2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ecu

X
Start theengi ne.
Spo rtstuni ng
The firmer suspe nsio ntunin ginS port mode
ensures evenbettercon tact with theroad.
Select thismode whenemploying asport y
drivin gstyle, e.g.onwinding countryroads.
X Press button:.
Indic atorlamp ;lights up.Sport s
suspension tuningis select ed.The vehicle
is lowered by0.6 in(15 mm).
Comfor ttuning
In Comfort mode,thedrivin gcharac teristics
of your vehicle aremore comfortable. Select
this mode ifyou favor amore comfor table
driving style,butalso when driving faston
straight roads,e.g.freeways.
X Press button :.
Indicat orlamp =lights up.Comfort tuning
is selected. Thevehicle israised by
0.6 in(15 mm).
Active CurveSystem The
Active Curve System usesactive
stabilizers tooptimize bothdriving comfort
and vehicle agility.Dependin gon the ADS
mode selected (Ypage 180), theActiveCurve
System alsochanges thesetting.
If you select ADScomfor tmode:
R rolling movemen tisreduced inthe event of
changing surfaceundulations
R the rollangle whencornering isreduced
R the driving styleisagile If
you select ADSsport mode:
R the rollangle isreduced significantly
R the driving styleiseven more agile
Leve lcontrol Importa
ntsafety notes
Level controladap tsthe vehicle level
automaticall yto the current operating and
driving situation. Thisresults inreduced fuel
consumption andimproved handling.
If you select ADScomfort mode
(Y page 180), thevehicle islowered tohigh-
speed levelasthe speed increases. Asthe
vehicle decelerates, thevehicle israised back
up tohighwa ylevel.
If you select ADSsport mode (Ypage 180),
the vehicle skipshighwa ylevel andlowers
directly tohigh-speed leveldepending onthe
basic setting (Ypage 182).
Make changes tothe vehicle levelwhile the
vehicle isin motion. Thisenables thevehicle
to adjust tothe new level asquickly as
possible .
The vehicle levelmaychange visiblyifyou
park thevehicle andtheoutside temperature
changes. Ifthe temperature drops,the
vehicle levelislower; withanincrease in
temperature, thevehicle levelrises.
If you unlock thevehicle oropen adoor, the
vehicle beginstocompensate forload
discrepancies whilestillparked. However, for
significant levelchanges, suchasafter the
vehicle hasbeen stationary foralong period,
the engine mustbeon. For safety reasons,
the vehicle isonly lowered whenthedoors are
closed. Lowering isinterrupted ifadoor is
opened, anditcont inues oncethedoor has
been closed. G
WARNING Make
surenoone isnear thewheel housing
or under thevehicle whenyoulower the
vehicle whileitis standing still.Limbs could
become wedgedintoorunder thevehicle. Driving
systems
181Driving and parking
Z

ATT
ENTI ONASSIST asses ses your level of
fa tig ue orlaps es inconce ntrationb yta king
th efo llowi ngcriteri ainto acc oun t:
R your person aldri vin gst yle, e.g. steer ing
ch arac teris tics
R dri vin gco nd ition s,e.g. time, drivin gtime
The function alit yof ATTENTI ON ASSIST is
res trict ed and warn ings may bedelaye dor
no toc cur atall:
R ifth ero ad cond ition ispoo r,e.g. ifth e
sur faceis une ven orifth ere arepotholes
R ifth ere isast ro ng side wind
R ifyou haveadop tedaspo rty dri vin gst yle
wit hhig hco rneri ng spe eds orhig hrat es of
acc eler ation
R ifyou predom inant lydri ve atspe eds under
50 mph (80km/h)or over 11 2mph
(18 0km /h)
R ifyou arecurren tly usin gCOMA NDor
mak ing ate leph onecal lwit hit
R ifthe timehas been setincorrect ly
R in act ive drivin gsit uation s,such aswhen
you chan gelanes orchan geyour speed
War ning anddisplaymessa gesinthe
mu ltifunct iondisp lay X
Ac tivate ATTENTION ASSIS Tusing theon-
board computer (Ypage 232).
Symbo l: appears inthe mult ifunc tion
display.
If ATT ENTION ASSIS Tis act ive, you willbe
warne dno soon erthan 20min utes afteryour
jour ney hasbegun. Youwillthenhear an
int ermit tentwarning tonetwice, andthe Att
ention Assist:Dro wsiness Det
ected mess
ageappears inthe
mult ifunction display. X
Ifnec essar y,tak eabreak .
X Pres sa or% tocon firm the
mess age.
On longjo urn eys, takeregular breaksin good
tim eto allow yourse lfto rest prop erly. Ifyou
do not takeabreak andATTENTION ASSIST
st ill det ectstypic alindi cators offat igue or
inc reasin glapses incon centratio n,you willbe
warn edagain after15 min utes attheearlies t.
ATT ENTION ASSIST isrese twhen you
con tinue your journ eyand start sasses sing
your tiredn ess again if:
R you switchoff theeng ine.
R you takeoff your seatbeltandopen the
driv er's door ,e.g .for achange ofdrivers or
to take abreak. Night
ViewAssist Plus
Import antsafety notes In
addition tothe illumination providedbythe
normal headlamps, NightViewAssist Plus
uses infrared lighttoilluminate theroad. The
Night ViewAssist Pluscamera picksupthe
infrared lightanddisplay sag ray scale image
in COMAND. Theimag edisp layed in
COMAND correspondstoaroad litup byhigh -
bea mheadlamps. Thisenables youtosee the
road's course andanyobstac lesingood time.
If pedestrian recognitionisactiv ated,
pedestrian srecogn izedbythe system are
highlighted inthe Night ViewAssist Plus
display. G
WARN
ING Night
ViewAssist Plusisonly anaid designed
to assist driving. Itis not asubstit utefor
atten tivedriving. Donot rely solely onthe
Night ViewAssist Plusdisplay. Continueto
look through thewindshield. Youare
respon sibleforsafety andmust drivein
accor dance withtrafficcon ditions .You could
otherwise putyourself andothers indanger. Driving
systems
195Driving and parking
Z

