2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class tire type

Break
down
see Flattire
see Towing away
Bu lbs
see Changin gbulbs C
Califor
nia
Impo rtant notice forretail
cust omer sand lesse es.................... 22
Call ingupamalfunc tion
see Displ aymessa ges
Capac ities
see Techni caldata
Car
see Vehi cle
Care
Carpets .......................................... 325
Ca rwa sh ....... .............. .............. ..... 318
Displ ay........................................... 323
Exterior lights ................................ 322
Gea rorselecto rlever .................... 324
Matte finish................................... 320
Nigh tView AssistPlus ................... 323
Notes ............................................. 318
Pai nt.............................................. 320
Pla stic trim .................................... 323
Pow erwa sher ................................ 319
Rea rview came ra.......................... 322
Roo flini ng ....... ............................ ...325
Seat belt........................................ 324
Seat cover ..................................... 324
Sensors ......................................... 322
Steering wheel............................... 324
Trim pieces .................................... 324
Was hing byhand ........................... 319
Whee ls........................................... 320
Windo ws........................................ 321
Wip erbla des .................................. 321
Wood entrim .................................. 324
Cargo compartm entcover ............... 289
Cargo compartm entenlargemen t... 287
Cargo compartm entfloor
Openi ng/closi ng............................ 292
Stowag ewell(under) ..................... 292Cargo
net
Attaching ....................................... 290
Importa ntsafe tyinforma tion......... 290
Cargo tiedow nrings ......................... 288
Car wash (care) ................................. 318
CD player/ CDchang er(on-bo ard
co mputer) .......................................... 230
Ce llphone
see Mobi lephone
Ce nter conso le
Lowe rsect ion .................................. 33
Uppe rsect ion .................................. 32
Ce ntral locking
Automa ticlocking (on-board
compu ter)...................................... 235
Locking/u nlocking(SmartKe y)........ 72
Chang ingbulb s
Brake lamps ................................... 117
High-b eamheadlamps ................... 116
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 114
Low-b eamheadlamps .................... 116
Overvi ewofbul btypes .................. 115
Parki nglamps ................................ 116
Rem oving/re placing thecover
(front wheelarch) .......................... 115
Side marker lamps ......................... 117
Standing lamps (front) ................... 116
Chi ld-proof locks
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 59
Rea rdoors ....................................... 59
Chi ldren
In the vehi cle................................... 54
Res traint systems ............................ 54
Chi ldseat
LATCH-typ e(ISOFIX) childsea t
anchors .................................... ...... .. 57
Specia lseat belt retractor ............... 56
Top Tether ....................................... 58
Ci garette lighter ................................ 296
Cl eani ng
Trai lertow hitch ............................. 322
Cli mate control
3-zone automatic climatecontrol ..126
Control lingautomatica lly............... 129
Coo ling with aird ehumidification ..128
Defrosting thewindows ................. 132
Defrosting thewindshi eld.............. 131 6
In
dex

Lane
detection (autom atic)
see LaneKeeping Assist
Lane Keeping Assist
Ac tivat ing/deac tivating................. 233
Displ aymessa ge............................ 259
Function/inform ation.................... 200
Lane Tracking package..................... 198
LA TCH-type (ISOF IX)childseat
ancho rs................................................ 57
Le vel control (display messag e)...... 258
Le vel control (vehiclewith
AI RMATIC package )
Basi csettings ................................ 182
Function/notes ............................. 181
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 181
Lic ens eplate lamp(display
messag e)............................................ 252
Lig hting
see Ligh ts
Lig hts
Activating/d eactivating the
interio rlight ingdelayed switch-off.2 35
Automa tichea dlamp mode ............ 110
Displ aymessa ge............................ 250
Driving abroad ............................... 108
Hazard warning lamps ................... 111
High beamflasher .......................... 111
