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

R
the engineissw itch edoff.
R the driver 'sdo or isop en and theseat belt
is not faste ned .
R the vehicleis sta tionar yfor alength y
pe riod .
Th ered F (USA only)or ! (Cana da
onl y)ind icator lamp inthe instrument cluste r
li gh ts up .
Rel easing auto matic ally Yo
ur veh icle'sel ectr icpa rki ng bra keis
au toma tically rel easedifallof the followi ng
cond itions aremet:
R the engineisrunning .
R the transmi ssion isin po sitio nD or R.
R the seat beltha sbe en faste ned .
R yo ude pre ssthe accelera tor pedal.
If the transmi ssion isin po sitio nR, the trunk
li d mu stbe closed.
If yo ur seat beltis not faste ned ,the followi ng
cond itions mustbe fulfille d to automa tically
rel ease the electr icpa rki ng bra ke:
R the driver 'sdo or isclo sed.
R yo uha ve shifted outo ftransmis sion
posi tion Por you have previouslydrive n
faster than2mph (3km/h) .
Emerge ncybraking The
vehicl ecan alsobe braked duringan
emerge ncyusing the electric parking brake.
X Whil edrivi ng,pus hhandl e: ofthe electric
parking brake(Ypag e156). i
The
vehicl eis braked aslong asyou keep
the handl eof the electric parking brake
presse d.The longer theelectric parking
brake handleis depre ssed, thegrea terthe
braking force. During
braking:
R awa rning tonesound s.
R the Release
parkingbrake messa
ge
app ears.
R the red F (USAonly)or ! (Canada
only )indica torlamp inthe instrument
cluster flashes.
When thevehicl ehas been braked toa
standstil l,the electric parking brakeis
engag ed. Parking
thevehi cleforalong period
If you leave theveh icle park edfor longer than
four week s,thebatt erymay bedamage dby
exh aust ivedisc harg e.
X Conn ectatrick lechar ger. i
You
canobtain inform ationabout trick le
char gers from aqualifie dspec ialist
work shop,e.g .ana uth orizedMer cedes-
Ben zCen ter.
If you leave theveh iclep ark edfor longer than
six week s,theveh icle may sufferdamag eas
a res ult oflack ofuse.
X Visi taqu alified specialist workshopand
seek advice. Driving
tips General
driving tips
Impor tantsafet ynotes G
WARN
ING Always
remembe rthat you must concentrat e
primarily ondriving thevehicle. Thedriver's
conc entrat ionmust alwaysbe directed
primarily atroad traffic. Foryour ownsafety
and that ofothers, werecommen dthat you
stop thevehicle atasafe place andin
accordance withthetraffic conditions before
making oraccepting aphone call.
Comply withalllegal requirements ifyou use
the telephone whiledriving. Usethehands-
free system andonly usethetelephone when Driving
tips
157Driving and parking
Z

far
aspossi ble.W hen doing so,also
observe thePARKTRONIC messages.
X Stop assoon asPARKTRONIC soundsthe
cont inuous warning tone,ifnot before.
Maneuvering mayberequired intight
parking spaces.
The Park
Assist ActiveSelectD Observe Surroundings message
appearsin
the multifunction display.
X Shift thetransmission toposition Dwhile
the vehicle isstationary.
Act iveParking Assistimmediately steersin
the other direction.
The Park
Assist ActiveAccelerate and
Brake Observe Surroundings message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y. i
You
willachieve thebest parking results
by waiting forthe steering procedure to
complete beforemoving forwards.
X Drive forwards andbeready tobrake atall
times.
X Stop assoon asPARKTRONIC soundsthe
cont inuous warning tone,ifnot before.
The Park
Assist ActiveSelectR Observe Surroundings message
appearsin
the multifunction display.
X Further transmission shiftsmaybe
necessary.
As soon asthe parking procedure is
complete, the Park
Assist Finished message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y.PARKTRONIC continues tobe
availa ble.
X Maneuver ifnecessary.
X Always observe thewarning messages
displa yedbyPARKTRONIC (Ypage 184).
Cancel ingActive Parking Assist You
cancancel Active Parking Assistatany
time. X
Stop themovement ofthe multifunction
steering wheelorsteer yourself.
Act ive Parking Assistwillbecanceled at
once. The Park
Assist Canceled message
appearsinthe multifunction
displa y.
or
X Press thePARKTRONIC buttononthe
cent erconsole (Ypage 185).
PARKTRONIC isswitched offand Active
Parking Assistisimmediately canceled.
The Park
Assist Canceled message
appea rsinthe multifunction display.
Act ive Parking Assistiscanceled
automatically if:
R parking usingActive Parking Assistisno
longer possible.
R you aredriving fasterthan6mph
(10 km/h).
R awheel spins,ESP®
interven esorfails. The
ä warning lamplights upinthe
instrumen tcluster.
Aw arning tone soun ds.The park ingspac e
symb oldisapp earsandthe Par
kAss ist Can
celed mes
sage appear sin the
mult ifunction displ ay.
When ActivePark ingAssist iscan celed, you
must steer again yourself.
Tr ailer towin g For
vehicleswit hatrailer tow hit ch,th e
min imum lengthfor park ingspac esissligh tly
inc reas ed.
If you have attach edatrailer toyour vehicle,
you should notu se Act ive Parking Assist.
Once theelectrical connection isestablished
between yourvehicle andthetrailer, Active
Parking Assistisno longer available.
PARKTRONIC isdeactivated forthe rear area. Driving
systems
189Driving and parking Z

corre
ctinsta llati on and torqu eat aqu alifi ed
spe cialist wo rksho p. G
WARNI
NG The
ballcou pling can bedamag edifthe nut is
tigh tened onthe ballcou pling with the
incor recttorqu e.Thi scou ldcau sethe trailer
to deta chwhi ledri ving andanacci dent could
occu rasa result.
Therefore, pleaseobserve thefollowi ng:
R do not exceed themaximum permitted
noseweight ofthe ball coupling, thetrailer
coupling andthetrailer towhitch.
R when installing, alwaysuse aretainin gring
between thenut and themount ingsurface
of the ball coupling carrier.
R ifthe assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor
corr ectinst allation andtorque ataqualified
specialist workshop.
R check thatthethread underthenut isof
the corr ectlengt h.
! Mercedes- Benzrecom mends thatyou
only useball couplings testedand
approved foruse onMercedes- Benz
vehicles. Thishelps toavoid damage tothe
vehicle.
Observe themanufact urer'sinstallation
inst ruct ions ifyou useaball coupling other
than theone supplied. i
Also
observe theheight ofthe trailer
coupling andthetrailer manufact urer's
inst ruct ions. i
Depen
dingonthe height ofthe trailer
coupling, itis possible thattheball coupling
will have tobe rotat edby180° onthe ball
coupling carrierforcorr ectinst allation. The
assembly isother wiseidentic al. X
Inser tball couplin g: throug hth ehole in
ball couplin gcar rier ;asfar asitwill go. X
Slid eret aini ngring? onto theth read of
ball couplin g= asfar asitwill go.
X Sc rew onnut Aastightly as poss ible. X
Wit hato rque wrench,tig hten nut Btoa
to rque of516 lb-ft(700 Nm).
X Check thatproje cting thread Chas the
requisite lengthof 0.32 in(8 mm )beneath
nut B.
X Check theassembled ballcoupling for
corr ectinstallation. Tr
ailer towing
213Driving and parking Z

brake
usingthebrake controller, andchec k
the brakes forcorr ectfunc tion.
R Sec ureany objec tson the trailer topreven t
the cargo fromslipping whenthevehicle is
in mot ion.
R Ifyou couple upatrailer, regularly check
the cargo forsecure fasteningand make
sure thatthetrailer lamps and(if
applicable) thetrailer brakes are
func tioningcorr ectly.
R Bear inmind thatthehandling willbeless
stable whentowingatrailer thanwhen
drivin gwithout one.Avoid sudden steering
movem ents.
R The vehicle/ trailercombin ationisheavier,
acceler atesmore slowly, hasadecreased
gradient climbingcapability andalonger
brakin gdistan ce.
It is more suscept ibletoside winds and
requires morecareful steering.
R Ifpossible, avoidabrupt braking.Depres s
the brake pedalmoderat elyatfirst ,so that
the trailer canactiv ateitsown brakes. Then
incr ease thepressure onthe brake pedal.
R Ifthe automatic transmission continues to
shift back andforthbetween twogears
when drivingup ordownhill, restrict the
shift range. Selectshiftrange 4,3,2,or 1.
Al ower gearandlower speed reduce the
risk ofengine failure.
R On long andsteep gradients thatare
difficult todrive down inshift range 1,
switch tothe off-road program orengage
the LOW GEAR off-road gear.
R When driving downhill, shifttoalower gear
to utilize theengine's brakingeffect.
Avoid continuous brakeapplication asthis
may overheat thevehicle brakesand,if
installed, thetrailer brakes.
R Ifthe coolant temperat ureincreases
dramatically whiletheair-con ditioning
system isswitched on,switch offthe air-
condit ioning system.
Coolant heatcanadditionally bedissipated
by opening thewindows andbysett ingthe blower
fanand theinterior temperat ureto
maximum.
R When overtak ing,payparticular attention
to the exten dedlength ofyour vehicle/
trailer combinat ion.
Due tothe length ofyour vehicle/t railer
combinat ion,youwillhave totravel an
additional distancebeyondthevehicle you
are overtak ingbefore returningtothe
previous lane. Deco
upling atrail er G
WA
RNI NG Ve
hicle swi th airs uspen sionprogram :While
you arecoupling ordecoupling atrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/orothersasa
result.
Make surethatyoudonot operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer.
! Donot disconnec ta trailer withan
engaged overrunbrake.Otherwise, your
vehicle couldbedamaged bythe
rebounding ofthe overrun brake.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Apply thetrailer's parkingbrake. G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:As
soon asyou disconnec tthe electrical
conn ection between thetrailer andthe
vehicle, thevehicle willlower. Tohelp avoid
personal injury,makesurenoone isnear the
wheel housing orunderneath thevehicle
before theelectrical connection is
disconnec ted. Tr
ailer towing
217Driving and parking
Z

G
WARNING Make
suretouse theorigi nallength wheel
bolts when remou ntingtheorigi nalwhee l
after ithas been repaired.
X Cle anthe whee land whee lhub contact
surfa ces.
! Toprevent damagetothe paintwork, hold
the whee lsecure lyaga inst thewhee lhub
whi lescrewi nginthe first whee lbolt. X
Slide theemerge ncysparewhee lonto the
ali gnment boltandpushit on.
X Tigh tenthewhee lbolts untiltheyare
finger-tigh t.
X Unscrew thealignment bolt.
X Tigh tenthelastw heel boltuntil itis finger-
tight.
Low ering thevehicle X
Place theratchet wrench ontothehexagon
nut ofthe jack sothat theletters ABare
visible.
X Turn theratchet wrench untilthevehicle is
once again standing firmlyonthe ground.
X Place thejack toone side. X
Tighten thewheel boltsevenly ina
crosswise patterninthe sequence
indicated (: toA). Thetighten ingtorque
must be110 lb-ft (150 Nm). G
WARNING Have
thetighten ingtorque checked
immediately afterawheel ischanged. The
wheels couldcome looseifthey arenot
tighten edtoatorque of110 lb/ft
(150 Nm).
X Turn thejack back toits initial position and
store ittogether withtherest ofthe tire-
change toolkitinthe cargo compartmen t.
Vehicles withanemergency sparewheel:
X Wrap thedefective wheelinthe protect ive
film included withtheemergency spare
wheel andtransport thewheel inthe cargo
compartmen t.
or
X Depending onthe size ofthe wheel, you
may alsobeable tosecure thedefective
wheel inthe emergency sparewheel well.
In this case, youmust remove thestowage
tray from theemergency sparewheel well
and store itsecurely inthe cargo
compartmen t. i
When
youaredriving withthecollapsibl e
spare wheel mounted, thetire pressure
loss warning systemorthe tire pressure
monitorin gsystem cannotfunction
reliabl y.Only restart thetire pressure loss
warning system/t irepressure monitorin g Flat
tire
337Breakdown assistance Z

short
tripsorifyou leave itstanding idlefor
a lengthy period.
Only replace abattery withabattery thathas
been recommended byMercedes-Benz .
Consult anauthorized Mercedes-Benz Center
if you wish toleave yourvehicle parkedfora
long period oftime. G
WARNING Comply
withsafety precautions andtake
protective measureswhenhandling batteries. Risk
ofexplosion Fire,
naked flames and
smoking areprohibited
when handling thebattery.
Avoid creating sparks. Battery
acidiscaustic.
Avoid contactwith theskin,
eyes orclothing.
Wear suitable protective
clothing, inparticular
gloves, anapron andaface
mask.
Immediately rinseacid
splashes offwith clean
water. Consult adoctor if
necessary. Wear
eyeprotection . Keep
children away. Observe
thisOperator's
Manual . H
Environmental
note Batteries
containdangerous
substances. Itis agai nstthe
law todispose ofthem with
the household rubbish.They must
becollected separately
and recycled toprotect the
environmen t. Dispose
ofbatteries inan
environmen tallyfriendly
manner. Returndischarged
batteries toaqual ified
speciali stworkshop, e.g.an
authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center, ortoaspecial
collection pointforold
batteries. G
WARNING Failure
tofollow theseinstruct ionscanresult
in severe injuryordeath.
Never leanover batteries whileconnecting.
You might getinjured.
Battery fluidcontains sulfuric acid.Donot
allow thisfluid tocome incont actwith eyes,
skin orclothing. Incase itdoes, immediately
flush affected areawithwater andseek
medical helpifnecessary.
Ab attery will also produce hydro gengas,
whic his flam mable andexplosiv e.Keep
flam esorspar ksaway from battery, avoid
impr oper connectionof jum per cable s,
smo kinget c. G
WAR
NING Do
notp lace anymetalobje ctson the batt ery
as this could result inashor tcircuit .
Use leak- proof batteries onlytoavoid therisk
of acid burnsin the even tof an acc ident .
Take carethatyoudonot becom estat ically
char ged, e.g.bywearin gsynt het icclo thingor
rubb ing again sttextiles .For this reason, you
also should notpull orpush thebattery over
carpets orother synthet icmaterials.
Never touchthebattery first.First, touch the
outside bodyofthe vehicle inorder torelease
any possible electrostaticcharges.
Do not rub thebattery withrags orcloths. The
battery couldexplode iftouched dueto Bat
tery
339Breakdown assistance
Z

Jump
-starting G
WARNING Failure
tofollow thesedirections willcause damage tothe electronic componen ts,and canlead
to abattery explosion andsevere injuryordeath.
Never leanover batteries whileconnecting orjump startin g.You might getinjured.
Battery fluidcontains sulfuric acid.Donot allow thisfluid tocome incont actwith eyes, skinor
clothing. Incase itdoes, immediately flushaffected areawithwater, andseek medical helpif
necessary.
Ab attery will also producehydro gengas, whichis flam mable andexplosiv e.Keep flamesor
spar ksaway from battery, avoid improper connectiono fjumpe rcables, smoking,etc.
At tempt ingtojum pstart afroz en bat tery can result initexp lodin g,caus ingpers onalinj ury.
Read allinstruct ionsbefo reproc eedin g.
! Avoid repe atedand lengthy start ing attempt s.Ot her wise, non-com bust edfuel may
damage thecat alytic converter27
and creat earisk offire.
Do notu se arapid-charging devicetostart theengine.
Make surethejumper cablesarenot damage d.
Make surethejumper cablesarenot touching anyother metal objects whentheyare
conn ected tothe battery.
If your vehicle's batteryisdischarged, theengine canbejump-start edfrom another vehicle
or from asecond batteryusingjumper cables.
Observe thefollowi ngpoints:
X The battery isnot accessible inall vehicles. Ifthe other vehicle's batteryisnot accessible,
jump-start thevehicle usingasecond batteryorajump- start ing device.
X On lyjum p-start theveh iclewhen theen gin eis co ldand thecat alyti cconvert ersystem has
cooled down28
.
X Do not start theengine ifthe battery isfroz en.Let the battery thawfirst.
X Jump-start ingmay onlybeperformed frombatteries withanominal voltageof12 V.
X Only usejumper cableswhichhaveasufficient cross-section andinsulated terminalclamps.
X Make surethatthejumper cablescannotcome intocontactwith parts, suchasthe pulley
or the fan. These partsmove whentheengine isstart edand while itis runnin g.
X Ifthe battery isfully discharged, leavethebattery thatisbeing usedtojump-st artconn ected
for afew minutes beforeattempt ingtostart .This charges theempty battery alittle. i
Jumper
cablesandfurther information aboutjump-st artingcanbeobtained fromany
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er,for example.
X Make surethatthetwo vehicles donot touch.
X Secure thevehicle byapplying theelectr icparkin gbrake.
X Shift thetran smission toposition P.
27 Only vehicles withagasoline engine.
28 Only vehicles withagasoline engine. Jum
p-starting
341Breakdown assistance Z