2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class overheating

This
style ofdriving prevent s:
R the vehicle fromlifting offthe ground onthe
brow ofahill
R the vehicle fromtraveling tooquickly down
the other side
Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do not drive atan angle down steep
inclines. Steer into theline offall and drive
with thefron twheels aligned straight.
Otherwise, thevehicle couldslipsidewa ys,
tip and rollover.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Act ivate DSR. Ifthis isnot sufficient, brake
gently. Whendoingso,make surethatthe
vehicle isfacing inthe direction ofthe line
of fall.
R Check thatthebrakes areworking normally
after along downhill stretch. i
The
special off-road ABS settin genables
a precise, briefandrepeated lockingofthe
front wheels, causing themtodig into the
loose earth. Beaware thatthefront wheels
easily skidacross theground surface if
completely brakedandtherefore losetheir
abili tyto steer. Driving
systems Cruise
control
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING The
cruise controlisaconven iencesystem
designed toassist thedriver during vehicle
operation. Thedriver isand must always
remain responsible forthe vehicle's speed
and forsafe brake operation.
Only usethecruise controlifthe road, traffic,
and weather condition smake itadvisabl eto
travel ataconst antspeed. R
The useofthe cruise controlcan be
dangerous onwinding roadsorinheavy
traffic because condition sdo not allow safe
driving ataconst antspeed.
R The useofthe cruise controlcan be
dangerous onslippery roads.Rapid
changes intire tract ioncan result inwheel
spin andloss ofcont rol.
R Deactivate thecruise controlwhen driving
in fog.
The "Resu me"funct ionshould onlybe
operated ifthe driver isfully aware ofthe
previously setspeed andwishes toresume
this particular presetspeed. G
WARNING The
cruise controlbrakes automatically so
that thesetspeed isnot exceeded.
General notes Cruise
controlmaintains aconst antroad
speed foryou. Itbrakes automatically inorder
to avoid exceeding thesetspeed. Onlong and
steep downhill gradients, especiallyif the
vehicle isladen ortowing atrailer, youmust
select shiftrange 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so,you willmake useofthe braking
effect ofthe engine, whichrelieves theload
on the brake system andprevents thebrakes
from overheating andwearing tooquickly.
Use cruise controlonly ifroad andtraffic
condition smake itappropriate tomaintain a
steady speedforaprolonged period.Youcan
set any road speed above20mph
(30 km/h). i
Cruise
controlshould notbeactivated
during off-road driving. Driving
systems
167Driving and parking Z

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

Please
notethat when towing atrailer,
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183)andBlind Spot
Assist (Ypage 198)areonly availabl ewith
limitations ,or not atall. i
On
vehicles withoutlevelcontrol,the
height ofthe ball coupling willalter
accordin gto the load placed onthe vehicle.
If necess ary,useatrailer withaheight-
adjustable drawbar.
Driving tips i
Observe
theinform ationonESP®
trailer
stabilization (Ypage 64)and onpulling
away withatrailer. (Ypage 141).
The maximum permissible speedforvehicle/
trailer combinat ionsdepends onthe type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journ ey,check
the trailer's document sto see what the
maximum permittedspeed is.Observe the
legally prescribed maximumspeedinthe
relevant country.
For cert ainMercedes- Benzvehicles, the
maximum permissible rearaxle load is
incr eased whentowing atrailer. Refertothe
"Technical data"sectiontofind outwhether
this applies toyour vehicle. Ifyou utilize any
of the added maximum rearaxle load when
towing atrailer, thevehicle/t railer
combinat ionmay notexceed amaximum
speed of60 mph(100 km/h)for reasons
conc ernin gthe operating permit.Thisalso
applies incount riesinwhich thepermissible
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combinat ionsisabove 60mph(100 km/h).
When towing atrailer, yourvehicle's handling
charact eristics willbedifferen tinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
On long andsteep downhill gradients, you
must selectshift range 1,2or 3in good time. i
This
alsoapp liesif you have activated
cruise control orDISTRONIC PLUS.
This willuse thebraking effectofthe engine,
so that lessbraking willbe requ iredto
maintai nthe speed. Thisrelieves theload on
the brake system andprevents thebrakes from
overheating andwearing tooquickly. If
you need additional braking,depressthe
brake pedalrepeatedly ratherthan
cont inuously .
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance fromthe
vehicle infront thanwhen driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. Ifpossible, brake
gently atfirst toallow thetrailer torun on.
Then, increase thebraking forcerapidly .
R The values givenforgradient-c limbing
capabil itiesfrom astandst illrefer tosea
level. When driving inmountainous areas,
note thatthepower output ofthe engine,
and consequent lythe vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability,decrease with
increasing altitude.
If the trailer swings fromsidetoside:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter- steer.
X Brake ifnecessary. Assemblin
gthe ball coupling
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
have theball coupling assembled ata
qualified specialist workshop.Only a
qualified specialist workshophas the
nec essary specialist knowledge andtools
to carry outthework required. Youcould
other wiseincorrectlyassemble theball
coupling ortight enthe nut with the
incor recttorque. Thiscould leadtothe ball
coupling andtheball coupling carrier
becomin gdetached whiletowing atrailer.
As aresult, youcould cause anacciden t.
Therefor e,have theball coupling
assembled ataqualified specialist
worksho p.
If the assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor 212
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

