tires MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2012 W166 Owner's Guide

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

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Wher
ewill Ifind. ..? First
-aidkit
X Open thetailgate. X
Remove first-aid kit: from theparcel net. i
Check
theexpirat iondate onthe first -aid
kit atleast onceayear. Replace the
con tentsifnec essary, andreplace missing
con tents. Vehicle
toolkit
Not es The
vehicle toolkitcan befound inthe
stowage wellunder thecargo compar tment
floor. i
When
theyleave thefactory, vehicles
without a"Minispare" emergencyspare wheel
arenot equipped withthetools
needed tochan geawheel, suchasajack .
Countr y-specificdiffer encesare possible.
Some toolsforchan gingawheel are
specific tothe vehicle. Youcanobtain tools
that areapproved foruse onyour vehicle
at aqual ified specialist workshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
Vehicles withaTIREFIT kit X
Lif tth etrunk floor up (Ypage 292). :
Lug wren ch
; Jack
= Tiresealan tfiller bottle
? Align mentbolt
A Tire inflation compressor
B Folding wheelchock
C Warning triangle
D Ratchet wrench
E Towing eye
Vehicles witha"Mini spare" emerge ncy
spare wheel X
Lift the trunk floorup(Y pag e292).
X Remo vethe "Minispa re"emerge ncyspare
whee l(Y pag e329). 328
Where
willIfind...?Breakdown assistance

Exam
ple: veh icles with AIR MATI Cand trailer tow
hi tch
: Folding wheelcho ck
; Lugwre nch
= Alignme ntbolt
? Ballcou pling ofthe trailert ow hitch
A Towing eye
B Jack
C Ratchet wrench "Minispar
e"emergency sparewheel
The "Minispare" emergencyspare wheel can
be found inthe stowage wellunder thetrunk
floor.
X Lift the trunk floorup(Ypage 292). Example:
vehicleswithoutlockable trunkfloor X
Vehicles withtrailer towhitch: remove
the ball coupling stowagetray.
X Turn emergenc yspare wheel retainer ;
count erclock wiseandremove it.
X Remove "Minispare" emergencyspare
wheel :. Vehicles
withlockable trunkfloor
X Remove thecontentsof sto wage tray ;.
X Turn thecentral ret ainin gscr ew insto wage
tr ay ; and "Minispar e"emerg encyspare
wheel :count ercloc kwise andremov eit.
X Remove stowage well;.
X Vehicles withtrailer towhitch: remove
the ball coupling stowagetray.
X Remove "Minispare" emergencyspare
wheel :.
For further infor mation onchang ingawheel
and mount ingthe spare wheel, see
(Y page 329). Flat
tire Prep
aring the vehicle
Your vehicle maybeequipped with:
R TIREF ITkit 24
R a"Minispare" emergencyspare wheel
R MOEx tended tires (tires withrun-flat
propert ies)(Ypage 338) i
Vehicle
preparation isnot necessary on
vehicles withMOEx tended tires .
24 Canada only. Flat
tire
329Breakdown assistance

