2020 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV Owners Manual

fi
ed based on the actual operating conditions
and/or loads.
Examples of arduous operating conditions:
R regular city driving with frequent intermedi‐
ate stops
R mainly short-dis tance driving
R frequent operation in mountainous terrain or
on poor road sur faces
R when the engine is of ten le ftidling for long
periods
R operation in particula rly dusty conditions
and/or if air-recirculation mode is frequently
used
In these or similar operating conditions, ha vethe
interior air filter, engine air cleaner, engine oil
and oil filter etc. changed more frequent ly. The
ty re s must be checked more frequently if the
ve hicle is operated under increased loads. Fur‐
th er information can be obtained at a qualified
specialist workshop. Battery disconnection periods
The ASS
YST PLUS se rvice inter val display
can only calculate the service due da tewhen
th e bat tery is connected. #
Notedown the service due date displa yed on
th e instrument display before disconnecting
th e battery (/ page 357). Engine compartment
Opening and closing
the bonnet &
WARNING Risk of accident due todriv‐
ing with the bonn etunlo cked
The bonn etmay open and block your vie w. #
Neverre lease the bonn etwhen driving. #
Before every trip, ensure that the
engine bonn etis loc ked. &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
when opening and closing the bonn et
The bonnet may suddenly drop into the end
position.
There is a risk of injury for an yone in the bon‐
net's range of mo vement. #
Open or close the bonn etonly when
th ere is nobody in the bonn et's range of
mo vement. &
WARNING Danger of bu rns when open‐
ing the bonn et
If yo u open the engine bonn etwhen the
engine has overheated or during a fire inthe
engine compartment, you could come into
contact with hot gases or other escaping
operating fluids. #
Before opening the bonn et, allow the
engine tocool down. #
Intheeve nt of a fire inthe engine com‐
partment, keep the engine bonn et
closed and call thefire service. 358
Maintenance and care

&
WARNING Risk of inju rydue tomoving
parts
Components in the engine compartment may
continue running or start up sudden ly,even if
th e ignition is switched off.
Make sure of thefo llowing before per form ing
ta sks in the engine compartmen t:#
Switch the ignition off. #
Neverre ach into the danger zone sur‐
ro unding moving co mponents, e.g. the
ro tation area of thefa n. #
Remo vejewe llery and watches. #
Keep items of clo thing and hair away
from moving parts. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryfrom touching
co mp onents under voltage
The ignition sy stem and the fuel injection
sy stem workunder high voltage. You could
re cei vean electric shoc k. #
Neverto uch co mponents of the ignition
sy stem or the fuel injection sy stem
when the ignition is switched on. &
WARNING Risk of bu rns from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryfrom using the
windscreen wipers while the engine bon‐
net is open
When the engine bonn etis open, and the
windscreen wipers are set in motion, you can
be trapped bythe wiper linkage. #
Alw ays switch off the windscreen wip‐
ers and ignition before opening the
engine bonn et. Opening
the bonnet #
Torelease the bonn et, pull on handle 1. Maintenance and care
359

#
Push handle 1ofthe bonn etcatch up wards
and lift the bonn etby appr oximately 40 cm.
Closing the bonnet
* NO
TEDama getothe bonn et If
th e bonn etis closed manuall y,there is a
ri sk of dents. #
Do not close the bonn etmanually. #
Lowe rth e bonn etto a height of around
20 cm and then allow it tofall, applying a lit‐
tle forc e as you let it go. #
Ifth e bonn etcan still be lif ted slightl y,open
th e bonn etagain and close it with a little
more forc e until it engages cor rectly. Engine oil
Che
cking the engine oil le vel using the on-
board compu ter
Re quirements:
R The engine has been warmed up.
R The vehicle is par ked on a le vel sur face.
R The engine is running at idle speed.
R The bonnet is closed.
The engine oil le vel is de term ined during driving.
De term ining the engine oil le vel can take up to
30 minutes with a normal driving style and even
longer with an active driving style. On-board computer:
4 Service 5
Engine oil level
One of thefo llowing messages will appear on
th e multifunction display:
R Engine oil level Measuring now : measure‐
ment of the oil le vel is not yet possible. #
Repeat there qu est af ter a maximum of
30 minutes' driving.
R Engine oil level OK andthe bar display for
indicating the oil le vel on the multifunction
display is green and is between "min" and
"max": the oil le vel is cor rect.
R Engine oil level Add 1,0 l andthe bar display
fo r indicating the oil le vel on the multifunc‐
tion display is orange and is below "min": #
Add 1 l of engine oil.
R Reduce engine oil level andthe bar display
fo r indicating the oil le vel on the multifunc‐
tion display is orange and is abo ve"max": 360
Maintenance and care

#
Drain off any excess engine oil that has been
added. Todo so, consult a qualified specialist
wo rkshop.
R For engine oil level turn on ignition #
Switch on the ignition tocheck the engine oil
le ve l.
R Engine oil level System inoperative : The oil
le ve l sensor is defective or not connec ted. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
R Engine oil level System currently unavail. #
Close the bonn et.
To pping up engine oil &
WARNING Risk of bu rns from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING Risk offire and injury from
engine oil
If engine oil comes into con tact wi thhot
component parts in the engine compart‐
ment, it may ignite. #
Make sure that no engine oil is spilled
next tothefiller opening. #
Allow the engine tocool off and thor‐
oughly clean the engine oil from compo‐
nent parts before starting theve hicle. *
NO
TEEngine dama gecaused byan
incor rect oil filter, incor rect oil or addi‐
tives #
Do not use engine oils or oil filters
which do not cor respond tothe specifi‐
cations explicitly prescribed forthe
service inter vals. #
Follow the instructions on the service
inter val display forch anging the engine
oil and obser vethe prescribed change
inter vals. #
Do not use additives. *
NO
TEDama gecaused bytopping up too
much engine oil To
o much engine oil can damage the engine
or the catalytic con verter. #
Have excess engine oil remo ved at a
qu alified specialist workshop. %
Depending on driving style, theve hicle con‐
sumes up to0.8 lof oil per 1000 km. The oil
consum ption may be higher than this when
th eve hicle is new or if you frequently drive
at high engine speeds.
% Depending on the engine, the cap may be
ins talled in the engine compartment in dif‐
fe re nt locations. Maintenance and care
361

#
Turn cap 1anti-clockwise and remo veit. #
Top up the engine oil. #
Replace cap 1and turn it clockwise until it
engages. #
Check the oil le vel again (/ page 360). Checking
the coolant le vel &
WARNING Risk of bu rns from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING Risk of scalding from hot
coolant
If yo u open the cap, you could be scalded. #
Let the mo tor cool down before opening
th e cap. #
When opening the cap, wear pr otective
gl ove s and saf etygl asses. #
Open the cap slowly torelease pres‐
sure. #
Park theve hicle on a le vel sur face. #
Check the coolant temp erature display in the
instrument clus ter.
The coolant temp erature must be below
70°C. #
Slowly turn cap 1anti-clockwise torelease
ove rpressure. 362
Maintenance and care

#
Continue turning cap 1anti-clockwise and
re mo veit.
The coolant le vel is cor rect in thefo llowing
cases:
R ifth e engine is cold, the coolant is up to
mar ker bar 2.
R ifth e engine is warm,th e coolant is up to
1. 5 cm overth e mar ker bar 2. #
If necessar y,top up with coolant that has
been appr ovedfo r Mercedes-Benz.
% Further information on coolant
(/ page 424) To
pping up the windsc reen washer sy stem &
WARNING Risk of bu rns from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING ‑ Risk of fire and injury due to
windscreen washer concentrate
Wi ndsc reen washer concentrate is highly
fl ammable. It could ignite if it comes into
con tact wi thhot engine component parts or
th eex haust sy stem. #
Make sure that no windsc reen washer
concentrate spills out next tothefiller
opening. #
Remo vecap 1bytheta b. #
Top up thewa sher fluid.
R Further information about thewa sher fluid
(/ page 425) Main
tenance and care 363

