2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Owner's Manual

If
the vehicle isvery dirty, pre-wa shitbefore
cleaning itin an automa ticcar was h.
! Incar was hes with atowing mechanism,
make surethattheautoma tictransmission
is in transmission positionN, otherwis ethe
vehicle couldbedama ged.
R Vehicle swith aSmartKey:
Do not remove theSmartKey fromthe
ignition lock.Donot open thedriver's
door orfront-passenger doorwhen the
engine isswitched off.Otherwise ,the
automa tictransmission selectspark
positio nP automa ticallyand locks the
whee ls.You canprevent thisbyshifting
the automa tictransmission toN
beforeha nd.
R Vehicle swith KEYLESS- GO:
Do not open thedriver's doororfront-
passe ngerdoor when theengine is
switched off.Otherwise ,the automa tic
transmission selectsparkpositio nP
automa ticallyand locks thewhee ls.
Observe thefollo wing tomake surethatthe
automa tictransmission staysinpositio nN:
X Make surethevehicle isstationary andthe
ignition isswitched off.
X Turn theSmartKey topositio n
2 (Y page 139)inthe ignition lock.
Use theSmartKey insteadofthe Start/
Stop button onvehicle swith KEYLESS- GO.
X Depress andhold thebrake pedal.
X Shift theautoma tictransmission to
positio nN.
X Rel ease thebrake pedal.
X Rel ease theelectric parking brake.
X Switch offthe ignition andleavethe
SmartKey inthe ignition lock.
! Make surethat: R
the side window sand thesliding sunroof
are fullyclosed.
R the ventilation/hea tingisswitched off
(the OFF button hasbeen pressed ).
R the windshi eldwiperswitch isin positio n
0.
Otherwise ,the vehicle mightbedama ged.
After using anautoma ticcar was h,wip eoff
wax from thewindshi eldand thewiper
bla des. Thiswillprevent smearsandreduce
wip ing noises causedby residu eon the
windshi eld.
Washing byhand In
some countries, washing byhand isonly
all owed atspecia llyequ ippe dwas hing bays.
Observe thelega lrequi rements inall
countries concerned.
X Do not use hotwater anddonot was hthe
vehicle indirect sunlight.
X Use asoft sponge toclean.
X Use amild cleaning agent,suchasacar
shampo oapp roved byMercedes-Benz.
X Thorou ghlyhose down thevehicle witha
gentle jetofwater.
X Do not point thewater jetdirectly towards
the airinlet.
X Use plenty ofwater andrinse outthe
sponge frequently.
X Rinse thevehicle withclean water anddry
thoroughl ywith achamois.
X Do not letthe cleaning agentdryonthe
pai ntwork.
When usingthevehicle inwinter, remove all
traces ofroad saltdepos itscareful lyand as
soon aspossi ble.
Pow erwashe rs G
WARNING Do
not use powe rwasher swith circular -jet
no zzles (dirt grinders )to cle anyour vehicle,in
part icular thetir es. You couldot her wise
damage thetir es and caus ean acc iden t. Car
e
319Maintenance and care Z

