2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class workshop

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

Problems
withfuelandthefuel tank Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
Fuel
isleaking fromthe
vehicle. G
Risk
ofexplosion orfire The
fuel lineorthe fuel tank isdefective.
X Turn theSmartK eytoposition 0(Ypage 139)inthe ignition lock
immediately andremove it.
X Do not restart theengine underanycircumst ances.
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop. The
fuel filler flap
cannot beopened. The
fuel filler flapisnot unlocked.
or
The SmartK eybattery isdischarged.
X Unlock thevehicle (Ypage 72).
or
X Unlock thevehicle usingthemechanical key(Ypage 75). The
fuel filler flapisunlocked, buttheopening mechanism is
jammed.
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop. The
engine willnot
start. The
fuel tank ofavehicle withadiesel engine hasbeen run
completely dry.
X Refuel thevehicle withatleast 5.3USqt(5liters) ofdiesel.
X Turn theignition onfor atleast 10seconds (Ypage 139).
X Start theengine continuously forupto10 seconds untilitruns
smoothly.
If the engine doesnotstart:
X Turn theignition onagain forapproximately 10seconds
(Y page 139).
X Start theengine againcontinuously forupto10 seconds until
it runs smoothly.
If the engine doesnotstart after three attempt s:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop. DEF
Import antnotes onuse To
funct ionproperly, BlueTECexhaustgas
aftert reatment mustbeoperated withthe
reducing agentDEF. When
theDEFs upply hasalmo strun out,th e Che
ckAdditiveSee Operator's Man
ual mes
sage issho wninthe
mult ifunction disp lay.
When theDE Fs upply sinks toamin imum
leve l,th e Rem
aining Starts:16 mes
sage
is sho wninthemult ifunction disp lay. 152
Ref
uelin gDriving and parking

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

R
the engineissw itch edoff.
R the driver 'sdo or isop en and theseat belt
is not faste ned .
R the vehicleis sta tionar yfor alength y
pe riod .
Th ered F (USA only)or ! (Cana da
onl y)ind icator lamp inthe instrument cluste r
li gh ts up .
Rel easing auto matic ally Yo
ur veh icle'sel ectr icpa rki ng bra keis
au toma tically rel easedifallof the followi ng
cond itions aremet:
R the engineisrunning .
R the transmi ssion isin po sitio nD or R.
R the seat beltha sbe en faste ned .
R yo ude pre ssthe accelera tor pedal.
If the transmi ssion isin po sitio nR, the trunk
li d mu stbe closed.
If yo ur seat beltis not faste ned ,the followi ng
cond itions mustbe fulfille d to automa tically
rel ease the electr icpa rki ng bra ke:
R the driver 'sdo or isclo sed.
R yo uha ve shifted outo ftransmis sion
posi tion Por you have previouslydrive n
faster than2mph (3km/h) .
Emerge ncybraking The
vehicl ecan alsobe braked duringan
emerge ncyusing the electric parking brake.
X Whil edrivi ng,pus hhandl e: ofthe electric
parking brake(Ypag e156). i
The
vehicl eis braked aslong asyou keep
the handl eof the electric parking brake
presse d.The longer theelectric parking
brake handleis depre ssed, thegrea terthe
braking force. During
braking:
R awa rning tonesound s.
R the Release
parkingbrake messa
ge
app ears.
R the red F (USAonly)or ! (Canada
only )indica torlamp inthe instrument
cluster flashes.
When thevehicl ehas been braked toa
standstil l,the electric parking brakeis
engag ed. Parking
thevehi cleforalong period
If you leave theveh icle park edfor longer than
four week s,thebatt erymay bedamage dby
exh aust ivedisc harg e.
X Conn ectatrick lechar ger. i
You
canobtain inform ationabout trick le
char gers from aqualifie dspec ialist
work shop,e.g .ana uth orizedMer cedes-
Ben zCen ter.
If you leave theveh iclep ark edfor longer than
six week s,theveh icle may sufferdamag eas
a res ult oflack ofuse.
X Visi taqu alified specialist workshopand
seek advice. Driving
tips General
driving tips
Impor tantsafet ynotes G
WARN
ING Always
remembe rthat you must concentrat e
primarily ondriving thevehicle. Thedriver's
conc entrat ionmust alwaysbe directed
primarily atroad traffic. Foryour ownsafety
and that ofothers, werecommen dthat you
stop thevehicle atasafe place andin
accordance withthetraffic conditions before
making oraccepting aphone call.
Comply withalllegal requirements ifyou use
the telephone whiledriving. Usethehands-
free system andonly usethetelephone when Driving
tips
157Driving 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

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

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

Problems
withPARKTRONIC Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
Only
thered segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displaysare lit.
You also hear awarning
tone forapproximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately
20 seconds, andthe
indicator lampinthe
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. PARKTRONIC
hasmalfunction edand hasswitched off.
X Ifproblems persist,havePARKTRONIC checkedataqual ified
specialist workshop. Only
thered segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displaysare lit.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately 20
seconds. The
PARKTRONIC sensorsaredirty orthere isinterf erence.
X Clea nthe PARKTRONIC sensors(Ypage 322).
X Switch theignition backon. The
problem maybecaused byan extern alsource ofradio or
ultrasound waves.
X See ifPARKTRONIC functionsinadifferent location. Active
Parking Assist
Import antsafety notes Act
ive Parking Assistisan electronic parking
aid with ultrasound. Ultrasoundisused to
measure theroad onboth sides ofthe vehicle.
As uitable parkingspac eis ind icat edbythe
park ingsymb ol.Active steer ing interv ention
can assis tyou during parking. Youmay also
use PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183). When
PARKTRONIC isswitched off,Active Parking
Assist isalso unavailab le. G
WARNIN
G Act
iveParking Assistismerely anaid and may
sometimes recommendparking spacesthat
are not suitable forparking. Forexample,
these might bespaces whereparking is
prohibited, driveways,unsuitablesurfaces,
etc. Act
ive Parking Assistmeasures theparking
space asyou drive pastit.Any later changes
to the parking spacearenot taken into
account .For instan ce,this may bethe case
when thevehicle parkedinfront ofor behind
the space changes itsposition orwhen an
obstacle ismoved intotheparking space.
Act ive Parking Assistdoesnotrelieve youof
the responsibility ofpaying attention.Ifyou
rely solely onAct ive Parking Assist,you could
cause anaccident andinjure yourself and
others.
You arealway sresponsible forsafety and
must continue topay atten tiontoyour
immediate surroundings whenparking and
maneuvering. 186
Driving
systemsDriving and parking