2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class service

Product
informat ion Mercedes-B
enzrecommen dsthat youuse
genuine Mercedes-B enzparts, conversion
parts andaccessories thathave been
approved forthe type ofvehicle.
Mercedes-B enztests genuine partsaswell as
conv ersion partsandaccessories whichhave
been specifically approvedforyour vehicle for
their reliabi lity,safety andsuitabili ty.Despite
ongoing marketresearch, Mercedes-B enzis
unable toassess otherparts. Therefore,
Mercedes-B enzaccepts noresponsibility for
the use ofsuch parts inMercedes-B enz
vehicles, evenifthey have been
independent lyor officially approved. Theuse
of non- approved partscould affect your
vehicle's operating safety.Mercedes-B enz
therefore recommen dsthat youusegenuine
Mercedes-B enzparts, conversion partsand
accessories thathave been approved forthe
type ofvehicle. Genuine Mercedes-B enz
parts, approved conversion partsand
accessories areavaila blefrom anyauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. Here,youwillreceive
advice aboutpermissible technical
modifications, andtheparts willbe
professionally installed. Operat
or'sManual Notes
onthe Operat or'sManual
This Operator's Manualcontains agreat deal
of helpful information .Weurge youtoread it
carefully andfamiliarize yourselfwiththe
vehicle beforedriving.
For your ownsafety andlonger servicelife of
the vehicle, weurge youtofollow the
inst ruct ions andwarnings contained inthis
Operator 'sManual. Ignoringthem could
result indamage tothe vehicle orperson al
inj ury toyou orother s.Vehicle damage
caused byfailure tofollow instruct ions isnot
cover edbythe Mercedes- BenzLimited
Warran ty. Veh
icle equipm ent
This Operat or'sManual describes allmodels
and allstandard andoptional equipmen tof
your vehicleavail able atthet ime of
publicat ionofthe Operat or'sManual.
Count ry-specif icdiff eren cesarepossible .
Please notethat your vehic lemay notbe
equipped withallfeat ures described. This
also applies tosafet y-related systems and
func tions.The equipmen tiny our vehicle may
therefor ediffer fromthatshown inthe
description sand illustrations. Allthe systems
found inyour vehicle arelisted inthe original
purchase agreement ofyour vehicle. Should
you have anyquestions concerning
equipment andoperation, pleaseconsult an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
The Operating Instruction sand the
Maintenan ceBooklet areimportant
document sand should bekept inthe vehicle. Service
andvehicle operation Service
andliterat ure
Your vehicle iscovered undertheterms ofthe
warranties printedinthe Servic eand
Warranty Information booklet. Your
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter will
exchan georrepair anydefectiv eparts
originally installedinthe vehicle in
accordanc ewith theterms ofthe following
warranties:
R New Vehicle Limited Warranty
R Emission SystemsWarranty
R Emission Performan ceWarranty
R Cali fornia, Connect icut,Maine,
Massachusetts, NewYork, Pennsylvania,
Rhode IslandandVermont Emission
Control System Warranty 1
R Stat eWarranty Enforcem entLaws (Lemon
Laws)
1 Valid onlyforvehicles withagasoline engine. Introdu
ction
21

