2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Distronic

Trip
menu ...................................... 227
Vehi clesub menu ........................... 235
On-b oard diagn osticsinte rface ..........24
Open ingand closi ng the side trim
panel s................................................. 117
Operatin gsafety
On-boa rddia gnostics interface........ 24
Operatin gsyste m
see On-boa rdcompu ter
Outside temperature display........... 223
Ove rhead control panel ...................... 34
Ove rride feature
Rea rside windows ........................... 59P
Pain
tcode num ber............................ 381
Pain twork (clean inginstruction s)... 320
Pani calarm .......................................... 60
Pano rama roofwith pow ertilt/
sli ding panel
Openi ng/closi ng.............................. 89
Openi ng/closi ngthe roller
sunbl ind........................................... 90
Prob lem(malfunction) ..................... 91
Res etting ......................................... 90
Pano rama sliding sunroo f
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 88
Parce lnet ........................................... 286
Parking ............................................... 155
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 155
Posi tion ofexterio rmirror, front-
pas senger side....... ........................104
Rea rview came ra.......................... 190
see PARKT RONIC
Parking aid
Active ParkingAssist ..................... 186
see Exterior mirrors
see PARKT RONIC
Parking brake
Displ aymessa ge............................ 241
Electric parking brake.................... 156
Parking lamps(changi ngbulb s)...... 116
PARK TRONIC
Deactiva ting/activa ting................. 185
Driving system ............................... 183
Function/notes ............................. 183
Prob lem(malfunction) ................... 186Ra
nge ofthe sensors ..................... 183
Trai lertowi ng................................. 185
Warni ngdispla y............................. 184
PAS SENGE RAIRBAG OFFindicat or
lam p................................. .....................44
Ped als.................. .................. .............1 58
Permane ntfour-w heeldrive
see 4MATIC (permanent four-
whe eldrive )
Plas tictrim (clean inginstruction s).3 23
Pow erwashe rs.................................. 319
Pow erwindow s
see Side windows
PRE-SA FE®
(Pre ventive occupant
safety system)
Displ aymessa ge............................ 245
Opera tion.................. .................. .....4 9
PRE-SAFE ®
Bra ke(vehicl eswith
DISTRONIC PLUS)
Display message ............................ 245
Function/notes ................................65
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 232
Warni nglamp ....... ..................... ..... 279
Preve ntiveoccupant safety
syste m
see PRE-SAFE ®
(Pre ventive
occup antsafe tysys tem)
Produc tinfo rmation ............................ 21
Pull ingaway
Automa tictransmis sion................. 141
Trai ler............................................ 141 Q
Quali
fieds pec ialistw ork shop ........... 25 R
Radar
sensor syste m
Activating/d eactivating ................. 236
Displ aymessa ge............................ 259
Radiator cover ................................... 313
Radio Sele cting astati on......................... 229
see sepa rateoperating instructio ns
Radio-c ontrolleddevi ces
(in stalli ng).......................................... 309
Readin glamp ..................................... 11314
In
dex

PRE-SAFE
®
(preventat iveocc upant
prot ection) G
WARNING The
PRE-SA FE®
system reduces theimpact of
an accident onvehicle occupants, aslong as
their seatbelts havebeen fastened correctly.
Although yourvehicle isequippe dwith aPRE-
SAF E®
system, thepossibility ofinjury inthe
event ofan accident cannotberuled out.You
should therefore alwaysdrive carefully and
adapt yourdriving styletothe prevailing road,
weather andtraffic condition s.
PRE-SA FE®
takes preemptive measuresto
protect occupants incertain hazardous
situations.
PRE-SA FE®
interv enes:
R in emergency brakingsituations, e.g.ifBAS
is activated or,invehicles withDISTRONIC
PLUS, BASPLUS intervenespowerfully
R ifthe radar sensor system detectsan
imminent dangerofcollision incertain
situations (onvehicles withDISTRONIC
PLUS)
R in critic aldriving situations, e.g.when
physical limitsareexceed andthevehicle
understeers oroversteers severely
PRE-SA FE®
takes thefollowing measures
depending onthe hazardous situation
detect ed:
R the front seatbelts arepre-ten sioned.
R on vehicles withmemory functionforthe
front -passenger seat:thefront -passenger
seat isadjusted ifit is in an unfavorable
position.
R ifthe vehicle skids,thesliding sunroof/
panorama roofwith power tilt/sliding
panel andtheside windows areclosed so
that only asmall gapremains.
If the sliding sunroof, panorama roofwith
power tilt/sliding paneloraside window is
obstruct edduring closing, theclosing
procedure isstopped. Theobstruct edsliding
sunroof, panorama roofwith power tilt/ sliding
panelorside window opensagain
slightly.
If the hazardous situationpasseswithout
resulting inan accident, PRE-SAFE®
slackens
the belt pretension ing.Allsettin gsmade by
PRE-SA FE®
can then bereversed.
If the seat belts arenot released:
X Move thebackrest orseat back slightly, but
only when thevehicle isstationary.
The belt pretension ingisreduced andthe
locking mechanism isreleased. G
WARNING Make
surethatnobody canbecome trapped
as you adjust theseat.
! Make surethatthere arenoobject sin the
footwell orbehind theseats when resett ing
the seats. Thereisarisk that theseats
and/or theobject scould bedamaged.
More information aboutseat-belt
adjustment ,a conv enience function
integrated intoPRE-SA FE®
,can befound in
the "Seat-belt adjustment "section
(Y page 52). Seat
belts
Import antsafety notes The
useofseat belts andinfant andchild
restraint systemsisrequired bylaw inall 50
states, theDistr ictofColumbi a,the U.S.
territ ories andallCanadia nprovinces.
Even where thisisnot thecase, allvehicl e
occupa ntsshou ldhave theirseatbelts
fastened whenthevehicl eis in motion. i
For
further informati ononinfants and
child rentraveli nginthe vehicl eand on
infant andchild restrai ntsystems ,see
"C hildren inthe vehicl e"(Y pag e54). G
WARNING Alwa
ysfasten yourseat belt before driving off.
Always makesureallofyour passengers are Occupant
safety
49Safety
Z

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

In
this situa tion, ESP®
assi stsyou and can
detect ifthe vehicle /trailer combination
begi nstolurch. ESP®
slow sthe vehicle down
by braking andlimiting theengine outputuntil
the vehicle/tra iler comb inationh as
st abiliz ed.
Trail erstabiliz ationisactive fromaspeed of
approximately 37mph(60 km/h). G
WARNING The
system willnotbeable toassist whenthe
trailer jackknifes
R ifthe ESP ®
has switched offdue toa
malfunction
R on wet oricy roads
R on roads withslippery surface
R in sand orgravel
Trailers withahigh centerofgravity maytip
over before thesystem recognizes swayingof
the trailer.
Traile rstab iliza tiond oes notwork ifESP ®
is
deactivated ordisabled becauseofa
malfunct ion. EBD
(elec tronic brake force
distr ibution) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
EBD monit orsand cont rolsthebrake
pressure onthe rear wheels toimprove
driving stability whilebraking. G
WARNIN
G If
EBD hasmalfunct ioned,thebraking system
remains availablewith fullbrake boosting
effect .However, therear wheels canstilllock,
e.g. under fullbraking. Thiscould cause you
to lose controlofyour vehicle andcause an
accident .You should therefor eadapt your
driving styletothe different handling
character istics. X
Observe thenoteson warning andindicator
lamps (Ypage 272)aswell asdisplay
messages (Ypage 241). ADA
PTIVE BRAKE
AD APTIVE BRAKEenhancesbraking safety
and offers increased brakingcomfort.In
addition tothe braking function,ADAPTIVE
BRAKE alsohastheHOLD function
(Y page 179)andhillstart assist
(Y page 142). Forfurther informat ion,see
Drivin gtips (Ypage 159). PRE-SAFE
®
Br ake
PRE-S AFE®
Brake isonly availa bleinvehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS. i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
PRE-S AFE®
Brake canhelp youtominimize
the risk ofafront alcollision withavehicle
ahead orreduce theeffect sofsuch a
co llisio n.IfPRE -SAF E®
Br ake hasdetecteda
ris ko fcollision, youwillbewarned visually
and acoustically aswell asby automatic
braking. PRE-SAFE®
Brake cannotprevent a
collision withoutyourintervention.
