100 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2012 W166 User Guide

Sid
evie w Top
view
Fro ntsenso rs Ce
nter Appr
oxim ately40 in
(a ppr oxim ately100 cm) Co
rners Appr
oxim ately24 in
(a ppr oxim ately60 cm) Rear
senso rs Ce
nter Appr
oxim ately48 in
(a ppr oxim ately120 cm) Co
rners Appr
oxim ately32 in
(a ppr oxim ately80 cm) !
Whe npark ing,pay particular attentio nt o
object sabove orbelow thesensors, such
as flower potsortrailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC doesnotdetect suchobject s
when theyareinthe immediate vicinityof
the vehicle. Youcould damage thevehicle
or the object s.
The sensors maynotdetect snowandother
object sthat absorb ultrasonic waves. Ultrasonic
sourcessuchasan automatic
car wash, thecompressed- airbrakes ona
truck orapneumatic drillcould cause
PARKTRONIC tomalfunct ion.
PARKTRONIC maynotfunct ioncorrec tlyon
uneven terrain.
Minimum distance Center Approx
imately 8in
(approx imately 20cm) Corne
rs Appr
oxim ately 6in
(approx imately 15cm) If
ther eis an obst acle within thisrange ,the
relevan twarn ing displ ayslight upand a
warn ingtone soun ds.Ifth edist ancefalls
below themin imum ,th edist ancemay no
lon ger besho wn.
Wa rning displa ys The
warn ingdispl aysshowthedist ance
bet ween thesen sorsand theo bstac le.The
warning displayforthe fron tarea isloca ted
on the dashboa rdabo vethe center airvents.
The warning displayforthe rear area isin the
roof lamp inthe rear compartment. Warning
displayforthe front area
: Segments onthe left-hand sideofthe
vehicl e
; Segments onthe right-hand sideofthe
vehicl e
= Segments showingopera tional readiness
The warning displayforeach sideofthe
vehicl eis divi ded into fiveyellow and twored 184
Drivi
ngsystemsDriving and parking

Please
notethat when towing atrailer,
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183)andBlind Spot
Assist (Ypage 198)areonly availabl ewith
limitations ,or not atall. i
On
vehicles withoutlevelcontrol,the
height ofthe ball coupling willalter
accordin gto the load placed onthe vehicle.
If necess ary,useatrailer withaheight-
adjustable drawbar.
Driving tips i
Observe
theinform ationonESP®
trailer
stabilization (Ypage 64)and onpulling
away withatrailer. (Ypage 141).
The maximum permissible speedforvehicle/
trailer combinat ionsdepends onthe type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journ ey,check
the trailer's document sto see what the
maximum permittedspeed is.Observe the
legally prescribed maximumspeedinthe
relevant country.
For cert ainMercedes- Benzvehicles, the
maximum permissible rearaxle load is
incr eased whentowing atrailer. Refertothe
"Technical data"sectiontofind outwhether
this applies toyour vehicle. Ifyou utilize any
of the added maximum rearaxle load when
towing atrailer, thevehicle/t railer
combinat ionmay notexceed amaximum
speed of60 mph(100 km/h)for reasons
conc ernin gthe operating permit.Thisalso
applies incount riesinwhich thepermissible
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combinat ionsisabove 60mph(100 km/h).
When towing atrailer, yourvehicle's handling
charact eristics willbedifferen tinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
On long andsteep downhill gradients, you
must selectshift range 1,2or 3in good time. i
This
alsoapp liesif you have activated
cruise control orDISTRONIC PLUS.
This willuse thebraking effectofthe engine,
so that lessbraking willbe requ iredto
maintai nthe speed. Thisrelieves theload on
the brake system andprevents thebrakes from
overheating andwearing tooquickly. If
you need additional braking,depressthe
brake pedalrepeatedly ratherthan
cont inuously .
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance fromthe
vehicle infront thanwhen driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. Ifpossible, brake
gently atfirst toallow thetrailer torun on.
Then, increase thebraking forcerapidly .
R The values givenforgradient-c limbing
capabil itiesfrom astandst illrefer tosea
level. When driving inmountainous areas,
note thatthepower output ofthe engine,
and consequent lythe vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability,decrease with
increasing altitude.
If the trailer swings fromsidetoside:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter- steer.
X Brake ifnecessary. Assemblin
gthe ball coupling
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
have theball coupling assembled ata
qualified specialist workshop.Only a
qualified specialist workshophas the
nec essary specialist knowledge andtools
to carry outthework required. Youcould
other wiseincorrectlyassemble theball
coupling ortight enthe nut with the
incor recttorque. Thiscould leadtothe ball
coupling andtheball coupling carrier
becomin gdetached whiletowing atrailer.
As aresult, youcould cause anacciden t.
Therefor e,have theball coupling
assembled ataqualified specialist
worksho p.
If the assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor 212
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

X
Attach hook= tothe cargo
comp artment' sup pers eal ?.
X To close: detach hook=from thecargo
compart ment'supper seal?.
X Fasten hook=tothe brack eton the
underside ofthe trun kfloor.
X Fold thetrunk floor down.
X Press thetrunk floor down ;untilit
eng ages. Roof
carrier
Imp ortant safety notes G
WARN
ING Only
usecarriers when thebasic carrierbars
have been complete lymoun ted.Theleftand
right roofrails areonly stabilized bymean sof
the basic carrierbars moun ted.
Follow themanuf acturer' sinsta llati on
ins truc tions. Othe rwise, animp roperly
atta chedcar riero rits load cou ldbe come
de tach edfromt hevehicle.
Do not exceed themaximum roofload of
220 lb(100 kg).
Take intoconsideration thatwhen theroof is
loaded, thehandling characterist icsare
different fromthose whenoperating the
vehicle without theroof loaded.
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
only useroof carriers thathave been tested
and approved forMercedes- Benzvehicles. This
helps topreven tdamage tothe
veh icle.
Posi tionthe load onthe roof carrier insuch
a way that thevehicle willnotsustain
damage evenwhen itis in motion.
Depending onthe vehicle equipment,
ensure thatwhen theroof carrier is
installed youcan:
R raise thesliding sunroof fully
R open thepanorama roofwith power tilt/
sliding panelfully
R open thetailgate fully
Attaching theroof carrier X
Secure theroof carrier toroof rails :.
X Observe themanufacturer's installation
instruct ions. Features
Cup
holders
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING In
order tohelp prevent spillingliquidson
vehicle occupants and/orvehicleequipment,
only usecont ainers thatfitinto thecup
holder. Uselidsonopen containers anddo
not fillcont ainers toah eight where the
con tents,especially hotliquids, couldspill
during braking ,vehicle maneuvers, orinan
acciden t.Liquids spilledonvehicle occupant s
may cause serious personal injury.Liquids Featur
es
293Stowing and features
Z

enfor
cemen tagency isinfor med ofthe
location ofthe vehicle. i
If
the anti- theftalarm systemisact ive for
long erthan 30seco nds,mbrac e
autom atically inform sthe Merc edes- Benz
Custom erAss istanc eCent er. Gar
age door opener
Imp ortant safety notes The
Hom eLink®
garage dooropener
int egrat edinthe rear- view mirrorallows you
to operat eup tothr ee diff eren tdoor and gate
systems. i Certain
garagedoordrives are
incompat iblewith theintegr atedgarage
door opener. Ifyou have difficulty
programming theintegr atedgarage door
opener, contactanauthorized Mercedes-
Benz Center orcall one ofthe following
telephone hotlines:
R USA: Mercedes-B enzCustomer
Assist anceCenter at
1-8 00- FOR-ME RCedes
R Canada: Customer Serviceat
1-8 00- 387- 0100 G
WARNIN
G Before
programming theintegrat edremote
cont roltoagarage dooropener orgate
operator, makesurepeople andobject sare
out ofthe way ofthe device toprevent
potent ialharm ordamage. When
programming agarage dooropener, thedoor
moves upordown. Whenprogramming agate
operator, thegate opens orcloses.
Do not use theintegrat edremote controlwith
any garage dooropener thatlacks safety stop
and reverse features asrequired byU.S.
federal safetystandards (thisincludes any
garage dooropener modelmanufactured
before April1,1982 ).A garage doorthat
cann otdetect anobject -signaling thedoor to
stop andreverse -does notmeet current
U.S. federal safetystandards.
When programming agarage dooropener,
park vehicle outside thegarage.
Do not run theengine whileprogramming the
integrat edremote control.Inhalation of
exhaust gasishazardous toyour health. All
exhaust gascont ains carbon monoxide(CO),
and inhaling itcan cause unconsciousness
and possible death.Allexhaust gascont ains
carbon monoxide(CO), andinhaling itcan
cause unconsciousness andpossible death. i
USA
only:
This device complies withpart15ofthe
FCC Rules. Operation issubject tothe
following twocondit ions:
1. This device maynotcause harmful
interf erence, and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterf erence
received, includinginterference thatmay
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser's authority to
operate theequipment.
FCC ID:CB2HMIH L4 i
Canada
only:
This device complies withRSS-2 10of
Industr yCanada. Operation issubject to
the following twocondit ions:
1. This device maynotcause interference,
and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterf erence
received, includinginterference thatmay
cause undesired operationofthe device.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser's authority to
operate theequipment.
IC: 279B -HMIHL4 Featur
es
305Stowing and features Z

X
Pull release lever:for the hood.
The hood isreleased.
! Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
not folded awayfromthewindshield. You
could otherwise damagethewindshield
wipers orthe hood. X
Reach intothegap, pullhood catch
handle ;upand liftthe hood.
Onc eyou have lifted thehood about
15 inches (40cm), itis automatically
opened therest ofthe way andheld open
by the gas-filled struts.
Closing thehood G
WARNIN
G When
closing thehood, useextreme caution
not tocatc hhands orfingers. Becareful that
you donot close thehood onanyone.
Make surethehood issecurely engaged
before driving off.Donot cont inue driving if
the hood cannolonger engage afteran
accident ,for example. Thehood could otherwise
comeloosewhilethevehicle isin
motion andinjure youand/or others.
X Lower thehood andletitfall from aheight
of approximately 8inches (20cm).
X Check thatthehood hasengaged properly.
If the hood canberaised slightly, itis not
properly engaged. Openitagain andclose
it with alittle more force. Rad
iator i
Vehicles
withadiesel engine: donot
cov erthe radiator ,for examp lewith a
wint erfron tor bug cover.The reading sof
the on-board- diagnos ticsyste mmay
ot her wise beinac curate.Some ofthese
readings arerequired bylaw and must be
accurate atall times. Engine
oil
Notes onthe oillevel Dependin
gon the driving style,thevehicle
consumes upto0.9 USqts. (0.8 l)of oil over
a distance of600 miles (1000 km).Theoil
consumpt ionmay behigher thanthiswhen
the vehicle isnew orifyou frequently driveat
high engine speeds.
Checking theoillevel using theoil
dipst ick Example:
vehicleswithagasoline engine Engine
compar tment
313Maintenance and care Z

(100
km)as they onlyreach theirfull
perfo rmanceafter thisdistan ce.
R Do not use tiresthat areexcessively worn
as the tire tract ion onwet road surfac es
decr eases significantlywhen thetread
depth isless than 1
/ 8 inc
h(3 mm).
R Replace thetiresafter sixyears atthe
latest ,regardles sof wear. Thisalso applies
to the spare wheel/em ergencyspare
wheel.
The servicelife oftire sdepends onthe
followin gfact orsamong stothe rthings:
R driving style
R tire pressure
R mileage MOExtended
tires(tires withrun-flat
proper ties)
MOExt ended tires(tires withrun-flat
properties) allowyoutocont inue driving your
vehicle evenifone ormore tiresareentirely
deflated.
MOExt ended tiresmaybeused onlyin
conj unction withtheactivated tirepressure
loss warning systemorthe activated tire
pressure monitorin gsystem andonly on
wheels specifically testedbyMercedes-Ben z.
You willfind notes ondriving with
MOExt ended tiresinthe "Breakdown
assistance" section(Ypage 338). Winter
operation Please
bearthefollow inginmind
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproofed ataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Observe thenotes inthe "Cha nging awheel"
section (Ypage 374). Driving
withsumm ertires
At temperatures below45‡(+7 †), the
elasticity ofsummer tiresandtherefore also
tract ionand braking capabilityare reduced
considerably —equip your vehicle with
M+S tires.Using summer tiresatvery cold
temper aturescouldcause tearstoform ,
ther eby damaging thetires perman ently.
Mercede s-Benz cann otaccept responsibility
for this type ofdamage. M+S
tires
At temper aturesbelow45‡(+7 †), use
winter tiresorall-season tires.Both types of
tire areidentified bythe M+S marking.
Only winter tiresbearing thei snowflake
symbol inaddition tothe M+S marking
provide thebest possible gripinwintry road
condit ions.Onlythese tireswillallow driving
safety systems suchasABS andESP®
to
funct ionoptimally inwinter, asthese tires
have been designed specifically fordriving on
snow.
Use M+S tiresofthe same make andtread on
all wheels tomaintain safehandling
charact eristics. G
WARNIN
G M+S
tireswithatread depth ofless than 1
/ 6
inch (4mm) must bereplaced. Theyareno
longer suitable forwinter operation.
Always observe themaximum permissible
speed specified forthe M+S tiresyouhave
mounted.
Once youhave mounted thewinter tires:
X Check thetire pressures (Ypage 357).
X Restart thetire pressure losswarning
system (Ypage 357). G
WARNIN
G If
you mount thespare wheel whendriving
with M+S tires, bearinmind thatdriving
stability willbeimpaired duetounstable 352
Winter
operationWheels and tires

Maximum
tireload :isthe maximum
permitted weightforwhich thetire is
approved.
Further information ontire loads
(Y page 367). Uniform
TireQuality Grading
Stand ards Overview
ofTire Quality Grading
Stand ards The
Uniform TireQuality Grading isaU.S.
Government requirement. Theirpurpose isto
provide driverswithconsist entand reliabl e
information regardingtireperformance. Tire
manufacturers arerequired tograde tires
using threeperformance factors:tread
wear :,tire tract ion;, and temperature
resistance =.Although notaGover nment of
Canada requirement,all tires made forsale in
Nort hAm eric ahave thesegrades brandedon
the sidewall. i
The
actual values fortires are vehic le-
spec ificand may deviat efro mt hevalues in
the illustration .
Where applicable, thetire grading
information canbefound onthe tire sidewa ll
between thetread shoulder andmaximum
tire width.
For example: Tread
wear Tra
ction Temp
erature 200 AA A All
passenger cartires must confor mto the
statutory safetyrequirements inaddition to
these grades. Tread
wear
The tread weargrade isac omparative rating
based onthe wear rateofthe tire when tested
under controlled conditionsonaspecified
U.S. governm entcourse. Forexample, atire
graded 150would wearoneandone-half
times aswell onthe governm entcourse asa
tire graded 100.
The relative performanc eof tires depends
upon theactual conditionsoftheir use,
however, andmay depart significant lyfrom
the norm, duetovariations indriving habits,
service practices anddifferenc esinroad
charact eristics andclimate conditions. Tr
action G
WARNIN
G The
tract iongrade assigned tothis tireis
based onstraight- aheadbraking traction
test s,and does notinclude acceleration,
corn ering, hydroplaning, orpeak traction
character istics.
The tract iongrades, fromhighest tolowest,
are AA, A,B,and C.Those grades represent
the tire's ability tostop onawet surface as
measured undercontrolled conditionson
specified governmenttest surfaces ofasphalt
and conc rete. Atire mark edCmay have poor
tr act ion perf ormance. G
WARN
ING If
ice has formed onthe road, tiretract ion will
be subst antially reduc ed.Und ersuch weathe r
con ditio ns,drive ,ste erand brak ewith
ext reme caution.
The safe speed onawet, snowcov ered oricy
road isalways lowerthanondry road
surf aces. 366
Unifor
mTir eQua lityGrad ing Stand ardsWheels and tires

For
furth erinfor mationonthe loadbea ring
inde x,see Loadinde x(Ypage 370).
Speed rating: speed ratingB specifies the
approved maximum speedofthe tire. G
WARN
ING Even
when permit tedbylaw, never operate a
vehicle atspeeds greater thanthemaximum
speed ratingof the tires .
Ex ceedin gthe maximum speedforwhich tires
are rated canlead tosudden tirefailure,
causing lossofvehicle controland possibly
resultin gin an acciden tand/o rserious
personal injuryandpossible death,foryou
and forother s.
Regardless ofthe speed ratingalways
obser vethe speed limits.Dr ive care fully and
adapt yourdrivin gst yle tothe traffic
con ditio ns. Sum
mer tires Index Speed
rating Q Up
to100 mph (160km /h) R Up
to106 mph (170km /h) S Up
to112 mph (180km /h) T Up
to118 mph (190km /h) H Up
to130 mph (210km /h) V Up
to149 mph (240km /h) W Up
to168 mph (270km /h) Y Up
to186 mph (300km /h) ZR..
.Y Up
to186 mph (300km /h) ZR..
.(..Y) Abov
e186 mph (300km /h) ZR Abov
e149 mph (240km /h) R
Opt ionally, tires with amaxim umspeed of
over 149mph (240km /h) may have "ZR"
in the size desc ription depen dingonthe
manuf acturer (e.g.245 /40ZR 18). The
servicespec ification scon sist ofload
bearin gindex Aand speed rating B.
R Ifthe size desc ription ofyour tireinc ludes
"ZR" andthereare noserv ice
spec ification s,ask thetiremanuf acturer in
order tofindout themaxim umspeed.
If aserv icespec ification isavailable, the
maxim umspeed islimit edacc ordin gto the
speed rating inthe serv icespec ification .
Ex ample: 245/40ZR 18 97Y.Inthis
exam ple,"97Y"isthe serv icespec ification .
The letter"Y" repr esen tsthe speed rating
and themaxim umspeed ofthe tireis
limit edto186 mph (300km /h).
R Ev ery tirethat hasamaxim umspeed above
186 mph (300km /h) must have"ZR"inthe
size desc ription and theserv ice
spec ification mustbegiven inbrac kets.
Ex ample: 275/40ZR 18 (99 Y).The speed
rat ing "(Y)" shows thatthemaxim umspeed
of the tireis above 186mph (300km /h).
Ask thetiremanuf acturer tofindout the
maxim umspeed. All-weat
hertires and winter tires Index Speed
rating Q
M+S 29 Up
to100 mph (160km /h) T
M+S 29 Up
to118 mph (190km /h) H
M+S 29 Up
to130 mph (210km /h) V
M+S 29 Up
to149 mph (240km /h) i
Not
alltires that have theM+S
ident ification offerthe drivin g
char acterist icsofwint ertires. Wint ertires
have, inadditio ntothe M+S identificat ion,
the i snow flakesymbol onthe tire
sidewal l.Tires withthisidentificat ionfulfill
the requirements ofthe Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA) andthe
Rubber Association ofCanada (RAC)
regarding thetire tract iononsnow and
29 Or M+Si forwinter tires. Tir
elabeling
369Wheels and tires Z

Tire
type code: tiretypecod e? can be
us ed bythe manuf actu rerasacod eto
de scri bespe cificcharacteristics ofthe tire.
Date ofmanuf acture:date ofmanufacture
A provides information abouttheage ofa
tire. Thefirst andsecond positions represent
the week ofmanufacture, startingwith "01"
for the first calendar week.Positions three
and four represent theyear ofmanufacture.
For example, atire that ismarked with
"3208", wasmanufactured inweek 32in
2008. Tire
character istics i
Tire
data isvehicle-specific andmay
deviate fromthedata inthe example.
This information describesthetire cord and
the number oflay ers insidewa ll: and under
the tread ;. Defini
tionofterm sfor tires and
loading Tire
plycomposition andmaterial
used
Describes thenumber ofplies orthe number
of lay ers ofrubber-coated fabricinthe tire
tread andsidewa ll.These aremade ofsteel,
nylon, polyester andother materials. Bar
Metric unitfortire pressure. Thereare
14.5 038pounds persquare inch(psi) to
1b ar; there are100k ilopasc als(kPa) to
1 bar. DOT
(Depar tment ofTransp ortation)
DO Tmark edtires fulfill therequire mentsof
the Unit edStates Depar tment of
Tran sport ation. Nor
maloccupa ntweight
The numb erofocc upant sthe vehic leis
design edtoseat ,mult iplied by68 kilog rams
(15 0lbs). Uniform
TireQualit yGra ding
Sta ndar ds
Au nifo rmstanda rdtogra dethe quality of
tire swi th reg ards totrea dqu ality ,tire trac tion
and temp eraturecha racteri stics. Rating sar e
de term inedby tire manuf actu rersus ing U.S.
gov ernm enttesti ngpro ced ures. The rating s
ar emol dedinto theside wa llof the tire. Rec
omme ndedtire pres sure
The reco mme ndedtire pressu reappliesto
the tiresmou nted atthe factory .
The Tire and Loading Info rma tionp lacard
con tain sthe recomm endedtir epress uresfor
cold tires on afully loaded vehicleand forthe
maxim umperm issible vehiclespeed.
The tirepress uretable contain sthe
rec omm endedtir epress uresforcold tires
under various operatingcon ditio ns,i.e.
diff erin gload andspeed conditio ns. Definition
ofter ms fortires and loading
371Wheels and tires Z

Incr
ease dvehicle weight dueto
opt ional equipm ent
This isthecom binedweight ofall standar d
and optionalequipm entavailable forthe
veh icle,regar dless ofwhet heritis act ually
ins talle don theveh icle ornot. Rim
This isthepart ofthew heel onwhich thetire
is mounted. GAWR
(Gross AxleWeight Rating)
The GAWR isthe maximum permissible axle
weight. Theactual loadonanaxle must never
exceed thegross axleweight rating.The
gross axleweight ratingcanbefound onthe
vehicle identification plateonthe B-pillar on
the driver's side. Speed
rating
The speed ratingispart ofthe tire
identification. Itspecifies thespeed rangefor
which thetire isapproved. GTW
(Gross Trailer Weight)
The GTW isthe weight ofatrailer including
the weight ofthe load, luggage,accessories
etc. onthe trailer. GVW
(Gross Vehicle Weight)
The gross vehicle weightcomprises the
weight ofthe vehicle including fuel,tools, the
spare wheel, accessories installed,
occupants, luggageand thedrawba r
noseweight, ifappli cable. Thegross vehicle
weight mustnotexceed thegross vehicle
weight ratingGVWR asspecified onthe
vehicle identification plateonthe Bpillar on
the drive r'sside. GV
WR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)
The GVWR isthe maxim umperm issible gross
weight ofafully loaded vehicle(th eweight of
the vehic leinc luding allacc essor ies,
occ upant s,fuel, luggage andthedrawbar
nos eweight ,if applicable). Thegros svehic le
weight rating isspec ified onthe vehic le
ident ification plateonthe B-pillar onthe
drive r'sside. Max
imumload edvehicle weight
The maximum weight isthesum ofthecur b
weight oftheveh icle,th eweight ofthe
acc esso ries,th eto tal load limit andthe
weight oftheopt ionalequipm entinstalle dat
th efac tory. Kilopa
scal(kPa)
Met ricunit fortirepres sure. 6.9kP ais the
equivale ntof1psi .An other unit fortire
pres sure isbar. Thereare 100k ilopasc als
(kPa) to1b ar. Load
index
In addit iontotheload beari ngind ex,th eload
ind exmay alsobeimpr inted on thesidew all
of thetir e. This spec ifiesthe load bearing
capacity moreprecisely. Curb
weight
The weight ofavehicle withstandard
equipment includingthemaximum capacity
of fuel, oiland coolant. Italso includes theair-
condition ingsystem andoptional equipment
if these areinstalled inthe vehicle, butdoes
not include passengers orlugga ge. 372
Defin
itionofterm sfor tires andloadingWheels and tires