Infor
mation for cust omersin
Cali fornia
Un der Califo rnia law you may beentitled toa
rep lace men tofyour vehicle orarefund ofthe
purchase priceorlease price, ifafter a
reasonable numberofrepair attempt s
Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC and/or its
authorized repairorservice facilities failtofix
one ormore substant ialdefects or
malfunct ionsinthe vehicle thatarecovered
by its express warranty. Duringtheperiod of
18 mont hsfrom original delivery ofthe
vehicle orthe accumulation of18 000 miles
(approximately 29000 km)onthe odometer
of the vehicle, whichever occursfirst,a
reasonable numberofrepair attempt sis
presumed foraretail buyer orlessee ifone or
more ofthe following occurs:
(1) thesame substant ialdefect or
malfunct ionresults inacondit ionthat is
likely tocause deathorserious bodily
injury ifthe vehicle isdriven, thatdefect
or malfunct ionhas been subject torepair
two ormore times, andyouhave directly
not ified Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC in
writing ofthe need foritsrepair.
(2) thesame substant ialdefect or
malfunct ionofaless serious naturethan
category (1)has been subject torepair
four ormore times andyouhave directly
not ified Mercedes-B enzinwriting ofthe
need foritsrepair.
(3) thevehicle isout ofservice byreason of
repair ofthe same ordifferent substantial
defects ormalfunct ionsforacumulative
tot alof more than30calendar days.
Please sendyourwritten notice to:
Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC
Customer AssistanceCenter
One Mercedes Drive
Mont vale, NJ0764 5-0350 Maintenance
The Servic eand Warranty Bookletdescribes
all the necessary maintenancework which
should bedone atregular intervals.
Always havetheServic eand Warranty
Booklet withyouwhen youbring thevehicle
to an authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
service advisor willrecord everyservice for
you inthe Servic eand Warranty Booklet. Roadsid
eAssistance
The Mercedes-B enzRoadside Assistance
Program offerstechnicalhelp inthe event of
a breakdown. Callsto the toll-fr eeRoadside
Assist anceHotline areanswered byour
agents 24hours aday, 365days ayear.
1-800-FOR-MER Cedes(1-800-367-6372)
(USA)
1-800-387-0100 (Canada)
For additional information,refer tothe
Mercedes-B enzRoadside Assistance
Program brochure (USA)orthe "Road side
Assist ance" section inthe Servic eand
Warranty booklet(Canada) .You will find both
in your vehicle literature portfolio.
In accordanc ewith standard program
guideli nes,Roadside Assistanceprovides
vehicle service uptoareasonable distance
from thenext paved road.Wewill make every
effort toassist inabreakdown situation.
However, theaccessibility ofyour vehicle will
be determin edbyour authorized Mercedes-
Benz Servic etechn icianorthe tow service
provider onacase-by-case basis.
Additional chargesmaybeapplicabl efor a
breakdown locationdetermin ednot tobe a
reasonably accessibleroadsidelocationas
determin edbyour authorized technicianand
tow service provider. 22
Introdu
ction

Cha
nge ofaddress orcha nge of
owner ship
In theeve ntofach ang eof addre ss,please
sen dus the"Chan geofAd dres sNot ice"
foun din theSer viceand Warr anty
In for mat ionBoo klet,or sim plycall the
Mer cedes-Ben zCust ome rAssistance Center
(in the USA) atthe hotline number
1-80 0-FOR-ME RCedes(1-800- 367-6372) or
Customer ServiceCenter(inCanada )at
1-80 0-387-0100.This willassist usin
cont acting youinatimely manner shouldthe
need arise.
If you sellyour Mercedes, pleaseleavethe
entire literature inthe vehicle sothat itis
avail able tothe next owner.
If you bought thisvehicle used,besure to
send inthe "Notice ofPurchase ofUsed
Truck" foundinthe Service andWarranty
Information Booklet,orcall theMercedes-
Benz Customer Assistance Center(inthe
USA) at
1-80 0-FOR-ME RCedes(1-800- 367-6372) or
Customer Service(inCanada )at
1-80 0-387-0100. Vehicle
operation outsidetheUSA
and Canada
If you plan tooperate yourvehicle inforeign
countries, pleasebeawa rethat:
R service facilities orreplacement partsmay
not bereadil yavail able.
R unleade dfuel forvehicles withacatalytic
convert ermay notbeavail able. Leaded fuel
may cause damage tothe catalytic
convert er.
R the fuel may have aconsiderably lower
octane rating.Unsuitable fuelcancause
engine damage .
Some Mercedes-Benz modelsareavail able
for delivery inEurope through ourEuropean
Delivery Program. Fordetails, consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Centerorwrite to
one ofthe followi ngaddresses. In
the USA Mercedes-Benz
USA,LLC
European DeliveryDepartment
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ07645 -0350
In Canada Mercedes-Benz
Canada,Inc.
European DeliveryDepartment
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, OntarioM4G4C9 Sport
Utility Vehicle G
WARNING This
Sport Utility Vehicle isdesigned forboth
on-road andoff-road use.Itcan goplaces and
perform tasksforwhich conven tional2-wheel
drive passenger carsarenot intended. This
vehicle willhandle andmaneuver differently
from conven tionalpassenger carsindriving
conditions whichmayoccur onstreets,
highwa ysand off-road use.
This vehicle hasahigher ground clearance
and ahigher centerofgravity thanmany
passenger cars.Aswith other vehicles ofthis
type, ifyou make sharp turnsatexcessive
speeds orabrupt maneuvers, thevehicle may
roll over ormay goout ofcont roland crash.
Utility vehicles haveasignificantly higher
rollover ratethan other types ofvehicles.
Failure tooperate thisvehicle safelymay
result inan accident, rolloverofthe vehicle,
and severe orfatal injury.
Before youstart todrive thisvehicle, readthe
Operator's Manual.Take timeto bec ome
fam iliar with thedriv ingcharac terist ics ofthis
veh icle.Besure youarefamiliar withall
vehicle controls. Learn howyour vehicle
handles ondifferen troad surfaces. Donot
attempt sharpturnsatexcessive speedsor
abrupt maneuvers orother unsafe driving
actions thatcancause lossofvehicle control.
When driving off-road orworking thevehicle Introdu
ction
23 Z