At speeds aboveapproximately
20 mph (30km/ h),this funct ionwarns you
when youarerapidly approaching thevehicle
in front .An interm ittentwarning tonewill
then sound andthe· distance warning
lamp inthe instr ument cluster willlight up.
X Brake immediately inorder toincrease the
distance fromthevehicle infront .
or
X Take evasive actionprovided itis safe todo
so. Driving
safetysystems
65Safety Z

of
the vehicle couldcause anaccident and/
or serious injurytoyou and others.
X Press thecruise controllever up: for a
higher speedordown ;for alower speed.
X Keep thecruise controllever pressed until
the desired speedisreached.
X Relea sethe cruise controllever.
The new speed isstored.
X Making adjustm entsin1mph
increments (1km/h increments): briefly
press thecruise controllever tothe
pressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in1mph increm ents(1km/ h
increm ents).
X Making adjustm entsin5mph
increments (10km/h increments):
briefly pressthecruise controllever
beyond thepressure point.
The laststored speedisincreased or
decreased in5mph increm ents(10km/ h
increm ents). i
Cruise
controlisnot deactivated ifyou
depress theaccelerator pedal.For
example, ifyou accelerate brieflyto
overtak e,cruise controladjusts the
vehicle's speedtothe last speed stored
after youhave finished overtaking.
Deactivating cruisecontrol There
areseveral waystodeactivate cruise
cont rol:
X Briefly pressthecruise controllever
forwards =.
or
X Brake.
Cruise controlisautomatically deactivatedif:
R you engage theelectric parking brake.
R you aredriving below20mph (30km/ h).
R ESP ®
interv enesoryou deactivate ESP®
. R
you activate DSR.
R you shift thetrans mission toposition N
while driving.
If cruise controlisdeactivated, youwillhear
a warning tone.You willsee the Cruise
Control
Off message
inthe multifunct ion
display forapproximately fiveseconds. i
When
youswitch offthe engine, thelast
speed stored iscleared. DISTRONIC
PLUS
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSrequires familiarity with
its operational characteristics.Westron gly
recommen dthat youreview thefollowing
informat ioncarefully beforeoperating the
system. G
WARNING The
DISTRONIC PLUSisaconv enienc e
system. Itsspeed adjustmen treduction
capability isinten dedtomake cruise control
more effectiveand usable whentrafficspeeds
vary. Itis not however, intendedto,nor does
it, replace theneed forextreme care.
The respons ibilityforthe vehicle's speed,
distanc eto the precedin gvehicle and,most
import antly,brake operation toensure asafe
stoppin gdistanc e,alway sremains withthe
driver.
The DISTRONIC PLUScannottake street and
traff iccon ditions intoaccount .
Complex drivingsituation sare not alway s
fully recogn izedbythe DISTRONIC PLUS.This
could result inwrong ormissing distance
warnings. G
WARN
ING The
DISTRONIC PLUSadaptive cruisecontrol
is not asubstit uteforactive driving
involvem ent.It does notreact topedestrian s
or on stat ionary objects,nor does itrecogn ize Driving
systems
169Driving and parking
Z

or
predict thecurvature andlane layou torthe
movement ofpreceding vehicles.The
DISTRONIC PLUScanonly apply amaximum
of 40% ofthe vehicle's brakingpower.
The DISTRONIC PLUSmaynotdetect narrow
vehicles possibly drivinginfront ofyou, such
as motorc yclesandvehicles drivinginan
offset formation.
It is the driver's responsibility atall times to
be attent ivetothe road, weather andtraffic
conditions .Addition ally,thedriver must
provide thesteer ing,brakin gand other driving
inputs necessary toremain incon trol ofthe
vehicle.
High- frequenc ysources suchastoll stat ions,
speed measuring systemsetc.can caus eth e
DI STRO NICPLUSsyst emtotempor arily
ceas efun ction ing. G
WAR
NING The
DISTRO NICPLUScan nottak eroad and
tr aff iccon dition sint oacc oun t.On lyuse the
DI STRO NICPLUSifth eroad, weatherand
tr aff iccon dition smak eit advis abletotravel
at acon stant spee d. G
WAR
NING Use
oftheDI STRO NICPLUScan be
dang erouson slippe ryroads .Rapid chang es
in tiretract ion can result inwheel spinand
loss ofcon trol.
The DISTRO NICPLUSdoes notfun ction in
adver sesigh tand dista nce cond itions. Donot
us ethe DISTR ONICPLUSdurin gco nd ition sof
fog ,heav yrain ,sn ow orslee t. G
WAR
NING The
DIST RONI CPLU Scan nottak eweat her
co nd ition sint oacc oun t.Swit choff the
DI ST RONI CPLU Sor do notswit chiton if:
R road sare slipp eryorcover edwithsn ow or
ice .The wheels couldlosetractionwhile
braking oraccelerating, andthevehicle
could skid.
R the DISTRONIC PLUSsystem sensorcovers
are dirty orvisibili tyisdiminished dueto snow,
rainorfog, forexample. Thedistance
cont rolsystem functionality couldbe
impaired.
Always payattent iontosurrounding traffic
conditions evenwhile theDISTRONIC PLUSis
switched on.Otherwise, youmay notbeable
to recognize dangerous situationsuntilitis
too late. Thiscould cause anaccident inwhich
you and/or otherscouldbeinjured. G
WARNING The
"Resu me"funct ionshould onlybe
operated ifthe driver isfully aware ofthe
previously setspeed andwishes toresume
this particular presetspeed. G
WARNING Your
undivided attentiontostreet andtraffic
conditions isnecessary atall times whether
DISTRONIC PLUSisactive ornot.
The useofDISTRONIC PLUScanbe
dangerous onwinding roadsorinheavy traffic
because conditions donot allow safedriving
at aconst antspeed.
DISTRONIC PLUSdoesnotreact tostationary
object son the road (forexample, avehicle
stopped intraffic oran abandoned vehicle).
DISTRONIC PLUSlikewise doesnotreact to
oncomin gvehicles.
Deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS:
R when changing tothe right lane, ifthe
vehicles inthe left lane aredriving slower
R when driving intoafilter laneoran
expressway exit
R in complex drivingsituations, forexample
in const ruction sitesonanexpressway
In these situations DISTRONIC PLUSwill
maintain thesetspeed ifit is not deactivated.
DISTRONIC PLUSisintended onlyfor
maintaining aset speed andaset distance
from theobject smoving infront ofthe
vehicle. 170
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

G
WARNING An
intermittent warningsound sand the
dista ncewarning lamp · inthe instrument
cluster isillumina tedifthe DISTRONIC PLUS
system calculates thatthedista ncetothe
vehicl eahe adand yourvehicle's current
speed indicat ethat theDISTRONIC PLUSwill
not becapable ofslowing thevehicle
sufficien tlytomaint ainthe preset following
distanc e,which createsadanger ofa
collision.
Immediately brakethevehicle toincr ease
your distanc eto the precedin gvehicle. The
warning soundisinten dedasafinal caution
in which youshould intercede withyour own
braking inputstoavoid apoten tially
dangerous situation.Donot wait forthe
operation ofthe warning signaltointerc ede
with your ownbraking. Thiswillresult in
potent iallydangerous emergencybraking
which willnotalway sresult inan impact being
avoided.
Tailgating increasestherisk ofan accident . G
WARNING DIS
TRONIC PLUSbrakes yourvehicle witha
maximum deceleration of13 ft/s2
(4 m/s 2
).
This isequivalent toapproximately 40%of
your vehicle's maximum possible
deceleration.
You need tobrake yourself toprevent a
collision. DISTRONIC PLUSbrakes thevehicle
to restore thesetdistance fromthevehicle
ahead orthe setspeed. G
WARNING If
you donot receive visualoracoustic
warning signalsduringacritic altraffic
situation, DISTRONIC PLUShaseither not
recogn izedthecollision risk,hasbeen
deactivated orismalfunct ioning.
Remember, whetherornot DISTRONIC PLUS
is operating, itis ultimately alwaysthe drivers
responsibility toapply thebrakes inorder to
cont rolthe vehicle andavoid acollision. G
WARNING The
vehicle canbebraked whenDISTRONIC
PLUS isactivated. Forthis reason, deactivate
DIS TRONIC PLUSifthe vehicle isto be set in
motion byother means (e.g.inacar wash or
by towing).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUStoassist you,
the radar sensor system mustbeactivated
(Y page 236)andoperational.