High-b eamheadlamps ................... 111
Ligh tswitc h................................... 108
Low-b eamheadlamps .................... 109
Parki nglamps ................................ 108
Rea rfog lamp ................................ 110
Setting thebrightness ofthe
amb ient lighting (on-boa rd
compu ter)...................................... 234
Setting thecolor ofthe amb ient
lig hting (on-boa rdcompu ter)......... 235
Switchi ngAdap tiveHighb eam
Assist on/off ................................. 234
Switchi ngthe daytime running
la mps on/off (on-boa rd
compu ter)...................................... 234
Switchi ngthe daytime running
la mps on/off (switch) .................... 109
Switchi ngthe exterio rlight ing
delayed switch-offon/ off(on-
board computer )............................ 235Switchi
ngthe surro undlighting
on/off (on-boa rdcompu ter).......... 235
Turn signa ls................................... 111
see Changing bulbs
see Interior lighting
Lig htsen sor (display messag e)....... 253
Lo ading guidelines ............................ 284
Lo cki ng
see Centra llockin g
Locking (doors)
Automat ic........................................ 79
Emergency locking........................... 80
From inside(central locking
button) ............................................. 79
Lo cki ng centrally
see Centra llockin g
Locking verification signal(on-
board comput er)............................... 236
Lo w-be amheadlamps
Cha nging bulbs.............................. 116
Displ aymessa ge............................ 250
Setting fordrivi ngabr oad
(sy mmetrica l)................................. 108
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 109
Lugg ageholde r(EASY-P ACKload-
secur ingkit).................................... ...2 91
Lumbar support ................................... 99 M
M+S
tires ...................................... ...... 352
Mainte nance
see ASSYST PLUSserviceinterva l
dis pla y
Malfunc tionmessag e
see Displ aymessa ges
Malfunc tionsrele vant tosafety
Rep orting ......................................... 25
Matte finish(clean ing
ins truction s)...................................... 320
mbrace Callprio rity.................................... 303
Displ aymessa ge............................ 245
Downlo ading desti nations
(C OMAND) ..................................... 303
Emergency call.............................. 300
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 299
Locati ngastolen veh icle. .............. 304 12
In
dex

Cha
nge ofaddress orcha nge of
owner ship
In theeve ntofach ang eof addre ss,please
sen dus the"Chan geofAd dres sNot ice"
foun din theSer viceand Warr anty
In for mat ionBoo klet,or sim plycall the
Mer cedes-Ben zCust ome rAssistance Center
(in the USA) atthe hotline number
1-80 0-FOR-ME RCedes(1-800- 367-6372) or
Customer ServiceCenter(inCanada )at
1-80 0-387-0100.This willassist usin
cont acting youinatimely manner shouldthe
need arise.
If you sellyour Mercedes, pleaseleavethe
entire literature inthe vehicle sothat itis
avail able tothe next owner.
If you bought thisvehicle used,besure to
send inthe "Notice ofPurchase ofUsed
Truck" foundinthe Service andWarranty
Information Booklet,orcall theMercedes-
Benz Customer Assistance Center(inthe
USA) at
1-80 0-FOR-ME RCedes(1-800- 367-6372) or
Customer Service(inCanada )at
1-80 0-387-0100. Vehicle
operation outsidetheUSA
and Canada
If you plan tooperate yourvehicle inforeign
countries, pleasebeawa rethat:
R service facilities orreplacement partsmay
not bereadil yavail able.
R unleade dfuel forvehicles withacatalytic
convert ermay notbeavail able. Leaded fuel
may cause damage tothe catalytic
convert er.
R the fuel may have aconsiderably lower
octane rating.Unsuitable fuelcancause
engine damage .
Some Mercedes-Benz modelsareavail able
for delivery inEurope through ourEuropean
Delivery Program. Fordetails, consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Centerorwrite to
one ofthe followi ngaddresses. In
the USA Mercedes-Benz
USA,LLC
European DeliveryDepartment
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ07645 -0350
In Canada Mercedes-Benz
Canada,Inc.
European DeliveryDepartment
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, OntarioM4G4C9 Sport
Utility Vehicle G
WARNING This
Sport Utility Vehicle isdesigned forboth
on-road andoff-road use.Itcan goplaces and
perform tasksforwhich conven tional2-wheel
drive passenger carsarenot intended. This
vehicle willhandle andmaneuver differently
from conven tionalpassenger carsindriving
conditions whichmayoccur onstreets,
highwa ysand off-road use.