Qualified
specialist workshop
An authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter isa
qualified specialist workshop. Ithas the
neces saryspecialist knowledge, toolsand
qualifications tocorr ectlycarry outthework
required onyour vehicle. Thisisespecially the
case forwork relevant tosafety.
Observe thenotesinthe service booklet.
Always havethefollowing workcarried outat
an authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter :
R work relevant tosafety
R service andmainten ancework
R repair work
R alteration s,inst allation workand
modificat ions
R work onelectr oniccompon ents Proper
use G
WARNIN
G There
arevarious warning stickersaffixed to
your vehicle. Theirpurpose isto alert youand
others tovarious dangers. Therefore, donot
remove anywarning stickersunless the
stick erclearly statesthatyoumay doso.
If you remove anywarning stickers,youor
others couldfailtorecogn izecert aindangers
and beinjured. G
WARNIN
G HYBRID
vehicles: Itis imperative thatyouread
the HYBRID Supplement alOperatin g
Inst ruction sincluded inyour vehicle literature
portf olio. Youmay otherwise notreceive all
neces sarysafety informationandwarning for
the operation ofyour vehicle.
The proper useofthe vehicle requires that
you familiarize yourselfwiththefollowing
inform ationandrules:
R safety notesinthis Operator' sManual
R tec hnical datainthis Operator' sManual R
traff icrules andregulations
R laws andsafety standards pertainingto
motor vehicles Problems
withyour vehicle
If you should experien ceap roble mwithyour
vehic le,part icularly onethat youbelieve may
affec tits safe opera tion,we urge youto
conta ctan autho rized Merce des-Be nzCenter
im med iatel yto have the problem diag nos ed
and rectified. Ifthe problem isnot resolved to
yo ur satis factio n,plea se discu ssthe problem
ag ainw ithaMerc edes- BenzCent eror
con tact usatone ofthe following addresses.
In the USA Customer
AssistanceCenter
Mercedes- BenzUSA ,LLC
One Mercedes Drive
Mont vale, NJ076 45-035 0
In Canada Customer
RelationsDepartment
Mercedes- BenzCanad a,Inc.
98 Van derh oofAvenue
Tor onto,On tarioM4G 4C9 Rep
orting malfunct ions releva ntto
saf ety
For theUS Aon ly:
The followin gte xt isrepr oduc edasrequi red
of all man ufacturers according toTitle49 ,
Code ofU.S. Fed eral Regulat ions,Part 575
purs uant totheNat ionalTraf ficand Motor
Veh icle SafetyAc tof 19 66.
Rep orting safety defects If
you believ eth at your vehicle has adef ect
whic hco uld caus eacr ash orcould caus e
inj ury ordeat h,you should imm ediat ely
inf orm theNat ionalHig hway TrafficSaf ety Int
rod uction
25 Z

