2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class emergency towing

Tow
ingat rail er
Activ ePark ing Assist ..................... 189
Cl eani ngthe trail ertow hitch .........322
Cou pling up atrail er...................... 215
Decoup lingatrail er....................... 217
Driving tips.................................... 210
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 210
Install ingthe ballcoup ling............. 214
Ligh tsdis pla ym essage .................. 250
Mou nting dimensions .................... 391
Pow ersup ply................................. 219
Pul ling away with atrail er.............. 141
Rem oving theballcoup ling............ 218
Shift range ..................................... 147
Storing theballcoup ling................ 218
Trai lerloads................................... 391
Towi ngaway
With both axleson the grou nd....... 344
Tow-s tarting
Emergency enginestarting ............ 345
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 343
Trailer couplin g
see Towingatrail er
Trailer loadsanddrawbar
nos eweig hts ...................................... 218
Trailer towing
Active BlindSpotAssist ................. 205
Active LaneKeepingAssist ............ 208
Blind SpotAssist ............................ 200
ESP ®
................................................ 64
PARKT RONIC................................. 185
Permi ssibletrail erloa dsand
dra wba rnoseweights ..................... 218
Transmiss ion
see Automa tictransmis sion
Transporting thevehi cle .................. 345
Traveli nguphill
Brow ofhill....... ..............................166
Driving downhill ............................. 167
Maxi mum gradient-clim bing
capa bility ....................................... 166
Trim pieces(clean inginstruction s).3 24
Trip computer (on-bo ard
co mputer) .......................................... 227
Trip meter
see Trip odom eter Trip
odome ter
Ca lling up ....... ..................... ...........227
Res etting (on-boa rdcompu ter)...... 228
Trunk
see Tailga te
Turn signals
Displ aymessa ge............................ 251
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 111
TWR (TongueWeight Rating)
(defi nition) ......................................... 374
Type identification plate
see Vehi cleidentificati onplate U
Unl
ocking
Emergency unlocking ....................... 80
From insidethe vehi cle(central
unlo cking button) ............................. 79 V
Vanity
mirror(insun visor).............. 295
Vehic le
Corr ectuse ...................................... 25
Data acquisition ............................... 26
Displ aymessa ge............................ 265
Equi pment ....................................... 21
Indivi dualsett ings .......................... 233
Limi tedWarr anty ............................. 26
Load ing.......................................... 362
Locking (inanemerg ency)............... 80
Locking (SmartKe y)....... ................... 73
Lowe ring........................................ 337
Mai ntenance .................................... 22
Parki ngfor along period....... .........157
Pul ling away ................................... 141
Ra ising ........................................... 334
Rep orting problems ......................... 25
Tow ingaway .................................. 343
Transp orting.................................. 345
Unlocking (inanemerg ency)........... 80
Unlocking (SmartKey)...................... 73
Vehi cledata ................................... 390
Vehic lebattery
see Battery (vehicle)
Vehic ledata ....................................... 390
see Techni caldata In
dex
19

