2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Brakes

Assis
tance men u(on-boa rd
comp uter) .......................................... 232
ASS YST PLUS
see ASSYST PLUSserviceinterva l
dis pla y
ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm syste m)
Activating/d eactivating ................... 68
Function ...........................................68
Swi tching offthe alarm .................... 68
ATTENTIO NASSIST
Act ivating/deact ivating................. 232
Displ aymessa ge............................ 258
Function/notes ............................. 194
Audio menu(on-bo ardcomputer) ....229
Audio system
see sepa rateoperating instructio ns
Authori zedMerce des-Be nzCenter
see Qualified speci alist worksh op
AUTO lights
Displ aymessa ge............................ 253
see Ligh ts
Automatic headlampmode.............. 110
Automatic transmission
Cha nging gear............................... 146
DIRECT SELECT lever..................... 144
Displ aymessa ge............................ 265
Driving tips.................................... 147
Emergency runningmode.............. 149
Kickdow n....................................... 147
Prob lem(malfunction) ................... 149
Pul ling away ................................... 141
Shift range s................................... 147
Starting theengine ........................ 140
Steering wheelpad dleshifte rs...... 147
Trai lertowi ng................................. 147
Transmi ssionposition display ........145
Transm issionposi tions .................. 146
Automatic transmission
emerge ncymode ............................ ...149 B
Back
support
see Lumb arsup port
Backup lamp
Displ aymessa ge............................ 252
Bag hook............................................ 288Ball
couplin g
Install ing........................................ 214
Rem oving ....................................... 218
Storing ........................................... 218
BAS (Brake AssistSyste m)................. 61
Basic settings
see Settings
BAS PLUS(Brake AssistSyste m
PLU S).................................................... 62
Battery (SmartKe y)
Che cking .............. ............................ 76
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 75
Rep lacing ......................................... 76
Battery (vehicle)
Cha rging ........................................ 340
Displ aymessa ge............................ 256
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 338
Ju mp starting ................................. 341
Belt
see Seat belts
Blin dSpot Assist
Activa ting/d eactiva ting................. 232
Notes/fu nction.............................. 198
Trai lertowi ng................................. 200
see Active BlindSpotAssist
BlueTE C(D EF ).................................... 387
Brake AssistSyste m
see BAS (Brake AssistSystem)
Brake fluid
Displ aymessa ge............................ 244
Notes ............................................. 389
Brake fluidlevel................................ 316
Brake lamps
Cha nging bulbs.............................. 117
Displ aymessa ge............................ 251
Brakes
ABS .................................................. 61
BAS .................................................. 61
BAS PLUS ........................................ 62
Brake fluid(notes) ......................... 389
Displ aymessa ge............................ 239
Driving tips.................................... 159
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 159
Mai ntenance .................................. 160
Warni nglamp ....... ..................... ..... 271 In
dex
5

Night
ViewAssist Plus................... 195
PARKT RONIC................................. 183
Rea rview came ra.......................... 190
Driv ingtips
Automa tictransmis sion................. 147
Brakes ........................................... 159
Break-in period.............................. 138
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 177
Downhi llgrad ient........................... 159
Drinking anddriving....................... 158
Driving abroad ............................... 108
Driving inwinter .............................162
Driving onfloo ded road s................ 161
Driving onsand .............................. 165
Driving onwet road s...................... 161
Driving overobsta cles................... 165
Exhaus tcheck ............................... 158
Fuel .............. ..................... ............. 158
Gene ral.......................................... 157
Hydr oplaning ................................. 161
Icy road surfaces........................... 162
Limi tedbraking effici ency on
sal ted road s................................... 160
Off-road driving.............................. 163
Off-road fording............................. 161
Ped als. ........................................... 158
Snow chains.................................. 353
Symmetri callow beam.................. 108
Tire ruts ......................................... 165
Tow ingatrail er.............................. 210
Trave linguphill....... ....... ....... ..........166
Wet road surface........................... 159
DSR (Dow nhil lSpee dRegula tion)
Dis play mess age............................ 259
Function/notes ............................. 208
DVD audio (on-bo ardcomputer) ......230
DVD video(o n-bo ardcomputer) ......230 E
EA
SY-E NTRY feature
Activating/d eactivating ................. 236
