2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class torque

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

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

Traction
controlremains activeifyou
deactivate ESP®
. G
WARNIN
G Traction
controlcann otreduce therisk ofan
accident ifyou drive toofast. Traction control
cann otoverride thelaws ofphysics.
Deactivating/activat ingESP ® i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61). G
WARN
ING ES
P®
should notbedeactiv atedduring
norm aldrivin gother thaninthe
circ umstan cesdescribed below.Disabling
the system willreduce vehicle stability in
drivin gmaneuver s.
Do not deactiv ateESP®
when theemergen cy
or spare wheel ismount ed.
ES P®
is activ ated automatic allywhen the
engin eis start ed.
It may bebest todeactiv ateESP®
in the
following situations:
R when usingsnowchains
R in deep snow
R on sand orgravel G
WARN
ING Switc
hon ESP®
immediately ifone ofthe
previously statedcon dition sis no longer met.
Other wise, ESP®
cann otstabilize thevehicle
if it begins tolurch orwhen awheel spins.
When youdeactiv ateESP®
:
R ES P®
no longer improves drivingstability.
R the engin e'storque isno longer limited and
the drive wheels canspin. Thespinn ingof
the wheels resultsinacutt ingaction ,which
provides bettergrip.
R trac tion controlis still activ ated.
R ES P®
still provides supportwhenyou
brake. If
ES P®
is deactiv atedandone ormore wheels
start tospin, the÷ ESP®
warning lampin
the instrument clusterflashes. Insuch
situation s,ES P®
will notstabilize thevehicle. X
To deact ivate:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clusterlightsup. G
WARN
ING When
theå ESP®
OFF warning lampislit,
ES P®
is deactiv ated.
If the ÷ ESP®
warning lampandthe
å ESP®
OFF warning lampremain lit,
ES P®
is not available duetoam alfun ction .
When ESP®
is deac tivate dor noto peration al,
vehicle stability instan dard driving
maneuver sis reduced.
Adapt yourspeed anddriving tothe prevailing
road condition sand tothe non-operat ing
stat usofthe ESP®
.
! Avoid spinningthe driven wheels foran
ext ended period withESP®
deactiv ated.
You could otherwisedamage thedrivet rain.
X To activa te:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clustergoesout.
ESP ®
trailer stabiliz ation If
your vehicle withtrailer (vehicle/ trailer
combin ation)begins tolurch, youcan only
stabilize thevehicle/ trailercombin ationby
depressin gthe brake firmly. 64
Driving
safetysystemsSafety

Trave
ling uphi ll
App roac h/depa rture angle :
: 14
;
Ste
el-spri ng
ve hic les 26° 25° 25°
Veh
icle swi th
the AIRMA TIC
pac kag e Hig
hway level 23° 22°
22°
15 Ra
ised level 28° 27° 27°
R
Co mpl ywi th the rulesfor off-roaddri ving .
R Do not drive atan ang leon slop es,incl ines
or gra dients, butinstea dfol low the direct
li ne offall.T he maximum gradient-climbing
capabil ityofyour vehicle is100%, which
corresponds toan approach/departure
angle of45°. Note thatthevehicle's
gradient-c limbingcapabilitydepends on
the off-r oad condition s.
R Before tackling steepdownhill gradients,
select shiftrange 1.
R Drive slowly .
R Avoid highengine speeds –drive ata
sui table engine speed(maxi mum 3000
rpm). R
When drivingdow nanincli ne, makeuseof
the engine'sbra king effect. Observethe
eng inespeed;do not overrevthe engine.
R Check thebrakes afterdriving off-road for
a long time. G
WARNING Never
turnthevehicle around onsteep
inclines. Thevehicle mightrollover. Ifthe
vehicle cannotcomplete theattempt edclimb,
back itdown inreverse gear. i
Hill
start assist willaidyou when pulling
away onahill.
For further information ,see "Hill start
assist" (Ypage 142).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability For
good roadsurface condition s,the
maximum gradient-climbingcapabilityis
100%, whichcorresponds toan approach/
departure angleof45°. Note thatthe
vehicle's gradient-c limbingcapability
depends onthe off-r oad condition s.
Acc elerate carefully andmake surethatthe
wheels donot spin when driving onsteep
terrain. i
If
the load onthe front axleisreduced
when pullingaway onasteep uphillslope,
the front wheels haveatenden cytospin.
4ETS recogniz esthis and brakes the
wheels accordingly. Therear wheel torque
is increased, makingiteasier todrive off.
Brow ofhill When
driving upanuphill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure onthe accelerator
immediately beforereaching thebrow ofthe
hill. Use thevehicle's ownimpetus todrive
over thetop ofthe hill.
14 With AMG bodystyling.
15 166
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

The ML 350 4MATIC model has a departure angle of 23°.

