maintenance MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2012 W166 User Guide

!
Alway smaintain adistance ofat least
11.8 in(30 cm) between thevehicle andthe
power washer nozzle.Information about
the correct distance isavail able from the
equi pment manufacturer.
Move thepower washer nozzlearound
when cleaning yourvehicle.
Do not aim directly atany ofthe followi ng:
R tires
R door gaps, roofgaps, joints etc.
R electrical component s
R battery
R conn ectors
R lights
R seals
R trim elements
R ventilation slots
Damaged sealsorelectrical component s
can lead toleaks orfailu res.
Cle aning thewhee ls !
Donot use acidic wheelcleaning products
to remove brakedust.Thiscould damage
wheel boltsandbrake component s.
! Donot park thevehicle foranextended
period straight aftercleaning it,particula rly
after having cleaned thewheels withwheel
cleaner. Wheelcleaners couldcause
increased corrosionofthe brake discsand
brake pads/li nings.Forthis reason, you
should driveforafew minutes after
cleaning. Brakingheatsthebrake discsand
the brake pads/li nings,thusdrying them.
The vehicle canthen beparked.
Cle aning thepaintwork Scratc
hes,corrosive deposits,areasaffected
by corrosion anddamage causedby
inadequ atecare cannot always becompletely
repaired .Ins uch cases, visitaqualif ied
spec ialist workshop,e.g. an auth orized
Mer cedes- BenzCent er. X
Remove impurities immediately, where
possible, whilstavoiding rubbingtoohard.
X Soak insectremains withinsec tremover
and rinse offthe treat edareas afterwards.
X Soak birddroppings withwater andrinse
off the treat edareas afterwards.
X Remove coolant,brake fluid,treeresin,
oils, fuels andgreases byrubbing gently
with aclot hsoaked inpetroleum etheror
lighter fluid.
X Use tarremover toremove tarstains .
X Use silicone remover toremove wax.
! Donot affix:
R stic kers
R films
R magnet icplates orsimilar items
to painted surfaces. Youcould otherwise
damage thepaintwork .
If water nolonger forms"beads" onthe paint
surface, usethepaint careproduct s
recom mended andapproved byMercedes-
Ben z.This isthe case approximat elyevery
thr ee tofive mont hs,depending onthe
climate conditions andthecare product used.
If dirt has penet rated thepaint surface orthe
paint hasbecome dull,thepaint cleaner
recom mended andapproved byMercedes-
Ben zshould beused.
Do not use these careproducts inthe sun or
on the hood while thehood ishot.
X Use asuitable touch-up stick,e.g. MB
Touch-Up Stick,to correct smaller areasof
paint damage quicklyandprovisionally .
Matt efinish care If
your vehicle hasaclear matte finish,
observe thefollowing instructionsinorder to
avoid damage tothe paintwork dueto
incorrec tcare.
These notesalsoapply tolight alloy wheels
with aclear matte finish. 320
CareMaintenance and care

!
Never polish thevehicle orthe light alloy
wheels. Polishingcauses thefinish to
shine.
! The followi ngmay cause thepaint to
become shinyandthus reduce thematte
effect:
R Vigorous rubbingwithunsuitabl e
materials.
R Frequent useofcar washes.
R Washing thevehicle indirect sunlight.
! Never usepaint cleaner, buffingor
polishi ngproducts, orgloss preserver, e.g.
wax. These products areonly suitabl efor
high-gloss surfaces.Theiruseonvehicles
with matte finishleadsto considerable
surface damage (shiny,spotted areas).
Alway shave paintwork repairsperformed
at aqual ified speciali stworkshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
! Donot use wash programs withahot wax
treatment underanycircumstances. i
The
vehicle shouldpreferably bewashed
by hand using asoft sponge, carshampoo
and plenty ofwater. i
Use
only insect remover andcarshampoo
from therange ofrecommended and
approved Mercedes-Benz careproducts.
Cle aning thewindow s G
WARNING Before
cleaning thewindshiel dorwiper
blades, switchoff the windsh ieldwipers and
remo vethe Smar tKey fromthe ignit ionlock .
On vehic leswith KEYLE SS-GO, press the
St art/ Stop butt onrepeat edlyuntilall
indic atorlamps inthe inst rumen tcluster have
gon eout. Thewindsh ieldwipers could
oth erwise moveandinjure you.
X Clean theinside andouts ideofthe
windows withadamp clothand aclean ing
agent thatisrec omme ndedandapprov ed
by Merc edes- Benz. !
Donot use drycloths,abrasive products,
solven tsor clean ingagent scont aining
solvent sto clean theinside ofthe windows.
Do not touch theinsides ofthe windows
with hard object s,e.g. anice scraper or
ring. There isotherwise arisk ofdamaging
the windows.
! Clean thewater drainage channelsofthe
windshield andtherear window atregular
interv als.Deposits suchasleaves, petals
and pollen mayunder certain
circumst ancesprevent waterfromdraining
away .This can lead tocorrosion damage
and damage toelectron iccomponen ts.
Cleanin gthe wiper blades G
WARNING Before
cleaning thewindshield orwiper
blades, switchoffthe windshield wipersand
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock.
On vehicles withKEYLES S-GO,pressthe
Start /Stopbutton repeatedly untilall
indicator lampsinthe instrumen tcluster have
gon eout. Thewindsh ieldwipers could
oth erwise moveandinjure you.
! Donot pull thewiper blade. Otherwise,
the wiper bladecouldbedamaged.
! Donot clean wiper blades toooften and
do not rub themt oohard. Otherwise, the
graphite coatingcouldbedamaged. This
could cause wipernoise.
X Fold thewiper armsaway fromthe
windshield.
X Carefully cleanthewiper blades witha
damp cloth.
X Fold thewindshield wipersbackagain
before switching onthe ignition.
! Hold thewiper armsecurely whenfolding
back. Thewindshield couldbedamaged if
the wiper armsmacks againstitsuddenly. Care
321Maintenance and care Z

Clean
ingtheext erior ligh ting X
Clean theplast iclen ses oftheex terior
light swit hawet spon geand amild cleanin g
agen t,e.g .M ercedes- Benzcarsham pooor
cle anin gclo ths.
! Onlyuse cleanin gagen tsor cle anin g
clo thswhic hare suitable forplast iclight
len ses .Unsu itable cle ani ng agents or
cle ani ng cloths couldscra tchordama ge
the plas tic light lenses .
Cl ean ingthe sens ors X
Clea ns ensor s: ofthe driving systems
with water, carshampoo andasoft cloth.
! When cleanin gthe sensor swith apower
washer, maintainadistanc ebetween the
vehicle andthenozzleofthe power washer
of at least 11.8in (30 cm). Information
about thecorr ectdistanc eis available from
the equipment manufacturer. Cleaning
therear view camer a X
Use clear water andasoft clothto clean
camera lens:.
! Donot clean thecamera lensandthearea
around therear view camera withapower
washer.
Cleaning thetrailer towhitch The
ballcoupling mustbecleaned ifit
becomes dirtyorcorr oded.
X Remove rustonthe ball ofthe ball coupling,
e.g. with awire brush.
X Remove dirtwith aclean, lint-free clothor
a brush.
X Aft ercleanin g,lightly grease theball ofthe
ball coupling again.
X Check thatthevehicle's trailertowhitchis
workin gproperly.
! Observe thenoteon care provided bythe
trailer manufact urer. i
You
canalso have themaint enanc ework
on the ball coupling andthetrailer towhitch
carried outbyaqualified specialist
worksho p. H
Environment
alnote Dispose
ofrags soaked inoil and grease inan
enviro nmentallyrespon siblemann er. 322
CareMaintenance and care

Int
erior car e
Clean ingthedis pla y X
Be for ecle anin gth edisp lay,mak esure that
it is swit ched off and hascooled down .
X Clean thedisp laysurf ace usinga
co mm ercially- availab lemic rofiber cloth
and TFT/ LCD displaycleane r.
X Dr yth edisp laysurf ace usingadry
mic rofiber cloth.
! Forc leanin g,do not use anyofthe
followin g:
R alcoho l-basedthin ner orgasolin e
R abrasiv eclean ingagent s
R com merc ially-available household
clean ingagent s
These maydamage thedisplay surface. Do
not putpress ureonthe display surface
when cleaning.This could leadto
irrep arable damage tothe display.
Cleaning NightView Assist Plus !
Never cleanthecamer alens. When
clean ingthe field ofvision ofthe drivin g
syste ms,make surethatyoudonot spray
glass cleaneron the camer alens. Ifthe
camer alens isdirt y,visit aqualified
spec ialist workshop. G
WARN
ING Please
donot forg etthat your primar y
respo nsibilit yis to drive thevehic le.Ad river's
attention tothe road must alwaysbe his/he r
prima ryfocus whendriving.For yoursafety
and thesafety ofothers, stopbefore tryingto
remove windowfoggi ngorclea ning the
windo win front ofthe Night ViewAssist Plus
camera .
Bear inmind thatataspee dof just 30mph
(ap proxima tely50km/h), yourvehicle is
cover ingadistanc eof 44 feet (approximately
14 m)every second. X
Fold down thecamera coverbyrecess :. X
Use asoft cloth toclean thewindshield in
fron tof camera ;.
Cleaning theplast ictrim G
WARN
ING When
cleanin gthe steerin gwheel bossand
dashboard, donot use cock pitsprays or
cleanin gagents containin gsolvent s.Cleaning
agents containin gsolvent scause thesurface
to become porous,andasaresult, plastic
parts maybreak awayandbethro wnaround
the inter iorwhen anair bag isdeployed, which
may result insevere injuries.
! Donot affix thefollowing toplastic
surfaces:
R stic kers
R films
R scen tedoilbott lesorsimilar items
You canother wisedamage theplastic.
! Donot allow cosmet ics,insect repellent
or sunscr eentocome intocontact with the Care
323Maintenance and care Z

plastic
trim.This maintains thehigh-quali ty
look ofthe surfaces.
X Wipe theplastic trimwith adamp, lint-free
cloth, e.g.amicrofiber cloth.
X Heavy soiling:use carcare andcleaning
products recommen dedandapproved by
Mercedes-Ben z.
The surface maychange colortemporarily.
Wait untilthesurface isdry again.
Cleanin gthe steering wheelandgear or
selec torlever X
Thoroughly wipewithadamp clothoruse
leather careagents thathave been
recommen dedandapproved byMercedes-
Benz .
Cleanin ggenuine woodand trim
elements X
Wipe thewooden trimandtrim pieces with
a damp, lint-free cloth ,e.g. amicr ofiber
clo th.
X Hea vysoilin g: usecar care andcleani ng
pro ducts reco mmend edand appro ved by
Mer cedes-Be nz.
! Donot usesol vent-b ased cleani ngagents
su ch astar remo ver,wheelcleaner s,
polishes orwaxes. Thereisoth erwise arisk
of damagin gthe surface.
! Donot use chrome polish ontrim pieces .
The trim pieces haveachr ome lookbutare
most lymade ofanodiz edaluminum and
can lose theirshin eif chr ome polish is
used. Useadamp, lint-free clothinst ead
when cleaningthe trim pieces .
If the chrome- plated trim pieces arevery
dirt y,you can useachr ome polish. Ifyou
are unsur eas towhet herthetrim pieces
are chrome- plated ornot ,con sult an
author izedMerc edes- BenzCent er. Cleaning
theseat covers !
Donot use microf iberclothstoclean
genuine leather,artificialleather or
Alcan tara® covers.Ifused often,these can
damage thecover .
! Observe thefollowing whencleanin g:
R clean genuine leathercoverscaref ully
wit hadamp clothand then wipe the
co ver sdown withadry cloth.M ake sure
th at theleat her does notb ecome
soaked. Itmay other wisebecome rough
and crack ed.Only useleather care
agents thathave been testedand
approved byMercedes- Benz.You can
obtain thesefromaqualified specialist
worksho p,e.g. aMercedes- BenzService
cen ter.
R clean artificialleather coverswith aclot h
moisten edwith asolution containin g1%
detergen t(e.g. dish washing liquid).
R clean clothcover swith amicrof ibercloth
moisten edwith asolution containin g1%
detergen t(e.g. dish washing liquid).Rub
carefully andalway swipe entireseat
sect ions toavoid leaving visiblelines.
Leave theseat todry afterwards.
Cleaning resultsdepend onthe type of
dirt and how long ithas been there.
R clean Alcantara® coverswith adamp
clot h.Make sureyouwipe entireseat
sect ions toavoid leaving visiblelines. i
Note
thatregular careisessent ialto
ensure thattheappearance andcomf ortof
the cover sis retain edover time.
Cleaning theseat belts X
Use clean, lukewarm waterandsoap
solution.
! Donot clean theseat belts using chemic al
cleanin gagents .Donot drythe seat belts
by warming themabove 176‡(80 †)or
placing themindirect sunlight. 324
CareMaintenance and care

G
WARNING Do
not bleach ordye seat beltsas this may
severe lywea ken them. Inacrash, theymay
not beableto provid eade qua teprotection.
Cle aning theheadli nerand carpets X
Headli ner:useasoft brushor aclea ning
age ntrecommende dand approved by
Mercede s-Benztoremove heavysoil ing.
X Carpets: usethecarpe tand texti le
cle ani ng agents recomme ndedand
ap pro ved byMer cedes-B enz. Ca
re
325Maintenance and care Z

sides
ofthe vehicle. Thejack saddle mustbe
placed centrally under thejacking point.The
jack must alwaysbe vertical wheninuse,
especiall yon inclines ordeclines.
The jack isintended onlyforlifting thevehicle
briefly forwheel changes. Itis not suited for
performing maintenance workunder the
vehicle. Tohelp avoid personal injury,usethe
jack onlytolift the vehicle duringawheel
change.
Never getbeneath thevehicle whileitis
supported bythe jack. Keep hands andfeet
awa yfrom thearea under thelifted vehicle.
Always lowerthevehicle ontosufficient
capacity jackstandsbefore working underthe
vehicle.
Always firmlyengage theparking brakeand
block thewheels withwheel chocks orother
sizable objects beforeraising thevehicle with
the jack. Donot disengage theparking brake
while thevehicle israised.
Make surethattheground onwhich the
vehicle isstanding andwhere youplace the
jack issolid, levelandnotslippery .If
nece ssary,us ealarge underlay.O ns lippery
surfac es,such astiled floors,you should use
a non -slip under lay,forexam plearubber mat.
Do not use wooden blocksor similar objects
as ajac ku nde rlay.Othe rwise, the jack may
not beableto ach ieve its load -be aring
cap acityifit is not atits fullhei ght.
Nev ersta rtthe engi newhen the vehicleis
rai sed .
Als oob ser vethe notes onthe jack. X
Usi nglug wre nch :,loose nthe bolts on
the wheel youwish tochange byabout one
full turn. Donot unscrew thebolts
completely.
The jackin gpoints arelocated justbehind the
wheel housings ofthe front wheels andjust
in front ofthe wheel housings ofthe rear
wheels (arrows). G
WARNING The
jack isdesigned exclusively forjackin gup
the vehicle atthe jackin gpoints. Thejack
saddle mustbeplaced centrally under the
jackin gpoint.
If you donot position thejack correct lyin the
jackin gpoint, thevehicle canfalloffthe jack
and seriously orfatally injureyouorothers.
! The jack isdesigned exclusively for
jackin gup the vehicle atthe jackin gpoints.
Otherwise, yourvehicle couldbedamaged.
X Take theratchet wrench outofthe vehicle
tool kitand place iton the hexagon nutof
the jack sothat theletters AUFarevisible. X
Position jack=atjackin gpoint ;. Flat
tire
335Breakdown assistance Z

Low
outsidetem peratur es DE
Ffreez esatate mper atureof
appro ximatel y12 ‡(–1 1†). The vehicle is
equipped withaDE Fp rehea tingsystem when
it lea ves thefactory. Winteroperationis
therefore alsogua ranteed attempera tures
Additive s !
Only useDEF inaccorda ncewith ISO
22241. Donot use additives withDEFand
do not dilute DEF with water. This may
destroy theBlue TEC exhau stgas
aftertrea tmentsystem.
Purity Assuri
ngthe puri tyof DEF isparticu larly
importa ntwith respe ctto avoi ding
malfu nctions inthe exhau stgas
aftertrea tmentsystem.
If DEF ispump edout ofthe DEF tank, e.g.
duri ngrepa irwork, itmust notbereturned to
the tank. Thepurityof the fluidcan nolonger
be gua ranteed.
! Impuri tiesinDEF (e.g. duetoother
service products,cleaning agents ordus t)
lea dto:
R increase demiss ionvalu es
R dama getothe catal yticconverter
R engine damage
R malfu nctions inthe Blue TEC exhau stgas
aftertrea tmentsystem Eng
ineoil
Ple ase bear thefollowing inmind The
engine oilsare matched tothe
performa nceofMercede s-Benzengines and
service intervals.You shou ldtherefore only
use engine oilsand oilfilters thatare
app roved forvehicl eswith maintenance
systems . For
alist ofapp roved engine oilsand oilfilters,
consult anauthorized Mercede s-BenzCenter
or go tothe Internet site
http://www.mbu sa.com(USAonly).
! Never useengine oiloran oilfilter ofa
speci ficatio nothe rthan isnecessary to
fulfill theprescribed serviceintervals. Do
not change theengine oiloroil filter in
order toachieve longerreplacement
intervals thanthose prescribed. Youcould
otherwise causeengine damage ordamage
to the exhaust gasaftertr eatment .
Follow theinstruct ionsinthe service
interval displayregarding theoilchange.
the exhaust gasaftertr eatment .
The table shows whichengine oilshave been
approved foryour vehicle. Model Engine
model MB
Approval
642 228
.51,
229 .31,
229 .51 276 229
.5 i
MB
approval isindicat edon the oil
con tainer s.
Addit ives !
This could damage theengin e.
Engine oilviscosity Viscosit
ydescribes theflow charact eristics
of afluid. Ifan engin eoil has ahigh viscos ity,
this means thatitis thic k;alow viscos ity
means thatitis thin .
Select anengin eoil with anSAE(viscosi ty)
class ification suitable forthe preva iling
outsi detempera tures.Thefollowi ngtable
show sthe correct SAEclass ification tobe
use d.The low-temperatu rechara cteristics of
engine oilscan deteri orate signifi cantly, e.g. 388
Servic
eproducts andcapaci tiesTechnical data

4MATIC
ML 350 4MATIC
ML3 50 BlueTEC
Otherwise,youmaydamagetheengineand
Donotuseanyadditivesintheengineoil.
below12 ‡ (–11 †).