Function/notes ............................. 102
EA SY-E XITfeature
Cra sh-resp onsive........................... 102
Function/notes ............................. 102
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 236
EA SY-P ACKload-s ecuring kit........... 291EBD
(elec tronic brakeforce
distributi on)
Displ aymessa ge............................ 241
Function/notes ................................65
Ele ctric alfuses
see Fuse s
Ele ctroni cbrake forcedistributi on
see EBD (electronic brakeforce
dis tribu tion)
Ele ctroni cStabil ityProgram
see ESP®
(Electroni cStab ility Pro gram)
El ec tron icTrac tionSys tem
se e4ETS (Electr onicTra ctio nSy ste m)
Eme rgencyr elease
Dr iver 'sdoor .................................... 80
Vehi cle............................................. 80
Emerge ncyspare wheel
Storage location ............................ 329
Emerge ncyTensi oningDevic es
Function .............. ..................... ........53
Safe tyguideline s............................. 39
Emerge ncyunlo cking
Tai lga te............................................ 84
Emis sions purific ation
Service andwarranty informa tion....21
Eng ine
Che ckEngine warning lamp ....... ....276
Displ aymessa ge............................ 254
Emergency starting........................ 345
Engine number....... ........................382
Irregu larr unn ing............................ 143
Starting problems .......................... 143
Starting theengine withthe
SmartKey ....................................... 140
Starting with KEYLESS-GO .............141
Switchi ngoff .................................. 155
Eng ineelectroni cs
Prob lem(malfunction) ................... 143
Eng ineoil
Addi ng........................................... 314
Additi ves........................................ 388
Che cking theoilleve l....... .............. 313
Che cking theoilleve lusi ng the
dip stick .......................................... 313
Displ aymessa ge............................ 256
Fill ing capa city............................... 384
Notes aboutoil grad es....... ............ 388 In
dex
9

Vehi
cle dime nsions........................... 390
Vehic leemerge ncylocking ................ 80
Vehic leiden tification number
see VIN
Vehic leiden tification plate.............. 381
Vehic lelev el(dis play messag e)....... 258
Vehic letool kit.................................. 328
Video (DVD) ..................... ................... 230
VIN ...................................................... 381W
Warning
andindicator lamps
ABS ............................ .................. .. 272
Brakes ........................................... 271
Che ckEngine ................................. 276
Coo lant .......................................... 277
Distance warning ........................... 279
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 279
ESP ®
.............................................. 273
ESP ®
OFF .......................................274
Fuel tank ............................... 276,277
Overvi ew.......................................... 30
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
indi cator lamp .................................. 44
Res erve fuel....... ....... ............. 276,277
Seat belt........................................ 269
SRS ............................ .................... 275
Tire press uremonitor .................... 280
Warranty ............................................ 381
Washer fluid
Displ aymessa ge............................ 267
see Winds hieldwa sher system
Whee lbol ttight ening torque ........... 337
Whee lcho ck...................................... 334
Whee ls
Cha nging awheel .......................... 333
Che cking ........................................ 351
Cl eani ng....... ....... ..................... ...... 320
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 350
Interchangi ng/changing................ 374
Mou nting awheel .......................... 336
Rem oving awheel .......................... 336
Storing ........................................... 375
Tig htening torque....... .................... 337
Whee lsize/ tires ize ....................... 375Windo
wcurtain airbag
Displ aymessa ge............................ 246
Opera tion............ ...... .......................4 4
Windo ws
Cl eani ng...... ...... ............................. 321
see Side windows
Windshi eld
Defrosting ...................................... 131
Infrared reflective .......................... 309
Winds hieldwasher system.............. 315
Notes ............................................. 390
Winds hieldwiper s
Problem (malfunction) ................... 120
Rea rwindow wiper........................ 118
Rep lacing thewiper blades ............ 119
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 118
Winte rdriving
Imp orta ntsafety note s.................. 352
Slip pery road surfaces................... 162
Snow chains.................................. 353
Winte roperatio n
Ra dia tor cover ............................... 313
Winte rtires
M+S tires....................................... 352
Wiper blades
Cl eani ng....... ..................... ............. 321
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 119
Rep lacing (rearwindow) ................ 119
Rep lacing (windshi eld)................... 119
Woo dentrim (clean ing
ins truction s)...................................... 32420
In
dex

Warning
andindic atorlamps Func
tion Page
:
Low-be
amheadlamps 109
;
ESP
® 273
=
High-be
amheadlamps 111
?