!
Alway smaintain adistance ofat least
11.8 in(30 cm) between thevehicle andthe
power washer nozzle.Information about
the correct distance isavail able from the
equi pment manufacturer.
Move thepower washer nozzlearound
when cleaning yourvehicle.
Do not aim directly atany ofthe followi ng:
R tires
R door gaps, roofgaps, joints etc.
R electrical component s
R battery
R conn ectors
R lights
R seals
R trim elements
R ventilation slots
Damaged sealsorelectrical component s
can lead toleaks orfailu res.
Cle aning thewhee ls !
Donot use acidic wheelcleaning products
to remove brakedust.Thiscould damage
wheel boltsandbrake component s.
! Donot park thevehicle foranextended
period straight aftercleaning it,particula rly
after having cleaned thewheels withwheel
cleaner. Wheelcleaners couldcause
increased corrosionofthe brake discsand
brake pads/li nings.Forthis reason, you
should driveforafew minutes after
cleaning. Brakingheatsthebrake discsand
the brake pads/li nings,thusdrying them.
The vehicle canthen beparked.
Cle aning thepaintwork Scratc
hes,corrosive deposits,areasaffected
by corrosion anddamage causedby
inadequ atecare cannot always becompletely
repaired .Ins uch cases, visitaqualif ied
spec ialist workshop,e.g. an auth orized
Mer cedes- BenzCent er. X
Remove impurities immediately, where
possible, whilstavoiding rubbingtoohard.
X Soak insectremains withinsec tremover
and rinse offthe treat edareas afterwards.
X Soak birddroppings withwater andrinse
off the treat edareas afterwards.
X Remove coolant,brake fluid,treeresin,
oils, fuels andgreases byrubbing gently
with aclot hsoaked inpetroleum etheror
lighter fluid.
X Use tarremover toremove tarstains .
X Use silicone remover toremove wax.
! Donot affix:
R stic kers
R films
R magnet icplates orsimilar items
to painted surfaces. Youcould otherwise
damage thepaintwork .
If water nolonger forms"beads" onthe paint
surface, usethepaint careproduct s
recom mended andapproved byMercedes-
Ben z.This isthe case approximat elyevery
thr ee tofive mont hs,depending onthe
climate conditions andthecare product used.
If dirt has penet rated thepaint surface orthe
paint hasbecome dull,thepaint cleaner
recom mended andapproved byMercedes-
Ben zshould beused.
Do not use these careproducts inthe sun or
on the hood while thehood ishot.
X Use asuitable touch-up stick,e.g. MB
Touch-Up Stick,to correct smaller areasof
paint damage quicklyandprovisionally .
Matt efinish care If
your vehicle hasaclear matte finish,
observe thefollowing instructionsinorder to
avoid damage tothe paintwork dueto
incorrec tcare.
These notesalsoapply tolight alloy wheels
with aclear matte finish. 320
CareMaintenance and care

!
Never polish thevehicle orthe light alloy
wheels. Polishingcauses thefinish to
shine.
! The followi ngmay cause thepaint to
become shinyandthus reduce thematte
effect:
R Vigorous rubbingwithunsuitabl e
materials.
R Frequent useofcar washes.
R Washing thevehicle indirect sunlight.
! Never usepaint cleaner, buffingor
polishi ngproducts, orgloss preserver, e.g.
wax. These products areonly suitabl efor
high-gloss surfaces.Theiruseonvehicles
with matte finishleadsto considerable
surface damage (shiny,spotted areas).
Alway shave paintwork repairsperformed
at aqual ified speciali stworkshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
! Donot use wash programs withahot wax
treatment underanycircumstances. i
The
vehicle shouldpreferably bewashed
by hand using asoft sponge, carshampoo
and plenty ofwater. i
Use
only insect remover andcarshampoo
from therange ofrecommended and
approved Mercedes-Benz careproducts.
Cle aning thewindow s G
WARNING Before
cleaning thewindshiel dorwiper
blades, switchoff the windsh ieldwipers and
remo vethe Smar tKey fromthe ignit ionlock .
On vehic leswith KEYLE SS-GO, press the
St art/ Stop butt onrepeat edlyuntilall
indic atorlamps inthe inst rumen tcluster have
gon eout. Thewindsh ieldwipers could
oth erwise moveandinjure you.
X Clean theinside andouts ideofthe
windows withadamp clothand aclean ing
agent thatisrec omme ndedandapprov ed
by Merc edes- Benz. !
Donot use drycloths,abrasive products,
solven tsor clean ingagent scont aining
solvent sto clean theinside ofthe windows.
Do not touch theinsides ofthe windows
with hard object s,e.g. anice scraper or
ring. There isotherwise arisk ofdamaging
the windows.
! Clean thewater drainage channelsofthe
windshield andtherear window atregular
interv als.Deposits suchasleaves, petals
and pollen mayunder certain
circumst ancesprevent waterfromdraining
away .This can lead tocorrosion damage
and damage toelectron iccomponen ts.
Cleanin gthe wiper blades G
WARNING Before
cleaning thewindshield orwiper
blades, switchoffthe windshield wipersand
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock.
On vehicles withKEYLES S-GO,pressthe
Start /Stopbutton repeatedly untilall
indicator lampsinthe instrumen tcluster have
gon eout. Thewindsh ieldwipers could
oth erwise moveandinjure you.
! Donot pull thewiper blade. Otherwise,
the wiper bladecouldbedamaged.
! Donot clean wiper blades toooften and
do not rub themt oohard. Otherwise, the
graphite coatingcouldbedamaged. This
could cause wipernoise.
X Fold thewiper armsaway fromthe
windshield.
X Carefully cleanthewiper blades witha
damp cloth.
X Fold thewindshield wipersbackagain
before switching onthe ignition.
! Hold thewiper armsecurely whenfolding
back. Thewindshield couldbedamaged if
the wiper armsmacks againstitsuddenly. Care
321Maintenance and care Z

