2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ECO mode

Note
son using 3-zo neauto matic
cl imate contro l
Th efol lowi ng conta insnote sand
rec omm endations onoptim um opera tiono f
auto maticclim atecontrol.
R Ac tivate clim atecontrol usin gth eà and
¿ buttons .T he indicator lampsinthe
à and¿ buttons lightup.
R In automatic mode,youcan also usethe
ñ button toset aclimate mode
(FOCUS/ME DIUM/DIFFUSE). The
MEDI UMlevel isrecommen ded.
R Set thetemperature to72 ‡(22 †).
R Only usethe"defrosting" functionbriefly
until thewindshield isclear again.
R Only use"air-recirculation" modebriefly,
e.g. ifthere areunpleasa ntoutside odors
or when inatunn el.The windows could
otherwise fogupas, inair-recirculation
mode, nofresh airisdrawn intothevehicle.
R Use theZONE functiontoadopt the
temperature settingson the driver's side
for the front -passenger sideandtherear
compartmen taswell .The indicator lampin
the á button goesout.
R Use theresidual heatfunct ionifyou want
to heat orvent ilate thevehicle interior
when theignition isswitched off.The
"residu alheat" functioncan only be
activated ordeactivated withtheignition
switched off. Operat
ingthe climate controlsystem Activating/deactivating
climate
control
Import antinformat ion G
WARNING When
theclimate controlsystem is
deactivated, theoutside airsupply and
circulation arealso deactivated. Onlychoose
this settin gfor ashort time.Otherwise the windows
couldfogup,impairing visibilityand
endangering youand others. i
Switch
onclimate controlprimarily using
the à button (Ypage 129).
In the rear compartmen t,you can also switch
climate controlonand offusing theà and
^ buttons.
Activating/deactivating X
Turn theSmartK eytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X To switch on:press theà button.
The indicator lampinthe à button lights
up. Airflow andairdistribution aresetto
automatic mode.
or
X Press the^ button.
The indicator lampinthe ^ button goes
out. Thepreviously selectedsettingscome
into effect again.
X To switch off:press the^ button.
The indicator lampinthe ^ button lights
up. Activating/deactivating
thecool ing
with airdehum idification function
Import antinformat ion The
cooling withairdehumidi ficationfunction
is only availa blewhen theengine isrunning.
The airinside thevehicle iscooled and
dehumidi fiedaccording tothe temperature
selected. G
WARNING If
you switch offthe cooling function,the
vehicle willnotbecooled whenweather
condition sare warm. Thewindows canfogup
more quickly. Window foggingmayimpair
visibili tyand endanger youand others.
Condensation maydripfrom theunderside of
the vehicle whenitis in cooling mode.Thisis 128
Operat
ingthe climate controlsystemClimate control

norm
aland notasign tha tther eis a
ma lfunctio n. i
The
cooling with aird ehumidification
func tion uses refriger antR134a. This
coolant doesnotcontain
chlorof luorocarbon s,and therefore does
not damage theozon elayer.
Activating/d eactivating X
To activa te:press the¿/Á button.
The indicat orlamp inthe ¿/Á
button lightsup.
X To deactiva te:press the¿/Á
button .
The indicat orlamp inthe ¿/Á
button goesout.Thecooling withair
dehumidification function hasadelayed
switch -offfeature.
Problems withthecooling withair
dehum idificat ionfunction When
youpress the¿/Á button,the
indicat orlamp inthe button flashes three
times orremains off.You cannolonger switch
on the cooling withairdehumidification
func tion.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. Sett
ingclimat econtrol toaut omat ic G
WARN
ING If
you switch offthe cooling function,the
vehicle willnotbecooled whenweather
con ditions arewarm. Thewindows canfogup
more quickly. Window foggingmayimpair
visibility andendanger youand other s.
In automatic mode,thesettemper atureis
maint ained automatic allyatacon stan tlevel.
The system automatic allyregulates the
temper atureofthe dispensed air,the airflow
and theairdistribut ion.
Autom aticmode willachieve optimal
operation ifcooling withairdehumidification is
also activat ed.Ifdesired, coolingwithair
dehumidification canbedeactivat ed.
In the rear compart ment,you can also switch
climate control forthe rear seats toautomatic
mode usingtheà button .
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X Set thedesired temperature.
X To activa te:press theà button .
The indicat orlamp inthe à button lights
up. Autom aticairdistribut ionand airflow
are activ ated. i
Autom
aticclimate control: when
automatic modeisactivat ed,you can
select aclimate modesetting
(Y page 129).
X To switch off:press the_ button .
or
X Press theI orK button .
The indicat orlamp inthe à button goes
out. Adju
sting theclimat emode settings
(AIR FLOW)
This function isonly available withautomatic
climate control.
The climate control settings areespecially
effec tiveathigh temper atures.
You canselect thefollowing climatecontrol
sett ings inautomatic mode:
FOCUS highairflow thatisset slightly
cooler
MED IUM medium airflow,standard setting
DIF FUS Elow airflow thatisset slightly
warmer andwith alower rateof
airflow Opera
tingtheclimate controlsystem
129Climate control Z

