2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class hood open

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions Ser
viceReq uired Do Not Shi
ft Gea
rs Vis
itDealer You
cannotchange thetransmission positionduetoamalfunction.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
If trans mis sion positionD is selec ted:
X Dr ive toaqualifi edspec ialist workshopwit hout shiftingth e
tr ans mis sion from posi tionD.
If trans mis sion positionR, Nor Pis selec ted:
X Not ifyaqualifi edspec ialist workshopor break down service. Onl
yShi ft to
'P' when Veh
icleis Sta
tionary The
vehicle ismov ing.
X Pull overand stop thevehiclesa fel yas soo naspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Shift thetransmission toposition P. A The
tailgate isopen.
X Close thetailgate. ? G
Risk
ofaccident The
hood isopen.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Apply theelectric parking brake.
X Close thehood. C At
least onedoor isopen.
X Close allthe doors. D
Power
Steering Malfunction
See Operator's
Manual G
Risk
ofaccident The
power steering ismalfunctioning.
You willneed touse more forcetosteer.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Chec kwhether youareable toapply theextr aforce required.
X Ifyou areable tosteer safely: carefully driveontoaqual ified
specialist workshop.
X Ifyou areunable tosteer safely: donot drive on.Contact the
nearest qualified specialist workshop. 266
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

G
WARNING Driving
whenyourengi ne isove rheatedcan causesom efluids which mayhave leaked intothe
engin ecom partmen ttocatch fire.Youcould beseriously burned.
Steam fromanoverheated enginecancause serious burnswhich canoccur justbyopening the
engine hood.Stayaway fromtheengine ifyou seeorhear steam coming fromit.
Stop thevehicle inasafe location awayfromother traffic.Turn offthe engine, getout ofthe
vehicle anddonot stand nearthevehicle untiltheengine hascooled down.
! Ifthe coolant temperature exceeds248‡(120 †)donot cont inue driving. Theengine will
otherwise bedamaged. Driving
systems Problem Possible
causes/cons equencesandM Solutions
·
The
reddistance
warning lamplights up
while thevehicle isin
motion .A warning tone
also sounds. G
Risk
ofaccident The
warning isissued ifyou approach astation aryvehicle ora
vehicle drivingaheadofyou attoo high aspeed.
X Be prepared tobrake immediately.
X Pay careful attentiontothe traffic situation. Youmay have to
brake ortake evasive action.
More informat ionabout DISTRONIC PLUS(Ypage 169)and
PRE-S AFE®
Brake (Ypage 65). War
ning andindicator lampsin the instru mentcluster
279On-board computer and displays 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). 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

X
Pull release lever:for the hood.
The hood isreleased.
! Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
not folded awayfromthewindshield. You
could otherwise damagethewindshield
wipers orthe hood. X
Reach intothegap, pullhood catch
handle ;upand liftthe hood.
Onc eyou have lifted thehood about
15 inches (40cm), itis automatically
opened therest ofthe way andheld open
by the gas-filled struts.
Closing thehood G
WARNIN
G When
closing thehood, useextreme caution
not tocatc hhands orfingers. Becareful that
you donot close thehood onanyone.
Make surethehood issecurely engaged
before driving off.Donot cont inue driving if
the hood cannolonger engage afteran
accident ,for example. Thehood could otherwise
comeloosewhilethevehicle isin
motion andinjure youand/or others.
X Lower thehood andletitfall from aheight
of approximately 8inches (20cm).
X Check thatthehood hasengaged properly.
If the hood canberaised slightly, itis not
properly engaged. Openitagain andclose
it with alittle more force. Rad
iator i
Vehicles
withadiesel engine: donot
cov erthe radiator ,for examp lewith a
wint erfron tor bug cover.The reading sof
the on-board- diagnos ticsyste mmay
ot her wise beinac curate.Some ofthese
readings arerequired bylaw and must be
accurate atall times. Engine
oil
Notes onthe oillevel Dependin
gon the driving style,thevehicle
consumes upto0.9 USqts. (0.8 l)of oil over
a distance of600 miles (1000 km).Theoil
consumpt ionmay behigher thanthiswhen
the vehicle isnew orifyou frequently driveat
high engine speeds.
Checking theoillevel using theoil
dipst ick Example:
vehicleswithagasoline engine Engine
compar tment
313Maintenance and care Z