Clean
ingtheext erior ligh ting X
Clean theplast iclen ses oftheex terior
light swit hawet spon geand amild cleanin g
agen t,e.g .M ercedes- Benzcarsham pooor
cle anin gclo ths.
! Onlyuse cleanin gagen tsor cle anin g
clo thswhic hare suitable forplast iclight
len ses .Unsu itable cle ani ng agents or
cle ani ng cloths couldscra tchordama ge
the plas tic light lenses .
Cl ean ingthe sens ors X
Clea ns ensor s: ofthe driving systems
with water, carshampoo andasoft cloth.
! When cleanin gthe sensor swith apower
washer, maintainadistanc ebetween the
vehicle andthenozzleofthe power washer
of at least 11.8in (30 cm). Information
about thecorr ectdistanc eis available from
the equipment manufacturer. Cleaning
therear view camer a X
Use clear water andasoft clothto clean
camera lens:.
! Donot clean thecamera lensandthearea
around therear view camera withapower
washer.
Cleaning thetrailer towhitch The
ballcoupling mustbecleaned ifit
becomes dirtyorcorr oded.
X Remove rustonthe ball ofthe ball coupling,
e.g. with awire brush.
X Remove dirtwith aclean, lint-free clothor
a brush.
X Aft ercleanin g,lightly grease theball ofthe
ball coupling again.
X Check thatthevehicle's trailertowhitchis
workin gproperly.
! Observe thenoteon care provided bythe
trailer manufact urer. i
You
canalso have themaint enanc ework
on the ball coupling andthetrailer towhitch
carried outbyaqualified specialist
worksho p. H
Environment
alnote Dispose
ofrags soaked inoil and grease inan
enviro nmentallyrespon siblemann er. 322
CareMaintenance and care

Int
erior car e
Clean ingthedis pla y X
Be for ecle anin gth edisp lay,mak esure that
it is swit ched off and hascooled down .
X Clean thedisp laysurf ace usinga
co mm ercially- availab lemic rofiber cloth
and TFT/ LCD displaycleane r.
X Dr yth edisp laysurf ace usingadry
mic rofiber cloth.
! Forc leanin g,do not use anyofthe
followin g:
R alcoho l-basedthin ner orgasolin e
R abrasiv eclean ingagent s
R com merc ially-available household
clean ingagent s
These maydamage thedisplay surface. Do
not putpress ureonthe display surface
when cleaning.This could leadto
irrep arable damage tothe display.
Cleaning NightView Assist Plus !
Never cleanthecamer alens. When
clean ingthe field ofvision ofthe drivin g
syste ms,make surethatyoudonot spray
glass cleaneron the camer alens. Ifthe
camer alens isdirt y,visit aqualified
spec ialist workshop. G
WARN
ING Please
donot forg etthat your primar y
respo nsibilit yis to drive thevehic le.Ad river's
attention tothe road must alwaysbe his/he r
prima ryfocus whendriving.For yoursafety
and thesafety ofothers, stopbefore tryingto
remove windowfoggi ngorclea ning the
windo win front ofthe Night ViewAssist Plus
camera .
Bear inmind thatataspee dof just 30mph
(ap proxima tely50km/h), yourvehicle is
cover ingadistanc eof 44 feet (approximately
14 m)every second. X
Fold down thecamera coverbyrecess :. X
Use asoft cloth toclean thewindshield in
fron tof camera ;.
Cleaning theplast ictrim G
WARN
ING When
cleanin gthe steerin gwheel bossand
dashboard, donot use cock pitsprays or
cleanin gagents containin gsolvent s.Cleaning
agents containin gsolvent scause thesurface
to become porous,andasaresult, plastic
parts maybreak awayandbethro wnaround
the inter iorwhen anair bag isdeployed, which
may result insevere injuries.
! Donot affix thefollowing toplastic
surfaces:
R stic kers
R films
R scen tedoilbott lesorsimilar items
You canother wisedamage theplastic.
! Donot allow cosmet ics,insect repellent
or sunscr eentocome intocontact with the Care
323Maintenance and care Z