Electric
parkingbrake (red) 271
F
(USAonly) !
(Canada only) A
Electric
parkingbrake
(y ell ow) 271
B
Distance
warning signal 279
C
Turn
signa l 111
D
Tire
press uremonitor 280
E
SRS
275 Func
tion Page
F
Seat
belt 269
G
Diesel
engine: preglow 140
H
Coo
lant 277
I
Rea
rfog lamp 110
J
Check
engine 276
K
Reserve
fuel 276
L
ESP
®
OFF 273
M
ABS 272
N
Brakes 271
$
(USAonly) J
(Canada only) 30
Instrum
entclusterAt a glance

The
brakes willfunct ionasusual onceyou
release thebrake pedal. BASisdeactivated. G
WARNIN
G If
the BAS malfunct ions,thebrake system still
funct ions, butwithout theadditional brake
boost availabl ethat theBAS would normally
provide inan emergenc ybraking maneuver.
Therefore, thebraking distancemay increase. BAS
PLUS (BrakeAssist System Plus)
BAS PLUS isonly availab lein vehicles
equipped withDISTRONIC PLUS. i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61).
At speeds aboveapproximat ely
20 mph (30km/ h),BASPLUS assists you
when brakin gin hazardous situationsand
uses theradar senso rsyst em toeva luat eth e
tr aff icco nd ition s. i
This
devicehas been approved bytheFCC
as a"Veh icular Radar System". The rada r
sen sor syst emisinte nd ed foru se inan
automotive radarsystem only.Removing,
altering ortampering withthedevice will
void anywarranties, andisnot permitted
by the FCC. Donot tamper with,alter, or
use inany non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser's authority to
operate theequip ment.
With thehelp ofthe radar sensor system, BAS
PLUS candetect obstacles thatareinthe
path ofyour vehicle foranextended periodof
time.
At speeds uptoapproximately
40 mph (70km/h), BASPLUS canalso detect
stationary obstacles, forexample stoppedor
parked vehicles.
Should youapproa chan obstacle andBAS
PLUS hasdetected arisk ofcollision, BAS
PLUS calcula testhe braking forcenecessary
to avoid arear-end collision. Shouldyouapply
the brakes forcefully, BASPLUS can automaticall
yincrease thebraking forcetoa
level suitabl efor the traffic conditions.
X Keep thebrake pedaldepressed untilthe
emergency brakingsituation isover.
ABS prevents thewheels fromlocking.
The brakes willwork normally againif:
R you release thebrake pedal.
R there isno longe rany dange rofarea r-end
colli sion.
R no obstacl eis detected infront ofyou r
vehicl e.
BAS PLUS isthen deactivated. Ifyou have
activated DSR(Ypag e208), BASPLUS is
likew isedea ctivated.
For BAS PLUS toassi styou when driving,the
rada rsensor system mustbeswitch edon and
operation al,see "Rada rsensor system" inthe
index. G
WARN
ING BAS
PLUS cannotalway sclearly identify
objec tsand complex trafficsituation s.BAS
PLUS cannotinte rven ein these cases.