Furth
erinfor mationonengi neoil
(Y page 388). Che
cking and adding otherserv ice
pr odu cts
Checkin gth ecoolant level On
lyche ckthecoo lant level when theveh icle
is on alevel surface and theeng inehas cooled
down .
X Turn theSm artKey toposit ion
2 (Y page 139)intheign itio nlock .
On veh icleswith KEYLE SS-GO ,pres sth e
St art /S topbutt ontwic e(Ypage 139).
X Check thecoolant temperaturegauge in
the multifun ction display.
The coolant temperaturemustbebelow
158 ‡(70 †). G
WARN
ING In
order toavoid anypoten tiallyserious burns:
R use extreme caution whenopenin gthe
hood ifther eare any signs ofsteam or
coolant leakingfromthecoolin gsystem ,or
if the coolant temperaturedisplay indicates
that thecoolant isoverheat ed.
R do not remov ethe pressure caponthe
coolant reservoirifthe coolant temperature
is above 158‡(70 †). Allow theengine to
cool downbefore removin gthe cap. The
coolant reservoircon tains hotfluid andis
under pressure.
R using arag, slowly turnthecap
approximat ely1
/ 2 turn
torelieve excess
pressure. Ifopened immediately, scalding
hot fluid andsteam willbeblown outunder
pressure.
R do not spill antifreeze onhot engine parts.
An tifr eeze contains ethylene glycolwhich
may burn ifit comes intocontact with hot
engine parts. X
Slowly turncap:half aturn count er-
clock wiseandallow excesspressure to
escape.
X Turn cap:furth ercount er-clockwise and
remove it.
If the coolant isat the level ofmarker bar
= inthe filler neck when cold,there is
enough coolant incoolant expansion
tank ;.
If the coolant isapproximat ely0.6 in
(1.5 cm)above marker bar=inthe filler
neck when warm, thereisenough coolant
in coolant expansion tank;.
X Ifneces sary,addcoolant thathasbeen
test edand approved byMercedes- Benz.
X Replace cap:and turn itclock wiseasfar
as itwill go.
For furth erinfor mation oncoolant ,see
(Y page 389).
Windshield washersystemand
headla mpcleaning system The
washer fluidreservo iris used forboth the
windshield washersystemandtheheadlamp
cleanin gsystem. i
Vehicle
compon entsand their servic e
product smust match.You should,
theref ore,only useproduct sthat have been
test edand approved byMercedes- Benz.
Inf ormation ontest edand approved
product scan beobtained atany authorized
Mercedes- BenzCenter oron the Internet at
htt p://ww w.mbu sa.com (USAonly). Engine
compartment
315Maintenance and care 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

X
Turn theSmart Keytoposition 0(Y page 139)inthe ignition lockandremove it.On vehicles
with KEYLE SS-GO, make suretheignition isswitched off(Ypage 139). Allindicator lamps
in the instr ument cluster mustbeoff.
X Switc hoff allelectric alcons umers (e.g.radio, blower, etc.).
X Open thehood (Ypage 312). Position
numberBidentifies thecharged batteryofthe other vehicle oran equivalent jump-
start ingdevice.
X Slide cover :ofpositive terminal; inthe direction ofthe arrow.
X Connec tpositive terminal; onyour vehicle topositive terminal= ofdonor battery B
using thejumper cable,beginning withyour ownbattery.
X Start theengine ofthe donor vehicle andrunitat idling speed.
X Connect negative terminal? ofdonor battery Btoearth pointAofyour vehicle using
the jumper cable,connectin gthe jumper cabletodonor battery Bfirst.
X Start theengine.
X Allow theengine torun forafew minutes beforedisconn ectingthe jumper cable.
X First ,remove thejumper cablefromearth pointAand negative terminal?, then from
positive terminal; and positive terminal=, each timedisconn ectingfrom thecont acts
on your ownvehicle first.
X Aft erremoving thejumper cable,closecover :onpositive terminal;.
X Have thebattery checkedataquali fiedspecialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. Thejump-st artingprocedure isnot astandard operating state;therefor e,have
the battery checked. 342
Jum
p-startingBreakdown assistance

the
colorand value. Th efuse rating sare listed
in thefuse allocation chart .
If ane wly inserted fuse alsoblows ,have the
caus etrace dand rectified ataqualif ied
spec ialist workshop,e.g. an auth orized
Mer cedes- BenzCent er.
! Only usefuses thathave been approved
for Mercedes- Benzvehicles andwhich
have thecorr ectfuse ratingfor the system
con cern ed.For thefuse boxes inthe engin e
compart mentandunder therear bench
seat, onlyusefuses withthesuffix "S".
Other wise, compon entsor systems could
be damaged. Befor
echanging afuse
X Park thevehicle andapply theelectr ic
parkin gbrake.
X Switc hoff allelectr icalconsumers.
X Remove theSmart Keyfrom theignition
lock.
The fuses arelocated invarious fuseboxes:
R fuse boxonthe fron t-passenger sideofthe
dashboard
R fuse boxinthe engin ecompart mentonthe
right- hand sideofthe vehicle, whenviewed
in the direct ionoftravel
R fuse boxunder therear bench seat
The fuse allocation chartislocated inthe fuse
box under therear bench seat(Ypage 347). Dashboar
dfuse box
! Donot use apoint edobjec tsuch asa
sc rewd river to open theco ver inthe
dash board.You could damag eth e
dash boardor theco ver . X
To open :pull cover :outwards inthe
dire ction ofthearr ow and remove it.
X To close: clipin co ver :atthef ront ofthe
das hboa rd.
X Fold cover :inwa rdsuntil itengag es. Fuse
boxinthe enginecompart ment
X Open thehood (Ypag e312). X
Remo veany existing moisturefrom the
fuse boxusing adry cloth.
X To open :open clamp s;.
X Fold cover :upw ards inthe direction of
the arrow andremove it.
! Make surethatnomoistu recan enter the
fuse boxwhen thecover isopen.
X To clo se: check whethe rthe seal islying
correct lyin cover :.
X Insert cover:into theretainers atthe side
of the fuse box.
X Fold down cover :and close clamps ;. 346
FusesBreakdown assistance