2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class warning

i
You
canstartthe engine without preglow
if the engine iswarm. i
You
canalso usethetouch-st artfunct ion.
To do this, turntheSmartK eytoposition 3
(Y page 139)andrelease itimmediately.
The engine thenstarts automatically .
Using KEYLESS-GO tostar tthe eng ine G
WARNING As
long asthe SmartKey isin you rvehicle, the
vehicle canbestart ed.Therefor e,never leave
children unattended inthe vehicle, asthey
could otherwiseacciden tallystart theengine.
When leaving thevehicle, alwaystake the
Smart Keywith youand lock thevehicle. Do
not leave children unattended inthe vehicle,
or with access toan unlock edvehicle. A
child's unsupervised accesstoavehicle could
result inan acciden tand/o rserious personal
injury. i
The
Start/ Stop button canbeused to
start thevehicle without insertingthe
Smart Keyintothe ignition lock.TheStart/
St op button mustbeinsert edinto the
ignition lockandtheSmart Keymust bein
the vehicle.
X Depress thebrake pedalandkeep it
depressed.
X To star tag asolineeng ine:press the
Start/Stop button(Ypag e139) once.
The engine starts.
X To start adiesel engine: presstheStart/
St op butt on(Ypage 139)onc e.
Preglow isact ivated andtheengin estar ts. Pulling
away
Autom atic transm ission G
WARN
ING It
is danger oustoshift theautomat ic
tr ansm ission outofparkin gposition Por
neutral position Nifthe engine speedis higher
thanidlespeed. Ifyour footisnot firmly
on the brake pedal, thevehicle could
accelerate quicklyforward orinreverse. You
could losecontrolofthe vehicle andhit
someone orsomethin g.Only shiftintogear
when theengine isidling normally andwhen
your right footisfirmly onthe brake pedal. i
It
is only possible toshift thetrans mission
from position Pto the desired position if
you depress thebrake pedal. Onlythenis
the parking lockreleased. Ifyou donot
depress thebrake pedal, youcan move the
DIRECT SELECT lever buttheparking lock
remains engaged.
X Depress thebrake pedalandkeep it
depressed.
X Shift thetrans mission toposition Dor R
(Y page 144).
X Relea sethe brake pedal.
X Carefully depresstheaccelerator pedal.
The electric parking brake(Ypage 156)is
automatically released.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster goesout. i
The
vehicle lockscentrally once youhave
pulled away.The locking knobsinthe doors
drop down.
You canopen thedoors fromtheinside at
any time.
You canalso deactivate theautomatic
locking feature(Ypage 235). i
Upshifts
takeplace athigher engine
speeds afteracold start. Thishelps the
catalytic convertertoreach itsoperating
temperature morequickly.
Pulling awaywithatra iler To
ensure thatyoudonot rollbackwards
when pullingaway onanuphill slope, engage
the electric parking brake. Driving
141Driving and parking Z

Problems
withtheengine Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
The
engine doesnot
start. Thestarter motor
can beheard. R
There isamalfunction inthe engine electron ics.
R There isamalfunction inthe fuel supply .
X Try tostart theengine again(Ypage 140). Avoid excessively
long andfrequent attemptsto start theengine asthese willdrain
the battery.
If the engine doesnotstart after several attempt s:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
engine doesnot
start. Youcannot hear
the starter motor. The
on-board voltageistoo low because thebattery istoo weak
or discharged.
X Jump-start thevehicle (Ypage 341).
If the engine doesnotstart despite attemptsto jump-st artit:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
starter motorwasexposed toathermal loadthatwastoohigh.
X Allow thestarter motortocool down forapproximately two
minutes.
X Try tostart theengine again.
If the engine stilldoes notstart:
X Consult aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
engine isnot
running smoothly and
is misfiring. There
isamalfunction inthe engine electron icsoramechanical
componen tof the engine management system.
X Only depress theaccelerator pedalslightly.
X Have thecause rectifiedimmediately ataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuelmay getinto thecatalytic
conv erter anddamage it. The
coolant
temperature gauge
shows avalue above
248 ‡(120 †). The
coolant levelistoo low. Thecoolant istoo hotand theengine
is no longer beingcooled sufficiently.
X Stop assoon aspossible andallow theengine andthecoolant
to cool down.
X Check thecoolant level(Ypage 315). Observe thewarning
notes asyou dosoand add coolant ifnecessary. Driving
143Driving and parking Z

