2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ignition

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

X
App lythe electri cpark ing brak e.
X Sh ift thetrans mis sion toposi tionP.
Using theSm artKey X
Turn theSm artKey toposi tion0 inthe
ign ition lockand remove it.
The imm obiliz erisact ivat ed. i
If
you turnoff theen gin ewit hth e
Sm artKey and then rem ove itfrom the
ign ition lockor open afron tdoor ,th e
auto matictrans mis sion shiftsto P
auto maticall y.
Using KEYLESS- GO X
Pre sstheSt art /S topbut ton( Ypage 139).
The engin estops andallthe indicat or
lamps inthe instrument clustergoout. i
If
you usetheStart/ Stop butt ontoswitc h
off the engin e,the automatic transmission
shift sto Nautomatic ally.Ifyou then open
one ofthe fron tdoors, theautomatic
trans mission shiftstoP. i
In
an emergenc y,the engine canbe
turned offwhile thevehicle isin motion by
pressing andholding theStart /Stopbutton
for three seconds. Elec
tric par king brake
General information i
The
electric parking brakeperforms a
funct iontest atregular intervalswhile the
engine isswitched off.The sounds thatcan
be heard whilethisisoccurrin gare normal. G
WARNIN
G When
leaving thevehicle, alwaysremove the
Smart Keyfrom thestart erswitch, takeitwith
you, andlock thevehicle. Donot leave
children unattendedinthe vehicle, orwith
access toan unlocked vehicle.Children could
release theparking brakeand/or shiftthe
automatic transmission outofpark position P,
either ofwhich couldresult inan accident
and/or serious personal injury. Applying/releasing
manually X
To app ly:press handle :.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster lightsup. i
The
electric parking brakecanalso be
applied whentheSmart Keyisremoved.
X To release: pullhandle :.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster goesout. i
The
electric parking brakecannotbe
released unlesstheSmart Keyisin position
1 in the ignition lockorthe ignition has
been switched onusing theStart /Stop
button .
To ensure thatyoudon't rollbackwards when
pulling awayonanuphill slope, engage the
electric parking brake(Ypage 141).
Applying automat ically Your
vehicle's electricparking brakeis
automatically appliedifDIS TRONIC PLUSor
the HOLD functionbring thevehicle toa
standst ill,orare engaged tokeep thevehicle
station ary.Inaddition, atleast oneofthe
following conditionsmust befulfilled: 156
Par
kingDriving and parking

i
If
depres singthebrake pedalthe first
time does notactivate theHOLD function,
wait briefly andthen tryagain. G
WARNING The
vehicle's brakesareappli edwhen the
HOLD functionisactivated. Forthis reason,
deactivate theHOLD functionifthe vehicle is
to be set inmotion byother means (e.g.ina
car wash orby towing).
Deactivating theHOLD function The
HOLD functionisdeactivated
automatically if:
R you accelerate andthetransmission isin
position Dor R.
R the transmission isin position P.
R you apply thebrakes againwithacertain
amount ofpressure until HOLD disappe
ars
from themultifunction display.
R you secure thevehicle usingtheelectric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS. i
Aft
eratime, theelectric parking brake
secures thevehicle andrelieves theservice
brake. G
WARNING Never
getout ofthe vehicle whentheHOLD
funct ionisactivated.
The HOLD functionmust never beoperated
or deactivated byapassenger orfrom outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD functiondoes notreplace the
electric parking brakeandmust notbeused
for parking.
The braking effectofthe HOLD functionis
canceled andthevehicle couldrollaway if:
R the HOLD functionisdeactivated by
depressing theaccelerator pedalorthe
brake pedal.
R there isamalfunction inthe system oran
interruption inthe power supply,e.g.
battery failure. R
the electrical systeminthe engine
compartmen t,the battery orthe fuses are
tampered with.
R the battery isdisconnec ted.
The electric parking brakeautomatically
secures thevehicle ifthe HOLD functionis
activated and:
R the driver's doorisopen andthedriver's
seat beltisunfastened.
R the engine isswitched off.
R asystem malfunction occurs.
R the power supply isnot sufficient.
On steep uphillordownhill inclinesorifthere
is amalfunction, thetransmission mayalso
automatically beshifted intoposition P. AIRMATIC
package
General notes AIRMATIC
enablesasuspension tuning
settin gto be selected andregulates the
damping behaviorandlevel ofyour vehicle.
The system comprises aminimum oftwo
componen ts:ADS (Adaptive Damping
System) (Ypage 180)andlevel control
(Y page 181). Yourvehicle mayalsobe
equipp edwith theActive Curve System
(Y page 181).
Observe thenotes ondriving withatrailer
(Y page 210).
ADS (Adaptive DampingSystem) General
notes
ADS adapts thedamping characterist icsto
the current operating anddriving situation.
This depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface condition s
R the ADS settin g
R the vehicle levelsettin g
Your selection remainsstoredevenifyou
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock. 180
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