There isarisk ofan acciden t.Always pay
careful attentiontothe traff icsituation andbe
ready tobrake.
In particular, thedetec tionofobstac lescan
be impaired ifther eis:
R dirt onthe sensor sor anythin gelse
cover ingthe sensor s
R snow orheavy rain
R int erferen cebyother radarsources
R the possibility ofstr ong radar reflect ions,
for example inparkin ggarages
R anarrow vehicle travelingin fron t,e.g. a
moto rbike
R avehicle travelin gin fron tonadi fferent line G
WARN
ING BA
SPLUS doesnotreact :
R to people oranimals
R to onc oming vehicles 62
Driving
safetysystemsSafety

R
to cros sing traffic
R in cur ves
As ares ult, BAS PLUScann otinte rvenein
cri tica lsi tua tions. The reisaris ko fan
acc iden t.Always paycareful attent ion tothe
tr aff icsit uatio nand berea dytobra ke.
Fol lowi ng dama getothe front endofthe
veh icle, ha ve the confi guratio na nd opera tion
of the rada rs ensor schec kedataqualified
specialist workshop.This also applies to
collisions atlow speeds wherethereis no
visible damage tothe fron tofthe vehicle.
If BAS PLUS isnot availa bledue toa
malfunction inthe radar sensor system, the
brake system remains availablewith full
brake boosting effectandBAS. ESP
®
(Ele ctronic Stability Program)
Import antsafety notes i
See
the"Important safetynotes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat thevehicle isdeviating
from thedirection desiredbythe driver, one
or more wheels arebraked tostabilize the
vehicle. Ifnecessary, theengine outputisalso
modified tokeep thevehicle onthe desired
course withinphysical limits.ESP®
assists
the driver whenpullingaway onwet or
slippery roads.ESP®
can also stabilize the
vehicle duringbraking.
If ESP ®
interven es,the ÷ ESP®
warning
lamp flashes inthe instrumen tcluster . G
WARN
ING Und
erno circums tances should you
deact ivateES P®
when the÷ ESP®
warnin glamp inthe instrumen tclust er
flashe s.Proc eedasfollows :
R when drivingoff ,apply aslittlethr ottleas
possible .
R while driving,ease upon the accelerat or
pedal.
R adapt yourspeed tosuit theprev ailing road
and weathe rconditions .
Failure toobserve theseguidelines could
cause thevehicle toskid. ESP®
cann ot
prevent accident sresulting fromexcessive
speed.
! Only operate thevehicle foramaximum
of ten seconds onabrake test
dynamometer. Switchoffthe ignition.
Application ofthe brakes byESP ®
may
otherwise destroythebrake system.
! Funct ionorperformanc etest smay only
be performed ona2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish tooperate thevehicle onsuch a
dynamometer, pleaseconsult an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter
beforehand. Youcould otherwise damage
the drive trainorthe brake system. i
Only
usewheels withtherecommen ded
tire sizes. OnlythenwillESP ®
funct ion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
Traction controlispart ofESP ®
.
Traction controlbrakes thedrive wheels
individuall yif they spin. Thisenables youto
pull away andaccelerate onslippery surfaces,
for example ifthe road surface isslippery on
one side. Inaddition, moredrivetorque is
trans ferred tothe wheel orwheels with
tract ion. Driving
safetysystems
63Safety Z

The
hazard warning lampsaredeactivated
automatically ifthe vehicle returnsto aspeed
of over 6mph(10 km/h)after afull
application ofthe brakes. i
The
hazard warning lampsstilloperate if
the ignition isswitched off. Adapt
iveHighbeam Assist
You canusethis funct iontoset the
headlamps tochange between lowbeam and
high beam automatically. Thesystem
recogn izesvehicles withtheir lights on,either
approaching fromtheopposite direction or
traveling infron tof your vehicle, and
cons equently switches theheadlamps from
high beam tolow beam.