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

corre
ctinsta llati on and torqu eat aqu alifi ed
spe cialist wo rksho p. G
WARNI
NG The
ballcou pling can bedamag edifthe nut is
tigh tened onthe ballcou pling with the
incor recttorqu e.Thi scou ldcau sethe trailer
to deta chwhi ledri ving andanacci dent could
occu rasa result.
Therefore, pleaseobserve thefollowi ng:
R do not exceed themaximum permitted
noseweight ofthe ball coupling, thetrailer
coupling andthetrailer towhitch.
R when installing, alwaysuse aretainin gring
between thenut and themount ingsurface
of the ball coupling carrier.
R ifthe assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor
corr ectinst allation andtorque ataqualified
specialist workshop.
R check thatthethread underthenut isof
the corr ectlengt h.
! Mercedes- Benzrecom mends thatyou
only useball couplings testedand
approved foruse onMercedes- Benz
vehicles. Thishelps toavoid damage tothe
vehicle.
Observe themanufact urer'sinstallation
inst ruct ions ifyou useaball coupling other
than theone supplied. i
Also
observe theheight ofthe trailer
coupling andthetrailer manufact urer's
inst ruct ions. i
Depen
dingonthe height ofthe trailer
coupling, itis possible thattheball coupling
will have tobe rotat edby180° onthe ball
coupling carrierforcorr ectinst allation. The
assembly isother wiseidentic al. X
Inser tball couplin g: throug hth ehole in
ball couplin gcar rier ;asfar asitwill go. X
Slid eret aini ngring? onto theth read of
ball couplin g= asfar asitwill go.
X Sc rew onnut Aastightly as poss ible. X
Wit hato rque wrench,tig hten nut Btoa
to rque of516 lb-ft(700 Nm).
X Check thatproje cting thread Chas the
requisite lengthof 0.32 in(8 mm )beneath
nut B.
X Check theassembled ballcoupling for
corr ectinstallation. Tr
ailer towing
213Driving and parking Z

Inst
alling thebal lcoup ling G
WAR
NING If
th eveh icle/t raile rco mbin ation isno t
sec ured ,th etrailer maycome loos e.As a
res ult,you could caus ean acc iden t.
Ther efore, mak esur eth at theball couplin gis
sec ured withth ebolt suppl iedand the
co rrespo nding spring cotter. G
WAR
NING The
ballcouplin gcan bedamag edifth enut is
ti ght ened on theball couplin gwiththe
inc orre cttor que. Thiscould cause thetrailer
to detac hwhile drivingand anacc ident could
occ uras aresult .
There fore,please observethe followin g:
R do not exceed themaxim umperm itted
nos eweight ofthe ball couplin g,the trailer
couplin gand thetrailer towhitch.
R when installing, always usearetainin gring
between thenut and themount ingsurface
of the ball coupling carrier.
R ifthe assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor
corr ectinst allation andtorque ataqualified
specialist workshop.
R check thatthethread underthenut isof
the corr ectlengt h.
The detachable ballcoupling islocated inthe
stowage wellunder thecargo compart ment
floor (Ypage 292).
X Open thecargo compart mentfloor
(Y page 292). Ball
coupling andballcoupling stowagewell
(example)
X Remove ballcoupling :with thebolt and
spring cotter from ballcoupling stowage
well ;. Protec
tivecap
X Pull protec tivecap=inthe direct ionofthe
arrow, outofthe ball coupling recess.
X Place protec tivecap=into theball
coupling stowagewell. Ball
coupling recess 214
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

G
WARNING Make
suretouse theorigi nallength wheel
bolts when remou ntingtheorigi nalwhee l
after ithas been repaired.
X Cle anthe whee land whee lhub contact
surfa ces.
! Toprevent damagetothe paintwork, hold
the whee lsecure lyaga inst thewhee lhub
whi lescrewi nginthe first whee lbolt. X
Slide theemerge ncysparewhee lonto the
ali gnment boltandpushit on.
X Tigh tenthewhee lbolts untiltheyare
finger-tigh t.
X Unscrew thealignment bolt.
X Tigh tenthelastw heel boltuntil itis finger-
tight.
Low ering thevehicle X
Place theratchet wrench ontothehexagon
nut ofthe jack sothat theletters ABare
visible.
X Turn theratchet wrench untilthevehicle is
once again standing firmlyonthe ground.
X Place thejack toone side. X
Tighten thewheel boltsevenly ina
crosswise patterninthe sequence
indicated (: toA). Thetighten ingtorque
must be110 lb-ft (150 Nm). G
WARNING Have
thetighten ingtorque checked
immediately afterawheel ischanged. The
wheels couldcome looseifthey arenot
tighten edtoatorque of110 lb/ft
(150 Nm).
X Turn thejack back toits initial position and
store ittogether withtherest ofthe tire-
change toolkitinthe cargo compartmen t.
Vehicles withanemergency sparewheel:
X Wrap thedefective wheelinthe protect ive
film included withtheemergency spare
wheel andtransport thewheel inthe cargo
compartmen t.
or
X Depending onthe size ofthe wheel, you
may alsobeable tosecure thedefective
wheel inthe emergency sparewheel well.
In this case, youmust remove thestowage
tray from theemergency sparewheel well
and store itsecurely inthe cargo
compartmen t. i
When
youaredriving withthecollapsibl e
spare wheel mounted, thetire pressure
loss warning systemorthe tire pressure
monitorin gsystem cannotfunction
reliabl y.Only restart thetire pressure loss
warning system/t irepressure monitorin g Flat
tire
337Breakdown assistance Z