2020 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV Owners Manual

Obser
vethis Owner's Manual.
Obser vethefo llowing if you do not intend touse
th eve hicle over an extended pe riod of time:
R Activate standby mode.
R Alternatively: connect the battery toa bat‐
te ry charge r appro vedby Mercedes-Benz or
consult a qualified specialist workshop to
disconnect the batter y. Note
s onstarting assi stance and charging
th e12 V battery Ve
hicles with a lithium-ion battery
When charging the battery and during starting
assis tance, al ways use the jump-s tart connec‐
tion point in the engine compartment. *
NO
TEDama getothe battery from over‐
vo ltage When
charging using a bat tery charge r with‐
out a restriction of the maximum charging
vo ltage, the battery or the on-board electron‐
ics can be damaged. #
Only use battery charge rs with a maxi‐
mum charging voltage of 14.8 V. All
other vehicles
When charging the battery and during starting
assis tance, al ways use the jump-s tart connec‐
tion point in the engine compartment.
* NO
TEDama getothe battery from over‐
vo ltage When
charging using a bat tery charge r with‐
out a restriction of the maximum charging
vo ltage, the battery or the on-board electron‐
ics can be damaged. #
Only use battery charge rs with a maxi‐
mum charging voltage of 14.8 V. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from hydro‐
ge nga s igniting
There is a danger of hydrogen gas igniting
when charging the battery if there is a short
circuit or spar ksstart toform. #
Make sure that the positive term inal of
th e connected battery does not come
into conta ct withvehicle parts. #
Never place me tal objects or tools on a
batter y. #
The described order of the battery
clamps must be obser ved when con‐
necting and disconnecting the batter y. #
When giving starting assis tance, al ways
make sure that you on lyconnect bat‐
te ry term inals with identical polarity. #
During starting assis tance, you must
obse rveth e described order for con‐
necting and disconnecting the jump
lead. #
Do not connect or disconnect the bat‐
te ry cla mp s while the engine is running. 382
Breakdown assi stance

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion during
ch arging process and starting assis tance
During thech arging process and starting
assis tance, the battery may release an explo‐
sive gas mixture. #
Avoid fire , naked flames, creating
spar ksand smoking. #
Make sure there is suf ficient ventila‐
tion. #
Do not lean over a batter y. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from a fro‐
zen battery
A dischar ged battery may freeze at temp era‐
tures slightly abo veor below freezing point.
During starting assis tance or battery charg‐
ing, bat tery gas can be released. #
Alw ays allow a battery tothaw before
ch arging it or per form ing starting assis‐
ta nce. If
th e indicator/warning lamps in the instrument
clus ter do not light up at low temp eratures, it is
ve ry likely that the dischar ged battery has fro‐
zen. In this case you may neither jump-s tart the
ve hicle nor charge the batter y.
The service life of a battery that has been
th awe d may be dramatically shor tened. The
st arting characteristics may be impaired, espe‐
cially at low temp eratures.
It is recommended that you ha veathaw ed bat‐
te ry checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
All vehicles
* NO
TEDama gecaused bynumerous or
ex tended attem ptsto start the engine Nume
rous or extended attem ptsto start the
engine may damage the catalytic con verter
due tonon-combu sted fuel. #
Avoid numerous and extended attem pts
to start the engine. Obser
vethefo llowing points during starting
assis tance and when charging the battery:
R Only use undamaged jump lead/charging
cables with a suf ficient cross-section and
insula tedte rm inal clamps.
R Non- insulated parts of thete rm inal clamps
must not come into con tact wi thother me tal
parts while the jump lead/charging cable is
connected tothe battery/jump-s tart connec‐
tion point.
R The jump lead/charging cable must not
come into contact wi thany parts which may
mo vewhen the engine is running.
R Alw ays make sure that nei ther you nor the
battery is elect rostatically charge d.
R Keep away from fire and naked flames.
R Do not lean overth e batter y.
Obser vethe additional following points when
ch arging the battery:
R Only use battery charge rs tested and
appr oved for Mercedes-Benz.
R Read the battery charge r's operating instruc‐
tions before charging the batter y. Breakdown assis
tance 383