This vehicle hasahigher ground clearance
and ahigher centerofgravity thanmany
passenger cars.Aswith other vehicles ofthis
type, ifyou make sharp turnsatexcessive
speeds orabrupt maneuvers, thevehicle may
roll over ormay goout ofcont roland crash.
Utility vehicles haveasignificantly higher
rollover ratethan other types ofvehicles.
Failure tooperate thisvehicle safelymay
result inan accident, rolloverofthe vehicle,
and severe orfatal injury.
Before youstart todrive thisvehicle, readthe
Operator's Manual.Take timeto bec ome
fam iliar with thedriv ingcharac terist ics ofthis
veh icle.Besure youarefamiliar withall
vehicle controls. Learn howyour vehicle
handles ondifferen troad surfaces. Donot
attempt sharpturnsatexcessive speedsor
abrupt maneuvers orother unsafe driving
actions thatcancause lossofvehicle control.
When driving off-road orworking thevehicle Introdu
ction
23 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

Winter
driving
Gene ralnote s G
WARNING If
the vehicl ebecome strappe din snow,
ensure thatsnow iskept away from the
exhau stpip eand from aroundthe vehicl eas
long asthe engine isrunning. Otherwise,
poi sonou scarbo nmonoxide (CO)mayenter
the vehicle, resulting inloss ofconsc iousness
and even death.
To assure sufficient freshairvent ilation, open
a window slightlyonthe side ofthe vehicle
not facing thewind.
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproof edataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. i
Vehicles
withadiesel engine: donot
cover theradiator, e.g.with aprotec tive
cover. Themeasuring functionofthe
Onboard Diagnosis Systemmayotherwise
provide inaccurate values.Someofthese
values arerequired bylaw and must
therefor ealwa ysbe accurate.
Driving withsumm ertires Observe
thenotesinthe "Winter operation"
section (Ypage 352).
Slippery roadsurfa ces G
WARNING The
outside temperature indicatorisnot
designed toserve asan ice-warnin gdevice
and istherefor eunsuitable forthat purpose.
Indicated temperatures justabove the
freezin gpoint donot guarantee thattheroad
surface isfree ofice. The road maystillbeicy,
especially inwooded areasoron bridges. G
WARNING On
slippery roadsurfaces, neverdownshift in
order toobtain braking action.Thiscould result
indrive wheel slipand reduced vehicle
cont rol.Your vehicle's ABSwillnotprevent
this type ofloss ofcont rol.
Drive particularly carefullyonslippery road
surfaces. Avoidsudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. Donot use thecruise
cont rolorDIS TRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threaten sto skid orcann otbe
stopped whenmoving atlow speed:
X Shift thetrans mission toposition N. i
For
more informat ionondriving with
snow chains, see(Ypage 353). G
WARNING Make
surethatyoudonot endanger other
road users whenyouapply thebrakes. Off-r
oaddriving
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING Grains
ofsand, particles ofdirt and other
abrasive materials canenter thebrake
system. Thiscanlead toexcessive wearand
unpredictable brakingefficienc y.
Aft erthe brakes havebeen exposed todirty
condit ions,havethem check edand cleaned
at aquali fiedspecialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
Otherwise, thereisarisk that braking power
may beinsufficient inthe event ofan
emergenc y,or that thebraking effectmaybe
unpredictable. G
WARNING Do
not load items onthe basic carrier bars.It
may cause instability duringsomemaneuvers
which couldresult inan accident .
Drive slowly inunkn ownterrain. Thiswill
make iteasier torecogn izeunexpect ed
obstacles andavoid damage tothe vehicle.
To help avoid thevehicle rollingover,never
turn itaround onsteep inclines. Ifthe vehicle 162
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

plastic
trim.This maintains thehigh-quali ty
look ofthe surfaces.
X Wipe theplastic trimwith adamp, lint-free
cloth, e.g.amicrofiber cloth.
X Heavy soiling:use carcare andcleaning
products recommen dedandapproved by
Mercedes-Ben z.
The surface maychange colortemporarily.
Wait untilthesurface isdry again.
