2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class display

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

:
Toopen thefuel filler flap
; Toinsert thefuel filler cap
= Fuel type
? Tire pressure table
Opening X
Switc hoff the engine.
X Remove theSmart Keyfrom theignition
lock.
KEYLE SS-GO: open thedriver’s door.This
switches theignition toposition 0,which
correspon dstohaving removed the
Smart Key.Thedriver’s doorcanbeclosed
again.
X Press thefuel filler flapinthe direction of
arrow :.
The fuel filler flapswings up.
X Turn thefuel filler capcount er-clockwise
and remove it.
X Insert thefuel filler capinto theholder
bracket onthe inside offiller flap;.
X Completely insertthepump nozzleinto the
filler neck andrefuel.
X Only fillthe tank untilthepump nozzle
switches off.
! Overfilling thefuel tank could damage the
fuel system. Closing X
Replace thefuel filler capand turn it
clock wise. Thefuel filler capaudibl y
engages.
X Close thefuel filler flap. i
If
you drive withthefuel filler capopen,
reserve fuelwarning lamp8 flashes. In
addition, the; Check Engine warning
lamp maylight up.Am essage appears in
the multifunc tiondisplay (Ypage 257).
For furth erinfor mation onwarning and
indicat orlamps inthe instrument cluster,
see (Ypage 276). Refueling
151Driving and parking Z

When
the Remainin
gStarts: 16 message
is shown inthe multifunc tiondisplay, youcan
start theengine 16more times. IfDE Fis not
added, itwill notbepossible torestar tthe
engine. Fillthe DEF tank withapprox. 1gal
(3.8 l)DEF ,or have itfilled ataqual ified
specialist workshop. i
If
you drive thevehicle fasterthan10mph
(16 km/h), the Check
Additive See Operator's
Manual message
goesoff
after approximately oneminute.
Further information aboutBlueTEC exhaust
gas aftertr eatment andDEF isavaila bleatany
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
Adding DEF G
WARN
ING Make
sure
R DE Fdoes notcome intocontact with skin,
eyes, orcloth ing
R to keep DEFout ofthe reach ofchildren
If you and/or othershave come intocontact
with DEF:
R IfDE Fhas gotteninto contact with eyes,
flush withplenty ofwater immediately and
seek medical help.
R Clean affectedskin immediately withplenty
of water.
R IfDE Fw asswallowe d,rin se mout h
imm ediat elywith plentyof wate rand drink
pl enty ofwa ter. Consu ltaphy sicia n. G
WAR
NING If
yo uop en the DEF tank cap,sma llamo unts
of amm oniavap orma ybe released .This
depends inparticular upontheage ofthe DEF .
Ammon iavapors haveapungent odorandare
particularly irritatingto:
R skin
R mucous membranes
R eyes You
may experience aburning sensation in
your eyes, noseandthroat, aswell as
coughing andwatering ofthe eyes.
Do not inhale anyammonia vaporsthatmay
be released. Fillthe DEF tank onlyinwell-
ventilated areas.
! Only useDEF inaccordance with
ISO 22241 .Do not mix anyadditives with
DEF ,and donot dilute DEFwith water. This
may destroy theBlueTEC exhaustgas
aftertr eatment system.
! The vehicle mustbeparked onlevel
ground tofill the DEF tank.The DEF tank
can only befilled asinten dedwith the
vehicle parkedonalevel surface. This
avoids falselevelreadings. Fillingthetank
is not permitted ifthe vehicle isnot parked
on alevel surface. Thereisadanger of
overfilling, whichcouldresult indamage to
componen tsof the BlueTEC exhaustgas
aftertr eatment .
If the outside temperature islower than
Ò11 †,damage mayoccur whenadding DEF.
If DEF isfrozen andthere isan active warning
indicator, addingmaynotbepossible. Park
the vehicle inawarmer place,e.g.inagarage,
until DEFhasbecome fluidagain. Fillingis
then possible again.Alternatively, havethe
DEF tank refilled ataqual ified specialist
workshop.
! Rinse surfaces thathave come into
cont actwith DEFimmediately withwater or
remove DEFusing adamp clothandcold
water. Ifthe DEF hasalread ycrystallized,
use asponge andcold water toclean it.DEF
residues crystallize aftertimeand
cont aminate theaffected surfaces.
! DEF isnot afuel additive andmust notbe
added tothe fuel tank .If DEF isadded to
the fuel tank ,this canlead toengine
damage.
Further information onDEF (Ypage 387). Refueling
153Driving and parking Z