Ke
eping the air-water duct free #
Keep the area between the bonn etand the
windscreen free of deposits, e.g. ice, sn ow
and lea ves. Cleaning and care
Information on
washing theve hicle in a car
wa sh &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
re duced braking po wer af terwa shing the
ve hicle
Braking ef ficiency is reduced af terwa shing
th eve hicle. #
Afterth eve hicle has been washed,
brake carefully while paying attention to
th e traf fic conditions until braking
po we r has been fully restored. *
NO
TEDama gefrom auto matic braking If one of
thefo llowing functions is switched
on, theve hicle brakes automatically in cer‐
ta in situations:
R Active Brake Assi st
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R HOLD function
R Active Parking Assist
To avo id damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thefo llowing or similar sit‐
uations: #
during towing #
in a car wash *
NO
TEDama gedue tounsuitable car
wa sh #
Before driving into a car wash make
sure that the car wash is suitable for
th eve hicle dimensions. #
Ensure there is suf ficient ground clear‐
ance between the underbody and the
guide rails of the car wash. #
Ensure that the clearance width of the
car wash, in particular the width of the
guide rails, is suf ficient. To
avo id damage to yourvehicle when using a
car wash, ensure thefo llowing beforehand:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is deacti‐
va ted.
R the HOLD function is switched off.
R the 360° Camera or there ve rsing camera is
switched off.
R the side windo wsand sliding sun roof are
comple tely closed.
R the outside mir rors are folded in.
R the blo werfo rth eve ntilation/heating is
switched off.
R the windscreen wiper switch is in position
g. 364
Maintenance and care

R
theke y is at a minimum dis tance of 3 m
aw ay from theve hicle. Otherwise theta ilgate
could open unin tentional ly.
R for car washes with a con veyo r sy stem: neu‐
tral iis engaged.
% Toprev ent damage tothe tyres and wheels,
drive stra ight and in tothe cent reofthe
guide rails of the car wash.
% In car washes with a con veyo r sy stem: if you
lea vetheve hicle while it is being washed,
make sure theke y is located in theve hicle.
The park position jisotherwise automati‐
cally engaged.
% If, af terth e car wash, youre mo vethewax
from the windscreen and wiper rubbers, this
will pr event smearing and reduce wiper
noise.
Au tomatic car wash mode
In car wash mode, theve hicle is prepared for
driving into the automatic car wash. Car wash
mode can be activated at a speed of up to
20 km/h( /page 366). The
following settings are made when car wash
mode is activated:
R the outside mir rors are folded in.
R topreve ntthe windscreen washer sy stem
from starting up automaticall y,thera in sen‐
sor is deactivated.
R there ar wind owwiper is deactivated.
R the windo wsand the sliding sunroof are
closed.
R Mercedes-Maybach vehicles: theru nning
boards are retracted.
R the air conditioning sy stem is set toair-recir‐
culation mode.
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deacti vated.
R vehicles with 360° Camera: the front
image is activated af ter appro x. eight sec‐
onds.
R vehicles with AIRMATIC: theve hicle is
ra ised tothe maximum possible chassis
le ve l(/ page 265).
If rising take s longer than 25 seconds, the
fo llowing message appears on the multifunc‐
tion display: Preparation for car wash incomplete See
media display
. After some time, theve hicle
automatically continues rising.
R vehicles with E- ACTIVE BODY CONT ROL:
th eve hicle is raised tothe maximum possi‐
ble chassis le vel(/ page 273).
If rising takes longer than 25 seconds, the
fo llowing message appears on the multifunc‐
tion display:
Preparation for car wash incomplete See
media display . After some time, theve hicle
automatically continues rising.
If one of the settings cann otbe selected, this is
displa yedby a% behind there spective set‐
ting.
Ab ove a speed of 20 km/h car wash mode is
automatically deactivated.
The following settings are reset when car wash
mode is deactivated:
R the outside mir rors are folded out.
R thera in sensor is activated.
R there ar wind owwiper is activated. Maintenance and care
365