Cha
nging theset speed When
DSRis act ivat ed, theset spee dcan be
ch ang edtoavalue between 1mphand
10 mph (Canada: between2km/ hand
18 km/ h)during thejourn ey. X
To increase ordecreas ethe setspeed
in 1mp h(Canada :1k m/h )
in cre men ts:pre ssthe cruise contr ollever
to the point ofres istanc ebri efly
up wa rds :for ahi gh er sets peed orbriefly
downwards ;for alower setspeed.
The setspeed appears inmultifun ction
display ?and isshown instat usindicat or
=. i
The
setspeed alsochang esin1m ph
(Canada: 1km/ h)incr ement sif you press
the controllever beyond thepoint of
resist ance. Tr
ailer towing Not
eson towing atrail er
Imp orta ntsaf ety notes G
WA
RNI NG Wh
entow ingatra iler, inco rrectequipme nt
and driving stylecou ldcauseyo uto lose
contr olof the vehicle.
To wing inco rrectly ornot observi ng this
Op era tor' sMa nua lcou ldlead todama geto
the vehicleand /or seriou sinju ries .O bserve
the following guidelines toensure safetrailer
towing . Contac
ta Mercedes -BenzCenter ifyou need
furt her explanat ionofthe infor mation
con tained inthis Operator 'sManual. G
WARN
ING Using
aball coupling otherthantheone
delivered withthevehicle mayplace toomuch
str ain onthe trailer towhitch.This applies
especially ifthe ball coupling inquestion is
longer orangled differen tly.Asaresult, the
vehicle maybedamaged andthetrailer may
come loosewhiledriving .Handl ing
ch arac terist ics may beimpair edand therear
axle may beove rload ed.This couldlead toan
acc iden twith serious oreven fatalinj uries.
There fore,please observethe followin g:
R only installthe ball couplin gdelivered with
the vehicle.
R make surethattheball coupling iscorr ectly
inst alled andsecured beforedriving.
R do not make anymodificat ionstothe ball
coupling orthe trailer towhitch . G
WARN
ING When
backin gup the vehicle towards the
trailer, makesurethere isnobody between
the trailer andthevehicle.
Couple anduncouple thetrailer carefully. If
you donot couple thetrailer tothe towing
vehicle correctly,the trailer couldbecome
detached.
Make surethatthefollowing valuesarenot
exceeded:
R the permissible trailerdrawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailerload
R the permissible rearaxle load ofthe towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible grossvehicle
weight ofboth thetowing vehicle andthe
trailer
You willfind theapplicable permissible
values, whichmustnotbeexceeded, inthe
vehicle documen ts. 210
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