Closing
theDEF filler capand fuel filler
fla p X
Plac eDE Ffiller cap;onthe filler neckand
tur nit clo ckwi se.
X To closethe fuel fillerf lap, press itin the
direc tionofarrow :.
X Dr ive ataspeed above10mph (16km/h) .
The Chec
kAddi tive SeeOperator's Manu
al mess
agedisappears after
approx imatelyone minute. i
If
the Chec
kAddi tive See Oper
ator'sManu al mess
agecontinues
to be shown inthe mult ifunc tiondisplay,
you need toadd moreDE F. Par
king Imp
ortant safety notes G
WARN
ING Do
not park thisvehic lein areas where
com bustib lemat erials cancom eint ocon tact
with thehot exhaust system. Donot park the
vehic leon dry grass landorharve stedgrain
fields. Combust iblematerials, suchasgrass ,
hay orleaves couldbeignit edbythe hot
exh aust systemand cause avehic lefire . Unin
tended vehic lemov emen tcan cause
serio usperso nalinjury ordamage tothe
vehic leor the vehic ledrive train. Toreduc e
such risks,always dothe followin gbefor e
tur nin goff the engineand leavin gthe vehic le:
R keep yourright footonthe brak epedal.
R apply theelect ricpark ingbrak e.
R shift theautom atictransm ission intopark
posit ionP.
R slowly release thebrak epedal.
R when parkedon anincline, always turnthe
front wheels towards theroad curb.
R turn theSmartKey inthe ignition lockto
position 0and remove theSmartKey from
the ignition lock,orpress theKEYLES S-GO
Start /Stopbutton.
R take theSmartKey withyouand lock the
vehicle whenleaving. Switching
offthe engine
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING Never
switch offthe engine whilethevehicle
is in motion.
There isno brake boostforthe service brake
if the engine isnot running. Ifthe ignition is
switched off,there isalso nopower
assistance forthe steering.
You willrequire considerably moreeffort to
steer andbrake andyoucould therefore lose
cont rolofthe vehicle andcause anaccident. G
WARNING Keep
inmind thatturning offthe engine alone
only willshift theautomatic transmission into
neutral position Nautomatically .
Always shifttheautomatic transmission into
park position Pbefore turning offthe engine.
Otherwise thevehicle couldrollaway which
could result inan accident and/orserious
personal injury. Park
ing
155Driving 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