For
safety reasons, thevehi clecan only be
low ered with alldoo rsand thetailga teclos ed.
Low ering isinterru ptedifadoo rorthe tailgate
is opened andwillcont inue after thedoor is
closed again.
! When driving onextrem elyrough terrain,
select ahigh vehicle levelingood time.
Make surethatthere isalwa yssufficient
ground clearance toprevent damage tothe
vehicle.
! Remove thekey from theignition before
raising oneormore wheels withthe
appropria teequipment.
For information aboutdriving off-road, see
(Y page 162).
Basic settings
The exten ttowhich thevehicle israised or
lowered depends onthe basic setting
selected. Selectraisedlevelforoff-road
driving orhighway /high-speed levelfor
normal roads.
The individual vehiclelevelsdifferfrom
highway levelasfollows:
R +/- 0in (+/- 0mm) atthe highway level
R –0.6 in(–15 mm)atthe high-speed level
R +2. 3in (+ 60 mm) atthe raised level
Raised level
Only select raised levelwhen thisis
appropriate forthe road condit ions.
Otherwise, fuelconsumpt ionmay increase
and handling maybeaffect ed. X
Start theengine. If
indicator lamp;isnot lit:
X Press button :.
Indicat orlamp ;flashes. Thevehicle rises
to raised level.
While theadjustmen tistaking place,a
message appearsinthe multifunction
displa y,e.g.: If
you press the% ora button onthe
multifunction steeringwheel,themessage
will disapp ear.
Once thevehicle hasreached raisedlevel,
indicator lamp;remains lit.The Vehicle
Rising message
disappearsfrom the
multifunction display.
If you attempt toselect theraised levelata
speed ofover 40mph (64km/h), the Drive
More
Slowly message
appearsinthe
multifunction display.
Highway/high-speed level
! Make surethatthere isenough ground
clearance whenthevehicle isbeing
lowered. Itcould otherwise hitthe ground,
damagi ngthe underbody . X
Start theengine. 182
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

If
indicator lamp;islit:
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp;flash es.The vehicle is
adjus tingtohighw ay/high-spee dlevel .
Whil ethe adjus tment istaking place, a
messag eapp ears inthe multifu nction
disp lay,e.g.: If
you press the% ora button onthe
multifu nctionsteering wheel,the messag e
wil ldisa ppea r.
Once highw aylevel hasbeen reached ,
indicator lamp;goes out.The Lowering
messag
edisa ppea rsfrom themultifu nction
disp lay.
The vehicle automaticallyselects highway
level ifyou aredriving ataspeed above
50 mph (80km/h) orifyou drive for
app roximately 20seconds between40m ph
(64 km/ h)and 50mph (80km/ h).Depen ding
on the ADSm ode selected (Ypage 180), the
vehicle islowered tohigh-speed levelat
higher speeds. PARKTRON
IC
Import antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G The
PARKTRONIC isasupplemental system.
It is not inten dedto,nor does itreplace, the
need forextr eme care. Theresponsibility
during parking andother criticalmaneuvers
alway sremains withthedriver. G
WARNIN
G Make
surenopersons oranimals areinor
near thearea inwhich youareparking/ maneuvering.
Otherwise,theycould be
injured.
PARKTRONIC isan electron icparking aidwith
ultrasonic sensors.Itindicates visuallyand
audib lythe distance between yourvehicle
and anobject .
PARKTRONIC isactivated automatically when
you:
R switch onthe ignition
R shift thetrans mission toposition D,Ror N
R release theelectric parking brake
PARKTRONIC isdeactivated atspeeds above
11 mph (18km/ h).It is reactivat edatlower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitorsthe area around your
vehicle usingsixsensors inthe front bumper
and four sensors inthe rear bumper. :
Sensor sin the front bumper, left-hand
side (example)
Range ofthe sensors General
notes
The sensors mustbefree ofdirt, iceand
slush; otherwise theymaynotfunct ion
correc tly.Clean thesensors regularly ,takin g
care nottoscratc hor damage them
(Y page 322). Driving
systems
183Driving and parking Z