X
To switcho ff:set the rocker switch tothe
| position.
The interior lighting automatical lyswitches
on ifyou :
R unlock thevehicl e
R open adoor
R remove theSmartKey fromtheignitio nlock
The interior lightisactivated forashort while
when theSmart Keyisremoved fromthe
ignition lock.Youcanactivate thisdelay ed
switch- offusing theon-board computer
(Y page 235).
Manua linterior lighting control X
To switch thefront interior lighting on:
set the rock erswitch tothe c position.
X To switch thefront interior lighting off:
set the rock erswitch tothe | position.
X To switch therear interior lighting on/
off: press theu button .
X To switch thereading lampson/off:
press thep button . Crash-
responsive emergency lighting
The interior lighting isactivated automatically
if the vehicle isinvolved inan accident .
X To switch offthe crash- responsive
emergency lighting:pressthehazard
warning lampbutton .
or
X Lock andthen unlock thevehicle usingthe
Smart Key. Replacing
bulbs Import
antsafety notes
Xenon bulbs If
your vehicle isequipped withXenon bulbs,
you can recogn izethis bythe following: the
cone oflight from theXenon bulbsmoves
from thetop tothe bottom andback again when
youstart theengine. Forthis tobe
observed, thelights mustbeswitched on
before startingthe engine. G
DANGER Xenon
bulbscarryahigh voltage. Youcould
get anelectric shockandbeseriously oreven
fatally injured ifyou touch theelectric
cont acts onXenon bulbs.Therefore, never
remove thecover fromXenon bulbs.
Do not change Xenonbulbsyourself, buthave
them replaced ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop whichhasthenecessary specialist
knowledge andtools tocarry outthework
required.
Mercedes-B enzrecommen dsthat youusean
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter forthis
purpose. Inparticular, workrelevant tosafety
or on safety-related systemsmustbecarried
out ataquali fiedspecialist workshop.
Bulbs andlamps areanimportant aspectof
vehicle safety.Youmust therefor emake sure
that these functioncorrec tlyatall times.
Have theheadlamp settingcheck edregularly .
Other bulbs There
arebulbs otherthantheXenon bulbs
that youcann otreplace. Replaceonly the
bulbs listed (Ypage 115). Havethebulbs that
you cann otreplace yourself changed ata
quali fiedspecialist workshop.
Mercedes-B enzrecomm endsthatyouusean
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter forthis
purpose. Inparticular, workrelevant tosafety
or on safety-related systemsmustbecarried
out ataquali fiedspecialist workshop.
If you require assistance changingbulbs,
consult aquali fiedspecialist workshop.
Do not touch theglass tubeofnew bulbs with
your bare hands. Evenminor contamination
can burn intotheglass surface andreduce
the service lifeofthe bulbs. Always usealint-
free cloth oronly touch thebase ofthe bulb
when installing.
Only usebulbs ofthe correc ttype. 114
Rep
lacingbul bsLights an dwindshield wipers

Side
markerlamp s X
Remove thecover inthe front wheel arch
(Y page 115).
X Turn cap;counter -clockwiseandremove
it.
X Pull outbulb holder :.
X Take thebulb outofbulb holder :.
X Insert thenew bulb intobulb holder :.
X Insert bulbholder :.
X Align cap;and turn itclockwise.
X Inst allthe cover inthe front wheel arch
(Y page 115). Changing
therear bulbs
Opening andclosi ngthe service flap You
must opentheservice flapinthe cargo
compartmen tbefore youcan change the
bulbs inthe taillamps. Left-
hand service flap Right-hand
serviceflap
X To open: release serviceflap:atthe top,
e.g. with ascrewdriver, andswing it
downward inthe direction ofthe arrow.
X Right side:remove thefirst- aidkit
beforehand andpulltheparcel netdown.
X To close :reinsert serviceflap:.
Bra kelamp X
Switch offthe lights.
X Open thecargo compartmen t.
X Open theservice flap(Ypage 117). :
Brake lamp
X Turn thebulb holder counter -clockwiseand
remove it.
X Remove thebulb from thebulb holder.
X Insert thenew bulb intothebulb holder.
X Insert thebulb holder andturn itclockwise.
X Close theservice flap(Ypage 117). Replacing
bulbs
117Lights and windshieldwipers 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

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