plastic
trim.This maintains thehigh-quali ty
look ofthe surfaces.
X Wipe theplastic trimwith adamp, lint-free
cloth, e.g.amicrofiber cloth.
X Heavy soiling:use carcare andcleaning
products recommen dedandapproved by
Mercedes-Ben z.
The surface maychange colortemporarily.
Wait untilthesurface isdry again.
Cleanin gthe steering wheelandgear or
selec torlever X
Thoroughly wipewithadamp clothoruse
leather careagents thathave been
recommen dedandapproved byMercedes-
Benz .
Cleanin ggenuine woodand trim
elements X
Wipe thewooden trimandtrim pieces with
a damp, lint-free cloth ,e.g. amicr ofiber
clo th.
X Hea vysoilin g: usecar care andcleani ng
pro ducts reco mmend edand appro ved by
Mer cedes-Be nz.
! Donot usesol vent-b ased cleani ngagents
su ch astar remo ver,wheelcleaner s,
polishes orwaxes. Thereisoth erwise arisk
of damagin gthe surface.
! Donot use chrome polish ontrim pieces .
The trim pieces haveachr ome lookbutare
most lymade ofanodiz edaluminum and
can lose theirshin eif chr ome polish is
used. Useadamp, lint-free clothinst ead
when cleaningthe trim pieces .
If the chrome- plated trim pieces arevery
dirt y,you can useachr ome polish. Ifyou
are unsur eas towhet herthetrim pieces
are chrome- plated ornot ,con sult an
author izedMerc edes- BenzCent er. Cleaning
theseat covers !
Donot use microf iberclothstoclean
genuine leather,artificialleather or
Alcan tara® covers.Ifused often,these can
damage thecover .
! Observe thefollowing whencleanin g:
R clean genuine leathercoverscaref ully
wit hadamp clothand then wipe the
co ver sdown withadry cloth.M ake sure
th at theleat her does notb ecome
soaked. Itmay other wisebecome rough
and crack ed.Only useleather care
agents thathave been testedand
approved byMercedes- Benz.You can
obtain thesefromaqualified specialist
worksho p,e.g. aMercedes- BenzService
cen ter.
R clean artificialleather coverswith aclot h
moisten edwith asolution containin g1%
detergen t(e.g. dish washing liquid).
R clean clothcover swith amicrof ibercloth
moisten edwith asolution containin g1%
detergen t(e.g. dish washing liquid).Rub
carefully andalway swipe entireseat
sect ions toavoid leaving visiblelines.
Leave theseat todry afterwards.
Cleaning resultsdepend onthe type of
dirt and how long ithas been there.
R clean Alcantara® coverswith adamp
clot h.Make sureyouwipe entireseat
sect ions toavoid leaving visiblelines. i
Note
thatregular careisessent ialto
ensure thattheappearance andcomf ortof
the cover sis retain edover time.
Cleaning theseat belts X
Use clean, lukewarm waterandsoap
solution.
! Donot clean theseat belts using chemic al
cleanin gagents .Donot drythe seat belts
by warming themabove 176‡(80 †)or
placing themindirect sunlight. 324
CareMaintenance and care

G
WARNING Do
not bleach ordye seat beltsas this may
severe lywea ken them. Inacrash, theymay
not beableto provid eade qua teprotection.
Cle aning theheadli nerand carpets X
Headli ner:useasoft brushor aclea ning
age ntrecommende dand approved by
Mercede s-Benztoremove heavysoil ing.
X Carpets: usethecarpe tand texti le
cle ani ng agents recomme ndedand
ap pro ved byMer cedes-B enz. Ca
re
325Maintenance and care Z

326