2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class oil

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

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

ATT
ENTI ONASSIST asses ses your level of
fa tig ue orlaps es inconce ntrationb yta king
th efo llowi ngcriteri ainto acc oun t:
R your person aldri vin gst yle, e.g. steer ing
ch arac teris tics
R dri vin gco nd ition s,e.g. time, drivin gtime
The function alit yof ATTENTI ON ASSIST is
res trict ed and warn ings may bedelaye dor
no toc cur atall:
R ifth ero ad cond ition ispoo r,e.g. ifth e
sur faceis une ven orifth ere arepotholes
R ifth ere isast ro ng side wind
R ifyou haveadop tedaspo rty dri vin gst yle
wit hhig hco rneri ng spe eds orhig hrat es of
acc eler ation
R ifyou predom inant lydri ve atspe eds under
50 mph (80km/h)or over 11 2mph
(18 0km /h)
R ifyou arecurren tly usin gCOMA NDor
mak ing ate leph onecal lwit hit
R ifthe timehas been setincorrect ly
R in act ive drivin gsit uation s,such aswhen
you chan gelanes orchan geyour speed
War ning anddisplaymessa gesinthe
mu ltifunct iondisp lay X
Ac tivate ATTENTION ASSIS Tusing theon-
board computer (Ypage 232).
Symbo l: appears inthe mult ifunc tion
display.
If ATT ENTION ASSIS Tis act ive, you willbe
warne dno soon erthan 20min utes afteryour
jour ney hasbegun. Youwillthenhear an
int ermit tentwarning tonetwice, andthe Att
ention Assist:Dro wsiness Det
ected mess
ageappears inthe
mult ifunction display. X
Ifnec essar y,tak eabreak .
X Pres sa or% tocon firm the
mess age.
On longjo urn eys, takeregular breaksin good
tim eto allow yourse lfto rest prop erly. Ifyou
do not takeabreak andATTENTION ASSIST
st ill det ectstypic alindi cators offat igue or
inc reasin glapses incon centratio n,you willbe
warn edagain after15 min utes attheearlies t.
ATT ENTION ASSIST isrese twhen you
con tinue your journ eyand start sasses sing
your tiredn ess again if:
R you switchoff theeng ine.
R you takeoff your seatbeltandopen the
driv er's door ,e.g .for achange ofdrivers or
to take abreak. Night
ViewAssist Plus
Import antsafety notes In
addition tothe illumination providedbythe
normal headlamps, NightViewAssist Plus
uses infrared lighttoilluminate theroad. The
Night ViewAssist Pluscamera picksupthe
infrared lightanddisplay sag ray scale image
in COMAND. Theimag edisp layed in
COMAND correspondstoaroad litup byhigh -
bea mheadlamps. Thisenables youtosee the
road's course andanyobstac lesingood time.
If pedestrian recognitionisactiv ated,
pedestrian srecogn izedbythe system are
highlighted inthe Night ViewAssist Plus
display. G
WARN
ING Night
ViewAssist Plusisonly anaid designed
to assist driving. Itis not asubstit utefor
atten tivedriving. Donot rely solely onthe
Night ViewAssist Plusdisplay. Continueto
look through thewindshield. Youare
respon sibleforsafety andmust drivein
accor dance withtrafficcon ditions .You could
otherwise putyourself andothers indanger. Driving
systems
195Driving and parking
Z

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions ? The
engin efan isdef ective.
X At coolan ttemperatures under248‡(120 †),drive tothe next
qualified specialist workshop.
X Avo idsubjec tingthe engin etoheavy loads, e.g.driving in
mountainous terrain,andstop- and-go traffic. # The
battery isnot being charged.
Possible causesare:
R adefectiv ealternator
R atorn poly-V-belt
R amalfunct ioninthe electron ics
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyandswitch offthe engine,
paying attentiontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Open thehood.
X Check whether thepoly-V-belt istorn .
If the poly-V- beltistorn:
! Donot cont inue driving. Theengine couldotherwise overheat.
X Consult aquali fiedspecialist workshop.
If the poly-V- beltisnot dam aged:
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. 4
Check
Engine Oil At
Next Refueling The
engine oillevel hasdropped tothe minimum level.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Chec kthe engine oillevel atthe latest whennextrefueling
(Y page 313).
X Ifnecessary, addengine oil(Ypage 314).
X Ifengine oilneeds tobe added moreoften thanusual,have the
engine checkedataqual ified specialist workshop. Inform
ationonapproved engineoilscan beobtained fromanyqual ified specialist workshop
or on the Internet athttp: //www.mbusa.com (USAonly).
! The oillevel istoo low. Avoid longjourneys withtoolittle engine oil.There isarisk of
engine damage.
The displa ymessages andthecorresponding symbolthatindicate thattheoillevel istoo
low must notbeignored. 256
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

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

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

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