2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Owner's Manual

Tow
ingand tow-starti ng Impo
rtant safety notes G
WA
RNING If
yo utow thevehicle, youmu stusearig id
tow ingbarif:
R the engine isnot running.
R there isabrake system malfunction.
R there isamal function inthe pow ersup ply
or the vehicl e'selectrical system .
The pow erassi stance forthe steering andthe
brake forcebooste rdo not work when the
engine isnot running. Youwillneed more
force tosteer andbrake, youmay have to
depre ssthe brake pedalwith maximu mforce.
Before towing away,make surethatthe
steering canbemoved andisnot locked.
If you tow ortow-st artanother vehicle,its
weight mustnotexceed themaximum
permissible grossvehicle weightofyour
vehicle. G
WARNING The
vehicle isbraked whentheHOLD function
or DIS TRONIC PLUSisactivated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLDandDISTRONIC PLUSifthe
vehicle isto be towed.
It is better tohave thevehicle transported
than tohave ittowed.
! You may onlytowthevehicle amaximum
distance of30 miles (50km). Atowing
speed of30 mph (50km/ h)must notbe
exceeded.
For towing distances over30miles
(50 km), thevehicle mustloaded ontoa
trans porter.
! Make surethattheelectric parking brake
is released. Ifthe electric parking brakeis
faulty, visitaquali fiedspecialist workshop.
! Only secure thetow rope ortow baratthe
towing eyes.Otherwise, thevehicle could
be damaged. !
Donot use thetowing eyeforrecovery,
as this could damage thevehicle. Ifin
doubt, recover thevehicle withacrane.
! When towing, pullaway slowly and
smoothly. Ifthe tract ivepower istoo high,
the vehicles couldbedamaged.
! Donot tow with sling-t ypeequipment.
This could damage thevehicle.
! When towing vehicles withKEYLE SS-GO,
use thekey instead ofthe Start /Stop
button .Othe rwise, the automa tic
tra nsmi ssion mayshi ftto positio nP wh en
the driver 'sor fro nt-pa ssenge rdo or are
op ene d,wh ich cou ldlead todama getothe
tra nsmi ssion.
! Vehicle swi th diffe renti allocks: make
su re tha tthe differential locksarein
automatic mode.Whentowing, the
differential locksmustnotbeswitched on
by hand. Thiscould otherwise damagethe
transmission.
If the vehicle hassuffered transmission
damage, haveittransport edon atransport er
or trailer.
The automatic transmission mustbein
position Nwhen thevehicle isbeing towed.
The battery mustbeconn ected andcharged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turntheSmartK eytoposition 2in
the ignition lock
R cannot shifttheautomatic transmission to
position N i
Before
thevehicle istowed, switchoffthe
automatic lockingfeature(Ypage 235).
You could otherwise belocked outwhen
pushing ortowing thevehicle. Installing/
removingthetowing eye
Installing thetowing eye Vehicles
withatrailer towhitch: ifpossible,
secure thetowing deviceonthe trailer tow
hitch (Ypage 210). Towing
andtow-star ting
343Breakdown assistance Z

X
Remo vetheto win geye require dfor fron tal
or rear couplin gfrom theveh icleto ol kit
(Y page 328).
The moun ting sfor therem ovabletowin geyes
are locate din thebump ers.They areatthe
front andatthe rear, under thecovers. i
Observe
theidentification labelson the
towing eyesandtheinformation panelson
using thetowing eyeswiththevehicle. The
towing eyesmust beinstalled inthe correct
positions. Installthe longer towing eyeat
the front ofthe vehicle andtheshorter
towing eyeatthe back. X
To open thecover atthe front: press
cover :inwards inthe direction ofthe
arrow atthe marking.
X To open thecover atthe rear: insert a
flat, blunt object intothecutout andlever
off cover ;from thebumper.
X Take cover :or; offthe opening.
X Screw thetowing eyeinclockwise tothe
stop andtighten it.
Removing thetowing eye X
Loosen thetowing eyeand unscrew it.
X Att ach cover :or; tothe bumper and
press untilitengages.
X Place thetowing eyeinthe vehicle toolkit. Towing
avehicle withboth axles on
th egrou nd
When havingyour vehicletowed, obser vethe
impor tantsafe tyno tes(Y page 343). G
WAR
NING The
power assistancefor thest eerin gand the
brak efor ce boos terdonot work when the
eng ineisnot running.You willthen nee d
muc hmor eeff ort tobrak eand steer the
veh icle.Adapt yourstyle ofdriving
accor dingly.
The automatic transmission automatic ally
shift sto position Pwhen youopen thedriver's
or fron t-passenger doororwhen youremov e
the Smart Keyfrom theignit ionlock .In order
to ensure thattheautomatic transmission
stays inposition Nwhen towing thevehicle,
you must observe thefollowing points:
X Make surethatthevehicle isstat ionary and
the Smart Keyinthe ignit ionlock isin
position 0.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 2in the
ignit ionlock .
On vehicles withKEYL ESS-GO, usethekey
inst ead ofthe Start/ Stop butto n
(Y page 139).
X Depres sand hold thebrake pedal.
X Shift theautomatic transmission to
position N.
X Release thebrake pedal.
X Release theelect ricparkin gbrake.
X Switc hon the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 111).
X Leave theSmart Keyinposition 2in the
ignit ionlock . i
When
towing withthehazard warning
lamps switchedon, use thecombin ation
switch asusual tosignal achang eof
direct ion.Inthis case, onlytheturn signals
for the desired directionflash. When the
combin ationswitch isreset ,the hazard
warning lampsstartflashing again. 344
Towing
andtow-st artingBreakdown assistance

