2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ECU

Exam
ple: veh icles with adi ese leng ine
X Pa rk the vehicleon alevel surfa ce.
To che ckthe oille vel with the engineat
op era ting temp erature,sw itch theengine
off and waitfor appro xima telyfiv eminu tes.
X Pu lloi ldi psti ck: outo fthe dipstick guide
tube.
X Wipe offoildipstick :.
X Slowly slideoildipstick :into theguide
tube tothe stop, andtake itout again.
If the level isbetween MINmark =and
MAX mark ;,theoillevel iscorrect .
X Ifthe fuel level hassunk toMIN mark =or
below, add0.55 to1.1 USqt(0.5 to1.0 l)
engine oil.
Adding engineoil G
WARNING If
engine oilcomes intocontactwith hot
engine parts,itmay ignite andyoucould burn
yourself. Donot spill anyengine oilon hot
engine parts. H
Environmental
note When
adding oil,take carenottospill any. If
oil enters thesoil orwaterway s,itis harmful
to the environm ent.
! Use only engine oilsand oilfilters that
have been approved forvehicles equipped
with aservice system. Alist ofthe engine
oils and oilfilters tested and approv edin
acc ordan cewith theMerc edes- Benz
Spec ification sfor ServiceProduc tscan be called
upbyvisit inghttp://
www.mb usa.com (USAonly). More
inf orm ation about tested and approv ed
eng ineoils and oilfilters isavailable from
any author izedMerc edes- BenzCent er.
Damage tothe engin eor exhaust systemis
caused bythe following:
R using engineoils and oilfilters which
have notbeen specific allyapproved for
the servic esystem.
R replacing theengin eoil oroil filter after
the replacemen tinterv alreq uired bythe
ser vicesy stem hasel ap sed
R us ing eng ineoilad ditive s.
! Donot addtoo muchoil.If the oille vel is
ab ove the"max" markon the dipsti ck,too
mu choilha sbe en adde d. Thi scan lead to
damag eto theen gin eor thecat alytic
co nvert er. Hav eex ces soil siph oned off. Ex
ample :engi ne oilcap
X Tu rn cap :cou ntercl ockwise and remo ve
it.
X Add engineoil.
If the oille vel isat or below the MIN mark
on the oildi psti ck,
ad d0.55 to1.1 USqt(0.5 to1.0 l)engi ne
oi l.
X Re place cap :onthe fillerneck andturn
clo ckwi se.
Ensu retha tthe cap locks into place
secu rely.
X Ch eck theoille vel againw iththe oil
dipst ick(Ypage 313). 314
Engine
compartm entMaintenance 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

X
Prepare thevehicle asdescribed
(Y page 329).
X Ifatrailer iscoupled tothe vehicle,
uncouple it.
X Remove thefollowing items(depending on
the vehicle's equipment) fromthestowage
well under thetrun kfloor:
R the emer gencyspare wheel26
R the lugwren ch
R the foldin gwheel chock
R the jack
R the ratchet wrench
R the alignm entbolt
X Sec ure thevehic leto prev entitfro mr olling
away .
Securing thevehicle toprevent itfrom
rolling away G
WARNIN
G Only
jackupthe vehicle onlevel ground oron
slight inclines/ declines. Thevehicle could
otherwise falloffthe jack andinjure youor
others.
If your vehicle isequipped withawheel chock,
it can befound inthe vehicle toolkit
(Y page 328).
The folding wheelchock isan additional
securing measure toprevent thevehicle from
rolling away,for example whenchanging a
wheel. X
Fold both plates upwards :.
X Fold outlower plate;.
X Guide thelugs onthe lower platefullyinto
the openings inbase plate =. Securing
thevehicle onlevel ground
X On level ground: placechock sor other
suitable itemsunder thefront andrear of
the wheel thatisdiagonally oppositethe
wheel youwish tochange. Securing
thevehicle onslight downhill gradients
X On downhill gradients: placechock sor
other suitable itemsinfront ofthe wheels
of the front andrear axle.
Raising thevehicle G
WARNIN
G When
jackingupthe vehicle, onlyusethejack
which hasbeen specifically approvedby
Mercedes-B enzforyour vehicle.
The jack isdesigned exclusively forjack ingup
the vehicle atthe jack ingpoints builtintoboth
26 Vehicles withanemergenc yspare wheel. 334
Flat
tireBreakdown assistance

