2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class check engine

Dri
vin gon wet road s
Hy dropl aning If
wat erhas accumula tedto ace rtain dept h
on thero ad sur face,there isadan ger of
hydr oplaning occur ring,eve nif:
R you drive atlow spee ds.
R the tires have adequa tetread depth.
For this reas on,inthe event ofhea vyrainor
in conditio nsinwhi chhyd ropl aning canoccur
you must driveinthe followi ngmanner:
R low eryou rspeed
R avoid ruts
R brake carefully
Driving onflooded roads !
Donot drive through flooded areas.
Check thedepth ofany water before driving
thr ough it.Driv eslowly through standing
water. Otherwise, water mayenterthe
vehicle interior orthe engin ecompart ment.
This candamage theelect ronic
compon entsin the engin eorthe automatic
transmission. Watercanalso bedrawn in
by the engine's airsuction nozzlesand this
can cause engine damage. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
Set theraised levelbefore driving through
standing water.
Off-r oadfording Fording
depth Steel-spring
vehicles 20
in.
(50 cm) Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC
package Raise
dlevel 20
in.
(50 cm) R
Est ablish howdeep thewater isand the
characterist icsofthe body ofwater before
fording.
R Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
Select thehighest possible vehiclelevel.
R Restrict theshift range to1or 2.
R Avoid highengine speeds.
R Ent erand exitthewater ataflat place and
at asteady walking pace.
! Under nocircumst ancesshould you
accelerate beforeenteringthe water. The
bow wave could cause watertoenter and
damage theengine andother assemblies.
R Drive slowly andatan even speed through
the water.
R Do not stop.
! Donot open anyofthe vehicle's doors
while fording. Otherwise, watercouldget
into thevehicle interior anddamage the
vehicle's electronic sand interior
equipment.
R Water offersahigh degree ofresistance,
and theground isslippery andinsome
cases unstable. Therefore, itis difficult and
dangerous topull away inthe water.
R Ensure thatabow wave doesnotform as
you drive.
R Clea nany mud from thetire tread after
fording.
R Apply thebrakes todry them afterfording. Driving
tips
161Driving and parking Z

Winter
driving
Gene ralnote s G
WARNING If
the vehicl ebecome strappe din snow,
ensure thatsnow iskept away from the
exhau stpip eand from aroundthe vehicl eas
long asthe engine isrunning. Otherwise,
poi sonou scarbo nmonoxide (CO)mayenter
the vehicle, resulting inloss ofconsc iousness
and even death.
To assure sufficient freshairvent ilation, open
a window slightlyonthe side ofthe vehicle
not facing thewind.
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproof edataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. i
Vehicles
withadiesel engine: donot
cover theradiator, e.g.with aprotec tive
cover. Themeasuring functionofthe
Onboard Diagnosis Systemmayotherwise
provide inaccurate values.Someofthese
values arerequired bylaw and must
therefor ealwa ysbe accurate.
Driving withsumm ertires Observe
thenotesinthe "Winter operation"
section (Ypage 352).
Slippery roadsurfa ces G
WARNING The
outside temperature indicatorisnot
designed toserve asan ice-warnin gdevice
and istherefor eunsuitable forthat purpose.
Indicated temperatures justabove the
freezin gpoint donot guarantee thattheroad
surface isfree ofice. The road maystillbeicy,
especially inwooded areasoron bridges. G
WARNING 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.
Drive particularly carefullyonslippery road
surfaces. Avoidsudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. Donot use thecruise
cont rolorDIS TRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threaten sto skid orcann otbe
stopped whenmoving atlow speed:
X Shift thetrans mission toposition N. i
For
more informat ionondriving with
snow chains, see(Ypage 353). G
WARNING Make
surethatyoudonot endanger other
road users whenyouapply thebrakes. Off-r
oaddriving
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING Grains
ofsand, particles ofdirt and other
abrasive materials canenter thebrake
system. Thiscanlead toexcessive wearand
unpredictable brakingefficienc y.
Aft erthe brakes havebeen exposed todirty
condit ions,havethem check edand cleaned
at aquali fiedspecialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
Otherwise, thereisarisk that braking power
may beinsufficient inthe event ofan
emergenc y,or that thebraking effectmaybe
unpredictable. G
WARNING Do
not load items onthe basic carrier bars.It
may cause instability duringsomemaneuvers
which couldresult inan accident .
Drive slowly inunkn ownterrain. Thiswill
make iteasier torecogn izeunexpect ed
obstacles andavoid damage tothe vehicle.
To help avoid thevehicle rollingover,never
turn itaround onsteep inclines. Ifthe vehicle 162
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