Cleanin gthe steering wheelandgear or
selec torlever X
Thoroughly wipewithadamp clothoruse
leather careagents thathave been
recommen dedandapproved byMercedes-
Benz .
Cleanin ggenuine woodand trim
elements X
Wipe thewooden trimandtrim pieces with
a damp, lint-free cloth ,e.g. amicr ofiber
clo th.
X Hea vysoilin g: usecar care andcleani ng
pro ducts reco mmend edand appro ved by
Mer cedes-Be nz.
! Donot usesol vent-b ased cleani ngagents
su ch astar remo ver,wheelcleaner s,
polishes orwaxes. Thereisoth erwise arisk
of damagin gthe surface.
! Donot use chrome polish ontrim pieces .
The trim pieces haveachr ome lookbutare
most lymade ofanodiz edaluminum and
can lose theirshin eif chr ome polish is
used. Useadamp, lint-free clothinst ead
when cleaningthe trim pieces .
If the chrome- plated trim pieces arevery
dirt y,you can useachr ome polish. Ifyou
are unsur eas towhet herthetrim pieces
are chrome- plated ornot ,con sult an
author izedMerc edes- BenzCent er. Cleaning
theseat covers !
Donot use microf iberclothstoclean
genuine leather,artificialleather or
Alcan tara® covers.Ifused often,these can
damage thecover .
! Observe thefollowing whencleanin g:
R clean genuine leathercoverscaref ully
wit hadamp clothand then wipe the
co ver sdown withadry cloth.M ake sure
th at theleat her does notb ecome
soaked. Itmay other wisebecome rough
and crack ed.Only useleather care
agents thathave been testedand
approved byMercedes- Benz.You can
obtain thesefromaqualified specialist
worksho p,e.g. aMercedes- BenzService
cen ter.
R clean artificialleather coverswith aclot h
moisten edwith asolution containin g1%
detergen t(e.g. dish washing liquid).
R clean clothcover swith amicrof ibercloth
moisten edwith asolution containin g1%
detergen t(e.g. dish washing liquid).Rub
carefully andalway swipe entireseat
sect ions toavoid leaving visiblelines.
Leave theseat todry afterwards.
Cleaning resultsdepend onthe type of
dirt and how long ithas been there.
R clean Alcantara® coverswith adamp
clot h.Make sureyouwipe entireseat
sect ions toavoid leaving visiblelines. i
Note
thatregular careisessent ialto
ensure thattheappearance andcomf ortof
the cover sis retain edover time.
Cleaning theseat belts X
Use clean, lukewarm waterandsoap
solution.
! Donot clean theseat belts using chemic al
cleanin gagents .Donot drythe seat belts
by warming themabove 176‡(80 †)or
placing themindirect sunlight. 324
CareMaintenance and care

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). Impor
tant safet ynotes Consult
anauthoriz edMerc edes-B enzCent er
if you require information onapproved and
recom mende dtires andwheels forsummer
and winteroperation .Advice onpurchasin g
and carin gfor tires isalso available there. G
WARN
ING Replace
rimsortires withthesame
designat ion,manufac turerandtype asshown
on the original part.Forfurther infor mation
con tact anauthoriz edMerced es-BenzCente r.
If inco rrectlysized rimsandtires are
mount ed,the wheel brakes orsuspension
compon entscan bedamaged. Also,the
operatin gclearanc eof the wheels andthe
tires maynolonger becorr ect. G
WARN
ING Worn
,old tires cancause acciden ts.Ifthe tire
tread isworn tominimum treaddepth, orif
the tires have sustaine ddamage, replace
them .
When replacin grims, onlyusegenuine
Mercede s-Benz wheel boltsspecified forthe
partic ularrimtype. Failure todo socan result
in the bolts loosenin gand possibly an
acciden t.
Retreaded tiresarenot testedor
recom mended byMercede s-Benz ,sinc e
previous damagecannotalways be recog
nized on retr eads. Theoperatin gsafety
of the vehicle cannotbe assured whensuch
tires areused. G
WARN
ING If
you feel asudden significantvibration or
ride disturban ce,oryou suspect thatpossible
damage toyour vehicle hasoccurred, you
should turnonthe hazard warning flashers,
carefully slowdown, anddrive withcaution to
an area which isasafe distan cefrom theroad.
