2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV service

Legend for the table:
XI
SOFIX position that is not suitable for ISOFIX child restraint systems in this weight category
and/or size category.
IUF Suitable for forward-facing ISOFIX child restraint systems that belong to the "Universal" cat- egory and are approved for use in this weight category.
IL Suitable for ISOFIX child restraint systems as recommended; see the "Recommended child restraint systems" table (Y page 65).
The manufacturer will also recommend a suitable ISOFIX child restraint system. For this, your
vehicle and the seat must be listed in the child restraint system manufacturer's vehicle model list. For more information, contact the child restraint system manufacturer or visit the manu-facturer's website. Weight category Size category Equipment Rear seat, left,
right Carry cot
F ISO/L1 X
G ISO/L2 X
0
up to 10 kg
up to approximately 6 months E ISO/R1 IL
0+
up to 13 kg
up to approximately 15 months E ISO/R1 IL
D ISO/R2 IL
C ISO/R3
IL
3 I
9 kg to 18 kg
between approximately 9 months
and 4 years D ISO/R2 IL
C ISO/R3
IL
3 B ISO/F2 IUF
B1 ISO/F2X IUF
A ISO/F3 IUF
The child restraint system must not touch the roof or be put under strain by the head restraint.
Adjust the angle of the seat backrest and the head restraint position accordingly. Also observe the
child restraint system manufacturer's installation instructions. Recommended child restraint systems
General notes Always observe the information in "Child restraint systems on the front-passenger seat" (Y
page 61)
and in "Suitable positioning of the child restraint system" (Y page 62).
You can obtain further information about the correct child restraint system from any Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre.
3 If you are using a child restraint system of size category C (ISO/R3), move the front seat to the highest position
and move the backrest to an upright position. Make sure that the front seat backrest does not rest against the
child restraint system. Children in the vehicle
65Safety Z

The interior lighting automatically switches on if
you:
R unlock the vehicle
R open a door
R remove the key from the ignition lock
The interior lighting is activated for a short time
when the key is removed from the ignition lock.
This delayed switch-off can be adjusted via the
multimedia system (see separate Owner's Man- ual). Crash-responsive emergency lighting
The interior lighting is activated automatically if
the vehicle is involved in an accident.
X To switch off the crash-responsive emer-
gency lighting: press the hazard warning
lamp button.
or X Lock and then unlock the vehicle using the
key. Replacing bulbs (vehicles with LED
headlamps)
The front and rear light clusters of your vehicle
are equipped with LED bulbs. Do not replace the
vehicle's bulbs yourself. Contact a qualified spe- cialist workshop with the necessary specialist
knowledge and tools to carry out the work
required.
Lamps are an important aspect of vehicle safety.
You must therefore make sure that these func-
tion correctly at all times. Have the headlamp
setting checked regularly. Replacing bulbs (vehicles with halo-
gen headlamps) Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Bulbs, lamps and plug connectors can
become very hot during use. When replacing a bulb, you could burn yourself on these com-
ponents. There is a risk of injury. Allow these components to cool down before
replacing the bulb.
Do not use a bulb if it has been dropped or if its
glass tube has been scratched.
The bulb may explode if:
R you touch it
R it is hot
R you drop it
R you scratch it
Use bulbs only in closed lamps that have been
designed for this purpose. Fit only spare bulbs of the same type and the specified voltage.
Marks on the glass tube reduce the service life
of the bulb. Do not touch the glass tube with
your bare hands. If necessary, clean the glass
tube when cold with alcohol or spirit and rub it
off with a lint-free cloth.
Protect bulbs from moisture during operation.
Do not allow bulbs to come into contact with
liquids.
Replace only the bulbs listed (Y page 126).
Have the bulbs that you cannot replace yourself
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If you require assistance replacing bulbs, con-
sult a qualified specialist workshop.
If the new bulb does not light up either, consult
a qualified specialist workshop.
Headlamps and lamps are an important aspect
of vehicle safety. You must therefore make sure
that these function correctly at all times. Have
the headlamp setting checked regularly. Overview of bulb replacement - bulb
types
You can replace the following bulbs. The details for the bulb types can be found in the legend. 126
Replacing bulbs (vehicles with halogen headlamps)Lights and windscreen wipers

Overview of climate control systems
General notes
Observe the settings recommended on the fol-
lowing pages. Otherwise, the windows could
mist up.
To prevent the windows from misting up:
R switch off climate control only briefly
R activate air-recirculation mode only briefly
R switch on "Cooling with air dehumidification"
R activate the "Windscreen demisting" function
briefly, if required
Climate control regulates the temperature and
the humidity in the vehicle interior and filters
undesirable substances out of the air.
the "Residual heat" function can be switched on
or off only with the ignition switched off
(Y page 140).
i Ventilate the vehicle for a brief period during
warm weather, e.g. using the convenience
opening feature (Y page 95).
This will speed up the cooling process and the desired interior temperature will be reached
more quickly. i
The integrated filter filters out most parti-
cles of dust and soot and completely filters
out pollen. It also reduces gaseous pollutants
and odours. A clogged filter reduces the
amount of air supplied to the vehicle interior.
For this reason, you should always observe
the interval for replacing the filter, which is
specified in the Service Booklet. As this
depends on environmental conditions, e.g.
heavy air pollution, the interval may be
shorter than stated in the Service Booklet.
i Vehicles with AIR-BALANCE package:
in
addition to ionisation, the vehicle has an air
filter with anti-allergenic properties that con-
tribute to improved air filtration.
i Under certain environmental conditions, the
residual heat function may be activated auto-
matically an hour after the key has been
removed in order to dry the automatic climate control. The vehicle is then ventilated for 30
minutes. Control panel for THERMATIC automatic climate control (2-zone)
Front control panel
: To set the temperature, left (Y page 136)
; To demist the windscreen (Y page 137)
= To switch the ZONE function on/off (Y page 137)
? To activate/deactivate cooling with air dehumidification (Y page 135) Overview of climate control systems
131Climate control

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The fuel filler flap cannot
be opened. The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
X Unlock the vehicle (Y page 81). The key battery is weak or discharged.
X Unlock the vehicle using the emergency key element (Y page 83).The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jammed.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. AdBlue
®
(BlueTEC vehicles only)
General notes To function properly, BlueTEC exhaust gas after-
treatment must be operated with the reducing
agent AdBlue ®
. Topping up AdBlue ®
is part of
the maintenance work. Under normal operating
conditions, a full tank of AdBlue ®
should last
until the next service due date.
When the supply of AdBlue ®
is down to approx-
imately 3.8 l, the Refill AdBlue See Own‐ Refill AdBlue See Own‐
er's Manual er's Manual message is shown in the multi-
function display.
X Add at least 3.8 lof AdBlue ®
.
X Switch on the ignition for at least 60 seconds.
X Start the engine.
i You can also have the AdBlue ®
tank refilled
at a qualified specialist workshop.
Before driving your vehicle outside Europe, have
the AdBlue ®
supply checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Further information about BlueTEC exhaust gas
aftertreatment and about AdBlue ®
can
be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
Important safety notes AdBlue
®
is a water-soluble fluid for the exhaust
gas aftertreatment of diesel engines. It is:
R non-toxic
R colourless and odourless
R non-flammable
If you open the AdBlue ®
tank, small amounts of
ammonia vapour may be released. Ammonia vapours have a pungent odour and are
particularly irritating to the skin, mucous mem-
branes and eyes. You may experience a burning sensation in your eyes, nose and throat. You
may also experience coughing and watery eyes.
Do not inhale any ammonia vapours that may be
released. Only fill the AdBlue ®
tank in well-ven-
tilated areas.
Do not swallow AdBlue ®
or let it come into con-
tact with skin, eyes or clothing. Keep AdBlue ®
away from children.
If you or others come into contact with AdBlue ®
,
observe the following:
R immediately rinse AdBlue ®
off your skin with
soap and water.
R if AdBlue ®
comes into contact with your eyes,
immediately rinse them thoroughly with clean water. Seek medical attention immediately.
R if AdBlue ®
is swallowed, immediately rinse
your mouth out thoroughly. Drink plenty of
water. Seek medical attention immediately.
R change immediately out of clothing that has
come into contact with AdBlue ®
.
! Only use AdBlue ®
in accordance with
ISO 22241. Do not mix any additives with
AdBlue ®
, and do not dilute AdBlue ®
with
water. This may destroy the BlueTEC exhaust
gas aftertreatment system.
! In order to fill the AdBlue ®
tank, the vehicle
must be parked on a level surface. The
AdBlue ®
tank can only be filled as intended
with the vehicle parked on a level surface.
Fluctuations in capacity will thus be avoided.
Filling a vehicle standing on an uneven sur-
face is not permitted. There is a danger of
overfilling, which can cause damage to Blue-
TEC exhaust gas aftertreatment components. 166
RefuellingDriving and parking

