2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class heating

Adj
usting thest eer ing wheel
ma nua lly :
Releas elev er
; Toadj ust thest eer ing whee lheig ht
= Toadj ust thest eer ing whee lpos ition
(fo re- and -aftadj ust men t)
X Push release lever: down comple tely.
The steer ing column isunl ocked.
X Ad jus tthe steering wheeltothe desired
position.
X Push release lever:upcompletely.
The steering columnislocked.
X Check ifthe steering columnislocked.
When doingso,trytopush thesteering
wheel upordown ortry tomove itin the
fore-and- aftdirection. Adjust
ingthe steering wheel
elec trically :
Toadjust thesteering wheelheight
; Toadjust thesteering wheelposition
(fore-and-aft adjustment) i Other
topics:
R EAS Y-ENTRY/EXI Tfeature
(Y page 102)
R Stor ingsettin gs(Ypage 105) Steering
wheelheating
Switching on/off X
Make surethattheSmartK eyisin position
2 in the ignition lock.
X To switch on/off: turnthelever inthe
direction ofarrow :or;.
Indicator lamp=lights uporgoes out.
Vehicles withoutKEYLESS-GO: when you
remove thekey from theignition lock,the
steering wheelheating isdeactivated.
Vehicles withKEYLE SS-GO: when youswitch
off the ignition andopen thedriver's door,the
steering wheelheating isdeactivated.
Problems withthesteering wheel
heating The
steering wheelheating hasswitched off
prematurely orcannot beswitched on.The
vehicle's electrical systemvoltage istoo low
because toomany electrical consumers are
switched on.
X Switch offelectrical consumers whichyou
do not need, suchasthe rear window
defroster orinterior lighting. Steering
wheel
101Seats, steering wheel and mirrors 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). Overview
ofclimat econtrol systems Impor
tant safet ynotes G
WARN
ING Sever
econ dition s(e.g. strong airpollution )
may require replacem entofthe filter before
its scheduled replacementinterval. Aclogged
filt er will reduc ethe airvolume tothe interior
and thewindows couldfogup,impairin g
visibilit yand endan geringyou and others.
Have ablock edfilterreplac edataMerc edes-
Ben zCent eras soon aspossible. G
WARN
ING Follow
therecom mended settings forheating
and cooling givenonthe following pages.
Other wise, thewindows couldfogup,
impairing visibilityandendanger ingyou and
other s.
Autom aticclimate control controls the
temper atureandthehumidity ofthe vehicle
int erior andfilters outundesirable
substanc esfrom theair.
Autom aticclimate control isonly operation al
when theengine isrunn ing9
.O ptimum
operation isonly achieved ifyou drive withthe
side windows andsliding sunroof /panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panelclosed. i
Vent
ilate thevehicle forabrief period
during warmweather, e.g.using the
con venien ceopenin gfeature (Ypage 86).
This willspeed upthe coolin gproces sand
the desired vehicleinterior temper ature
will bereached morequickly. i
The
integrated filtercanfilter outmost
partic lesofdust andcomplet elyfilter sout
pollen. Aclogged filterreduc esthe amoun t
of air supplied tothe vehic leint erior .For
this reason, youshould alwaysobserve the
inter valforreplacing thefilter, which is
specified inthe Servic eBooklet .Asit
depends onenvironmen talconditions, e.g.
heavy airpollu tion, theinterval maybe
shorter thanstated inthe Service Booklet.
9 The residua lheat function canonly beactivated/deactivated whentheignition isswitched off. 122
Overview
ofclimat econ trol systemsClimate control

USA
only
: Sets thetemperature, left(Ypage 130)
; Defrosts thewindshiel d(Y page 131)
= Switches maximum coolingMAXCOOL on/off (Ypage 132)
? Activates/deactivates coolingwithairdehumid ification(Ypage 128)
A Switches therear window defroster on/off(Ypage 132)
B Sets thetemperature, right(Ypage 130)
C Activates/deactivates air-recirculationmode(Ypage 133)
D Sets theairdistribution (Ypage 130)
E Increases theairflow (Ypage 131)
F Redu cestheairflow (Ypage 131)
G Switches climatecontrolon/off (Ypage 128)
H Sets climate controltoautomatic (Ypage 129) Rear
contr olpanel onlyinconnec tionwith special equipment seatheating
: Sets therear-compartment climatecontroltoautomatic
; Switches rear-compartment climatecontrolon/off 124
Overview
ofclimat econ trol systemsClimate control