The system automatically adaptsthelow-
beam headlamp rangedepending onthe
distanc eto the other vehicle. Oncethe
system nolonger detectsany other vehicles,
it reactivat esthe high-beam headlamps.
The system's opticalsensorislocated behind
the windshield neartheoverhead control
panel. X
To activat e:activat ethe Adaptive
Highbeam Assistfunctionusing theon-
board computer (Ypage 234).
X Turn thelight switch toc orÃ. X
Press thecombinat ionswitch beyond the
pressure pointinthe direction ofarrow :
(Y page 111).
If it is dark andthelight sensor activates
the low-beam headlamps, the_
indicator lampinthe instr ument cluster
lights up.
If you drive faster thanapproximately
28 mph (45km/ h):
the headlamp rangeisset automatically
depending onthe distanc ebetween the
vehicle andother roadusers.
If you drive faster thanapproximately
35 mph (55km/ h)and noother roadusers
are identified:
the high-beam headlamps areswitched on
automatically. The
K indicator
lampin
the instr ument cluster alsolights up.
When youdrive slower thanapproximately
30 mph (45km/ h)or ifother roadusers
are identified orifthe roads aresufficient ly
illuminated:
the high-beam headlamps areswitched off
automatically. TheK indicator lampin
the instr ument cluster goesout.The_
indicator lampinthe instr ument cluster
stays on.
X To deactivat e:move thecombinat ion
switch backtoits normal position.
The _ indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster goesout. G
WARNIN
G The
Adaptive Highbeam Assistisonly anaid
inten dedtosupport youwhile driving. The
driver isand remains responsible forproper
vehicle lighting inaccordanc ewith the
prevailing light,sightandtrafficcondit ions.
The system maybeimpaired orunavailable
when
R visibility ispoor, e.g.due tosnow, rain,fog,
or heavy spray
R the optical sensorareaofthe windshield is
dirty, fogged up,orcovered byastick erfor
example 112
Exterior
lightingLights and windshield wipers

Trans
mission pos ition s B
Park
position
Do not shiftthe transmi ssion into
po sitio nP(Y page 155) unless the
veh icleis sta tionar y.The parking
lo ck sho uld not beused asabra ke
wh en parking .In additio nto
eng aging the parking lock, you
mu stalwa ysapplythe electri c
pa rking braketosec urethe
veh icle.
If the vehicleelectro nicsare
ma lfunctio ning,the transmi ssion
ma ybe locked inpo sitio nP. Hav e
the vehicleelectro nicschecked at
a qu alifi ed speci alistw orkshop,
e.g. anauthorized Mercedes-B enz
Center, immediately.
The automatic transmission shifts
to Pautomatically ifyou:
R remove theSmart Key
R switch offthe engine wheninR
or Dand open oneofthe front
doors C
Reverse
gear
Only shiftthetrans mission toR
when thevehicle isstation ary. A
Neut
ral
Do not shift thetrans mission toN
while driving. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission couldbe
damaged.
No power istrans mittedfrom the
engine tothe drive wheels.
Releasi ngthe brakes willallow you
to move thevehicle freely,e.g.to
push itor tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated orfaulty:
only shift thetrans mission to
position Nifthe vehicle isin danger
of skidding, e.g.onicy roads.
If you switch offthe engine using
the Smart Keyorthe Start /Stop
button ,the automatic transmission
shifts toneutral Nautomatically.
! Rolling inneutral Ncan damage
the drive train. 7
Drive
The
automatic transmission
changes gearautomatically. All
forward gearsareavaila ble. Changing
gear
The automatic transmission shiftstothe
individual gearsautomatically whenitis in
trans mission position D.Thisautomatic
gearshifting behaviorisdetermined by:
R apossible limitation ofthe shift range
R the position ofthe accelerator pedal
R the road speed 146
Automat
ictransmissionDriving and parking