X
Place disposable hose :on the filler neck on
the vehicle and screw it on clockwise until
hand-tight. When you feel resistance, dispos- able hose :is sufficiently secured.
X Lift up and tip AdBlue ®
refill canister ;.
Filling stops when the AdBlue ®
tank is com-
pletely filled. Do not fill the AdBlue ®
tank any
further. AdBlue ®
refill canister ;can be
removed when it has been only partially emp-
tied.
X Turn disposable hose :on the filler neck of
the vehicle anti-clockwise and remove it.
X Turn disposable hose :on the opening of
AdBlue ®
refill canister ;anti-clockwise and
remove it.
X Reseal AdBlue ®
refill canister ;with the cap.
AdBlue ®
refill canisters are available at many
filling stations or at a qualified specialist work-
shop. AdBlue ®
refill canisters are often sold with
a filler hose. A filler hose that does not exactly fit
the vehicle's AdBlue ®
tank offers no overfill pro-
tection. AdBlue ®
may leak out as a result of
overfilling. Mercedes-Benz offers a special dis-
posable hose with overfill protection. You can
obtain this from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. AdBlue ®
is available in a variety of con-
tainers and receptacles. Use the disposable
hose only with the Mercedes-Benz AdBlue ®
refill
canisters.
AdBlue ®
refill bottle !
Only screw on the AdBlue ®
refill bottle so
that it is hand-tight. Otherwise, the thread of
the AdBlue ®
refill bottle could be damaged
and AdBlue ®
could leak out. X
Unscrew the protective cap from AdBlue ®
refill bottle :.
X Place AdBlue ®
refill bottle :on the filler
neck as shown and screw it on clockwise until hand-tight.
X Press AdBlue ®
refill bottle :towards the
filler neck.
The AdBlue ®
tank is filled. This could take up
to one minute.
i When AdBlue ®
refill bottle :is no longer
pressed, filling stops and the bottle may be
taken off again after being only partially emp- tied.
X Release AdBlue ®
refill bottle :.
X Turn AdBlue ®
refill bottle :anti-clockwise
and remove it.
X Screw the protective cap onto AdBlue ®
refill
bottle :again.
AdBlue ®
refill bottles are available at many fill-
ing stations or at a qualified specialist work-
shop. Refill bottles without a threaded seal offer
no overfill protection. AdBlue ®
may leak out as a
result of overfilling. Mercedes-Benz offers spe-
cial refill bottles with a threaded cap. These are
available at any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Parking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rial can come into contact with hot vehicle 168
ParkingDriving and parking

Driving tips
General notes
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
Drive sensibly – save fuel Observe the following tips to save fuel:
X The tyres should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tyre pressure.
X Remove unnecessary loads.
X Remove roof carriers when they are not nee-
ded.
X Warm up the engine at low engine speeds.
X Avoid frequent acceleration or braking.
X Have all maintenance work carried out as
indicated by the service intervals in the Ser-
vice Booklet or by the service interval display.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic, on short jour- neys and in hilly terrain. ECO display
The ECO display shows you how economical
your driving style is. The ECO display assists you in achieving the most economical driving style
for the selected settings and prevailing condi-
tions. Consumption can be significantly influ-
enced by your driving style. :
Acceleration
; Coasting
= Constant
? Additional range achieved
Range ?is shown under Bonus Bonusfr.
fr.start
start and
represents the additional range achieved since
the beginning of the journey as a result of an
adapted driving style.
If the fuel level has dropped into the reserve
range, the Reserve fuel Reserve fuel message is shown in
the multifunction display instead of range ?. In
addition, the 8warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up (Y page 298).172
Driving tipsDriving and pa
rking