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

G
WARNING Am
alfun ction inthesyst emhas been
det ectedifon eof thefoll owin gcon dition s
occ urs:
R theind icat orlamp intheSO Sbutt ondoes
no tlight updurin gthe syst emself-
diagno sis.
R the indic atorlamp inthe F Roadside
Ass istan cebutt ondoes notlight updurin g
the syst emself- diagno sis.
R The indic atorlamp inthe ï informat ion
butt ondoes notlight updurin gself-
diagno sisofthe syst em.
R the indic atorlamp inthe SOS button,
F Roadside Assistan cebutt onorï
inf ormat ionbutt oncon tinues tobe litred
aft erthe syst emself- diagno sis.
R The Tele Aid Inop
erative or Tele Aid
Not
Activated mess
ageappears inthe
multif unction display afterthe syst emself-
tes t.
If amalfun ction isindic ated asoutlin edabove,
the syst emmay notoperat eas expec ted.In
the even tofane mergency, assistance must
be summoned byother means.
Have thesystem checked atthe nearest
au thorized Mercede s-BenzCenter orcontact
the follo wing service hotlines:
R USA: Mercede s-BenzCustomer Assistance
Center under
1-800-FOR-MERCed es(1-800-367-6372)
or 1-888-990- 9007
R Canada: Customer Service at
1-888-923- 8367
Emerge ncycall Important
safetynotes
! Alicen seagreem entmust existino rder
to activate thembrace service. Ensurethat
you rsyst em isact ivat edand readyforu se,
and press theï MBInfo callbutton to
register. Ifany ofthe steps mentioned is
not carried out,thesystem maynotbe
activated. If
you have questions aboutthe activation,
cont actone ofthe following telephone
assistance services:
R USA: Mercedes-Ben zCustome r
As sist anc eCen teru nde r
1-800-FO R-MERC edes
(1-8 00-367 -6372)or1-888-9 90-9007
R Can ada: Custom erServ iceat
1-888-9 23-8367
An eme rgency callis dialed automa tically if
an airb ag orEm erg ency Ten sion ingDevic eis
tr igger ed. i
An
mbr ace eme rgencycall that has been
ini tiat edauto maticall ycan notb e
term inated bythe custo mer .
An eme rgency callcan also be initia ted
ma nua lly.
As soon asthe eme rgency callha sbe en
ini tia ted ,the indicator lamp inthe SOS button
fl as he s.Th e Con
nectingCal l mes
sage
ap pe arson the multifu nctio ndisplay.
The audio output ismut ed.
Onc eacon nection hasbeen established, the Call
Connected mess
ageappears inthe
mult ifunc tiondisplay.
All impor tantinf orm ation onthe emer gency
is transm itted, forexam ple:
R curr entlocat ionofthe vehic le(as
dete rmin edbythe GPS system)
R vehic leident ification numb er
R inf orm ation onthe type ofemer gency
Sho rtly aft erthe emer gencycall has been
init iated, avoic econ nection isautom atically
est ablished betweenthe Merc edes- Benz
Custom erAss istanc eCent erand thevehic le
occ upant s.Ifthe vehic leocc upant srespo nd,
the Merc edes- BenzCustome rAssistance
Center attempts toget more information on
the emergency. i
If
no vehicle occupant answers,an
ambul anceisimmediately senttothe
vehicle. 300
FeaturesStowing and features

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Wher
ewill Ifind. ..? First
-aidkit
X Open thetailgate. X
Remove first-aid kit: from theparcel net. i
Check
theexpirat iondate onthe first -aid
kit atleast onceayear. Replace the
con tentsifnec essary, andreplace missing
con tents. Vehicle
toolkit
Not es The
vehicle toolkitcan befound inthe
stowage wellunder thecargo compar tment
floor. i
When
theyleave thefactory, vehicles
without a"Minispare" emergencyspare wheel
arenot equipped withthetools
needed tochan geawheel, suchasajack .
Countr y-specificdiffer encesare possible.
Some toolsforchan gingawheel are
specific tothe vehicle. Youcanobtain tools
that areapproved foruse onyour vehicle
at aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
Vehicles withaTIREFIT kit X
Lif tth etrunk floor up (Ypage 292). :
Lug wren ch
; Jack
= Tiresealan tfiller bottle
? Align mentbolt
A Tire inflation compressor
B Folding wheelchock
C Warning triangle
D Ratchet wrench
E Towing eye
Vehicles witha"Mini spare" emerge ncy
spare wheel X
Lift the trunk floorup(Y pag e292).
X Remo vethe "Minispa re"emerge ncyspare
whee l(Y pag e329). 328
Where
willIfind...?Breakdown assistance