Inspe ctthe tires andthevehicle underbody
for possible damage. Ifthe vehicle appears
unsafe, havethevehicle towedtothe nearest
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente ror tire
dealer forrepairs. G
WARN
ING Do
not drive withaflat tire. Aflat tire affect s
the ability tosteer orbrake thevehicle. You
might losecontrolof the vehicle. Continued
drivin gwith aflat tire ordrivin gat high speed
with aflat tire willcause excessive heatbuild-
up and possibly afire. i
Furt
herinfor mation aboutTiresand
wheels canbeobtained fromany
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente r. Oper
ation Not
eson driving
R Ifthe vehicle isheavily laden,checkthe tire
pressures andcorrect themifnecessary.
R When parking yourvehicle, makesurethat
the tires donot getdeformed bythe curb
or other obstacles. Ifit is necessary todrive
over curbs, speedhumps orsimilar
elevations, trytodo soslowly andatan
obtuse angle.Otherwise, thetires,
particularly thesidewa lls,can get
damaged. 350
Operat
ionWheels and tires

Note
son reg ularly inspe cting wheels
and tires G
WA
RNI NG Re
gularly che ckthe tires for dama ge.
Dam aged tires can causetireinf latio n
pre ssu reloss. Asares ult, yo ucou ldlose
contr olof your veh icle.
Wo rn,oldtir es can causeacc idents .Ift he tire
tread isworn tominimum treaddepth, orif
the tires have sustained damage,replace
them.
R Regul arlycheck thewheels andtires of
your vehicle fordamage (e.g.cuts,
punctures, tears,bulges ontires and
deformation orcrack sor severe corrosion
on wheels) atleast once amonth,as well
as after driving off-road oron rough roads.
Damaged wheelscancause aloss oftire
pressure.
R Regula rlycheck thetire tread depth and
the condit ionofthe tread across thewhole
width ofthe tire (Ypage 351). Ifnecessary,
turn thefront wheels tofull lock inorder to
inspect theinner sideofthe tire surface.
R All wheels musthaveavalve captoprotec t
the valve against dirtand moisture. Donot
mount anything ontothe valve (such astire
pressure monitoringsystems) otherthan
the standard valvecaporother valvecaps
approved byMercedes-B enzforyour
vehicle.
R Regula rlycheck thepressure ofall the tires
including theemergenc yspare wheel orthe
spare wheel, particularly priortolong trips,
and correc tthe pressure asnecessary
(Y page 353). Tire
tread G
WARNING Although
theappli cable federal motorvehicle
safety lawsconsider atire tobe worn when
the tread wearindicators (TWI)become
visible atapproximately 1
/ 16 in
(1.6 mm), we recommen
dthat youdonot allow yourtires
to wear down tothat level. Astread depth
approaches 1
/ 8 in
(3 mm), theadhesion
properties onawet road aresharply reduced.
Depending upontheweather and/orroad
surface (conditions), thetire tract ionvaries
widely .
Do not use tires thatareexcessively wornas
the tire tract iononwet road surfaces
decreases significantly whenthetread depth
is less than 1
/ 8 inch
(3mm).
Tread wearindicators (TWI)arerequired by
law. Sixindicators arepositioned onthe tire
tread. Theybecome visibleassoon asatread
depth ofapproximately 1
/ 16 inch
(1.6mm)
has been reached. Ifthis isthe case, thetire
is so worn thatitmust bereplaced.
The recommen dedtread depth forsummer
tires isat least 1
/ 8 inch
(3mm). The
recommen dedtread depth forwinter tiresis
at least 1
/ 6 inch
(4mm). Bar
marking :for tread wearisintegrated
into thetire tread. Notes
onselec ting,mounting and
replacing tires
R Only mount tiresandwheels ofthe same
type andmake.
R Only mount tiresofthe correct sizeonto
the wheels.
R Aft ermounting newtires, runthem inat
moderate speedsforthe first 60miles Operat
ion
351Wheels and tires Z