Aut
oma tic trans mission Imp
ortant safety notes G
WAR
NING It
is dan gerous toshif tthe automatic
transmission outofparking position Por
neutral position Nifthe engine speedis
higher thanidlespeed. Ifyour footisnot firmly
on the brake pedal, thevehicle could
accelerate quicklyforward orinreverse. You
could losecontrolofthe vehicle andhit
someone orsomething. Onlyshiftintogear
when theengine isidling normally andwhen
your right footisfirmly onthe brake pedal. 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. DIREC
TSELECT lever
Over view oftrans mis sion positions The
DIRECT SELECT leve rison the right ofthe
steering column. P
Park position withparking lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive i
The
DIRECT SELECTlever alwaysreturns
to its original position. Thecurrent
transmission positionP,R, Nor Dappea rs
in the transmission positiondisplay
(Y page 145)inthe multifunction display.
Engagin gpar kposit ionP X
Push theDI RECT SELECT lever inthe
direc tiono farrow P. i
The
automatic transmissi onshifts
au tomatical lyinto park position Pifyou
open thedrive r'sdoor when thevehicl eis
stationary ordrivi ngatvery lowspee d,and
the transmissi onisin posi tion Dor R.
! Ifthe engine speedis too high orthe
vehicl eis moving, donot shift the
au tomatic transmissi ondire ctly from Dto
R, from Rto Dor dire ctly toP.T he
automatic transmission couldotherwise be
damaged.
Engaging parkposit ionPau tom atically Park
positionPis autom atically engaged if:
R you switchoff theeng ineusin gth e
Sm artKey and remove theSm artKey, orif
you switchoff theeng ineusin gth eSt art /
St op butt onand open oneof thefron t
door s.
R theHOL Dfun ction (Ypage 179)or
DI STRO NICPLUS(Y page 169)brak es
your vehicle untilit is statio naryand atleast
on eof thefollo wing condition sis fulf illed:
- there isasyst emmalf unction.
- there isasev ere uphill ordown hillslope .
The electric park ingbrak eis then also
applied.
Engag ingreversegear R !
Onlyshif tthe automatic transmission to
R when thevehicle isstationary. 144
Automat
ictransmissionDriving and parking

Dri
vin gtips
Kickd own Use
kick down formax imum acceler ation .
X Ve hic les forUSA: fullydepr essthe
acc eler ator peda l.
The trans mis sions hifts toalower gear
depending onthe engine speed.
X Vehicles forCanada: depressthe
accelerator pedalbeyond thepressure
point.
The transmission shiftstoalower gear
depending onthe engine speed.
Rocking thevehicle free Rocking
thevehicle freebyshifting backand
forth between transmission positionsDand
R can help tofree avehicle thathasbecome
stuck inmud orsnow. Theengine
management systemofthe vehicle limits
shifting backandforth between transmission
positions Dand Rto amaximum speedof
5 mph (9km/h). Toshift back andforth
between transmission positionsDand R,
move theselector leverupand down beyond
the pressure point.
Working onthe vehicle G
WARNING When
working onthe vehicle, engagethe
electronic parkingbrakeandshift the
automatic transmission intopark position P.
Otherwise thevehicle couldrollaway which
could result inan accident and/orserious
personal injury.
Tra iler towing X
Drive inthe middle ofthe engine speed
range onuphill gradients.
X Depending onthe uphill ordownhill
gradient, shiftdown intoshift range 3or
2(Y page 147), evenifcruise controlor
DIS TRONIC PLUSareswitched on. Steering
wheelpaddleshifters You
canrestrict orderestrict theshift range
by using thesteering wheelpaddle
shifters :and ;(Y page147). i
You
canonly change gearwiththe
steering wheelpaddle shifters whenthe
transmission isin position D. Shift
ranges
Introduction In
transmission positionD,you can usethe
steering wheelpaddle shiftertorestrict or
derestrict theshift range forthe automatic
transmission (Ypage 147).
The shift range selected isshown inthe
multifunction display.The automatic
transmission shiftsonlyasfar asthe selected
gear. Driving
situations =
You
canusetheengine's braking
effect . Automat
ictransmission
147Driving and parking Z

Problems
withthetransmission Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
The
transm issionhas
problems shiftinggear. The
transm issionislosing oil.
X Have thetransm issioncheckedataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter,
immediately. The
acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transm issionno
longer changes gear. The
transm issionisin emergency mode.
It is only possible toshift intosecon dgear andreverse gear.
X Stop thevehicle.
X Shift thetransm issiontoposition P.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Wait atleast 10seconds beforerestartingthe engine.
X Shift thetransm issiontoposition Dor R.
If D is selected, thetransm issionshiftsintosecon dgear; ifR is
selected, thetransm issionshiftsintoreverse gear.
X Have thetransm issioncheckedataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-B enzCenter,
immediately. Refueling
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNING Gasoli
neand diesel fuelsarehighly flammable
and poisonous. Theyburnviolently andcan
cause serious injury.
Never allowsparks, flamesorsmoking
materials neargasoline ordiesel fuel!
Turn offthe engine beforerefueling.
Whenever youarearound gasoline ordiesel
fuel, avoid inhaling fumesandanyskin or
clothing contact.Extinguish allsmoking
materials.
Direct skincontactwith fuels andthe
inhalation offuel vapors aredamaging your
health. G
WARNING Overfilling
ofthe fuel tank maycreate
pressure inthe system whichcouldcause a
gas discharge. Thiscould cause thegasoline to
spray backoutwhen removing thefuel
pump nozzle,which couldcause personal
injury. G
WARNING Do
not filldiesel tankswith gasoline. Donot
mix diesel fuelwith gasoline. Otherwise the
fuel system andengine couldbedamaged. In
addition, thevehicle couldcatch fire.
! Donot use gasoline torefuel vehicles with
a diesel engine. Donot use diesel torefuel
vehicles withagasoline engine.Evena
small quantity ofthe wrong fuelwill
damage thefuel system andengine.
! Donot switch onthe ignition ifyou
accidentally refuelwiththewrong fuel.
Otherwise, thefuel willenter thefuel lines.
Notify aqual ified specialist workshop and
have thefuel tank andfuel lines drained
completely. Refueling
149Driving and parking Z