G
WARNING Make
suretouse theorigi nallength wheel
bolts when remou ntingtheorigi nalwhee l
after ithas been repaired.
X Cle anthe whee land whee lhub contact
surfa ces.
! Toprevent damagetothe paintwork, hold
the whee lsecure lyaga inst thewhee lhub
whi lescrewi nginthe first whee lbolt. X
Slide theemerge ncysparewhee lonto the
ali gnment boltandpushit on.
X Tigh tenthewhee lbolts untiltheyare
finger-tigh t.
X Unscrew thealignment bolt.
X Tigh tenthelastw heel boltuntil itis finger-
tight.
Low ering thevehicle X
Place theratchet wrench ontothehexagon
nut ofthe jack sothat theletters ABare
visible.
X Turn theratchet wrench untilthevehicle is
once again standing firmlyonthe ground.
X Place thejack toone side. X
Tighten thewheel boltsevenly ina
crosswise patterninthe sequence
indicated (: toA). Thetighten ingtorque
must be110 lb-ft (150 Nm). G
WARNING Have
thetighten ingtorque checked
immediately afterawheel ischanged. The
wheels couldcome looseifthey arenot
tighten edtoatorque of110 lb/ft
(150 Nm).
X Turn thejack back toits initial position and
store ittogether withtherest ofthe tire-
change toolkitinthe cargo compartmen t.
Vehicles withanemergency sparewheel:
X Wrap thedefective wheelinthe protect ive
film included withtheemergency spare
wheel andtransport thewheel inthe cargo
compartmen t.
or
X Depending onthe size ofthe wheel, you
may alsobeable tosecure thedefective
wheel inthe emergency sparewheel well.
In this case, youmust remove thestowage
tray from theemergency sparewheel well
and store itsecurely inthe cargo
compartmen t. i
When
youaredriving withthecollapsibl e
spare wheel mounted, thetire pressure
loss warning systemorthe tire pressure
monitorin gsystem cannotfunction
reliabl y.Only restart thetire pressure loss
warning system/t irepressure monitorin g Flat
tire
337Breakdown assistance Z

electr
ostaticcharge ordue tospark
format ion.
! Befor eworkin gon the batter y,e.g.
loosenin gthe batter yterm inals, switch off
the engine andremove theSmart Keyfrom
the ignition .Onv ehicles withKEYLE SS-GO,
make surethattheignition isswitch edoff.
Check thatallthe indicat orlamps inthe
inst rument clusterareoff. You may
other wisedestr oyelectr oniccompon ents,
such asthe altern ator.
! Like other batter ies,thevehicle battery
may discharge overtime ifyou donot use
the vehicle. Inthis case have thebatter y
chec kedataqualified specialist workshop,
such asan authoriz edMercedes- Benz
Center .You can also charge thebattery
with acharger recomm endedbyMercedes-
Benz .Cont act anauthorized Mercedes-
Benz Center formore inform ation.
The battery andthecover ofthe positive
termin alclamp mustbeinstalled securely
during operation. i
Remove
theSmart Keyifyou park the
vehicle anddonot require anyelectric al
consumer s.The vehicle willthen usevery
little energy, thusconser vingbattery
power.
Mercedes-B enzrecomm endsthatyoudonot
carry outwork onbatteries yourself,e.g.
removing orcharging. Alwayshavethiswork
performed ataquali fiedspecialist workshop,
e.g. anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter. Charging
thebatt ery G
WARNIN
G Never
charge abattery stillinstalled inthe
vehicle unlessabattery charger unitapproved
by Mercedes-B enzisbeing used.Gases may
escape duringcharging andcause explosions
that may result inpaint damage, corrosion or
personal injury. Ab
attery charge runit spe cially ad apted for
Mer cedes-Be nzveh icles and teste dand
ap pro ved byMer cedes-Be nzisava ilab leas an
acce ssory.It pe rmi tsthe charging ofthe
ba ttery inits installed po sitio n.Co ntact an
au thor izedMer cedes-B enzCenter forfurther
info rma tiona nd ava ilab ility .
Ch arg ethe battery inacco rdance with the
sep arateins truc tions for the battery charger. G
WAR
NING The
reisaris ko facid burns during the
cha rging pro cess dueto the gases which
esca pefrom thebattery .Donot lean over the
battery duringthecharging process. G
WARNING Batt
eryacid iscaustic. Avoidcontactwith the
skin, eyesorclothin g.
! Only charge theinstalled batterywitha
battery charger whichhasbeen testedand
approved byMercedes-B enz.These battery
chargers allowthebattery tobe charged
while stillinstalled.
! Only usebattery chargers witha
maximum chargingvoltageof14.8 V.
! Only charge thebattery usingthejump-
start ingconn ection point.
The jump-st artingconnection pointisin the
engine compartm ent(Ypage 341).
X Open thehood (Ypage 312).
X Connect thebattery charger tothe positive
termin aland earth pointinthe same order
as when connectin gthe donor battery in
the jump-st artingprocedure
(Y page 341).
X Read thebattery charger's operating
instr uctions beforecharging thebattery. 340
Bat
teryBreakdown assistance