Obser
vethe additional following points during
st arting assistance:
R Starting assis tance may only be pr ovided
using vehicles, batteries or other jump start
devices with a nominal voltage of 12V.
R The vehicles must not touch.
R Vehicles with a petrol engine: jump-start
th eve hicle only when the engine and exhaust
sy stem are cold. St
arting assi stance and charging the12 V
battery Requ
irements:
R The vehicle is secured with the electric park‐
ing brake.
R Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
transmission is in position j.
R The ignition and all electrical consumers are
switched off.
R The bonnet is open. Example: engine compartment
#
Slide co ver1 of positive clamp 2onthe
jump-s tarting connection point in the direc‐
tion of the ar row. #
Connect positive clamp 2onyour vehicle to
th e positive pole of the donor battery using
th e jump lead/charging cable. Alw ays begin with positive clamp
2onyour ow nve hicle
fi rs t. #
During starting assi stance: start the
engine of the donor vehicle and run at idle
speed. #
Connect the negative pole of the donor bat‐
te ry and ear thpoint 3ofyour ow nve hicle
by using the jump lead/charging cable. Begin
with the donor battery firs t. #
During starting assi stance: start the
engine of your ow nve hicle. #
During thech arging process: start the
ch arging process. #
During starting assi stance: letthe engines
ru nfo r se veral minutes. #
During starting assi stance: before discon‐
necting the jump lead, switch on an electrical
consumer in your ow nve hicle, e.g. there ar
wind owheater or lighting.
When thest arting assis tance/charging process
is compl ete, per form thefo llowing steps: 384
Breakdown assis tance

#
First,re mo vethe jump lead/charging cable
from ear thpoint 3and the negative pole of
th e donor batter y,then from positive clamp
2 and the positive pole of the donor bat‐
te ry. Begin ea chtime wi th the conta cts on
yo ur ow nve hicle firs t. #
Afterre moving the jump lead/charging
cable, close co ver1 of positive clamp 2.
Fu rther information can be obtained at a quali‐
fi ed specialist workshop. Re
placing the 12V battery #
Obser vethe no tes on the12 V battery
(/ page 380).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you ha vethe
12 V battery replaced at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop, e.g. at a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes if youwa ntto
re place the battery yourself:
R Alw aysre place a faulty bat tery with a battery
which meets the specific vehicle require‐
ments.
The vehicle is equipped with an AGMtech nol‐
ogy battery (Absorbent Glass Mat) or a li th‐
ium-ion batter y.Fu llve hicle functionality is
only guaranteed with an AGM battery or lith‐
ium-ion batter y.Fo r saf etyre asons,
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you on ly
use bat teries which ha vebeen tested and
appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
R Carryove r de tach able parts, such as vent
hoses, elbow fittings or term inal co vers from
th e battery being replaced.
R Make sure that theve nt hose is al ways con‐
nected tothe original opening on the side of
th e batter y.
Fit any existing or supplied cell caps.
Otherwise, gases or battery acid could
escape.
R Make sure that de tach able parts are recon‐
nected in the same way. To
w- starting or towing away Overview of
the permit tedto wing me thods *
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 Mercedes-Benz
recommends transporting your
ve hicle in the case of a breakdown, rath er than
to wing it away. Breakdown assis
tance 385