Exam
ple: veh icles with AIR MATI Cand trailer tow
hi tch
: Folding wheelcho ck
; Lugwre nch
= Alignme ntbolt
? Ballcou pling ofthe trailert ow hitch
A Towing eye
B Jack
C Ratchet wrench "Minispar
e"emergency sparewheel
The "Minispare" emergencyspare wheel can
be found inthe stowage wellunder thetrunk
floor.
X Lift the trunk floorup(Ypage 292). Example:
vehicleswithoutlockable trunkfloor X
Vehicles withtrailer towhitch: remove
the ball coupling stowagetray.
X Turn emergenc yspare wheel retainer ;
count erclock wiseandremove it.
X Remove "Minispare" emergencyspare
wheel :. Vehicles
withlockable trunkfloor
X Remove thecontentsof sto wage tray ;.
X Turn thecentral ret ainin gscr ew insto wage
tr ay ; and "Minispar e"emerg encyspare
wheel :count ercloc kwise andremov eit.
X Remove stowage well;.
X Vehicles withtrailer towhitch: remove
the ball coupling stowagetray.
X Remove "Minispare" emergencyspare
wheel :.
For further infor mation onchang ingawheel
and mount ingthe spare wheel, see
(Y page 329). Flat
tire Prep
aring the vehicle
Your vehicle maybeequipped with:
R TIREF ITkit 24
R a"Minispare" emergencyspare wheel
R MOEx tended tires (tires withrun-flat
propert ies)(Ypage 338) i
Vehicle
preparation isnot necessary on
vehicles withMOEx tended tires .
24 Canada only. Flat
tire
329Breakdown assistance

Trans
portingthe vehic le
The towingeyes ortra iler tow hitch can be
us ed topullthe vehicleonto atra iler or
tra nsp orte rif yo uwi sh totra nsp ortit.
X Tu rn the Sma rtKeyto positio n2 in the
ig niti onlock.
X Shi ftthe automa tictransmi ssion to
po sitio nN.
As soon asthe vehic leisloade d:
X Pre vent thevehiclefro mr olling awayby
apply ingthe electric parking brake.
X Shift theautomatic transmission to
position P.
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 0in the
ignition lockandremove theSmart Key
from theignition lock.
X Secure thevehicle.
! Only lashthevehicle downbythe wheels
or wheel rims,notbyparts ofthe vehicle
such asaxle orsteerin gcompon ents.
Otherwise, thevehicle couldbedamaged. Notes
for4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with4MATIC mustnotbetowed
with either thefront orthe rear axle raised,
as doing sowill damage thetrans mission.
If the vehicle hastrans mission damage or
damage tothe front orrear axle, have it
trans ported onatrans porter ortrailer.
In the event ofdam agetothe electrical
system
If the battery isdefectiv e,the automatic
trans mission willbelocked inposition P.To
shift theautomatic transmission toposition
N, you must provide powertothe vehicle's
electric alsystem inthe same wayaswhen
jump-st arting(Ypage 341).
Have thevehicle transported onatrans porter
or trailer. Recovering
avehicle that ha sbecome
stu ck
! Pull away smoothly, slowly, andina
st raigh tline when pulling outavehic lethat
has beco mestuck .Ex cess ivetract ive
power coulddamage thevehic les.
If the drive wheels havebecomestuck in
loose ormuddy ground,pull thevehic leout
with extreme caution,particularly ifit is
laden.
Neve rattemp ttorecover astuck vehicle with
a trailer attached.
Pull outthevehicle backwards, ifpossible
using thetrack sit made whenitbecame
stuck . Tow-star
ting(emergency starting)
! Vehicles withautomatic transmission
must notbestart edbytow-st arting. This
could otherwise damagethetrans mission. Fuses
Import
antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G Only
usefuses thathave been approved for
Mercedes-B enzvehicles andthat have the
correc tfuse rating forthe systems
conc erned. Donot attempt torepair orbridge
faulty fuses. Usingfusesthathave notbeen
approved orattempt ingtorepair orbridge
faulty fusescould cause thefuse tobe
overloaded andresult inaf ire. Have thecause
tr aced andrectified ataqualified specialist
work shop.
The fuses inyour vehic leserv eto clos edown
faulty circuits. Ifaf use blows ,all the
co mpo nentson thecir cuit andtheir fun ction s
st op oper ating.
Blo wn fuse smust berep lace dwithfuses of
the same rating, which youcan recogn izeby Fuses
345Breakdown assistance Z