Hole
inthe ballcoup lingand ballcoup lingreces s
X Insert theballcoup ling hori zontall yinto ball
coup ling reces s? inthe direction ofthe
arro w,until theholein ba llcoup ling A and
the holein ba llcoup ling reces sB align. Bolt
X
Slid ebol tC allthe wayinto theholein the
ba llcoup ling reces sand theballcoup ling. Bolt
andspringcotter
X Secure theboltusing spring cotterD. Correctly
installedandsecured ballcoupling
X Check theball coupling, boltandspring
cott erfor correct installation. G
WARNING If
the ball coupling isnot correct lyinstalled
and secured, theball coupling andthetrailer
could come loose. Asaresult, youcould
cause anaccident.
Therefore, pleaseobserve thefollowi ng:
R Make surethattheball coupling issecured
with thebolt suppli edand the
corresponding springcotter.
R Ifthe ball coupling cannotbecorrect ly
mounted, removetheball coupling. Under
these circumstanc es,the ball coupling
must notbeused fortrailer towing.
Have theentire trailer towhitch checked ata
qual ified speciali stworkshop. Coupling
upatra iler G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:While
you arecoupling ordecoupli ngatrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/o rothe rsas a
res ult.
Ma kesure tha tyou do not operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer. Tr
ailer towing
215Driving and parking Z

brake
usingthebrake controller, andchec k
the brakes forcorr ectfunc tion.
R Sec ureany objec tson the trailer topreven t
the cargo fromslipping whenthevehicle is
in mot ion.
R Ifyou couple upatrailer, regularly check
the cargo forsecure fasteningand make
sure thatthetrailer lamps and(if
applicable) thetrailer brakes are
func tioningcorr ectly.
R Bear inmind thatthehandling willbeless
stable whentowingatrailer thanwhen
drivin gwithout one.Avoid sudden steering
movem ents.
R The vehicle/ trailercombin ationisheavier,
acceler atesmore slowly, hasadecreased
gradient climbingcapability andalonger
brakin gdistan ce.
It is more suscept ibletoside winds and
requires morecareful steering.
R Ifpossible, avoidabrupt braking.Depres s
the brake pedalmoderat elyatfirst ,so that
the trailer canactiv ateitsown brakes. Then
incr ease thepressure onthe brake pedal.
R Ifthe automatic transmission continues to
shift back andforthbetween twogears
when drivingup ordownhill, restrict the
shift range. Selectshiftrange 4,3,2,or 1.
Al ower gearandlower speed reduce the
risk ofengine failure.
R On long andsteep gradients thatare
difficult todrive down inshift range 1,
switch tothe off-road program orengage
the LOW GEAR off-road gear.
R When driving downhill, shifttoalower gear
to utilize theengine's brakingeffect.
Avoid continuous brakeapplication asthis
may overheat thevehicle brakesand,if
installed, thetrailer brakes.
R Ifthe coolant temperat ureincreases
dramatically whiletheair-con ditioning
system isswitched on,switch offthe air-
condit ioning system.
Coolant heatcanadditionally bedissipated
by opening thewindows andbysett ingthe blower
fanand theinterior temperat ureto
maximum.
R When overtak ing,payparticular attention
to the exten dedlength ofyour vehicle/
trailer combinat ion.
Due tothe length ofyour vehicle/t railer
combinat ion,youwillhave totravel an
additional distancebeyondthevehicle you
are overtak ingbefore returningtothe
previous lane. Deco
upling atrail er G
WA
RNI NG Ve
hicle swi th airs uspen sionprogram :While
you arecoupling ordecoupling atrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/orothersasa
result.
Make surethatyoudonot operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer.
! Donot disconnec ta trailer withan
engaged overrunbrake.Otherwise, your
vehicle couldbedamaged bythe
rebounding ofthe overrun brake.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Apply thetrailer's parkingbrake. G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:As
soon asyou disconnec tthe electrical
conn ection between thetrailer andthe
vehicle, thevehicle willlower. Tohelp avoid
personal injury,makesurenoone isnear the
wheel housing orunderneath thevehicle
before theelectrical connection is
disconnec ted. Tr
ailer towing
217Driving and parking
Z