i
Vehicles
equipped withMOExt endedtires
are not equi pped withaTIREFIT kitatthe
factory. Itis therefore recommended that
you addi tionally equipyou rvehicle witha
TIREF ITkit ifyou mount tiresthatdonot
feature run-flatpropert ies,e.g. winter tires.
A TIREF ITkit can beobtained froman
authoriz edMercedes- BenzCenter .
X Make surethathighway levelis
select ed25
(Y page 180).
X Stop the vehicle onsolid, non-slippery and
level ground, asfar away aspossible from
traff ic.
X Switc hon the hazard warning lamps.
X En gage theelectr icparkin gbrake manually
(Y page 156).
X Brin gthe fron twheels intothestraight-
ahead position.
X Move theDIRECT SELECT lever toP.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Vehicles withoutKEYLESS-GO: remove
the SmartK eyfrom theignition lock.
X Vehicles withKEYLESS-GO: openthe
driver's door.
The on-board electronic shave status 0,
which isthe same asthe SmartK eyhaving
been removed.
X Vehicles withKEYLESS-GO: removethe
Start /Stopbutton fromtheignition lock
(Y page 139).
X All occupants mustgetout ofthe vehicle.
Make surethatthey arenot endangered as
they doso.
X Make surethatnoone isnear thedanger
area while awheel isbeing changed.
Anyone whoisnot directly assisting inthe
wheel change should,forexample, stand
behind thebarrier.
X Get outofthe vehicle. Payattent ionto
traffic condition swhen doing so.
X Close thedriver's door.
X Unload heavyluggage. i
Only
operate thetire inflation compressor
using a12 Vsocket (Ypage 297), evenif
the ignition isturned off.
An emergency cut-offensures thattheon-
board electrical systemvoltage doesnot
drop toolow. Ifthe on-board electrical
system voltage istoo low, power tothe
socket sis automatically cutoff. This
ensures thatthere issufficient powerto
start theengine. TIREFIT
kit
Using theTIREFIT kit You
canusetheTIREFIT kittoseal small
punctures, particularly thoseinthe tire tread.
You canuseTIREFIT atoutside temperatures
down toÒ4 ‡(Ò20 †). G
WARNING TIREFIT
isalimited repairdevice. TIREFIT
cannot beused forcuts orpunctures larger
than approximately 0.16in(4 mm) andtire
damage causedbydriving withextrem elylow
tire inflation pressure, oron aflat tire, ora
damaged wheel.
Do not drive thevehicle undersuch
circumstan ces.
Contact thenearest authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center forassistance orcall Roadsi de
Assistanc e.
X Do not remove anyforeign objectswhich
have penetrated thetire, e.g.screws or
nails.
X Remove thetire seala ntbottle, the
accompanying "max.80km/h" stickerand
the tire inflation compressor fromthe
stowage wellunderneath thecargo
compartmen tfloor (Ypage 328).
25 Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package. 330
Flat
tireBreakdown assistance

Do
not swit choff thetire inflation
com pressor during this ph ase.
X Allow thetire inflat ion compr essortorun
fo rf ive min utes. Thetireshould thenhave
att aine dapres sure ofat least 180k Pa
(1.8 bar/26 psi).
! Donot operate thetire inflation
compress orfor longer thaneight minutes
at atime without abreak. Itmay otherwise
overheat.
The tireinflation compress orcan be
operated againonceithas cooled down.
If apressure of180 kPa(1.8 bar/26 psi)has
been achieved afterfiveminutes, see
(Y page 332).
If apressure of180 kPa(1.8 bar/26 psi)has
not been achieved afterfiveminutes, see
(Y page 332).
Tire pressure ofat least 180kPa
(1.8 bar/26 psi)isnot reached If,
after fiveminutes, apressure of180 kPa
(1.8 bar/26 psi)hasnotbeen achieved:
X Switc hoff the tire inflation compress or.
X Unsc rewthefiller hose fromthevalve of
the faulty tire.
X Very slowly driveforwards orreverse
approximately 30ft(10 m).
X Pump upthe tire again. G
WARNIN
G If
after fiveminutes apressu reof180 kPa
(1.8 bar/26 psi)cannot beachie ved,thetire
is too badlydama gedtobe repa iredreliably
usi ng TIREFIT.
In this case TIREFIT cannotsealthetire
prope rly.
Do not drive anyfurther.
Contact thenearest authorized Mercede s-
Benz Center forassi stance orcall Roadsid e
Assistance. Tire
pressure of180 kPa(1.8 bar/
26 psi) isreache d X
Switch offthe tire infla tion compresso r.
X Unscrew thefiller hose fromthevalve of
the faultytire.
! After use,excess TIREFIT mayrunoutof
the filler hose. Thiscouldcaus estains.
Therefo re,placethe filler hose inthe plastic
bag whichcontained theTIREFIT kit.
X Stow thetire seal antbottle andthetire
infla tion compresso r.
X Pull away immediately . G
WARNING Do
not exceed avehicl espee dof 50 mph
(80 km/h). ATIREFIT repairisnot designed to
operate athigher speeds.
The sticker mustbeattached onthe
instrument clusterwhereitwill beeasil yseen
by the driver.
Vehicle handling characteristics ofaTIREFIT
repaired tiremay change. Adaptyourdriving
accordingly.
X Stop after driving forapproximately ten
minutes andcheck thetire pressure with
the tire inflation compressor. G
WARNING If
tire inflation pressure hasfallen below
130 kPa(1.3 bar/26 psi)donot cont inue to
drive thevehicle.
Park yourvehicle safelyawayfrom the
roadwa yand cont actthe nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz CenterorRoad side
Assistance.
Have thedamaged tirereplaced.
X Correct thetire pressure ifit is at least
130 kPa(1.3 bar/20 psi)(fortherequired
value s,see theTire andLoading
Information placardonthe driver's side
B-pillar orthe tire pressure tableinside the
fuel filler flap). 332
Flat
tireBreakdown assistance

X
To incre ase thetire pres sure :sw itch on
the tire inflation comp ressor . E
Pressu rerelease button
F Pressu regaug e
X To reduc ethe tire pres sure :pre ss
pre ssu rerelease button Eonthe filler
hos e.
X Stow thetire sealant bottle and thetire
infl ation comp ressor .
X Driv eto the nearestworkshop andhave the
tire changed there.
X Have thetire sealant bottlereplaced as
soon aspossible ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. H
Environmental
note Have
theused tiresealant bottledisposed of
professionally, e.g.atan authorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter.
X Have thetire sealant bottlereplaced every
four years ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop, e.g.anauthorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. Changing
awhee land mountin gthe
spare wheel
Preparing thevehi cle G
WARNING The
wheeland tiresize ofthe emerge ncy
spa rewhe el/sp arewhe elmay differtothat of
the damaged wheel.Whenusingan
emergenc yspare wheel/spare wheelthe
handling character isticsofthe vehicle may
change.
Adapt yourstyle ofdriving accordingly.
Never operate thevehicle withmore thanone
emergenc yspare wheel/spare wheelthat
differs insize.
Only useanemergenc yspare wheel/spare
wheel ofadiffering sizebriefly anddonot
switch offESP ®
.
When usinganemergenc yspare wheel, you
must notexceed themaximum speedof
50 mph (80km/ h). G
WARNING Have
theemergenc yspare wheel/spare
wheel replaced withanew wheel assoon as
possible ataquali fiedspecialist workshop
which hasthenecessary specialistknowledge
and tools tocarry outthework required.
Mercedes-B enzrecommen dsthat youusean
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter forthis
purpose. Inparticular, workrelevant tosafety
or on safety-related systemsmustbecarried
out ataquali fiedspecialist workshop. i
Vehicles
withoutaspare wheel/
emergenc yspare wheel arenot equipped
with atire-c hange toolkitatthe factor y.For
more informat iononwhich toolsare
required toperform awheel change onyour
vehicle, e.g.wheel chock,lug wrench or
alignment bolt,consult anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. Flat
tire
333Breakdown assistance Z

system
whenthedefective wheelhasbeen
replaced withanew wheel.
Vehicles withtirepressure controlsystem:
all wheels mounted mustbeequip pedwith
function ingsensors. Thedefective wheel
should nolonger beinthe vehicle. MOExtended
tires(tires withrun-flat
propert ies)
MOExt ended tires(tires withrun-flat
properties) allowyou tocont inue driving your
vehicle evenifone ormore tiresareentirely
deflated.
MOExt ended tiresmayonlybeused in
conj unction withtheactivated tirepressure
loss warning systemorwith theactivated tire
pressure monitoring system.
The maximum permissible distancewhich
can bedriven inrun-flat modedepends onthe
load inthe vehicle. Youcandrive 50miles
(80 km) ifthe vehicle ispartiall yladen and
18 miles (30km) ifit is fully laden.
The maximum permissible distancewhich
can bedriven inrun-flat modeiscounted from
the moment thetire pressure losswarning
appea rsinthe multifunction display.
You must notexceed amaximum speedof
50 mph (80km/h). G
WARNING The
handling characteristics ofyour vehicle
deteriorate inrun-flat mode,forexample:
R when cornering
R when braking
R when accelerating rapidly
Adapt yourdriving styleaccordingly andavoid
sudden changes indirection andsudden
acceleration, aswell asdriving overobstacles
(i.e. curbs, potholes), anddriving off-road.
This isparticularly thecase when thevehicle
is heavily laden.
The maximum permissible distancethatcan
be driven inrun-flat modedepends toalarge
extent onthe loads placed onthe vehicle. It can
beshorter duetohigh speeds, aheavy
load, sudden changes indirection, theroad
surface condition, outsidetemperature, etc.,
or further ifyou drive carefully and
conservatively.
Do not cont inue todrive inrun-flat modeif:
R you hear banging noises.
R the vehicle startstoshake.
R you seesmoke andsmell rubber.
R ESP ®
is intervenin gconst antly.
R there aretears inthe sidewa llsofthe tire.
Aft erdriving inrun-flat mode,youmust have
the wheel( s)checked fordamage ata
qual ified speciali stworkshop whichhasthe
necessary specialistknowledge andtools to
carry outthework required. Thedefective tire
must bereplaced inevery case.
Mercedes-Benz recommendsthatyouusean
authorized Mercedes-Benz Centerforthis
purpose. Inparticular, workrelevant tosafety
or on safety-related systemsmustbecarried
out ataqual ified speciali stworkshop. i
When
replacing oneorall tires, make sure
that youonly usetires marked
MOExt ended andofthe specified sizefor
the vehicle. Bat
tery Importa
ntsafety notes
In order forthe battery toachieve the
maximum possibleservicelife,itmust always
be sufficiently charged.
! Have thebattery checked regularlyata
qual ified speciali stworkshop, suchasan
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Adhere tothe service intervals indicated in
the service booklet orask aqual ified
speciali stworkshop, suchasan authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Have thebattery chargechecked more
frequently ifyou usethevehicle mainlyfor 338
Bat
teryBreakdown assistance

Useful
information........ .......... .......... 350
Impor tantsafet ynotes .................... 350
Opera tion........................... ......... ....... 350
Winter operation............................... 352
Tir epr essure ..................................... 353
Loading thevehicle .......................... 362
Maxim umload rating ....................... 365
Uniform TireQualit yGra ding
Sta ndar ds.......................................... 366
Tir elabeling .................................... ... 367
Definition ofter ms fortires and
loading ............................................... 371
Changing awhee l............................. 374
Wheel andtirecombinat ions........... 375 349Wheels and tires

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Impor
tant safet ynotes Consult
anauthoriz edMerc edes-B enzCent er
if you require information onapproved and
recom mende dtires andwheels forsummer
and winteroperation .Advice onpurchasin g
and carin gfor tires isalso available there. G
WARN
ING Replace
rimsortires withthesame
designat ion,manufac turerandtype asshown
on the original part.Forfurther infor mation
con tact anauthoriz edMerced es-BenzCente r.
If inco rrectlysized rimsandtires are
mount ed,the wheel brakes orsuspension
compon entscan bedamaged. Also,the
operatin gclearanc eof the wheels andthe
tires maynolonger becorr ect. G
WARN
ING Worn
,old tires cancause acciden ts.Ifthe tire
tread isworn tominimum treaddepth, orif
the tires have sustaine ddamage, replace
them .
When replacin grims, onlyusegenuine
Mercede s-Benz wheel boltsspecified forthe
partic ularrimtype. Failure todo socan result
in the bolts loosenin gand possibly an
acciden t.
Retreaded tiresarenot testedor
recom mended byMercede s-Benz ,sinc e
previous damagecannotalways be recog
nized on retr eads. Theoperatin gsafety
of the vehicle cannotbe assured whensuch
tires areused. G
WARN
ING If
you feel asudden significantvibration or
ride disturban ce,oryou suspect thatpossible
damage toyour vehicle hasoccurred, you
should turnonthe hazard warning flashers,
carefully slowdown, anddrive withcaution to
an area which isasafe distan cefrom theroad.
Inspe ctthe tires andthevehicle underbody
for possible damage. Ifthe vehicle appears
unsafe, havethevehicle towedtothe nearest
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente ror tire
dealer forrepairs. G
WARN
ING Do
not drive withaflat tire. Aflat tire affect s
the ability tosteer orbrake thevehicle. You
might losecontrolof the vehicle. Continued
drivin gwith aflat tire ordrivin gat high speed
with aflat tire willcause excessive heatbuild-
up and possibly afire. i
Furt
herinfor mation aboutTiresand
wheels canbeobtained fromany
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente r. Oper
ation Not
eson driving
R Ifthe vehicle isheavily laden,checkthe tire
pressures andcorrect themifnecessary.
R When parking yourvehicle, makesurethat
the tires donot getdeformed bythe curb
or other obstacles. Ifit is necessary todrive
over curbs, speedhumps orsimilar
elevations, trytodo soslowly andatan
obtuse angle.Otherwise, thetires,
particularly thesidewa lls,can get
damaged. 350
Operat
ionWheels and tires

Note
son reg ularly inspe cting wheels
and tires G
WA
RNI NG Re
gularly che ckthe tires for dama ge.
Dam aged tires can causetireinf latio n
pre ssu reloss. Asares ult, yo ucou ldlose
contr olof your veh icle.
Wo rn,oldtir es can causeacc idents .Ift he tire
tread isworn tominimum treaddepth, orif
the tires have sustained damage,replace
them.
R Regul arlycheck thewheels andtires of
your vehicle fordamage (e.g.cuts,
punctures, tears,bulges ontires and
deformation orcrack sor severe corrosion
on wheels) atleast once amonth,as well
as after driving off-road oron rough roads.
Damaged wheelscancause aloss oftire
pressure.
R Regula rlycheck thetire tread depth and
the condit ionofthe tread across thewhole
width ofthe tire (Ypage 351). Ifnecessary,
turn thefront wheels tofull lock inorder to
inspect theinner sideofthe tire surface.
R All wheels musthaveavalve captoprotec t
the valve against dirtand moisture. Donot
mount anything ontothe valve (such astire
pressure monitoringsystems) otherthan
the standard valvecaporother valvecaps
approved byMercedes-B enzforyour
vehicle.
R Regula rlycheck thepressure ofall the tires
including theemergenc yspare wheel orthe
spare wheel, particularly priortolong trips,
and correc tthe pressure asnecessary
(Y page 353). Tire
tread G
WARNING Although
theappli cable federal motorvehicle
safety lawsconsider atire tobe worn when
the tread wearindicators (TWI)become
visible atapproximately 1
/ 16 in
(1.6 mm), we recommen
dthat youdonot allow yourtires
to wear down tothat level. Astread depth
approaches 1
/ 8 in
(3 mm), theadhesion
properties onawet road aresharply reduced.
Depending upontheweather and/orroad
surface (conditions), thetire tract ionvaries
widely .
Do not use tires thatareexcessively wornas
the tire tract iononwet road surfaces
decreases significantly whenthetread depth
is less than 1
/ 8 inch
(3mm).
Tread wearindicators (TWI)arerequired by
law. Sixindicators arepositioned onthe tire
tread. Theybecome visibleassoon asatread
depth ofapproximately 1
/ 16 inch
(1.6mm)
has been reached. Ifthis isthe case, thetire
is so worn thatitmust bereplaced.
The recommen dedtread depth forsummer
tires isat least 1
/ 8 inch
(3mm). The
recommen dedtread depth forwinter tiresis
at least 1
/ 6 inch
(4mm). Bar
marking :for tread wearisintegrated
into thetire tread. Notes
onselec ting,mounting and
replacing tires
R Only mount tiresandwheels ofthe same
type andmake.
R Only mount tiresofthe correct sizeonto
the wheels.
R Aft ermounting newtires, runthem inat
moderate speedsforthe first 60miles Operat
ion
351Wheels and tires Z