Trans
portingthe vehic le
The towingeyes ortra iler tow hitch can be
us ed topullthe vehicleonto atra iler or
tra nsp orte rif yo uwi sh totra nsp ortit.
X Tu rn the Sma rtKeyto positio n2 in the
ig niti onlock.
X Shi ftthe automa tictransmi ssion to
po sitio nN.
As soon asthe vehic leisloade d:
X Pre vent thevehiclefro mr olling awayby
apply ingthe electric parking brake.
X Shift theautomatic transmission to
position P.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 0in the
ignition lockandremove theSmart Key
from theignition lock.
X Secure thevehicle.
! Only lashthevehicle downbythe wheels
or wheel rims,notbyparts ofthe vehicle
such asaxle orsteerin gcompon ents.
Otherwise, thevehicle couldbedamaged. Notes
for4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with4MATIC mustnotbetowed
with either thefront orthe rear axle raised,
as doing sowill damage thetrans mission.
If the vehicle hastrans mission damage or
damage tothe front orrear axle, have it
trans ported onatrans porter ortrailer.
In the event ofdam agetothe electrical
system
If the battery isdefectiv e,the automatic
trans mission willbelocked inposition P.To
shift theautomatic transmission toposition
N, you must provide powertothe vehicle's
electric alsystem inthe same wayaswhen
jump-st arting(Ypage 341).
Have thevehicle transported onatrans porter
or trailer. Recovering
avehicle that ha sbecome
stu ck
! Pull away smoothly, slowly, andina
st raigh tline when pulling outavehic lethat
has beco mestuck .Ex cess ivetract ive
power coulddamage thevehic les.
If the drive wheels havebecomestuck in
loose ormuddy ground,pull thevehic leout
with extreme caution,particularly ifit is
laden.
Neve rattemp ttorecover astuck vehicle with
a trailer attached.
Pull outthevehicle backwards, ifpossible
using thetrack sit made whenitbecame
stuck . Tow-star
ting(emergency starting)
! Vehicles withautomatic transmission
must notbestart edbytow-st arting. This
could otherwise damagethetrans mission. Fuses
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G Only
usefuses thathave been approved for
Mercedes-B enzvehicles andthat have the
correc tfuse rating forthe systems
conc erned. Donot attempt torepair orbridge
faulty fuses. Usingfusesthathave notbeen
approved orattempt ingtorepair orbridge
faulty fusescould cause thefuse tobe
overloaded andresult inaf ire. Have thecause
tr aced andrectified ataqualified specialist
work shop.
The fuses inyour vehic leserv eto clos edown
faulty circuits. Ifaf use blows ,all the
co mpo nentson thecir cuit andtheir fun ction s
st op oper ating.
Blo wn fuse smust berep lace dwithfuses of
the same rating, which youcan recogn izeby Fuses
345Breakdown assistance Z

the
colorand value. Th efuse rating sare listed
in thefuse allocation chart .
If ane wly inserted fuse alsoblows ,have the
caus etrace dand rectified ataqualif ied
spec ialist workshop,e.g. an auth orized
Mer cedes- BenzCent er.
! Only usefuses thathave been approved
for Mercedes- Benzvehicles andwhich
have thecorr ectfuse ratingfor the system
con cern ed.For thefuse boxes inthe engin e
compart mentandunder therear bench
seat, onlyusefuses withthesuffix "S".
Other wise, compon entsor systems could
be damaged. Befor
echanging afuse
X Park thevehicle andapply theelectr ic
parkin gbrake.
X Switc hoff allelectr icalconsumers.
X Remove theSmart Keyfrom theignition
lock.
The fuses arelocated invarious fuseboxes:
R fuse boxonthe fron t-passenger sideofthe
dashboard
R fuse boxinthe engin ecompart mentonthe
right- hand sideofthe vehicle, whenviewed
in the direct ionoftravel
R fuse boxunder therear bench seat
The fuse allocation chartislocated inthe fuse
box under therear bench seat(Ypage 347). Dashboar
dfuse box
! Donot use apoint edobjec tsuch asa
sc rewd river to open theco ver inthe
dash board.You could damag eth e
dash boardor theco ver . X
To open :pull cover :outwards inthe
dire ction ofthearr ow and remove it.
X To close: clipin co ver :atthef ront ofthe
das hboa rd.
X Fold cover :inwa rdsuntil itengag es. Fuse
boxinthe enginecompart ment
X Open thehood (Ypag e312). X
Remo veany existing moisturefrom the
fuse boxusing adry cloth.
X To open :open clamp s;.
X Fold cover :upw ards inthe direction of
the arrow andremove it.
! Make surethatnomoistu recan enter the
fuse boxwhen thecover isopen.
X To clo se: check whethe rthe seal islying
correct lyin cover :.
X Insert cover:into theretainers atthe side
of the fuse box.
X Fold down cover :and close clamps ;. 346
FusesBreakdown assistance