Rear
control panel:
M Directsthe airflo wthrou ghthe rear
center andrearsid eairvents.
O Directsthe airflo wthrou ghthe
footw ellai rv ent s i
Using
therear control panel, youcan also
activat eboth airdistribut ionposition s
simultaneously. Inorder todo this, press
both airdistribut ionbutton s.The airisthen
routed through allrear airvent s. i
Regardless
ofthe airdistribut ionsett ing,
airflow isalway sdirect edthrough theside
air vent s.The side airvent scan only be
closed whenthecontrols onthe side air
vent sare turn eddownwards.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X Front control panel:pressthe_
button repeatedly untilthedesired symbol
appears inthe display.
X Rear control panel:presstheM and/
or O button . Sett
ingthe airflow
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X To increase: presstheK button .
X To redu ce:press theI button . i
You
canuseautomatic climatecontrol to
set the airflow inthe rear compart ment
separately. Switching
theZONE function on/off
X To switch on:press theá button .
The indicat orlamp inthe á button lights
up.
Dual-z oneautomatic climatecontrol: the
temper aturesettingforthe driver's sideis not
adopted forthe fron t-passenger side.
The temper atureofthe fron t-passenger
side isadopted forthe rear compart ment.
Autom aticclimate control: the
temper aturesettingforthe driver's sideis
not adopted forthe fron t-passenger side
and therear compart ment.
When thebutton sor con trols for
temper ature,airflow orair distribut ionare
activat ed,the temper aturesettingforthe
driver's sideisnot adopted forthe other
climate control zones.
X To switch off:press theá button .
The indicat orlamp inthe á button goes
out.
The temper aturesettingforthe driver's
side isadopted forthe fron t-passenger side
and therear compart ment. Defrosting
thewindshield
You canusethis func tion todefrost the
windshield ortodefrost theinside ofthe
windshield andtheside windows. i
You
should onlyselect thedefrost ing
func tion until thewindshield isclear again.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X To activa te:press the¬ button .
The indicat orlamp inthe ¬ button lights
up.
The climate control system switchestothe
following functions:
R cooling withairdehumidification on11
R high airflow 12
R high temper ature12
R air distribut iontothe windshield and
fron tside windows
R air-r ecirculat ionmode off
11 Only withenginerunn ing.
12 Depe ndingon the outs idetem perat ure. Oper
ating theclima tecontr olsyst em
131Climate control Z

X
To switchof f:pre ssthe ¬ button.
The indicator lamp inthe ¬ button goes
ou t.The previouslysel ecte dsettings come
int oeffec tagain. Thecooling withair
dehumidification functionremains on.Air-
recirculation moderemains deactivated.
or
X Press theà button .
The indicator lampinthe ¬ button goes
out. Airflow andairdistribution aresetto
automatic mode.
or
X Turn controls:orB clock wiseor
count er-clockwise (Ypage 123),
(Y page 123).
or
X Press theK orI button . Switching
maximumcool ingMAX
COOL on/off
The MAX COOL functionisonly availa blein
vehicles forthe USA .
MAX COOL isonly operational whenthe
engine isrunnin g.
When youactivate MAXCOOL, climate
cont rolswitches tothe following functions:
R maximum cooling
R maximum airflow
R air-recirc ulationmodeon
X To activat e:press theÙ button .
The indicator lampinthe button lightsup.
X To deactivat e:press theÙ button
again.
The indicator lampgoesout.Thepreviously
selected settings come intoeffect again. Defrosting
thewindows
Windows foggeduponthe inside X
Act ivate the¿/Á coolingwithair
dehumidification function.
X Act ivate automatic modeÃ.
X Ifthe windows continue tofog up,activate
the defrostin gfunct ion(Ypage 131). i
You
should onlyselect thissettinguntil
the windshield isclear again.
Windows foggeduponthe outside X
Act ivate thewindshield wipers.
X Press the_ button repeatedly untilthe
P orO symbol appears inthe
display . i
You
should onlyselect thissettinguntil
the windshield isclear again. Rear
window defroster
Activating/deactivat ing G
WARNING Any
accumulation ofsnow andiceshould be
removed fromtherear window beforedriving.
Visibility couldotherwise beimpaired,
endangering youand others.
The rear window defroster hasahigh current
draw. Youshould therefor eswitch itoff as
soon asthe window isclear asitonly switches
off automatically afterseveral minutes.
If the battery voltage istoo low, therear
window defroster mayswitch off.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
X Press the¤ button .
The indicator lampinthe ¤ button lights
up orgoes out. 132
Opera
tingtheclimate controlsystemClimate 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

