2021 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS Owners Manual

#
Con tinue turnin gcap 1count er-cloc kwis e
and remo veit.
The coolan tle ve lis cor rect inthefo llo wing
cases :
R ifth eengine iscold, thecoolant isup to
mar kerbar 2.
R ifth eengine iswa rm,th ecoolant isup to
0.6 in(1.5 cm) over mar kerbar 2. #
Ifnecessar y,add coolant that has been
appr ovedfo rMer cedes-Benz.
% Further information oncoolant
(/ page398) Ad
ding washer fluid tothewindsh ield
wa sher system &
WARNIN GRisk ofburnsfrom hotcom‐
ponent partsintheengine compartmen t
Cer tain com pone ntsin theengine compart‐
ment canbevery hot,e.g. theengine, the
ra diat orand partsof theex haus tsy stem. #
Allo wtheengine tocool down and only
to uc hco mp onent partsdescr ibedin
th efo llo wing. &
WARNIN GDang erofburnswhen open‐
ing thehood
If yo uopen thehood when theengine has
ove rheat edordur ing afire intheengine
com partmen t,yo uco uld come intoco ntact
wit hho tga ses orother escaping operating
fl uids. #
Beforeopen ingthehood, allowthe
engine tocool down. #
Intheeve ntofafire intheengine com‐
par tmen t,ke ep thehood closed and
call thefire ser vice. &
WARNIN G‑Ri sk offire and injuryfrom
wind shieldwa sher concen trat e
Wi ndsh ield wa sher concen trat eis highl y
fl ammab le.Itcoul dign ite if it com esinto
con tact with hotengine component partsor
th eex haus tsy stem. #
Mak esur eth at no wind shieldwa sher
concen trat espills outnext to thefiller
open ing. #
Remo vecap 1bytheta b. #
Addwa sher fluid.
R Further information aboutthewa sher fluid
(/ page39 9) Main
tenance andcare32
7

Ke
eping theair -water duct free #
Keep thear ea between thehood andthe
winds hieldfree ofdepos its,e.g .ice, snow
and leaves. Cleani
ngand care No
teson washing theve hicl ein acar wash &
WARNIN GRisk ofacci dent dueto
re duced braking effect afte rwa shing the
ve hicle
The braking effect isreduced afte rwa shing
th eve hicle. #
Afterth eve hicle hasbeen washed,
br ak ecar efully whilepaying attention to
th etraf fic condi tions untilth ebr aking
ef fect hasbee nful lyrestor ed. *
NO
TEDama gefrom automatic braking If
one ofthefo llo wing functionsis switc hed
on, theve hicle brak es aut omatically incer‐
ta in situat ions:
R ActiveBr ak eAssi st
R ActiveDis tance AssistDIS TRONI C
R HOLD functio n
R ActivePa rking Assist
To avo iddamag eto theve hicle, deactiv ate
th ese systems inthefo llo wing orsimilar sit‐
uation s: #
Dur ing towing #
Inacar wash *
NO
TEDama gedue touns uitable car
wa sh #
Beforedr iving intoacar wash mak e
sur eth at thecar wash issuit able for
th eve hicle dimensions. #
Ensur eth er eis suf ficie ntgrou nd clear‐
ance between theunderbody andthe
guide rails ofthecar wash. #
Ensur eth at theclear ance widthof the
car wash, inpar ticular thewidt hof the
guide rails, issuf ficie nt. To
avo iddamag eto your vehicle when usinga
car wash, ensur eth efo llo wing beforehand:
R ActiveDis tance AssistDIS TRONI Cand the
HOLD functio nar edea ctivated.
R The surround viewcam eraor there ar vie w
cam erais swit ched off.
R The side windo wsand slidin gsun roof are
com pletely clos ed.
R The outsid emir rors arefo lded in.
R The blowerfo rth eve ntil ation/he ating is
sw itched off.
R The windsh ield wipe rsw itchis in po sitio n
005A.
R The Sma rtKe yis at amin imum distance of
10 ft(3 m) away from theve hicle, other wise
th eta ilg atecould openunintentio nally. 32
8
Ma intena nce and care

R
Incar washes withacon veyo rsy stem: neu‐
tra l005C iseng aged.
% Drive st ra ight andinto thecent erofthe
guide rails ofthecar wash topreve ntdam‐
ag eto thetir es and rims.
% Incar washes withacon veyo rsy stem: ifyo u
wo uld liketo lea vetheve hicle while itis
being washed, makesur eth eSmar tKey is
locat edintheve hicle. Theparkposition 005D
is other wise automaticall yeng aged.
% If,afte rth ecar wash, youre mo vethewa x
fr om thewindshield andwiper rubber s,this
will preve ntsme aring and reduce wiper
noise.
Au tomatic carwa sh mode
In car wash mode, theve hicle isprepar edfor
dr iving intoth eaut omatic carwash. Car wash
mode canbeactiv ated ataspeed ofup to
12 mp h(20 km/h) (/page330).
The follo wing settings aremade whencarwash
mode isactiv ated:
R The outside mirrors arefo lded in. R
The rain sen sor isdeact ivat ed topreve ntthe
winds hieldwasher system from star tin gup
aut omat ically.
R The rear wind owwiper isdeact ivat ed.
R Mer cedes- Mayba chvehicl es:theru nning
bo ards arere tract ed.
R The aircond itioni ng system issetto air-reci r‐
culat ionmode .
R Parking AssistPA RK TRONI Cis deac tiva ted.
R Vehicl eswith surround viewcamer a:the
fr ont imageisact ivat ed afte rapp rox. eight
seco nds.
R Vehicl eswith AIRMA TIC:theve hicle is
ra ised tothemaximum possiblechassis
le ve l(/ page 231).
If rising take slong erthan 25 sec onds, the
fo llo wing mess ageappear son themultifunc ‐
tion displa y:
Preparation forAutom aticCarWash Incom-
plete SeeMedia Display .Af tersome time,
th eve hicle automatically continues rising. R
Vehicl eswith E-AC TIVE BODY CONT ROL:
th eve hicle israised tothemaximum possi‐
ble chassis leve l(/ page24 0).
If rising take slong erthan 25 sec onds, the
fo llo wing mess ageappear son themultifunc ‐
tion displa y:
Preparation forAutom aticCarWash Incom-
plete SeeMedia Display .Af tersome time,
th eve hicle automatically continues rising.
If one ofthese ttings cann otbe select ed,this is
displa yedby a% behindth ere spectiv ese t‐
ting.
Ab ove aspee dof 12 mp h(20 km/h) carwash
mode isaut omatically deactivated.
The follo wing settings arere se twhen carwash
mode isdeactiv ated:
R The outside mirrors arefo lded out.
R The rain sen sor isact ivat ed.
R The rear wind owwiper isact ivat ed.
R The aircon ditionin gsy stem issetto fresh air
mode. Mai
ntenance andcare329

R
Parking AssistPA RK TRONI Cis rese tto the
pr ev iousl yselec tedse tting.
R Mer cedes-Ma ybachve hicl es:theru nning
bo ards remain retract ed.
R Vehicl eswith surround viewcamer a:the
fr ont imageisdeact ivat ed atspeeds above
11 mp h(1 8 km/h).
R Vehicl eswith AIRMA TIC:theve hicle islow‐
er ed tothepr ev iousl yse tch assis leve l.
R Vehicl eswith E-AC TIVE BODY CONT ROL:
th eve hicle islowe redto thepr ev iousl yse t
ch assis leve l. Ac
tiv atin g/deac tivatin gaut omati ccar wash
mode Re
quirement s:
R The vehicle isstatio nary.
R The engine isrunning . Mu
ltimed iasystem:
4 © 5
Set ting s5
Quick Access
Ac tiv atin gaut omati ccar wash mode #
Select AutomaticCarWash Mode. #
Select Start .
If one ofthese ttings cann otbe select ed,this is
displa yedby a% behindth ere spectiv ese t‐
ting.
% Foran overvie wof these ttings made when
activ ating automatic carwash mode
(/ page328).
Deactiv atingautomatic carwash mode #
Select Stop.
The automatic carwash settin gsarere se t.
% The automatic carwash mode isaut omati‐
cally deactiv ated assoon asaspeed of
12 mp h(20 km/h) isexc eeded. No
teson using apo we rwa sher &
WARNIN GRisk ofan acci dent when
us ing powe rwa sher swit hro und -spr ay
nozzl es
The waterje tcan caus eex tern all yin visi ble
damag e.
Com ponentsdamag edinthis wa yma yune x‐
pec tedly fail. #
Donotuse apo we rwa sher withro und -
spra yno zzles. #
Have damag edtires orchassis parts
re placed immediat ely. To
avo iddamag eto your vehicle, observethefo l‐
lo wing when usingapo we rwa sher :
R Keep theSmar tKey atleas t10 ft(3 m) away
fr om theve hicle. Other wise theta ilg ate
could openunintentio nally.
R Maint ainadis tance ofat leas t11 .8 in
(30 cm) totheve hicle.
R Vehicl eswith decorativ efo il: par tsof your
ve hicle areco veredwit hadecora tivefo il. 330
Maintenanceand care

Maint
ainadis tance ofat leas t27 .6 in
(70 cm) between thefo il-c ove redpar tsof the
ve hicle andthenoz zleofthepo we rwa sher .
Mo vethepo we rwa sher nozzlearound whilst
cleaning. Thewaterte mp eratur eof the
po we rwa sher mustno texc eed 140°F
(60 °C).
R Obse rveth einf ormation onthecor rect dis‐
ta nce intheeq uipment manufacturer'soper‐
ating instruction s.
R Donotpoint thenoz zleofthepo we rwa sher
dir ectl yat sensitiv epar tssuc has tires, gaps,
elect rical com pone nts,batter ies, light sour‐
ces and ventil ation slot s. Wa
shing theve hicl eby hand Obser
vetheleg alrequ iremen ts,e.g. inanumb er
of coun tries, washing byhand isonl yper mitt ed
in specially designatedwash bays. #
Use amild cleaning agent, e.g.carsham poo. #
Washtheve hicle withluk ewa rmwaterusi ng
a sof tcar spong e.When doingso,donot
ex pose theve hicle todirect sunlight . #
Carefully hosetheve hicle offwit hwa terand
dr yusi ng ach amois .Ta ke car eno tto point
th ewa terje tdir ectl yto wa rdsth eair inle t
gr ille belo wthehood. No
teson paint work/ma tte finish paint work
car e Obse
rveth eno teson cleaning andcareto avo id
damagin gth epaintw orkand interfering with the
dr iver assis tance systems.
Pa int
R Insect remains: soakwithinsect remo verand
ri nse offth etreat edareas afte rw ards.
R Birddr oppin gs:soak withwa terand rinse off
af te rw ards.
R Tree resin, oils, fuels andgreases: remo veby
ru bbing gentl ywi th aclo thsoak edinpe tro‐
leum ether orlight erfluid.
R Coolan tand brak efluid: remo vewit hadam p
clo thand clean water.
R Tarst ains :use tarremo ver.
R Wax:usesilicone remo ver. R
Donotatt achsticke rs,fi lms orsimilar mate‐
ri als. Onlyha ve film attached tothebum per
at aqu alif ied spec ialistwo rkshop.
R Remo vedirtimmediat ely, wher epossi ble.
Mat tefinish
R Onlyuse carepr oducts approvedfo r
Mer cedes-Ben z.
R Donotatt achsticke rs,fi lms orsimilar mate‐
ri als. Onlyha ve film attached tothebum per
at aqu alif ied spec ialistwo rkshop.
R Donotpolish theve hicle andalloywheels.
R Onlyuse carwashes that cor respond tothe
lat estengin eering standar ds.
R Donotuse carwash progr ams withafinal
ho twa xtrea tment.
R Donotus epa int cleane rs,buf fing orpolish‐
ing prod ucts ,gl oss preser vers,e.g. wax.
In theev ent ofpaintw orkdamag e:
R Alw aysha ve paintw orkre pair scar ried out at
a qu alif ied spec ialistwo rkshop.
R Mak esur eth era dar sensor sfunc tion
(/ page20 1). Maint
enanc eand care33
1

No
teson cleaning decorativefo ils Obser
vetheno teson matt efinis hcar ein the
ch ap ter"No teson paintw ork/matt efinis hpa int‐
wo rkcar e"(/ page 331). The yal so app lyto
matt edecor ativefo ils.
Obser vetheno teson cleaning decorativefo ils to
av oid vehicle damag e.
Cleaning
R Forclea ning, useplenty ofwa terand amild
clea ning agent without additivesorabr asive
subs tances, e.g.a car shampooappr ovedfo r
Mer cedes-Ben z.
R Remo vedirtimmediat ely, wher eposs ible,
whils tavo iding rubbing toohar d.Ther eis
ot her wise arisk ofdamagi ngthedecor ative
fo ilirre par ably.
R Ifth er eis dir ton thefinis hor ifth edecor a‐
tiv efo ilis dull: usethePa int Cleaner recom‐
mend edand approv ed forMer cedes-Benz.
R Insect remains: soakwithinsect remo verand
ri nse offth etreat edareas afte rw ards.
R Birddr oppin gs:soak withwa terand rinse off
af te rw ards. R
Topreve ntwa terst ains ,dr ya fo il-wr apped
ve hicle withasof t,absorbent clothafte r
eve rycar wash.
Av oiding dama getothedecor ative fo il
R The service life and color ofdecor ativefo ils
ar eim pair edby:
- Sunl ight
- Temp eratur e,e.g. hotair blower
- Weather condition s
- Stone chipping sand dirt
- Chemic alclean ingagent s
- Oilypr oduct s
R Donotuse polish onmatt edecor ativefo il.
Po lishin gwill have theef fect of shi ning the
fo il-wr apped surface.
R Donottr ea tmatt eor stru ctur eddeco rativ e
fo ils wit hwa x.Pe rm anen tst ains mayocc ur.
Sc ratche s,cor rosiv edeposits, areas affect ed by
cor rosion anddamag ecaused byinc orrect car e
canno tal wa ys be com pletely repair ed.Insuc h
cases, visitaqu alif ied spec ialistwo rkshop. Yo
ucan obtain mor einf ormat iononcar eand
cle anin gpr oduc tsfrom themanuf acturer.
In thecase offoil-wr apped surfaces, optica ldi f‐
fe re nces mayoccu rbe twee nth esur faces that
we renotpr otect edbyadec orativ efo ilaf te r
re mo ving adecor ativefo il.
% Have wo rkor repair sto decor ativefo ils car‐
ri ed out ataqu alif ied spec ialistwo rkshop,
e.g. atan aut hor ized Mercedes-Benz Center. No
teson car eof vehicl epar ts &
WARNIN GRisk ofentr apment ifth e
winds hieldwiper sar eswit ched on while
th ewindshield isbeing cleaned
If th ewindshield wipersar ese tin mo tion
while youar ecle anin gth ewindshield or
wiper blades, youcan betrapped bythe
wiper arm. #
Alw aysswitc hof fth ewindshield wipers
and theignition beforecleanin gth e
winds hieldorwiper blades. 332
Maintenanceand care

&
WARNIN GRisk ofburnsfrom theta il‐
pipe andtailpipe trims
The exhaus tta ilpipe andtailpipe trims can
becom eve ry hot.Ifyo uco me intoco ntact
wit hth ese partsof theve hicle, youco uld
bur nyo urself . #
Alw aysbe par ticular lycareful arou nd
th eta ilpipe andtheta ilpipe trims and
super visechildr enespec iallycloselyin
th is area. #
Allo wvehicle partsto cool down before
to uc hin gth em. Obser
vetheno teson cleaning andcareof the
fo llo wing vehicle partsto avoid damag e.
Wheels/r ims
R Use waterand acid-free whee lclea ners.
R Donotuse acidicwhee lclea nersto remo ve
br ak edus t.This could damag ewheel bolts
and brak ecom ponen ts.
R Toavo idcor rosion ofthebr ak ediscs and
br ak epads, drive th eve hicle fora fe w
minut esafte rclea ning beforepar king it.The br
ak ediscs andbrak epad swa rm upand dry
out .
Wi ndo ws
R Clean windowsinsid eand outs idewitha
dam pclo thand withacle anin gag ent recom‐
mend edforMer cedes-Benz.
R Donotuse dryclo thsor abr asiv eor sol vent-
ba sed cleani ng agents tocle an theinside of
windo ws.
Wi per blades
R Foldout thewiper blades andclean them
using adam pclo th.
R Donotcle an thewiper blades tooof ten.
Ex terior light ing
R Clean thelenses withawe tsp ong eand mild
cle ani ng agent, e.g.car shampoo.
R Onlyuse cleaning agents orcleaning cloths
th at aresuit able forpla stic lens es.
Sensor s
R Clean thesensor sin thefront and rear
bum perand inthera diat orgrill wit hasof t
clo thand carsham poo. R
When usingapo we rwa sher ,maint ainamini‐
mum distance of11.8 in(30 cm).
Ru nning boards
R Use waterand acid-free clea ning agents.
R Donotclea nth ealuminum trim inser tof the
ru nning board with alk aline oracidi ccle anin g
ag ent ssuc has wheel cleaner s.Do notuse
acidi cwheel cleaner sto remo vebrak edus t.
The aluminum trim inser tscould other wise
be damag ed.
Re ar vie wcamer aand surround viewcamer a
R Open thecamer aco verwit hth emultimedia
sy stem (/ page255).
R Use clean waterand asof tclo thtocle an the
came ralens .
R Donotuse apo we rwa sher .
Ta ilpip es
R Clean withaclean ingagent recomme nded
fo rMer cedes-Benz, especiallyin thewint er
and afte rwa shing theve hicle.
R Donotuse acidic cleaning agents. Maint
enance andcare333

Tr
aile rhitc h
R Remo vetrace sof rust on theball, e.g.witha
wir ebr ush.
R Remo vedirtwit halint- free cloth.
R Afterclea ning, oilorgrease theball head
lightl y.
R Obser vetheno teson car ein thetrailer hitch
manuf acturer'soper ating instruction s.
R Donotclean theball neckwit hapo we r
wa sher orsol vent. No
teson car eof theint erior &
WARNIN GRisk ofinju ryfrom plastic
par tsbreakin gof faf te rth euse ofsol‐
ve nt-ba sedcarepr od ucts
Ca reand cleanin gpr oduc tscon tainin gsol‐
ve nts can causesurfaces inthecoc kpit to
become porous. When theairbags are
deplo yed, plas ticpar tsma ybr eak away. #
Donotus ean ycar eor cle ani ng prod ‐
ucts containing solvents tocle an the
coc kpit. &
WARNIN GRisk ofinju ryor deat hfrom
bleac hedseat belts
Bleac hingordyeing seat belts canseverely
we aken them.
This can, forex am ple, caus eseat beltsto
te ar or failin an acc ident . #
Neverblea chordyeseat belts. Obser
vetheno teson cleaning andcareto avo id
ve hicle damag e.
Seat belts
R Clea nwit hluk ewa rmand soap ywa ter.
R Donotus ech emical cleaningag ent s.
R Donotdr yseat belts byheating them toove r
17 6°F (80 °C) orexposing them todirect
sunlight .
Displa y
R Switc hof fth edispla yand letit cool down.
R Clean thesur face car efu llywith amic rofiber
clo thand asuit able displa ycar epr oduc t
(TF T/L CD).
R Donotuse anyot her agents. Plas
tictrim
R Clea nwit hadam pmicr ofiber cloth.
R Forhea vysoil ing: useacar epr odu ctrecom‐
mend edforMer cedes-Benz.
R Donotatt achsticke rs,fi lms orsimilar mate‐
ri als.
R Donotallo wcos metics,ins ect repellent or
sun cream tocome incont actwith theplas‐
tic trim.
Re alwo od/t rim eleme nts
R Clea nwi th amic rofiber cloth.
R Blackpiano-lac quer look: clean withadam p
clo thand soap ywa ter.
R Forhea vysoil ing: useacar epr odu ctrecom‐
mend edforMer cedes-Benz.
R Donotuse solvent-based cleaning agents,
poli shes orwa xes.
Headliner
R Clea nwit habr ush ordrysham poo.
Car pet
R Use acar petand textil ecle ani ng agent rec‐
omme ndedforMer cedes-Benz. 33
4
Mai ntenance andcare