Problems
withtherear window
defroster The
rear window defroster hasdeactivated
itself prematurely orcannot beactivated.
X Switch offany consumers thatarenot
required, e.g.reading lampsorinterior
lighting.
When thebattery issufficiently charged,
the rear window defroster isactivated
again automatically. Activating/deactivating
air-
recirculation mode
You candeactivate theflow offresh airif
unpleasant odorsareenterin gthe vehicle
from outside. Theairalready insidethe
vehicle willthen berecirculated.
The operation ofair-recirculation modeisthe
same forallcont rolpanels. G
WARNING Fogged
windows impairvisibility,
endangering youand others. Ifthe windows
begin tofog onthe inside, switching offthe
air recirculation modeimmediately should
clear interior window fogging. Ifinterior
window foggingpersists, makesuretheair
condition ingisactivated, orpress the¬
button.
X Turn theSmartK eytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X To activate: pressthed button.
The indicator lampinthe d button lights
up. i
In
the event ofhigh pollu tionlevels 13
or at
high outside temperatures, air-
recirculation modeisautomatically
activated. Whenair-recirculation modeis
activated automatically ,the indicator lamp
in the d button isnot lit.
Outside airisadded afterabout 30
minutes. X
To switch off:press thed button.
The indicator lampinthe d button goes
out. i Air-r
ecirculation modedeactivates
automatically :
R after approximately fiveminutes if
outside temperatures areless than about
41 ‡(5 †)
R after approximately fiveminutes if
cooling withairdehumidi ficationis
deactivated
R after approximately 30minutes ifoutside
temperatures areover about
41 ‡(5 †)
R ifyou press the¿/Á buttonand
switch oncooling withair
dehumidi fication Activating/deactivating
theresidual
heat function
The residual heatfunct ionisonly availa blein
Canada
It is possible tomake useofthe residual heat
of the engine tocont inue heating the
stationary vehicleforupto30 minutes after
the engine hasbeen switched off.The heating
time depends onthe temperature thathas
been set. i
The
blower willrun atalow speed
regardless ofthe airflow setting. i
If
you activate theresidual heatfunct ion
at high temperatures, onlythevent ilation
will beactivated. Theblower runsat
medium speed.
X Turn theSmartK eytoposition 0in the
ignition lockorremove it.
X To activate: presstheÌ/Á button.
The indicator lampinthe Ì/Á
button lightsup.
13 Automatic climatecontrolonly. Operat
ingthe climate controlsystem
133Climate control 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

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

Please
notethat when towing atrailer,
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183)andBlind Spot
Assist (Ypage 198)areonly availabl ewith
limitations ,or not atall. i
On
vehicles withoutlevelcontrol,the
height ofthe ball coupling willalter
accordin gto the load placed onthe vehicle.
If necess ary,useatrailer withaheight-
adjustable drawbar.
Driving tips i
Observe
theinform ationonESP®
trailer
stabilization (Ypage 64)and onpulling
away withatrailer. (Ypage 141).
The maximum permissible speedforvehicle/
trailer combinat ionsdepends onthe type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journ ey,check
the trailer's document sto see what the
maximum permittedspeed is.Observe the
legally prescribed maximumspeedinthe
relevant country.
For cert ainMercedes- Benzvehicles, the
maximum permissible rearaxle load is
incr eased whentowing atrailer. Refertothe
"Technical data"sectiontofind outwhether
this applies toyour vehicle. Ifyou utilize any
of the added maximum rearaxle load when
towing atrailer, thevehicle/t railer
combinat ionmay notexceed amaximum
speed of60 mph(100 km/h)for reasons
conc ernin gthe operating permit.Thisalso
applies incount riesinwhich thepermissible
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combinat ionsisabove 60mph(100 km/h).
When towing atrailer, yourvehicle's handling
charact eristics willbedifferen tinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
On long andsteep downhill gradients, you
must selectshift range 1,2or 3in good time. i
This
alsoapp liesif you have activated
cruise control orDISTRONIC PLUS.
This willuse thebraking effectofthe engine,
so that lessbraking willbe requ iredto
maintai nthe speed. Thisrelieves theload on
the brake system andprevents thebrakes from
overheating andwearing tooquickly. If
you need additional braking,depressthe
brake pedalrepeatedly ratherthan
cont inuously .
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance fromthe
vehicle infront thanwhen driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. Ifpossible, brake
gently atfirst toallow thetrailer torun on.
Then, increase thebraking forcerapidly .
R The values givenforgradient-c limbing
capabil itiesfrom astandst illrefer tosea
level. When driving inmountainous areas,
note thatthepower output ofthe engine,
and consequent lythe vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability,decrease with
increasing altitude.
If the trailer swings fromsidetoside:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter- steer.
X Brake ifnecessary. Assemblin
gthe ball coupling
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
have theball coupling assembled ata
qualified specialist workshop.Only a
qualified specialist workshophas the
nec essary specialist knowledge andtools
to carry outthework required. Youcould
other wiseincorrectlyassemble theball
coupling ortight enthe nut with the
incor recttorque. Thiscould leadtothe ball
coupling andtheball coupling carrier
becomin gdetached whiletowing atrailer.
As aresult, youcould cause anacciden t.
Therefor e,have theball coupling
assembled ataqualified specialist
worksho p.
If the assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor 212
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking