapabilitydepends on
the off-r oad condition s.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Drive slowly .
R Avoid highengine speeds –drive ata
sui table engine speed(maxi mum 3000
rpm). R
When drivingdow nanincli ne, makeuseof
the engine'sbra king effect. Observethe
eng inespeed;do not overrevthe engine.
R Check thebrakes afterdriving off-road for
a long time. G
WARNING Never
turnthevehicle around onsteep
inclines. Thevehicle mightrollover. Ifthe
vehicle cannotcomplete theattempt edclimb,
back itdown inreverse gear. i
Hill
start assist willaidyou when pulling
away onahill.
For further information ,see "Hill start
assist" (Ypage 142).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability For
good roadsurface condition s,the
maximum gradient-climbingcapabilityis
100%, whichcorresponds toan approach/
departure angleof45°. Note thatthe
vehicle's gradient-c limbingcapability
depends onthe off-r oad condition s.
Acc elerate carefully andmake surethatthe
wheels donot spin when driving onsteep
terrain. i
If
the load onthe front axleisreduced
when pullingaway onasteep uphillslope,
the front wheels haveatenden cytospin.
4ETS recogniz esthis and brakes the
wheels accordingly. Therear wheel torque
is increased, makingiteasier todrive off.
Brow ofhill When
driving upanuphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure onthe accelerator
immediately beforereaching thebrow ofthe
hill. Use thevehicle's ownimpetus todrive
over thetop ofthe hill.
14 With AMG bodystyling.
15 166
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

The ML 350 4MATIC model has a departure angle of 23°.

This
style ofdriving prevent s:
R the vehicle fromlifting offthe ground onthe
brow ofahill
R the vehicle fromtraveling tooquickly down
the other side
Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do not drive atan angle down steep
inclines. Steer into theline offall and drive
with thefron twheels aligned straight.
Otherwise, thevehicle couldslipsidewa ys,
tip and rollover.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Act ivate DSR. Ifthis isnot sufficient, brake
gently. Whendoingso,make surethatthe
vehicle isfacing inthe direction ofthe line
of fall.
R Check thatthebrakes areworking normally
after along downhill stretch. i
The
special off-road ABS settin genables
a precise, briefandrepeated lockingofthe
front wheels, causing themtodig into the
loose earth. Beaware thatthefront wheels
easily skidacross theground surface if
completely brakedandtherefore losetheir
abili tyto steer. Driving
systems Cruise
control
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
cruise controlisaconven iencesystem
designed toassist thedriver during vehicle
operation. Thedriver isand must always
remain responsible forthe vehicle's speed
and forsafe brake operation.
Only usethecruise controlifthe road, traffic,
and weather condition smake itadvisabl eto
travel ataconst antspeed. R
The useofthe cruise controlcan be
dangerous onwinding roadsorinheavy
traffic because condition sdo not allow safe
driving ataconst antspeed.
R The useofthe cruise controlcan be
dangerous onslippery roads.Rapid
changes intire tract ioncan result inwheel
spin andloss ofcont rol.
R Deactivate thecruise controlwhen driving
in fog.
The "Resu me"funct ionshould onlybe
operated ifthe driver isfully aware ofthe
previously setspeed andwishes toresume
this particular presetspeed. G
WARNING The
cruise controlbrakes automatically so
that thesetspeed isnot exceeded.
General notes Cruise
controlmaintains aconst antroad
speed foryou. Itbrakes automatically inorder
to avoid exceeding thesetspeed. Onlong and
steep downhill gradients, especiallyif the
vehicle isladen ortowing atrailer, youmust
select shiftrange 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so,you willmake useofthe braking
effect ofthe engine, whichrelieves theload
on the brake system andprevents thebrakes
from overheating andwearing tooquickly.
Use cruise controlonly ifroad andtraffic
condition smake itappropriate tomaintain a
steady speedforaprolonged period.Youcan
set any road speed above20mph
(30 km/h). i
Cruise
controlshould notbeactivated
during off-road driving. Driving
systems
167Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING An
intermittent warningsound sand the
dista ncewarning lamp · inthe instrument
cluster isillumina tedifthe DISTRONIC PLUS
system calculates thatthedista ncetothe
vehicl eahe adand yourvehicle's current
speed indicat ethat theDISTRONIC PLUSwill
not becapable ofslowing thevehicle
sufficien tlytomaint ainthe preset following
distanc e,which createsadanger ofa
collision.
Immediately brakethevehicle toincr ease
your distanc eto the precedin gvehicle. The
warning soundisinten dedasafinal caution
in which youshould intercede withyour own
braking inputstoavoid apoten tially
dangerous situation.Donot wait forthe
operation ofthe warning signaltointerc ede
with your ownbraking. Thiswillresult in
potent iallydangerous emergencybraking
which willnotalway sresult inan impact being
avoided.
Tailgating increasestherisk ofan accident . G
WARNING DIS
TRONIC PLUSbrakes yourvehicle witha
maximum deceleration of13 ft/s2
(4 m/s 2
).
This isequivalent toapproximately 40%of
your vehicle's maximum possible
deceleration.
You need tobrake yourself toprevent a
collision. DISTRONIC PLUSbrakes thevehicle
to restore thesetdistance fromthevehicle
ahead orthe setspeed. G
WARNING If
you donot receive visualoracoustic
warning signalsduringacritic altraffic
situation, DISTRONIC PLUShaseither not
recogn izedthecollision risk,hasbeen
deactivated orismalfunct ioning.
Remember, whetherornot DISTRONIC PLUS
is operating, itis ultimately alwaysthe drivers
responsibility toapply thebrakes inorder to
cont rolthe vehicle andavoid acollision. G
WARNING The
vehicle canbebraked whenDISTRONIC
PLUS isactivated. Forthis reason, deactivate
DIS TRONIC PLUSifthe vehicle isto be set in
motion byother means (e.g.inacar wash or
by towing).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUStoassist you,
the radar sensor system mustbeactivated
(Y page 236)andoperational.
General notes DIS
TRONIC PLUSregulates thespeed and
automatically helpsyoumaintain the
distance tothe vehicle detectedinfront .It
brakes automatically inorder toavoid
exceeding thesetspeed.
On long andsteep downhill gradients,
especially ifthe vehicle isladen ortowing a
trailer, youmust select shiftrange 1,2or 3
in good time. Bydoing so,you willmake use
of the braking effectofthe engine, which
relieves theload onthe brake system and
prevent sthe brakes fromoverheating and
wearing tooquickly.
If aslower-moving vehicleisdetect edinfront ,
DIS TRONIC PLUScauses yourvehicle to
brake andmaintain thepreset distance tothe
vehicle infront .
If there isno vehicle drivinginfront ofyou,
DIS TRONIC PLUSfunctionslikecruise
cont rolataspeed rangebetween 20mph
(Canada :30 km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).If avehicle isdriving in
front ofyou, itfunct ionsataspeed range
between 0mph (0km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUSwhiledriving on
roads withsteep gradients.
As DIS TRONIC PLUStransmitsradar waves,
it can resemble theradar detect orsofthe
responsible authorities.Youcanrefer tothe
applicabl esection inthe Operator's Manualif
there areany questions concerning this. i
USA
only: Driving
systems
171Driving and parking Z