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). Br
eaking-in notes The
first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more youlook after theengin ewhen itis
new, themore satisfiedyou willbewith its
perfor mancein the future.
R Driv eat varying vehiclespeeds andengin e
speeds forthe first 1000miles (1500km)
for this reason .
R Avo idovers trainingthe vehicle duringthis
period, e.g.drivin gat full throttle.
R Change gearingood time, atthe latest
when thetach omet erneedle is⅔o fthe
way tothe red area inthe tachomet er
displa y.
R Do not manually shifttoalower gearto
brake thevehicle.
R Only select shiftranges 3,2or 1when
driving slowly,e.g. inmountainous terrain.
Aft er1000 miles(1500 km),you can increase
the engine speedgraduall yand bring the
vehicle uptofull speed. i
You
should alsoobserve thesenoteson
runnin gin ifthe engine orparts ofthe drive
train onyour vehicle havebeen replaced. i
Always
observe therespect ivespeed
restr iction s. Driving
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G Make
sureabsolutely noobject sare
obstruct ingthe pedals' rangeofmovemen t.
Keep thedriver's footwell clearofall
obstacles. Ifthere areany floormats or
carpets inthe footwell, makesurethepedals
still have sufficient clearance.
During sudden drivingorbraking maneuvers
the object scould getcaught between the
pedals. Youcould thennolonger brakeor
accelerate. Thiscould leadtoaccident sand
injury. G
WARNIN
G 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. G
WARNIN
G It
is dangerous toshift theautomatic
transm issionoutofparking position Por
neutral position Nifthe engine speedis
higher thanidlespeed. Ifyour footisnot firmly
on the brake pedal, thevehicle could
accelerate quicklyforward orinreverse. You
could losecontrolofthe vehicle andhit
someone orsomethin g.Only shiftintogear
when theengine isidling normally andwhen
your right footisfirmly onthe brake pedal.
! Warm upthe engine quickly. Donot use
the engine's fullperformanc euntil ithas
reached operating temperature.
Only shifttheautomatic transmission to
the desired driveposition whenthevehicle
is station ary.
Where possible, avoidspinnin gthe drive
wheels whenpulling awayonslippery
roads. Youcould otherwise damagethe
drive train. 138
DrivingDriving and parking

Problems
withthetransmission Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
The
transm issionhas
problems shiftinggear. The
transm issionislosing oil.
X Have thetransm issioncheckedataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter,
immediately. The
acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transm issionno
longer changes gear. The
transm issionisin emergency mode.
It is only possible toshift intosecon dgear andreverse gear.
X Stop thevehicle.
X Shift thetransm issiontoposition P.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Wait atleast 10seconds beforerestartingthe engine.
X Shift thetransm issiontoposition Dor R.
If D is selected, thetransm issionshiftsintosecon dgear; ifR is
selected, thetransm issionshiftsintoreverse gear.
X Have thetransm issioncheckedataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter,
immediately. Refueling
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNING Gasoli
neand diesel fuelsarehighly flammable
and poisonous. Theyburnviolently andcan
cause serious injury.
Never allowsparks, flamesorsmoking
materials neargasoline ordiesel fuel!
Turn offthe engine beforerefueling.
Whenever youarearound gasoline ordiesel
fuel, avoid inhaling fumesandanyskin or
clothing contact.Extinguish allsmoking
materials.
Direct skincontactwith fuels andthe
inhalation offuel vapors aredamaging your
health. G
WARNING Overfilling
ofthe fuel tank maycreate
pressure inthe system whichcouldcause a
gas discharge. Thiscould cause thegasoline to
spray backoutwhen removing thefuel
pump nozzle,which couldcause personal
injury. G
WARNING Do
not filldiesel tankswith gasoline. Donot
mix diesel fuelwith gasoline. Otherwise the
fuel system andengine couldbedamaged. In
addition, thevehicle couldcatch fire.
! Donot use gasoline torefuel vehicles with
a diesel engine. Donot use diesel torefuel
vehicles withagasoline engine.Evena
small quantity ofthe wrong fuelwill
damage thefuel system andengine.
! Donot switch onthe ignition ifyou
accidentally refuelwiththewrong fuel.
Otherwise, thefuel willenter thefuel lines.
Notify aqual ified specialist workshop and
have thefuel tank andfuel lines drained
completely. Refueling
149Driving 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