as
ares ult ofagin g,soot andfuel depos its.It
is the refore stron gly recomm endedthat you
carr yout regular oilchan gesusing an
approv edeng ineoilwith theappropr iateSAE
class ification . Refr
igera ntoftheair -cond itioning
syst em
The air-c ondit ioningsyst emisfilled with
R134 aref riger antand aspec ialPAG
lubrican t.
! Neve ruse refriger antR12 (CFC) or
min eral lubrican ts.O the rwise, youcou ld
da ma gethe air-co nditioning syste m. Brake
fluid G
WA
RNI NG Ove
raperiod oftime, thebrake fluidabsorbs
moist urefrom theair;this lowers itsboiling
point .
If the boiling pointofthe brake fluidistoo low,
vapor pocketsmay form inthe brake system
when thebrakes areapplied hard(e.g.when
driving downhill). Thiswould impair braking
effic iency.
You should havethebrake fluidrenewed at
regular intervals. Thebrake fluidchang e
int ervals canbefound inthe Serv iceBook let.
Only usebrake fluidapproved byMercedes -
Ben z.Inf ormat ionabout approved brake
fluids canbeobtained fromanyauthoriz edMercedes
-Benz Center oron the Internet at
htt p:// bevo.m ercedes- benz.com . Coolant
Impor tantsafet ynotes The
coolant isamixt ureofwater and
antif reeze/ corrosion inhibito r.Itperfor ms
the following tasks:
R corr osion protection
R antif reeze protection
R raising theboiling point
The engin ecooling systemisfilled atthe
fact orywith coolant thatcontains an
antif reeze/ corrosion inhibito rthat ensures
protect iondown toapproximately -35‡
(-37 †).
! Only addcoolant thathasbeen premixed
with thedesired antifreez eprotect ion.
Otherwise, theengine couldbedamaged.
Further information oncoolants andon
filling canbefound inthe Mercedes-Ben z
Specifications forService Products, MB
Approval 310.1,e.g. onthe Internet at
http: //bevo.m ercedes-benz .com.You can
also consult anauthorized Mercedes-B enz
Center.
! Always useasuitable coolantmixture,
even incount rieswhere hightemperat ures
prevail.
Otherwise, theengine cooling systemisnot
sufficient lyprotec tedfrom corrosion and
overheating.
If the coolant hasantifr eezeprotec tiondown
to -35 ‡(-37 †),theboiling pointofthe
coolant underoperating conditionsis
approximately 266‡(130 †).
Your vehicle hasarange ofaluminum
compon ents.Aluminum componentsinthe
engine makeitnecessary touse antifr eeze/
corrosion inhibitorcoolantthathasbeen
specifically formulatedtoprotec tthe
alumi numparts. Usingotherantifreez e/ Service
products andcapacities
389Technical data Z

corro
sioninhi bitors withou tthese
characterist icsaffects theservice life.
The coolant mustbeused throughout theyear
in order tomaintain thenecessary corrosion
protect ionand toprovide protectionfrom
overheating. Inthe Service Booklet, youcan
find information onthe intervals forrenewal.
The renewal intervalisdetermined bythe
coolant typeandtheengine cooling system
design. Therenewal intervalinthe Service
Booklet isonly valid ifthe coolant isrenewed
or filled upwith Mercedes-Ben zapproved
product s.Therefo re,only useMB325 .0or
326 .0antic orrosion /antifreez eor anot her
Mercede s-Benz approved productofthe
same specific ation.
Inf ormat iononother product swith thesame
specific ationsthatareapproved by
Mercede s-Benz can beobtaine dat an
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente roro nthe
Int ernet athttp: //bevo.m ercedes-benz .com.
The coolant ischeck edatevery maintenanc e
interval atan authorized Mercedes-Ben z
Center.
The antifreez e/corrosion inhibitor
conc entration inthe engine cooling system
should:
R be atleast 50%.Thiswillprotect theengine
cooling systemagainst freezing downto
approximately -35‡(-37 †).
R not exceed 55%(antifreeze protectionto
-49 ‡[-45 †]);othe rwise, heatwillnot
dissipate aseffec tively.
If the coolan tlevel istoo low, MB325 .0or
326 .0ant icorr osion /antifreez eshould be
added. Havetheengin ecoolin gsystem
chec kedforpossible leaks. Wind
shield/h eadlampcleaning
syst em G
WARN
ING Washer
solvent/ant ifreez eis highly
flammable. Donot spill washer solvent/
ant ifreez eon hot engin eparts,bec ause itmay ign
ite and burn .You could beseriously
burned.
Use MBSummerF itwindshield washer
conc entrateattemperatures abovefreezin g:
X Mix 1part MBSummerF itwith 100parts
water.
Use MBWinterF itwindshield washer
conc entrateattemperatures belowfreezin g:
X At temperatures downto14 ‡(Ò10 †):
mix 1part MB WinterF itwit h2p artswate r.
X At temper aturesdown toÒ4 ‡ (Ò20 †):
mix 1part MBWinterF itwit h1 part wate r.
X At temper aturesdown toÒ20 .2‡
(Ò 29 †): mix2part sMB WinterF itwit h1
part wate r.
! OnlySum merFitand WinterF itcan be
mix ed. Other wise, theje ts could become
bloc ked. Veh
icle data Pleas
eno te that for thespec ifiedveh icle
dat a:
R theheig htsspec ifiedmay varyas ares ult
of:
- tires
- load
- co nd ition ofthesuspe nsion
- opt ionalequipm ent All
mod els Veh
icle lengt h 18
9.1in (48 04mm ) Veh
icle widt h
inclu dingext erior
mir rors 84
.3in(21 41mm ) Veh
icle heigh t 70
.7in(17 96mm ) Wh
eelba se 11
4.8in (29 15mm ) Fron
ttr ack 64
.7in(16 42mm ) Rea
rtr ack 65
.2in(16 57mm ) 390
Veh
icle dataTechnical data