Jump
-starting G
WARNING Failure
tofollow thesedirections willcause damage tothe electronic componen ts,and canlead
to abattery explosion andsevere injuryordeath.
Never leanover batteries whileconnecting orjump startin g.You might getinjured.
Battery fluidcontains sulfuric acid.Donot allow thisfluid tocome incont actwith eyes, skinor
clothing. Incase itdoes, immediately flushaffected areawithwater, andseek medical helpif
necessary.
Ab attery will also producehydro gengas, whichis flam mable andexplosiv e.Keep flamesor
spar ksaway from battery, avoid improper connectiono fjumpe rcables, smoking,etc.
At tempt ingtojum pstart afroz en bat tery can result initexp lodin g,caus ingpers onalinj ury.
Read allinstruct ionsbefo reproc eedin g.
! Avoid repe atedand lengthy start ing attempt s.Ot her wise, non-com bust edfuel may
damage thecat alytic converter27
and creat earisk offire.
Do notu se arapid-charging devicetostart theengine.
Make surethejumper cablesarenot damage d.
Make surethejumper cablesarenot touching anyother metal objects whentheyare
conn ected tothe battery.
If your vehicle's batteryisdischarged, theengine canbejump-start edfrom another vehicle
or from asecond batteryusingjumper cables.
Observe thefollowi ngpoints:
X The battery isnot accessible inall vehicles. Ifthe other vehicle's batteryisnot accessible,
jump-start thevehicle usingasecond batteryorajump- start ing device.
X On lyjum p-start theveh iclewhen theen gin eis co ldand thecat alyti cconvert ersystem has
cooled down28
.
X Do not start theengine ifthe battery isfroz en.Let the battery thawfirst.
X Jump-start ingmay onlybeperformed frombatteries withanominal voltageof12 V.
X Only usejumper cableswhichhaveasufficient cross-section andinsulated terminalclamps.
X Make surethatthejumper cablescannotcome intocontactwith parts, suchasthe pulley
or the fan. These partsmove whentheengine isstart edand while itis runnin g.
X Ifthe battery isfully discharged, leavethebattery thatisbeing usedtojump-st artconn ected
for afew minutes beforeattempt ingtostart .This charges theempty battery alittle. i
Jumper
cablesandfurther information aboutjump-st artingcanbeobtained fromany
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er,for example.
X Make surethatthetwo vehicles donot touch.
X Secure thevehicle byapplying theelectr icparkin gbrake.
X Shift thetran smission toposition P.
27 Only vehicles withagasoline engine.
28 Only vehicles withagasoline engine. Jum
p-starting
341Breakdown assistance Z

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