!
The cover mustbepositioned properly.
Moisture ordirt could otherwise impairthe
operation ofthe fuses.
X Close thehood (Ypage 313). Fuse
boxunder therear bench seat
X Fold theright-hand rearbench seatforward
(Y page 287). X
To open: liftand fold back carpet :inthe
direction ofthe arrow. X
Relea seclamps ;bypressing theminthe
direction ofthe arrow.
X Fold cover =upinthe direction ofthe
arrow andremove it. i
The
fuse allocation chartislocated under
cover =.
! Make surethatnomoisture canenter the
fuse boxwhen thecover isopen. X
To close :insert cover=atthe side ofthe
fuse boxinto theretainers.
X Fold down cover =until clamps ;engage
audi bly.
X Fold theright-hand rearbench seatback.
(Y page 287). Fuses
347Breakdown assistance Z

348

Useful
information........ .......... .......... 350
Impor tantsafet ynotes .................... 350
Opera tion........................... ......... ....... 350
Winter operation............................... 352
Tir epr essure ..................................... 353
Loading thevehicle .......................... 362
Maxim umload rating ....................... 365
Uniform TireQualit yGra ding
Sta ndar ds.......................................... 366
Tir elabeling .................................... ... 367
Definition ofter ms fortires and
loading ............................................... 371
Changing awhee l............................. 374
Wheel andtirecombinat ions........... 375 349Wheels and tires

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). Impor
tant safet ynotes Consult
anauthoriz edMerc edes-B enzCent er
if you require information onapproved and
recom mende dtires andwheels forsummer
and winteroperation .Advice onpurchasin g
and carin gfor tires isalso available there. G
WARN
ING Replace
rimsortires withthesame
designat ion,manufac turerandtype asshown
on the original part.Forfurther infor mation
con tact anauthoriz edMerced es-BenzCente r.
If inco rrectlysized rimsandtires are
mount ed,the wheel brakes orsuspension
compon entscan bedamaged. Also,the
operatin gclearanc eof the wheels andthe
tires maynolonger becorr ect. G
WARN
ING Worn
,old tires cancause acciden ts.Ifthe tire
tread isworn tominimum treaddepth, orif
the tires have sustaine ddamage, replace
them .
When replacin grims, onlyusegenuine
Mercede s-Benz wheel boltsspecified forthe
partic ularrimtype. Failure todo socan result
in the bolts loosenin gand possibly an
acciden t.
Retreaded tiresarenot testedor
recom mended byMercede s-Benz ,sinc e
previous damagecannotalways be recog
nized on retr eads. Theoperatin gsafety
of the vehicle cannotbe assured whensuch
tires areused. G
WARN
ING If
you feel asudden significantvibration or
ride disturban ce,oryou suspect thatpossible
damage toyour vehicle hasoccurred, you
should turnonthe hazard warning flashers,
carefully slowdown, anddrive withcaution to
an area which isasafe distan cefrom theroad.
Inspe ctthe tires andthevehicle underbody
for possible damage. Ifthe vehicle appears
unsafe, havethevehicle towedtothe nearest
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente ror tire
dealer forrepairs. G
WARN
ING Do
not drive withaflat tire. Aflat tire affect s
the ability tosteer orbrake thevehicle. You
might losecontrolof the vehicle. Continued
drivin gwith aflat tire ordrivin gat high speed
with aflat tire willcause excessive heatbuild-
up and possibly afire. i
Furt
herinfor mation aboutTiresand
wheels canbeobtained fromany
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente r. Oper
ation Not
eson driving
R Ifthe vehicle isheavily laden,checkthe tire
pressures andcorrect themifnecessary.
R When parking yourvehicle, makesurethat
the tires donot getdeformed bythe curb
or other obstacles. Ifit is necessary todrive
over curbs, speedhumps orsimilar
elevations, trytodo soslowly andatan
obtuse angle.Otherwise, thetires,
particularly thesidewa lls,can get
damaged. 350
Operat
ionWheels and tires