:
Toopen thefuel filler flap
; Toinsert thefuel filler cap
= Fuel type
? Tire pressure table
Opening X
Switc hoff the engine.
X Remove theSmart Keyfrom theignition
lock.
KEYLE SS-GO: open thedriver’s door.This
switches theignition toposition 0,which
correspon dstohaving removed the
Smart Key.Thedriver’s doorcanbeclosed
again.
X Press thefuel filler flapinthe direction of
arrow :.
The fuel filler flapswings up.
X Turn thefuel filler capcount er-clockwise
and remove it.
X Insert thefuel filler capinto theholder
bracket onthe inside offiller flap;.
X Completely insertthepump nozzleinto the
filler neck andrefuel.
X Only fillthe tank untilthepump nozzle
switches off.
! Overfilling thefuel tank could damage the
fuel system. Closing X
Replace thefuel filler capand turn it
clock wise. Thefuel filler capaudibl y
engages.
X Close thefuel filler flap. i
If
you drive withthefuel filler capopen,
reserve fuelwarning lamp8 flashes. In
addition, the; Check Engine warning
lamp maylight up.Am essage appears in
the multifunc tiondisplay (Ypage 257).
For furth erinfor mation onwarning and
indicat orlamps inthe instrument cluster,
see (Ypage 276). Refueling
151Driving and parking Z

When
the Remainin
gStarts: 16 message
is shown inthe multifunc tiondisplay, youcan
start theengine 16more times. IfDE Fis not
added, itwill notbepossible torestar tthe
engine. Fillthe DEF tank withapprox. 1gal
(3.8 l)DEF ,or have itfilled ataqual ified
specialist workshop. i
If
you drive thevehicle fasterthan10mph
(16 km/h), the Check
Additive See Operator's
Manual message
goesoff
after approximately oneminute.
Further information aboutBlueTEC exhaust
gas aftertr eatment andDEF isavaila bleatany
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
Adding DEF G
WARN
ING Make
sure
R DE Fdoes notcome intocontact with skin,
eyes, orcloth ing
R to keep DEFout ofthe reach ofchildren
If you and/or othershave come intocontact
with DEF:
R IfDE Fhas gotteninto contact with eyes,
flush withplenty ofwater immediately and
seek medical help.
R Clean affectedskin immediately withplenty
of water.
R IfDE Fw asswallowe d,rin se mout h
imm ediat elywith plentyof wate rand drink
pl enty ofwa ter. Consu ltaphy sicia n. G
WAR
NING If
yo uop en the DEF tank cap,sma llamo unts
of amm oniavap orma ybe released .This
depends inparticular upontheage ofthe DEF .
Ammon iavapors haveapungent odorandare
particularly irritatingto:
R skin
R mucous membranes
R eyes You
may experience aburning sensation in
your eyes, noseandthroat, aswell as
coughing andwatering ofthe eyes.
Do not inhale anyammonia vaporsthatmay
be released. Fillthe DEF tank onlyinwell-
ventilated areas.
! Only useDEF inaccordance with
ISO 22241 .Do not mix anyadditives with
DEF ,and donot dilute DEFwith water. This
may destroy theBlueTEC exhaustgas
aftertr eatment system.
! The vehicle mustbeparked onlevel
ground tofill the DEF tank.The DEF tank
can only befilled asinten dedwith the
vehicle parkedonalevel surface. This
avoids falselevelreadings. Fillingthetank
is not permitted ifthe vehicle isnot parked
on alevel surface. Thereisadanger of
overfilling, whichcouldresult indamage to
componen tsof the BlueTEC exhaustgas
aftertr eatment .
If the outside temperature islower than
Ò11 †,damage mayoccur whenadding DEF.
If DEF isfrozen andthere isan active warning
indicator, addingmaynotbepossible. Park
the vehicle inawarmer place,e.g.inagarage,
until DEFhasbecome fluidagain. Fillingis
then possible again.Alternatively, havethe
DEF tank refilled ataqual ified specialist
workshop.
! Rinse surfaces thathave come into
cont actwith DEFimmediately withwater or
remove DEFusing adamp clothandcold
water. Ifthe DEF hasalread ycrystallized,
use asponge andcold water toclean it.DEF
residues crystallize aftertimeand
cont aminate theaffected surfaces.
! DEF isnot afuel additive andmust notbe
added tothe fuel tank .If DEF isadded to
the fuel tank ,this canlead toengine
damage.
Further information onDEF (Ypage 387). Refueling
153Driving and parking Z

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