cannot
complete the attem ptedclimb, back it
dow ninr everse gear.
Do not drive along theside ofaslope. The
vehicle mightotherwiserollover. Ifin doing so
the vehicle beginstoshow aten dency toroll,
immediately steerintoaline ofgravity
(straight upordownhill).
Never letthe vehicle rollbackwards inidle.
You may losecontrol ofthe vehicle ifyou use
only theservic ebrake. Forinfor mation on
driving downhill, see"Drivin gdownhill". G
WARN
ING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:Please
be aware thatbyraising thevehicle level,the
cent erofgravity alsorises. Therefor e,alway s
ensure thatthevehicle levelisas low as
possible. Withhigher rideheight theESP®
may activat eearlier incert ainsituation s. G
WARN
ING Do
not reduce thetire inflation pressure
before driving through sand. However, ifyou
do so, remember tocorr ectthe tire inflation
pressure beforecontinuin gyour trip.Drivin g
with reduced tireinflation pressure increases
the risk oflosing control ofthe vehicle and
rolling over.
General notes Read
thissect ioncarefully beforedriving your
vehicle off-road. Practicebydriving overmore
gent leoff- road terrainfirst .
Familiarize yourselfwiththecharact eristics
of your vehicle andthegear shiftoperation
before driving through difficult terrain.
The following drivingsystems arespecially
adapted tooff- road driving:
R Off- road ABS(Ypage 61)
R AIRMA TICpackage (vehiclelevel)
(Y page 180)
R DS R(Downh illSpeed Regulation)
(Y page 208) Observe
thefollowing notes:
R Stop the vehicle beforestartingtodrive
along anoff- road route.
R For vehicles withAIRMA TICpackage:
select avehicle levelthatissuitable forthe
off- road terrain. Make surethere isalway s
sufficien tground clearanc eto preven t
damage tothe vehicle.
R Check thatitems ofluggage andloads are
stowed safelyandarewell secured
(Y page 288).
R Always keeptheengine runningand ingear
when driving onadownhill gradient.
Ac tivat eDS R(Ypage 208).
R Always keepthedoors, tailgate, windows
and sliding sunroof closedwhiledriving.
R Adapt yourspeed tothe terrain. The
rougher, steeperormore rutsonthe
terr ain, theslower yourspeed should be.
R Driv eslowly andatan even speed through
the water. Ensure thatabow wave doesnot
form asyou drive.
R Driv ewith extreme careonunkn ownoff-
road routes wherevisibility ispoor. For
safety reasons ,get out ofthe vehicle first
and survey theoff-road route.
R Look outforobstac lessuch asrock s,holes,
tree stumps andfurrows.
R Check thedepth ofwater before fording
rivers andstreams.
R When fording,do not stop anddonot
switc hoff the engin e.
R On sand, drivequickly tooverc omethe
rolling resistance. Otherwise, thevehicle
could digitself intothe sand.
R Do not jump withthevehicle asthis will
int errupt thevehicle's propulsion.
R Always keeptheengin erunn ingand ingear
when drivingon aslope.
R Do not shift theautomatic transmission to
tran smission positionN. Driving
tips
163Driving 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

nece
ssary.F oreign objectscan disturb the
balance andcause vibrations.
Driving onsand G
WARNIN
G Do
not reduce thetire inflation pressure
before driving through sand.However, ifyou
do so, remember tocorrec tthe tire inflation
pressure beforecontinuing yourtrip.Drivin g
with reduced tireinflation pressure increases
the risk oflosing controlofthe vehicle and
rolling over.
Observe thefollowing ruleswhen driving on
sand:
R vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select araised vehicle level.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select ashift range appropriate tothe
terrain.
R drive quickly toovercom ethe rolling
resistance. Otherwise,thevehicle coulddig
itself intothesand.
R drive inthe track sof other vehicles if
possible. Makesurethattheruts arenot
too deep, thatthesand isfirm enough and
that your vehicle hassufficient ground
clearance.
Rut sand gravel roads Observe
thefollowing ruleswhen driving
along rutsinoff-r oad terrain oron roads with
loose gravel:
! Check thattheruts arenot too deep and
that your vehicle hassufficient clearance.
Otherwise, yourvehicle couldbedamaged
or bottom outand getstuck.
R for vehicles withAIRMATIC package:select
an increased vehiclelevel.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select shiftrange 1. R
drive slowly .
R where rutsaretoo deep, drivewiththe
wheels ofone side onthe cent ergrassy
area, ifpossible.
Driving overobstacles !
Obstacles coulddamage thefloor ofthe
vehicle orcomponen tsof the chassis. Ask
passengers forguida ncewhen driving over
large obstacles. Thepassenger should
alwa yskeep asafe distance fromthe
vehicle whendoing soinorder toavoid
injury asaresult ofunexpect edvehicle
movement s.Aft erdriving off-road orover
obstacles, checkthevehicle forpossible
damage, especiallyto the underbody and
the componen tsof the chassis.
Observe thefollowing ruleswhen driving over
tree stumps, largestones andother
obstacles:
R raise thevehicle level.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select shiftrange 1.
R drive veryslowly .
R drive straight overthecent erofobstacles. Driving
tips
165Driving and parking Z

