heating MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owner's Manual

H
Environmenta
lnote Batteries contain pollutants.
It is agains
tthe law to dis-
pose of them with the house-
hold rubbish. They must be
collected separatel yand
recycled in an environmen-
tally responsible manner. Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally responsible
manner. Take discharged
batteries to aqualified spe-
cialist workshop ,e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre, or to aspecial col-
lection point for old batter-
ies.
One 6Vp in battery ,type 2CR11108 is
required. X
Prise apart the side arms of battery
cover ;and pull off battery cover ;.
X Remove old battery :.
X Insert the new battery. Observe the polarity
signs on the back of the remote control
when doing so.
X Slide battery cover ;back onto the
remote control.
X Use the remote control to check the vehi-
cle's auxiliary heating functions. Operating the climate control system
133Climate control Z

Problems wit
hthe auxiliary heating/ventilation Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
$
FAIL Th
es ignal transmission between the transmitter and the vehicle
is faulty.
X Change your position in relation to the vehicle, movin gcloser if
necessary.
X Make another attempt to switch the auxiliary heating on or off
using the remote control. FAIL
© This display message will only appear if you attempt to activate
the auxiliary heating.
There is not enough fuel in the fuel tank ,orthe auxiliary heating
is faulty.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station.
X Make another attemp ttos witch on the auxiliary heating using
the remote control.
X Have the auxiliary heating checked at aqualified specialist
workshop. FAIL This display messag
emay appear if you attempt to activate the
auxiliary heating or during astatus query.
If the auxiliary heating doe snot switc honorh as switched off while
running, this has occurred due to one of the following reasons:
R the auxiliary heating was started more than twice when the
engine was switched off.
R the starter battery is not sufficiently charged.
R there is too little fuel in the fuel tank.
R the auxiliary heating is faulty.
If the auxiliary heating was switched on more than twice:
X Switch on the engine and let it run for more than 10 seconds.
X Make another attempt to switch on the auxiliary heating using
the remote control.
If the starter battery is not sufficiently charged:
X Charge the starter battery.
X Make another attempt to switch on the auxiliary heating using
the remote control.
If there is not enough fuel:
X Refuel at the nearest filling station.
X Make another attempt to switch on the auxiliary heating using
the remote control. 134
Operating the climate control systemClimate control

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
If th
eauxiliar yheating is faulty:
X Hav ethe auxil iaryh eatin gchecked at aqualified specialist
workshop. Adjusting th
eair vents Important safet
ynotes G
WARNING
Ver yhot or ver ycold ai rcan flo wfromt he air
vents. This coul dcause burns or frostbite to
bare skin in the immediate vicinity of the
vents. Keep bare skin away from these air
outlets. If necessary, direct the airflow away
to ad ifferent area of the vehicle interior.
In order to ensure the direct flow of fresh air
through the air vent sinto the vehicl einterior,
please observe the following notes:
R keep the air inlet grill eonthe bonnet and
in the engin ecompartmen tonthe front-
passenger side free of blockages, such as
ice, snow or leaves.
R never cover the ven tsor ven tilation grilles
in the vehicle interior.
i For virtually draught-free ventilation,
adjust the sliders of the air vent stothe
cen treposition. Setting the centre air vents
:
Centr eair vent ,left
; Centre air ven t, right =
Centre ven tthumbwheel, right
? Centre ven tthumbwheel, left
X To open/close: turnthumbwheels =
and ?to the right or left. Setting th
eside air vents X
To open/close: turnthumbwheel =up or
down. Setting th
eglove compartment air
vent
When automatic climate control is activated,
the glove compartmen tcan be cooled, for
instance to cool its con tents.The level of air-
flo wd epends on the airflow and air distribu-
tion settings.
At high outside temperatures, open the air
ven tand activate the "cooling with air dehu-
midification" function.
! Clos ethe air ven tifyou do not wish to
cool the glove compartmen toryou have
not switched on coolin gwith air dehumidi-
fication. Adjusting the air vents
135Climate control Z

R
M85 (petrol with 85 %methanol)
R M10 0(100% methanol)
R Petrol wit hmetallic additives
R Diesel
Do not mix fuel ssuch as this with petrol
and do not use any additives. Doing so may
cause engine damage. This does not
include additives for the removal and pre-
vention of residue build-up. Petrol must
only be mixed with additives recommended
by Mercedes-Benz. More information about
recommended additives can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Ben zService Centre.
! Use afilter when adding fuel from afuel
can. The fuel lines and/or the diesel injec-
tion system could otherwis ebeblocked by
particles from the fuel can.
i E10 fuel contains up to 10% bioethanol.
Your vehicle is E10 compatible. You can
refuel your vehicle using E10 premium-
grade petrol.
i If the recommended fuel is not available,
but only as atemporary measure, you may
also use regula runleaded petrol,
91 RON/82.5 MON. Thi smay reduce
engine performance and increase fuel con-
sumption. Avoid driving at full throttle.
In some countries, the fuel grade available
may not be adequate and could cause
deposits to build up. In consultation with a
Mercedes-Ben zService Cent re,this petrol
ma ybem ixed with the additive recommen-
ded by Mercedes-Ben z(part no.
A0009 89254510). Yo umust observe the
notes and mixin gratios specified on the
container.
For further information on "Fuel", see
(Y page 374). !
Only refuel using unleaded, sulphur-free
premium-grade petrol with at least
95 RON/85 MON, which conform stoEuro- pean standar
dEN2 28or an equivalent
specifi cation.
You can otherwise impair engine output or
damage the emission contro lsystem.
i In some countries, the available petrol
may not be sufficiently low in sulphur. This
fuel can temporarily produce unpleasant
odours, especially on short journeys. As
soo nassulphur-free fuel (sulphur content
<10p pm) is used for refuelling, the odours
are reduced. Diesel (EN 590)
Fuel grade !
When refuelling, only use diesel fuel that
confor ms to th eEuropean standard EN 590
or is of equivalent quality. You can other-
wise impair engine output or damage the
engine.
! Vehicles with diesel particle filters: in
countries outsid ethe EU ,only use low sul-
phu rEuro diesel with asulphu rcontent of
under 50 ppm. Otherwise, the emission
con trol system coul dbedamaged.
! Vehicles without adiesel particle fil-
ter: in countries where only diesel fuels
with ahigher sulphur conten tare avail able,
the vehicle's oil change intervals are
shorter. More information about intervals
for changing the oil can be obtained from
any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
! Only use fuel that complies with the EN
590 European standard. Fuel that does not
compl ywithEN5 90can lea dtoincreased
wear, engin edamag eand damage to the
exhaust system.
Do not use the following:
R marine diesel
R heating oil
R bio-diesel
R vegetable oil
R petrol Refuelling
153Drivingand park ing Z
ML 350 4MATIC

R
paraffin
R kerosene
Do not mix these fuels with diesel fuels and
do not use any special additives. Other-
wise, this can lead to damage to the engine.
This excludes flow improver ;see "Low out-
side temperatures".
! Use afilter when adding fuel from afuel
can. Otherwise, the fuel lines and/or the
diesel injection system could be blocked by
particles from the fuel can.
For further information on "Fuel", see
(Y page 374).
Low outsid etemperatures Diesel fuel with improved cold flow qualities
is available during the winter months. In
Europe, various climate-dependent low-tem-
peratur eclasses are defined in EN 590 .Refu-
elling with diesel fuel which complies with the
climatic specification sofstandard EN 590
can hel ptoprevent operatin gproblems. At
exceptionall ylow tempera tures, it is possible
that the flow properties of the fuel ma ybe
inadequate. This also applies to fuel that has
not been adapted to suit the climatic condi-
tions, e.g. diesel fuel from warmer regions.
i Further information about country-spe-
cific fuel properties can be obtained from
oil companies, e.g. at filling stations.
Flow improver Flow improvers can be added to improv
ethe
cold resistan ceof diesel fuel. The effective-
ness of aflow improver is not guaranteed with
every diesel fuel.
Correc tdosage and thorough mixing ar edeci-
sive factor sinensuring improvement in low-
temperature resistance. Avoid excessive dos-
age .Exce ssiv edosage ma yactuall ydecrease
low-temperature resistanc eunder certain cir-
cumstances. Follo wthe manufacturer's dos-
ing inst ructions. Mix the additive with the diese
ling ood time,
befor ethe flo wproperties of th ediesel
become inadequate. Malfunction scan other-
wise only be rectified by heating the entire
fuel system, e.g. by parking the vehicle in a
heated garage.
Observe the information provided by the man-
ufacturer when using aflow improver. Only
use flow improvers that have been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. You can obtain
further information from any Mercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre. Refuelling
Fuel filler flap The fuel filler fla
pisunlocke dorlockedauto-
matically when you open or close the vehicle
with the key or using KEYLESS-GO.
The position of the fuel filler cap is displayed
in the instrument cluster 8.The arrow
nex ttot he filling pum pindicate sthe side of
the vehicle. :
To open the fuel filler flap
; To inser tthe fuel filler cap
= Fue ltype
? Tyre pressure table
Opening X
Switch off the engine.
X Remove the key from the ignitio nlock. 154
RefuellingDriving and parking

G
WARNING
Make sure tha tother road user sare not
endang ered by your braking.
Downhill gradients On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing
atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time.
i This als oapplies if you have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Never depress the brak epeda lconti nuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by apply ingc onstant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the brakin gdistance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately ,but
drive on for ashort while. This allow sthe air-
flo wtoc ool the brakes mor equickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet road surface If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from th ebrake swhen brak-
ing for the first time. This ma yalso occur after
the vehicle has been washed. You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain
agreater distance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awet road or havin gthe vehi-
cle washed, brake firml ywhile paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protectin gthem against corro-
sion.
Limited braking perfo rmance on salt-
treated roads G
WARNING
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause adelay in the
braking effect ,resultin ginas ignifican tlyl on-
ger brakin gdistance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
R occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
drivin gons alted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreater distance to th evehicle
ahead and driv ewith particular care.
R carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
New brake pads/linin gs G
WARNING
New brak epads/linings only reach their opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
ing effect is reached, you shoul dcompensate
for the reduced brakin geffect by applying
greate rpressure when braking .This also
applies after the brake discs or the brake
pads/linings hav ebeen replaced.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brak epads/linings Driving tips
163Drivingand parking Z

erwise, the vehicle could slip sideways, tip
and over turn.
R Before tackling steep downhill gradients,
select shift range 1.
R Activat eDSR. If this is not suffici ent, brake
gently. Whe ndoing so, make sure that the
vehicle is facing in the direction of the line
of fall.
R Check that the brakes ar eworking normally
after along downhil lstretch.
i Off-road ABS is activated when the off-
road program or LOW RANGE off-road gear
is selected.
At speeds belo w30km/h, th efront wheels
lock cyclicall yduring braking. The digging-
in effect achieved in the process reduces
the stopping distance when driving off-
road. The steerability of the vehicle is con-
siderably reduced if the wheel slock. Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not change down for additiona lengine
braking on aslippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
WARNING
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time. G
WARNING
Do not use cruise control
R in traffic conditions that do not allow you to
drive at aconstant speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding roads). You may otherwise
cause an accident.
R on slipper yroads. The driv ewheels may
lose their grip when brakin goraccelerating
and the vehicle may skid.
R whe nthere is low visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heav yrain or snow.
General notes Cruise control maintains
aconstant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhil lgradients ,especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevent sthe brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise con trol only if roa dand traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonged period. Yo ucan
store any road spee dabove 30 km/h.
Cruise contro llever :
To activate or increase speed
; LIMi ndicato rlamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control 170
Driving systemsDriving and parking

vehicl
eisladen or towing atrailer, yo umust
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you wil lmake use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the loa don
the brake syste mand prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additiona lbraking, depress the
brake peda lrepeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
You can set avariable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speedlimits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term spee drestric-
tions, e.g. when driv ingw ith winter tyres
fitted (Y page174)
i Thes pee dindicated in the spe edometer
ma ydiffer slightly from the limit speed
sto red.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC Cruise control lever
:
To acti vate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the curren tspeed/last
stored speed
? To acti vate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC. X
To switch between variable SPEED-
TRONIC and cruise control/DISTRONIC
PLUS: press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;on the cruise control
lever indicates which function you have selec-
ted:
R LIM indicator lamp ; off:
cruise control
or DISTRONIC PLUS is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp ; on:
variable
SPEEDTRONIC is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/ hwhile
the engin eisrunning.
Activating variable SPEEDTRONIC
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the spee dtoany speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly pres sthe cruise con trollever
up : or down ?.
The curren tspeed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
The segment sinthe multifunction display
light up from the star tofthe scal euptot he
stored speed.
Activating at th ecurren tspeed/last
store dspeed G
WARNING
Only select astored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for the
current driving and traffic situation. Other-
wise ,sudden braking could endanger you or
others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
Setting aspeed
X Press the cruise contro llev er up :for a
higher speed or down ?for alower speed.
X Keep th ecruis econtr ol leve rpresse duntil
the desired speed is reached. Drivin
gsystems
173Drivingand park ing Z

G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS canno ttake account of road
and traffic conditions. If DISTRONI Cdoes not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate DISTRONIC or, if it is
alr eady active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R befor ecorners
R on filter lanes
R when changing to alane with faster moving
traffic
R in comple xdriving situations or where lanes
are diverte d,e.g. at roadworks on amotor-
way
DISTRONIC PLU Sotherwise maintains the
current spe ed setbyyou or accelerates up to
the set speed.
DISTRONIC PLU Scannot take account of
weather conditions. Deactivate, or do not
activate, DISTRONI CPLUS:
R if th eroads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy .The wheels coul dlose their grip when
brakin goraccelerating .The vehicle could
star ttos kid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poo rvis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when DISTRONIC PLU Sisactivate d.
Otherwise, you ma yfail to recognise dangers
in time, caus eanaccident and injure yourself
and others. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brake syourvehicle up to a
maximu mof4m /s2
depending on its speed.
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking power. You
must als oapply the brakes yourself if this
braking power is not sufficient.
If DISTRONI CPLUS detects arisk of collision
with avehicle in front, an intermit tent warning
tone sounds. In addition, the ·distance
warning lamp in the instrument cluste rlights
up. Brak etoavoidac ollision. G
WAR
NING
The vehicle can be braked when DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated. For this reason, deactivate
DISTRONIC PLUS if the vehicle is to be set in
motion by othe rmeans (e.g. in acar wash or
by towing).
The radar senso rsystem is automatically
deactivated near radio teles cope facilities
(Y page 38 0).
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor syste mmust be activated
(Y page 249 )and operational.
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automati cally helps you maintain the dis-
tanc etot he vehicle detected in front. It
brakes automatically in orde rtoavoid
exceedi ngthe set speed.
On long and stee pdownhil lgradients, espe-
ciall yifthe vehicle is laden or towing atrailer,
yo um ust select shift range 1,2or 3in good
time. By doing so, you will make use of the
braking effec tofthe engine. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
If DI STRONIC PLUS detects aslower-moving
vehicle in front ,your vehicle is braked in order
to maintain the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If ther eisnov ehicle in front ,DISTRONIC
PLUS operate sinthe sam eway as cruise
control in the spee drange between
30 km/h and 200 km/h. If avehicle is driving
in fron tofyou, DI STRONIC operates in the
speed range betwee n0km/h and
200 km/h.
Do not us eDISTRONIC PLUS on roa dswith
steep gradients. Driving systems
175Drivingand parking Z

Do not exceed the maximum noseweight.
When driving with aloaded carriersystem,
always adjust your drivin gstyle to th eprevail-
ing road, traffic and weather conditions and
drive par ticularly carefully.
You can use carrier sys tems, e.g. bi cycle
racks or load-bea ringimplements on th eball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of 75 kg
applies when usin gcarrier system sontheball
coupling.
General information i
Chec kthe tyr epressure when towin ga
trailer. You will find the values in the tyre
pressure table in the fuel filler flap of the
vehicle (Y page 359).
You will find installation dimensions and loads
in the "Technical data" section
(Y page 378).
The maximum noseweight of the trailer draw-
bar on the ball coupling is 18
.H owever, the
actual noseweight must not exceed the value
given on the trailer tow hitc hortrailer identi-
ficatio nplates. The lowest weight applies.
! Use anoseweight as close as possible to
the maximum permissible noseweight .Do
not use anoseweight of less than 50 kg,
otherwise the trailer ma ycome loose.
Bear in min dthat the payload and the rear
axl eload ar ereduced by the actual nose-
weight.
Please note that when towing atrailer, PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 191) and Blind Spo tAssist
(Y page 208) ar eonly available with limita-
tions ,orn ot at all.
i On vehicles withou tlevel control, the
height of the ball couplin gwill alter accord-
ing to the load placed on the vehicle. If nec-
essary, use atrailer wit haheight-adjusta-
ble drawbar. Driving tips i
Observ ethe information on ESP ®
trailer
stabilisation (Y page 65)and on pull ing
away with atrailer. (Y page 141).
Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package:
selec tthe trailer program (Y page 219) with
the off-road program selector wheel in the
cen treconsole.
Th em aximum permissible spee dfor vehicle/
trailer combination sdepends on the type of
trailer .Befor ebeginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see what the max-
imu mpermitted speed is. Observ ethe legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certai nMercedes-Ben zvehicles, the max-
imu mp ermissible rear axle load is inc reased
when towing atrailer. Refer to th e"Techni cal
data" section to fin dout whether this applies
to your vehicle. If you utilise any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towing atrailer,
th ev ehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed amaximum spee dof100 km/ hfor
reasons concer ning the operating permit.
Thi salso applies in countries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be differe ntin comparison
to when drivin gwithout atrailer and it will
consume more fuel.
On long and stee pdownhil lgradients ,you
must select shift range 1,2or 3in good time.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise con trol, SPEEDTRONIC or DI S-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the brakin geffect of th eengine,
so les sbraking wil lberequired to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevent sthe brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly .Ifyou need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than con tinuously.
18 Data unavailable at time of going to print. Towing
atrailer
227Driving andparki ng Z