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

Cru
isecont rollever :
Toact ivat eor inc reas espee d
; Toact ivat eor reduc espee d
= Todeac tivate cruise control
? Toact ivat eat thecur ren tspeed/last
stor edspeed
When youactiv atecruise control,the stor ed
speed isshown inthe multifun ction display
for five secon ds.Inthe multifun ction display,
the segmen tsbetween thestor edspeed and
the maximum speedlightup.
Activat ionconditions To
activ atecruise control,all ofthe following
activ ation condition smust befulfilled:
R your vehicle mustnotbesecured bythe
elect ricparkin gbrake.
R you aredrivin gfaster than20mph
(30 km/ h).
R ES P®
must beactiv e,but not interven ing.
R the tran smission mustbeinposition D.
R DS Rmust bedeactiv ated.
Activat ingcruise control You
canadopt thecurren tspeed ifyou are
drivin gfaster than20mph (30km/ h). X
Ac celerat ethe vehicle tothe desired
speed.
X Brief lypress thecruise controllever
up : ordown ;.
X Remove yourfootfrom theacceler ator
pedal.
Cruise controlis activ ated. Thevehicle
automatic allymaint ainsthestor edspeed. i
Cruise
controlmay beunable tomaint ain
the stor edspeed onuphill gradient s.The
stor edspeed isresumed whenthegradient
evens out.Cruise controlm aint ains the
st ore dspee don down hillgrad ientsby
auto maticall yapplyin gth ebrak es.
Activ ating with thecur ren tor last
st ored speed G
WAR
NING The
setspee dstore din mem oryshould only
be set again ifpre vailin groad condi tions and
legal speedlimit sper mit.Possible
acceleration ordeceleration differences
arising fromreturn ingtothe preset speed
could cause anaccident and/orserious injury
to you and others.
X Briefly pullthecruise controllever towards
you ?.
X Remove yourfootfrom theaccelerator
pedal.
The first time cruise controlisactivated, it
stores thecurrent speedorregulates the
speed ofthe vehicle tothe previously
stored speed.
Setting aspee d G
WARNI
NG Kee
pin mind thatitm aytak eabrie fmoment
until thevehicle hasmade thenecessary
adjustmen ts.
Inc rease ordecrease thesetvehicle speedto
a value thattheprevailing roadcondit ionsand
legal speed limitspermit. Otherwise, sudden
and unexpect edacceleration ordeceleration 168
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

of
the vehicle couldcause anaccident and/
or serious injurytoyou and others.
X Press thecruise controllever up: for a
higher speedordown ;for alower speed.
X Keep thecruise controllever pressed until
the desired speedisreached.
X Relea sethe cruise controllever.
The new speed isstored.
X Making adjustm entsin1mph
increments (1km/h increments): briefly
press thecruise controllever tothe
pressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in1mph increm ents(1km/ h
increm ents).
X Making adjustm entsin5mph
increments (10km/h increments):
briefly pressthecruise controllever
beyond thepressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in5mph increm ents(10km/ h
increm ents). i
Cruise
controlisnot deactivated ifyou
depress theaccelerator pedal.For
example, ifyou accelerate brieflyto
overtak e,cruise controladjusts the
vehicle's speedtothe last speed stored
after youhave finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruisecontrol There
areseveral waystodeactivate cruise
cont rol:
X Briefly pressthecruise controllever
forwards =.
or
X Brake.
Cruise controlisautomatically deactivatedif:
R you engage theelectric parking brake.
R you aredriving below20mph (30km/ h).
R ESP ®
interv enesoryou deactivate ESP®
. R
you activate DSR.
R you shift thetrans mission toposition N
while driving.
If cruise controlisdeactivated, youwillhear
a warning tone.You willsee the Cruise
Control
Off message
inthe multifunct ion
display forapproximately fiveseconds. i
When
youswitch offthe engine, thelast
speed stored iscleared. DISTRONIC
PLUS
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSrequires familiarity with
its operational characteristics.Westron gly
recommen dthat youreview thefollowing
informat ioncarefully beforeoperating the
system. G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSisaconv enienc e
system. Itsspeed adjustmen treduction
capability isinten dedtomake cruise control
more effectiveand usable whentrafficspeeds
vary. Itis not however, intendedto,nor does
it, replace theneed forextreme care.
The respons ibilityforthe vehicle's speed,
distanc eto the precedin gvehicle and,most
import antly,brake operation toensure asafe
stoppin gdistanc e,alway sremains withthe
driver.
The DISTRONIC PLUScannottake street and
traff iccon ditions intoaccount .
Complex drivingsituation sare not alway s
fully recogn izedbythe DISTRONIC PLUS.This
could result inwrong ormissing distance
warnings. G
WARN
ING The
DISTRONIC PLUSadaptive cruisecontrol
is not asubstit uteforactive driving
involvem ent.It does notreact topedestrian s
or on stat ionary objects,nor does itrecogn ize Driving
systems
169Driving and parking
Z