Use the left-hand gearshift paddle to shift to a
lower gear on long and steep downhill gradients.
Take particular note of this when driving a laden vehicle.
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control, the speed limiter or Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC.
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so
less braking will be required to maintain the
vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even cause the braking system to fail. There is
a risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal and the accelerator pedal while driving.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes, do
not park the vehicle immediately. Drive on for a
short while. This allows the airflow to cool the
brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effectiveness.
To do this, brake more firmly from a higher
speed. This improves the grip of the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after a car wash or
after driving through deep water.
You will have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly while paying attention to
the traffic conditions. This will warm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion. Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salt-treated roads, a layer of salt
may form on the brake discs and pads. This can increase the braking distance considerably.
R Apply the brakes occasionally in order to pre-
vent any salt build-up. Ensure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal at the end
of the journey and when starting the next
journey.
R Maintain a much greater distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
New brake pads/linings Brake pads/linings and discs that are either new
or have been replaced only achieve optimum
braking effect after several hundred kilometres
of driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brake pads/linings
fitted to your vehicle which have been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which corre-
spond to an equivalent quality standard. Brake
pads/linings which have not been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which are not of an
equivalent quality could affect your vehicle's
operating safety.
High-performance brake system
(Mercedes-AMG vehicles) The high-performance brake system is designed
for high loads. This may lead to noise when
braking. This is dependent on:
R speed
R braking force
R environmental conditions, such as tempera-
ture and humidity
The wear of individual brake system compo-
nents such as the brake pads/linings or brake
discs depends on individual driving style and
operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state a mile-
age (service life) that will be valid under all cir-
cumstances. An aggressive driving style will
lead to high wear. You can obtain further infor-
mation about this from your Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre. 174
Driving tipsDriving and parking

twigs can gather between the underbody and
the underbody panelling. If these materials
come in contact with hot parts of the exhaust
system, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicle checked
and repaired immediately at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. If on continuing your jour-
ney you notice that driving safety is impaired, pull over and stop the vehicle immediately,
paying attention to road and traffic condi-
tions. In such cases, consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
When driving off-road, substances such as sand,
mud and water or water mixed with oil may get
into the brakes. This may lead to a reduction in
braking performance or total brake failure as a
result of increased wear. The braking charac-
teristics will vary depending on the substances
that get into the brakes. Clean the brakes after
driving off-road. If you notice grinding noises or a reduction in braking performance, have the
brake system checked at a qualified specialist
workshop immediately. Adapt your driving style
to the altered braking characteristics.
Driving off-road increases the possibility of dam- age to the vehicle, which may cause assemblies
or systems to fail. Adapt your driving style to the conditions of the terrain. Drive carefully. Have
vehicle damage rectified immediately at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Do not shift into transmission position Nwhen
driving off-road. You could lose control of the
vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehicle using
the service brake. If the gradient is too steep for your vehicle, back up in reverse gear.
General notes H
Environmental note
Protection of the environment is of primary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this section before driving your vehicle off- road. Practise by driving over more gentle off-
road terrain first. The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R the Offroad drive program (vehicles without
Off-Road Engineering package)
(Y page 228)
R Offroad andOffroad Plus drive programs
(vehicles with Off-Road Engineering package) (Y page 229)
R LOW RANGE offroad gear (vehicles with the
Off-Road Engineering package)
(Y page 230)
R Differential lock (vehicles with the Off-Road
Engineering package) (Y page 230)
R Off-road ABS (Y page 69)
R Off-road 4ETS (Y page 72)
R Off-road ESP ®
(Y page 74)
R AIRMATIC package (vehicle level)
(Y page 196)
R DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
(Y page 227)
Observe the following notes:
R Stop the vehicle before driving off-road. If
necessary, select the offroad program
(Y page 229) or shift to the LOW RANGE off-
road gear (Y page 230).
R Select a vehicle level suitable for the off-road
terrain. To avoid damaging the vehicle, ensure
sufficient ground clearance at all times.
R Make sure that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(Y page 316).
R Always keep the engine running and in gear
when driving on a downhill gradient. Activate
DSR (Y page 227).
R Drive slowly and evenly, if necessary at walk-
ing pace.
R Ensure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at all times.
R Drive with extreme care on unknown off-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea-
sons, get out of the vehicle first and survey
the off-road route.
R Look out for obstacles such as rocks, holes,
tree stumps and furrows.
R Take care when turning on an uphill or down-
hill slope or when driving across a slope. The
vehicle could otherwise tip over.
R Always keep the doors, the tailgate and the
sliding sunroof closed while the vehicle is in
motion. Driving
tips
177Driving an d parking Z