segments.
PARKTRONIC isoperational if
yell ow segments showingoperational
readiness =light up.
The selected transmission positionandthe
direction inwhich thevehicle isrolling
determine whichwarning displayis active
when theengine isrunning. Tra
nsmission
position Warning
display D
Front
areaactivated R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling
backwards Rear
andfront areas
activated P
No
areas activated One
ormore segments lightupasthe vehicle
approa chesanobstacle, depending onthe
vehicle's distancefromtheobstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, youwillhear an
intermitt entwarning tonefor
approximately twoseconds.
R seventh segment onwards, youwillhear a
warning toneforapproximately two
seconds. Thisindicates thatyouhave now
reached theminimum distance.
Deac tivating/activating PARKTRONIC:
Indicator lamp
; Todeactivate/activate PARKTRONIC If
indicator lamp:lights up,PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Active Park Assist isthen also
deactivated. i
PARKTRONIC
isautomaticall yactivated
when youturn theSmartKey toposition 2
in the ignition lock.
Tra iler towing PARKTRONIC
isdeactivated forthe rear area
when youestablish anelectrical connection
between yourvehicle andatrailer.
! Fold inthe ball coupling ifthe trailer tow
hitch isnot required. PARKTRONIC
measures theminimum detection rangeto
an obstacle fromthebumper, nottheball
coupling. Driving
systems
185Driving and parking Z

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

The
system maybeimpaired orunavailable if:
R there ispoor visibility, e.g.due tosnow,
rain, fogorheavy spray.
R the windshield isdirty, fogged upor
covered, forinstan cebyastick er,inthe
vicinit yof the camera.
R you aredriving onbends, uphillgradients
or downhill gradients.
Light fromtheheadlamps ofoncom ing
vehicles doesnotaffect theNight ViewAssist
Plus display inthe multifunct iondisplay .This
is also thecase ifyou cannot switchonthe
high-beam headlampsduetooncomin g
traffic. G
WARNING The
Night ViewAssist Pluscannot record
object simmediately infront ofor next tothe
vehicle. Whenmaneuvering, continue tolook
through thewindshield. Makesureno
persons oranimals areinthe area inwhich
you aremaneuvering. Youcould otherwise
injure them. i
Infrared
lightisnot visible tothe human
eye and therefore doesnotglare. Night
View Assist Pluscantherefore remain
switched oneven ifthere isoncomin g
traffic. :
Night ViewAssist Pluscamera
Switching onNight ViewAssist Plus Depending
onyour vehicle's dateof
manufacture, thec orà symbol for
the "Automatic drivinglights/daytime running
lamps"position islocated onthe light
switch. You
canonly activate NightViewAssist Plus
if:
R the SmartK eyisin position 2in the ignition
lock.
R itis dark.
R the light switch isset toeither c,
à orL.
R reverse gearhasnotbeen engaged.
X Make surethatCOMAND isswitched on.
X Press button :.
The Night ViewAssist Plusdispla yappea rs
in the COMAND display. :
Night ViewAssist Plusdispla y
; Pedestrian recognized
= Framing
? Symbol foractive pedestrian recognition
You canread about howtoadjust the
brightness ofthe COMAND displayin the
COMAND operatinginstructions. 196
Driving
systemsDriving and parking