Fo
rto wing, use a tow rope or tow bar with bo th
axles on the ground. Do not use tow bar sys‐
te ms. *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to tow‐
ing away incor rectly #
Obser vethe instructions and no tes on
to wing away. Pe
rm itted towing me thods Ve
hicle equipment/ towing
me thod Bo
th axles on thegr ound Fr
ont axle raised Re
ar axle raised
4MATIC vehicles Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h No NoTo
wing away theve hicle with bo thaxles on
th egr ound #
Obser vethe no tes on the permitted towing
me thods (/ page 385). #
Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d. A dischar
ged battery has thefo llowing ef fects:
R the engine cann otbe star ted
R the electric parking brake cann otbe released
or applied
R the automatic transmission cann otbe shif ted
to position iorj %
Ifth e automatic transmission cann otbe shif‐
te dto position i, orthe multifunction dis‐
play in the instrument clus ter does not show
anything, theve hicle must be transpor ted
aw ay ( /page 388). A towing vehicle with
lifting equipment is requ ired forve hicle
transpor tation. 386
Breakdown assi stance

*
NO
TEDama gedue to to wing away at
exc essively high speeds or over long dis‐
ta nces The driv
etra in could be damaged when tow‐
ing at excessively high speeds or over long
dis tances. #
Atowing speed of 50 km/h must not
be exc eeded. #
Atowing dis tance of 50 km must not be
exc eeded. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If th eve hicle being tow- star ted or towed
aw ay is heavier than the permissible gross
mass, thefo llowing situations can occur:
R theto wing eye may become de tach ed.
R the car/t railer combination may swer ve
or eve nove rturn. #
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or
to we daw ay, its weight must not exceed th
e permissible gross mass of your own
ve hicle. #
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle iden‐
tification plate (/ page415). #
Do not open the driver's door or front
passenger door as the automatic transmis‐
sion may otherwise shift toposition jauto‐
maticall y. #
Fittheto wing eye (/ page 389). #
Fasten theto w bar.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of theto w bar #
Onlyconnect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. %
You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(/ page 84). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection
(/ page 103). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st
( / page 253). #
Shift the automatic transmission toposition
i(/ page 205). #
Release the electric parking brake. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signif‐
icantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is no rmally requ ired. #
Use a tow bar. Breakdown assis
tance 387

#
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely, before towing theve hicle
aw ay. *
NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po wer If
yo u pull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slowly and smoo thly. Loading the
vehicle for transport #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( / page 386). #
Connect theto w bar totheto wing eye in
order toload theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Shift the automatic transmission toposition
i. %
The automatic transmission may be loc ked
in position jintheeve nt of dama getothe
electrics. Toshift toi , pr ovide the on-
board electrical sy stem with po wer
( / page 384). #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter. #
Shift the automatic transmission toposition
j. #
Use the electric parking brake tosecure the
ve hicle against rolling away. #
Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels.
Ve hicles with ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
Sy stem PLUS) &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS
The reduced damping forc es on theve hicle
being transpor ted can cause theve hicle/
trailer combination tostart toswing.
As a result, when transporting vehicles with
th eAd aptive Damping Sy stem PLUS, the ve
hicle/trailer combination may start toskid.
Consequentl y,yo u could lose cont rol of your
ve hicle. #
When transporting, ensure that:
R theve hicle has been loaded onto
th e transpor ter cor rectly
R theve hicle is secured at all four
wheels with suitable tensioning
st ra ps
R the maximum permissible speed of
60 km/h is not exceeded when
transporting *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly #
After loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged. #
A minimum dis tance of 20 cm up wards
and 10cm down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform. 388
Breakdown assis tance

#
Secu retheve hicle on all four wheels af ter
loading.
4MATIC vehicles/ vehicles with automatic
transmission #
Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transpor tation vehicle.
* NO
TEDama getothe driv etra in due to
incor rect positioning #
Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi‐
cle. To
wing eyesto rage location Example:
towing eye
To wing eye1 is located under the load com‐
partment floor. Installing
theto wing eye #
Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve. #
Screw intheto wing eyeclockwise as far as it
will go and tighten.
Ve hicles with a trailer hitch: vehicles with a
trailer hitch do not ha veare ar brac ketfo rthe Breakdown assis
tance 389