General notes DIS
TRONIC PLUSregulates thespeed and
automatically helpsyoumaintain the
distance tothe vehicle detectedinfront .It
brakes automatically inorder toavoid
exceeding thesetspeed.
On long andsteep downhill gradients,
especially ifthe vehicle isladen ortowing a
trailer, youmust select shiftrange 1,2or 3
in good time. Bydoing so,you willmake use
of the braking effectofthe engine, which
relieves theload onthe brake system and
prevent sthe brakes fromoverheating and
wearing tooquickly.
If aslower-moving vehicleisdetect edinfront ,
DIS TRONIC PLUScauses yourvehicle to
brake andmaintain thepreset distance tothe
vehicle infront .
If there isno vehicle drivinginfront ofyou,
DIS TRONIC PLUSfunctionslikecruise
cont rolataspeed rangebetween 20mph
(Canada :30 km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).If avehicle isdriving in
front ofyou, itfunct ionsataspeed range
between 0mph (0km/ h)and 120 mph
(Canada :200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUSwhiledriving on
roads withsteep gradients.
As DIS TRONIC PLUStransmitsradar waves,
it can resemble theradar detect orsofthe
responsible authorities.Youcanrefer tothe
applicabl esection inthe Operator's Manualif
there areany questions concerning this. i
USA
only: Driving
systems
171Driving and parking Z

This
device hasbeen approved bythe FCC
as a“Vehicular RadarSyst em” .The radar
sensor isinten dedforuse inan automotive
radar system only.Removal, tampering, or
altering ofthe device willvoid any
warranties, andisnot permitted bythe
FCC. Donot tamper with,alter, oruse in
any non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment. i
Canada
only:Thisdevice complies with
RSS-2 10ofIndustry Canada.Operation is
subject tothe following twocondition s:
1. This device maynotcause interfer ence,
and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterfer ence
received, includinginterferencethatmay
cause undesired operationofthe device.
Removal, tampering, oraltering ofthe
device willvoid anywarranties, andisnot
permitted. Donot tamper with,alter, oruse
in any non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment.
Cruise control lever :
Toactivate orincrease speed
; Toactivate orreduce speed
= Todeactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
? Toactivate atthe current speed/last
stored speed
A Toset the specified minimum distance Activating
DISTRONIC PLUS Activation
conditions
In order toactivate DISTRONIC PLUS,the
following conditionsmust befulfilled :
R the engine mustbestarted. Itmay take up
to two minutes afterpullingaway before
DIS TRONIC PLUSisoperational.
R the electric parking brakemustbe
released.
R ESP ®
must beactive, butnot interven ing.
R the transmission mustbeinposition D.
R the driver's doormust beclosed whenyou
shift from Pto Dor your seatbeltmust be
fastened.
R the front -passenger doorandrear doors
must beclosed.
R DSR must bedeactivated.
R the vehicle mustnotskid.
Activating whiledriving
When driving atspeeds below20mph
(30 km/h) ,you can only activate DISTRONIC
PLUS ifthe vehicle infront hasbeen detect ed
and isshown inthe multifunct iondisplay .If
the vehiclein fro ntisno longe rdetec tedand
displayed, DISTRONIC PLUSswitch esoff and
a ton esounds.
X Briefly pullthecruise control lever towards
you ?,orbriefly pressup: ordown ;.
DIS TRONIC PLUSisselect ed.
X Keep thecruise control lever pressed
up : ordown ;until thedesired speed
is set.
X Remove yourfootfrom theaccelerat or
pedal.
Your vehicle adaptsitsspeed tothat ofthe
vehicle infron t,but only uptothe desired
stor edspeed. i
If
you donot fully release theaccelerat or
pedal, the DISTRON
ICPLUS Passive message
appearsinthe multifunc tion
display. Thesetdistanc eto aslower-
movin gvehicle infron twill then notbe
maint ained. Youwillbedriving atthe speed 172
Driving
systemsDriving and parking