When
youdecouple thetrailer, thevehicle is
tempor arilyraised because thesprings are
relieved ofload. Beespecially carefulduring
this process, asyou could otherwise injure
yourself and/orothers.Make sure that any
pers onsrem ainin gin theveh icle donotp ress
the switches forvehicl elevel control orthe
ADS.
X Remo vethe trail ercabl eand decou plethe
trail er.
X Switch offthe engine. Permissi
bletrailer loadsanddrawbar
nos eweig hts
Weig htspec ifications The
gross trailerwei ght iscalcu lated by
add ingthe weight ofthe trail erto the weight
of the loadand equipme nton the trail er.
Maximu mgross vehicl ewei ght: 17
.
The maximu mpermissible trailerdrawbar
noseweight isthe maximum weightwith
which thetrailer drawbar canbeloaded: 17
Threshold forMercedes- Benzapproved
trailer towhitches.
Loading atrail er R
Wh enload ing the trailer, makesure tha t
nei the rthe permissible grossweight ofthe
trailer northegross vehicle weightare
exceeded. Thepermissible grossvehicle
weight isindicated onthe identification
plate onthe B-pillar onthe driver's sideof
the vehicle.
You canfind themaximum permissible
values onthe type plates ofyour vehicle
and thetrailer. Always observe thelowest
respective valuewhen determining the
maximum weightwithwhich youcan load
the vehicle andthetrailer.
R The trailer drawba rload onthe ball coupling
must beadded tothe rear axle load toavoid exceeding
thepermissible grossaxle
weight. Thepermissible grossvehicle
weight isindicated onthe identificat ion
plate onthe B-pillar onthe driver's sideof
the vehicle. i
Mercedes-B
enzrecomm endsloading the
trailer sothat thedrawbar noseweight
remains between 8%and 15% ofthe
permissible grosstrailer weight. i
The
weight ofadditional accessories,
passengers, andcargo reduces the
permissible trailerloadanddrawbar
noseweight foryour vehicle.
Checking thevehicle andtrailer weight R
To check thattheweights ofthe towing
vehicle andthetrailer comply withthe
maximum permissible values,havethe
vehicle/t railercombinat ion(including the
driver, passengers, andcargo withafully
laden trailer) weighed onacalibrated
weighbridge.
R Check thegross axleweight ratingofthe
front andrear axles, thegross weight ofthe
trailer andtrailer drawbar noseweight. Removing
theball coupling
X Remove thespring cotter.
X Remove thebolt from theball coupling
recess.
X Remove theball coupling fromtheball
coupling recess.
X Clean theball coupling ifit is dirty.
Infor mation oncleaning andcare ofthe trailer
tow hitch canbefound at(Y page 322). Storing
theball coupling G
WARNIN
G Do
not carry theball coupling inthe vehicle
interior ifit is not secured.
17 Missing valueswerenotavailabl eattime ofgoing toprin t. 218
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions F(U
SA
on ly)!(Can ada
on ly) Par
kingBra keSee Ope
rator'sMan ual The
yello w! warning lamp lightsup.
The electric park ing brak eis malf unction ing.
To apply:
X Swi tchof fth eign ition .
X Pre sstheelec tric park ingb rake handl efor atlea st10 seconds.
X Shift thetransmissi ontoP.
X Consu ltaqua lified speci alist workshop . The
yellow ! warning lampandthered F (USA
only )/! (Canada only)indica torlamp light up.
The electric parking brakeismalfu nctioning.
To rele ase:
X Switch offthe ignitio nand turn itback on.
X Rel ease theelectric parking brakemanua lly.
or
X Rel ease theelectric parking brakeautomatical ly(Y pag e156).
If the yellow ! warning lampremai nslitor continues toflas h:
X Do not drive on.
X Consu ltaqua lified speci alist workshop . The
redF (USAonly)/! (Canada only)indica torlamp
flas hes and theyellow ! warning lamplights up.
The electric parking brakeismalfu nctioning.
To rele ase:
X Switch offthe ignitio nand turn itback on.
X Rel ease theelectric parking brakemanua lly.
To apply:
X Switch offthe ignitio nand turn itback on.
X Apply theelectric parking brakemanua lly.
If the red
F (USA
only)/
! (Ca
nada only)indica torlamp
continues toflas h:
X Do not drive on.
X Secure thevehicl eaga inst rolling away (Ypag e334).
X Shift thetransmissi ontoP.
X Turn thefront wheelstoward sthe curb.
X Consu ltaqua lified speci alist workshop . 242
Di
splay messag esOn-board computer and displays

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions PRE
-SAFE Fun
ctions Limited See
Operator's Man
ual G
Ri
sk ofacci dent PRE
-SAF E®
Br ake isdef ective. BASPLU Sor thed istanc ewarning
sign almay alsohave failed.
X Visi taqu alified specialist workshop. 6
SRS
Malfun ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y There
isamalfunc tioninthe SRS (Supplemen talRestrain t
Syst em). The6 warning lampalsolights upinthe instrument
cluster .
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Front
LeftSRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed or
Front
Right Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y SRS
hasmalfunc tionedatthe fron ton the left orright .The 6
warning lampalsolights upinthe instrument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Rear
LeftSRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed or
Rear
Right SRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y SRS
hasmalfunc tionedatthe rear onthe left orright .The 6
warning lampalsolights upinthe instrument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Rear
Center SRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y SRS
hasmalfunc tionedatthe rear center. The 6 warning lamp
also lights upinthe instrument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Left
SideCurtai n Airbag Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed or
Right Side Curtai
n Airbag Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y There
isamalfunc tioninthe left- hand and/or right-handwindow
curt ainairbag. The6 warning lampalsolights upinthe
inst rument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 246
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays