airmatic MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2012 W166 Owner's Manual

Disp
lay(clea ning instructi ons) ........ 323
Di splay messag es
Ca lling up (on-boa rdcompu ter)..... 238
Driving systems ............................. 258
Engine ..................... .............. .........254
Gene ralnotes ................................ 238
Hidi ng(on-boa rdcompu ter)........... 238
KEYLESS-GO .................................. 267
Ligh ts.... ................ ...................... ...2 50
Safety systems .............................. 239
Service intervaldisplay .................. 317
SmartKey ....................................... 267
Tire s....... ........................................ 263
Vehi cle...........................................2 65
Di stanc edisplay (on-bo ard
co mputer) .......................................... 232
Di stanc ereco rder ............................. 227
see Odome ter
see Trip odom eter
Di stanc ewarni ng(warning lamp)....279
DI STRONIC PLUS
Activating .......................................172
Activatio ncondition s..................... 172
Cru isecontrol lever....................... 172
Deactiva ting....... ............................ 176
Displ aymessa ge............................ 261
Displ aysin the multifunctio n
dis pla y........................................... 173
Driving tips.................................... 177
Function/notes .....................169,171
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 169
Setting thespeci fiedminimu m
dis tance ......................................... 176
Warni nglamp ....... ....... .............. ..... 279
Do ors
Automa ticlocking (on-board
compu ter)...................................... 235
Automa ticlocking (switch) .............. .79
Cen tral loc kin g/unlo cking
(Sm artKey) .......................................7 2
Con trol pan el................................... 35
Displ aymessa ge............................ 266
Emergency locking........................... 80
Emergency unlocking ....................... 80
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 78
Openi ng(from inside)...................... 79
Do wnh illSpee dRegula tion
see DSR(Do wnh illSpe edRegulat ion) Drink
ingand driving ......................... 158
Drin kshol der
see Cuph older
Driver's door
see Doors
Driver's seat
see Seats
Driving abroad
Mercedes-B enzServic e................. 318
Symmetri callow beam.................. 108
Driv inginmountain ousterrain
Approa ch/dep artureangl e............ 166
Driv inglamps
see Daytime running lamps
Driv ingoff-road
see Off-road driving
Driv ingsafety systems
4ETS (Electroni cTracti onSystem) ...63
ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem) .......61
ADAPTIVE BRAKE............................. 65
BAS (Brake AssistSystem) .............. 61
BAS PLUS (Brake AssistSystem
PLUS) .............................. .................6 2
Ele ctroni cbrake force distributio n... 65
ESP ®
(Ele ctronic Stability
Progra m).......................................... 63
Importa ntsafe tyinforma tion........... 61
Overvi ew.......................................... 60
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake .............. ...............65
STEER CONTR OL............................. 67
Driv ingsyste ms
Active BlindSpotAssist ................. 202
Active Curve System ...................... 181
Active Driving Assistance
packa ge......................................... 202
Active LaneKeepingAssist ............ 205
Active ParkingAssist ..................... 186
ATTENTION ASSIST........................ 194
Blind SpotAssist ..................... ....... 198
Cru isecontrol ................................ 167
Displ aymessa ge............................ 258
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 169
HOLD function ............................... 179
Lane KeepingAssist ...................... 200
Lane Tracki ngpacka ge.................. 198
Level control (vehiclewith
AIRMATIC package)....................... 1818
In
dex

Dri
vin gon wet road s
Hy dropl aning If
wat erhas accumula tedto ace rtain dept h
on thero ad sur face,there isadan ger of
hydr oplaning occur ring,eve nif:
R you drive atlow spee ds.
R the tires have adequa tetread depth.
For this reas on,inthe event ofhea vyrainor
in conditio nsinwhi chhyd ropl aning canoccur
you must driveinthe followi ngmanner:
R low eryou rspeed
R avoid ruts
R brake carefully
Driving onflooded roads !
Donot drive through flooded areas.
Check thedepth ofany water before driving
thr ough it.Driv eslowly through standing
water. Otherwise, water mayenterthe
vehicle interior orthe engin ecompart ment.
This candamage theelect ronic
compon entsin the engin eorthe automatic
transmission. Watercanalso bedrawn in
by the engine's airsuction nozzlesand this
can cause engine damage. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
Set theraised levelbefore driving through
standing water.
Off-r oadfording Fording
depth Steel-spring
vehicles 20
in.
(50 cm) Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC
package Raise
dlevel 20
in.
(50 cm) R
Est ablish howdeep thewater isand the
characterist icsofthe body ofwater before
fording.
R Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
Select thehighest possible vehiclelevel.
R Restrict theshift range to1or 2.
R Avoid highengine speeds.
R Ent erand exitthewater ataflat place and
at asteady walking pace.
! Under nocircumst ancesshould you
accelerate beforeenteringthe water. The
bow wave could cause watertoenter and
damage theengine andother assemblies.
R Drive slowly andatan even speed through
the water.
R Do not stop.
! Donot open anyofthe vehicle's doors
while fording. Otherwise, watercouldget
into thevehicle interior anddamage the
vehicle's electronic sand interior
equipment.
R Water offersahigh degree ofresistance,
and theground isslippery andinsome
cases unstable. Therefore, itis difficult and
dangerous topull away inthe water.
R Ensure thatabow wave doesnotform as
you drive.
R Clea nany mud from thetire tread after
fording.
R Apply thebrakes todry them afterfording. Driving
tips
161Driving and parking Z

Check
listbefor edr iving off-road X
Engine oillevel: check theen gin eoil and
add oilifne ces sary.
When drivingonsteep grad ients,th eoil
leve lmust besuff iciently high toensure a
co rrect oilsupply inthev ehicle.
X DEF tank (BlueTEC vehicles): checkthe
fluid level and,ifnec essary, refilltothe
maximum (13l)(Y page 152).
X Wheel-changing toolkit:chec kthat the
jack isworkin gand make sureyouhave the
lug wrenc h,arobust towcable andafolding
spade inthe vehicle.
X Wheels andtires: chec kthe tire tread
depth andtirepressure.
X Check fordamage andremove anyforeign
objec ts,e.g. small stones,from the
wheels/tir es.
X Replace anymissing valvecaps.
X Replace dentedordamaged wheels.
X Rims: dentedorbent rimscanresult ina
loss oftire pressure anddamage thetire
bead. Therefor e,chec kyour rims before
driving off-road andreplace themas
required.
! Ifthe engine oilwarning lamplights up
while thevehicle isin motion ,stop the
vehicle inasafe place assoon aspossible.
Check theengine oillevel. Theengine oil
warning lampwarning mustnotbeignored.
Continuing thejourney whilethesymbol is
display edcould leadtoengine damage.
Checklist afterdriving off-road G
WARNIN
G If
you notic esudden significant vibrationsor
unusual handling performanc eor ifyou
suspect thatdamage hasoccurred tothe
vehicle, youshould activate thehazard
warning lamps,gentlyreduce speedand
carefully headforanarea thatislocated ata
safe distance fromtheroad.
Check thetires andtheunderside ofthe
vehicle fordamage. Ifthe vehicle seems unsafe,
havethevehicle towedawaytothe
nearest Mercedes-B enzCenter ortire dealer
to be repaired.
! Ifyou detect damage tothe vehicle after
driving off-road, havethevehicle checked
immediately ataquali fiedspecialist
workshop.
Drivin gover rough terrain placesgreater
demands onyour vehicle thandriving on
normal roads.Afterdriving off-road, check
the vehicle. Thisallows youtodetect damage
promptly andreduce therisk ofan accident
to yourself andother roadusers.
X Deact ivateDSR(Ypage 208).
X Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
lower thevehicle toaride height suitable
for the road condit ions,e.g.tothe
highway /high-speed level.
X Clean theheadlamps andrear lights and
check fordamage.
X Clean thefront andrear license plates.
X Clean thewheels/tires withawater jetand
remove anyforeign objects.
X Clean thewheels, wheelarches andthe
vehicle underside withawater jet;check
for any foreign objectsand damage.
X Check whether twigsorother partsof
plants havebecome trapped. These
increase therisk offire and candamage
fuel pipes, brakehoses orthe rubber
bellows ofthe axle jointsand propeller
shafts.
X Aft erthe trip, examine withoutfailthe
entire undercarriage, wheels,tires,brakes,
bodywork structure,steerin g,chassis and
exhaust systemfordamage.
X Aft erdriving forexten dedperiods across
sand, mud,gravel, waterorinsimilarly dirty
condit ions,havethebrake discs, wheels,
brake pads/linings andaxle jointscheck ed
and cleaned.
X Ifyou detect strongvibrations afteroff-road
travel, checkforforeign objectsin the
wheels anddrive trainandremove themif 164
Driving
tipsDriving and parking

nece
ssary.F oreign objectscan disturb the
balance andcause vibrations.
Driving onsand G
WARNIN
G Do
not reduce thetire inflation pressure
before driving through sand.However, ifyou
do so, remember tocorrec tthe tire inflation
pressure beforecontinuing yourtrip.Drivin g
with reduced tireinflation pressure increases
the risk oflosing controlofthe vehicle and
rolling over.
Observe thefollowing ruleswhen driving on
sand:
R vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select araised vehicle level.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select ashift range appropriate tothe
terrain.
R drive quickly toovercom ethe rolling
resistance. Otherwise,thevehicle coulddig
itself intothesand.
R drive inthe track sof other vehicles if
possible. Makesurethattheruts arenot
too deep, thatthesand isfirm enough and
that your vehicle hassufficient ground
clearance.
Rut sand gravel roads Observe
thefollowing ruleswhen driving
along rutsinoff-r oad terrain oron roads with
loose gravel:
! Check thattheruts arenot too deep and
that your vehicle hassufficient clearance.
Otherwise, yourvehicle couldbedamaged
or bottom outand getstuck.
R for vehicles withAIRMATIC package:select
an increased vehiclelevel.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select shiftrange 1. R
drive slowly .
R where rutsaretoo deep, drivewiththe
wheels ofone side onthe cent ergrassy
area, ifpossible.
Driving overobstacles !
Obstacles coulddamage thefloor ofthe
vehicle orcomponen tsof the chassis. Ask
passengers forguida ncewhen driving over
large obstacles. Thepassenger should
alwa yskeep asafe distance fromthe
vehicle whendoing soinorder toavoid
injury asaresult ofunexpect edvehicle
movement s.Aft erdriving off-road orover
obstacles, checkthevehicle forpossible
damage, especiallyto the underbody and
the componen tsof the chassis.
Observe thefollowing ruleswhen driving over
tree stumps, largestones andother
obstacles:
R raise thevehicle level.
R avoid highengine speeds.
R select shiftrange 1.
R drive veryslowly .
R drive straight overthecent erofobstacles. Driving
tips
165Driving and parking Z

i
If
depres singthebrake pedalthe first
time does notactivate theHOLD function,
wait briefly andthen tryagain. G
WARNING The
vehicle's brakesareappli edwhen the
HOLD functionisactivated. Forthis reason,
deactivate theHOLD functionifthe vehicle is
to be set inmotion byother means (e.g.ina
car wash orby towing).
Deactivating theHOLD function The
HOLD functionisdeactivated
automatically if:
R you accelerate andthetransmission isin
position Dor R.
R the transmission isin position P.
R you apply thebrakes againwithacertain
amount ofpressure until HOLD disappe
ars
from themultifunction display.
R you secure thevehicle usingtheelectric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS. i
Aft
eratime, theelectric parking brake
secures thevehicle andrelieves theservice
brake. G
WARNING Never
getout ofthe vehicle whentheHOLD
funct ionisactivated.
The HOLD functionmust never beoperated
or deactivated byapassenger orfrom outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD functiondoes notreplace the
electric parking brakeandmust notbeused
for parking.
The braking effectofthe HOLD functionis
canceled andthevehicle couldrollaway if:
R the HOLD functionisdeactivated by
depressing theaccelerator pedalorthe
brake pedal.
R there isamalfunction inthe system oran
interruption inthe power supply,e.g.
battery failure. R
the electrical systeminthe engine
compartmen t,the battery orthe fuses are
tampered with.
R the battery isdisconnec ted.
The electric parking brakeautomatically
secures thevehicle ifthe HOLD functionis
activated and:
R the driver's doorisopen andthedriver's
seat beltisunfastened.
R the engine isswitched off.
R asystem malfunction occurs.
R the power supply isnot sufficient.
On steep uphillordownhill inclinesorifthere
is amalfunction, thetransmission mayalso
automatically beshifted intoposition P. AIRMATIC
package
General notes AIRMATIC
enablesasuspension tuning
settin gto be selected andregulates the
damping behaviorandlevel ofyour vehicle.
The system comprises aminimum oftwo
componen ts:ADS (Adaptive Damping
System) (Ypage 180)andlevel control
(Y page 181). Yourvehicle mayalsobe
equipp edwith theActive Curve System
(Y page 181).
Observe thenotes ondriving withatrailer
(Y page 210).
ADS (Adaptive DampingSystem) General
notes
ADS adapts thedamping characterist icsto
the current operating anddriving situation.
This depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface condition s
R the ADS settin g
R the vehicle levelsettin g
Your selection remainsstoredevenifyou
remove theSmartK eyfrom theignition lock. 180
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

G
WARNING Do
not disconnect atrail erwith anengag ed
overru nbrake. Otherwi se,you rhand could
bec ome trapped between thebumpe rand
trai lerd rawb ar.
Observe themaximu mpermissible trailer
dimension s(width andlengt h).
Most federal statesand allCanadian
provin cesrequire bylaw:
R safety chains between thetowing vehicle
and thetrailer. Thechains should becross -
wound underthetrailer drawbar. Theymust
be fasten edtothe vehicle's trailer
coupling, nottothe bumper orthe axle.
Allow forenough playinthe chains to
facilitat eturn ingtight corners.
R aseparate brakesystem forcert aintypes
of trailer.
R asafety switch forbraked trailers. Check
the specific legalrequirement sapplicable
to your federal state.
If the trailer detaches fromthetowing
vehicle, thesafety switch applies the
trailer's brakes.
! Donot connectthe trailer's brakesystem
(if featured) tothe hydrau licbrake system
of the towing vehicle, asthe latter is
equipp edwith ananti-lock brakesystem.
Doing sowill result inaloss offunct ionof
the brake systems ofboth thevehicle and
the trailer.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select highway level.
X Vehicles withtheadaptive damping
system: setADS toAUTO orCOMF.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Coupl eup the trailer.
X Est ablish allelectrical connections. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
if you couple upatrailer, thevehicle always
remains athighway level.When coupling up
a trailer, please observe thefollowing:
R ifhighway levelhasnotbeen set
manually ,the vehicle willautomatically
sink tohighway levelassoon asit
reaches aspeed of5m ph(8km/ h).
R high-spe edlevel isnot available.
These restrictions apply toall access ories
powered through acon nection tothe trailer
power socketofyour vehicle, e.g.abicycle
carrier . Towing
atrail er
Th ere arenum erouslega lreq uirem ents
conce rning the towingofatra iler, e.g.speed
rest rictions. Make surethatyour vehicle/
trailer combin ationcomplies withthelocal
requiremen tsnot only inyour areaof
residen cebut also atany location towhich
you aretrav eling. Thepolice andlocal
authorit iescan provide reliableinformation .
Please observe thefollowing whentowinga
trailer:
R To acquaint yourselfwithdrivin gwith a
trailer andwith theresultin gchang esto
handling, youshould practicecorn ering,
stoppin gand backin gup inatraf fic-free
location .
R Befor edrivin g,chec k:
- the trailer towhitch
- the safety switchfor braked trailers
- the safety chains
- the elect ricalconnection s
- the lights
- the wheels
R Adj ust the exterior mirror sto provide an
unobst ructedview ofthe rear sectionofthe
trailer.
R Ifthe trailer features electronic ally
con trolled brakes, pullaway thevehicle/
trailer combin ationcarefully, manually 216
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

Dri
vin gsys tems Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/ conse quences andM Solu
tions À
Att
ention Assist: Dro
wsiness Det
ected Bas
edon spe cific criteri a,AT TENTI ON ASSIST has determ ined that
th edri ver istired orpayin gles sat te nt ion .Aw arning tone also
soun ds.
X Ifne ces sary, takeabreak .
Dur inglongjo urn eys, takereg ular break sin good timeso you get
en ough rest. À
Att
ention Assist Ino
perative AT
TENTI ON ASSIST has faile d.
X Visi taqu alified specialist workshop. Á
Drive
MoreSlowly You
cann otchang ethe vehicle level.Possible causesare:
R you aredrivin gtoo fast forthe select edvehicle level.
R you aretowin gatrailer.
R the trailer- coupling socketisbeing used,e.g.forabicycle rack.
X Driv emore slowly andthen select thedesired vehiclelevelagain
(Y page 181).
X Observ ethe noteson towin gatra iler (Y page 210) . Á
Com
pressorIs Coo
ling Yo
uha ve selected ahigh er veh iclelevel .The compressor first
needs tocool down because offrequent levelchanges.
X Drive inamanner appropria tefor the current vehiclelevel.
X Make surethatthere issufficient groundclearance.
X Allow thecompressor tocool down.
When thecompressor hascooled down,thedispla ymessage
disappe ars.Thevehicle thencontinues rising tothe selected
level. Á
Malfunction AIRMATIC
ismalfunctionin g.
X Drive inamanner appropria tefor the current vehiclelevel,but
no faster than50mph (80km/h).
X Make surethatthere issufficient groundclearance.
X Have thevehicle checkedataqual ified specialist workshop. The
Active Curve System isfaulty. Thevehicle's handling
characterist icsmay beaffected.
X Do not drive faster than50mph (80km/h).
X Have thevehicle checkedataqual ified specialist workshop. 258
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

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