Trave
ling uphi ll
App roac h/depa rture angle :
: 14
;
Ste
el-spri ng
ve hic les 26° 25° 25°
Veh
icle swi th
the AIRMA TIC
pac kag e Hig
hway level 23° 22°
22°
15 Ra
ised level 28° 27° 27°
R
Co mpl ywi th the rulesfor off-roaddri ving .
R Do not drive atan ang leon slop es,incl ines
or gra dients, butinstea dfol low the direct
li ne offall.T he maximum gradient-climbing
capabil ityofyour vehicle is100%, which
corresponds toan approach/departure
angle of45°. Note thatthevehicle's
gradient-c limbingcapabilitydepends on
the off-r oad condition s.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Drive slowly .
R Avoid highengine speeds –drive ata
sui table engine speed(maxi mum 3000
rpm). R
When drivingdow nanincli ne, makeuseof
the engine'sbra king effect. Observethe
eng inespeed;do not overrevthe engine.
R Check thebrakes afterdriving off-road for
a long time. G
WARNING Never
turnthevehicle around onsteep
inclines. Thevehicle mightrollover. Ifthe
vehicle cannotcomplete theattempt edclimb,
back itdown inreverse gear. i
Hill
start assist willaidyou when pulling
away onahill.
For further information ,see "Hill start
assist" (Ypage 142).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability For
good roadsurface condition s,the
maximum gradient-climbingcapabilityis
100%, whichcorresponds toan approach/
departure angleof45°. Note thatthe
vehicle's gradient-c limbingcapability
depends onthe off-r oad condition s.
Acc elerate carefully andmake surethatthe
wheels donot spin when driving onsteep
terrain. i
If
the load onthe front axleisreduced
when pullingaway onasteep uphillslope,
the front wheels haveatenden cytospin.
4ETS recogniz esthis and brakes the
wheels accordingly. Therear wheel torque
is increased, makingiteasier todrive off.
Brow ofhill When
driving upanuphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure onthe accelerator
immediately beforereaching thebrow ofthe
hill. Use thevehicle's ownimpetus todrive
over thetop ofthe hill.
14 With AMG bodystyling.
15 166
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

The ML 350 4MATIC model has a departure angle of 23°.

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

(30
km/h). When thevehic lespeed exceeds
20 mph (30km/h), theindic atorlamp goes
out and BlindSpot Assistisready foruse.
When yourspeed exceeds approx imately
20 mph (30km/h), warnin glamp :light sup
red ontheco rrespo nding side when evera
vehicl eis detected inthe blind spot
monitoring range.Thiswarning isalw ays
given when avehicl eenters theblind spot
monitoring rangefrombehindorfrom the
side .When youarepassing another vehicle,
the warning isemitted onlyifthe difference
in speed isless than 7mph (12km/h).
The yellow indicator lampgoesoutifreverse
gear isengaged. Inthis event, BlindSpot
Assist isno longer active.
The brightness ofthe indicator/warnin g
lamps isadjusted automatically accordingto
the ambient light. G
WARNING Blind
SpotAssist isnot active atspeeds under
approximately 20mph (30km/h). The
indicator lampsinthe exterior mirrorsare
yellow .Vehicles inthe monit oringrange are
then notindicat ed.
Always payatten tiontotraff iccon ditions and
your surroundin gs.Other wise,youmay failto
recogn izedangers intime, cause anacciden t
and injure yourself andother s.
Collisio nwarning
If avehicle isdetec tedinthe monit oringrange
of Blind SpotAssist andyouswitch onthe turn
signal, adouble warning tonesounds. Red
warning lamp:flashes. Ifthe turn signal
remains on,detect edvehicles areindicated
by the flashing ofred warning lamp:.There
are nofurther warning tones.
Switching onBlind SpotAssist
X Make surethattheradar sensor system
(Y page 236)andBlind SpotAssist (Y
page 232)areactivated inthe on-board
computer.
X Turn theSmartK eytoposition 2in the
ignition lock.
Warning lamps:light upred inthe
exterior mirrorsforapproximately 1.5
seconds andthen turnyellow.
Tra iler towing
When youattach atrailer, makesureyouhave
correct lyestablished theelectrical
conn ection. Thiscanbeaccomplished by
check ingthe trailer lighting. Inthis event,
Blind SpotAssist isdeactivated. Theindicator
lamp inthe exterior mirrorslightsupyell ow,
and the Blind
SpotAssist Currently Unavailable
SeeOperator's Manual message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y. i
You
candeactivate theindicator lampsin
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch offBlind SpotAssist when:
R the SmartK eyisin position 2in the
ignition lock.
R the engine isnot running.
R the electrical connection tothe trailer
has been established.
Lane Keeping Assist Import
antsafety notes
Lane Keeping Assistmonitors thearea in
front ofyour vehicle bymeans ofacamera at
the top ofthe windshield. LaneKeeping Assist
detect slane markings onthe road andwarns
you before youleave yourlane
uninten tionally. 200
Driving
systemsDriving and parking