battery MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owner's Guide

You can identify service products approved
by Mercedes-Ben
zbythe followin ginscrip-
tions on the container:
R MB-Freigabe (e.g .MB-Freigabe 371.0)
R MB-Approval (e.g .MB-Approval 371.0)
Other labels and recommendation sthat
make reference to quality level or aspeci-
fication accordin gtoanMBSheet no. (e.g.
MB 371.0) ar enot necessarily approved by
Mercedes-Benz.
You can obtain further information from
any Mercedes-Benz Servic eCentre. G
WARNING
Windscreen washer fluid is highly flammable.
Fire, naked flames and smoki ngare prohibi-
ted when handling washer fluid concentrate.
! Only use washe rfluid concentrate which
is suitable for plastic lamp lenses. Unsuit-
able washer fluid concentrate could dam-
age the plastic lamp lenses of the head-
lamps.
! Do not use distilled or de-ionised water in
the washer fluid reservoir. Otherwise, the
level sensor may be damaged.
i Add windscreen washer concentrate, e.g.
MB SummerFit, to the washer fluid all year
round. Example: washer fluid reservoir
X Mix the windscreen washer fluid in acon-
tainer beforehand.
X At tem peratures above freezing: fill the
washer fluid reservoir with amix of water and windscreen washer concentrate (e.g.
MB SummerFit).
X At temperatures below freezing: fill the
washer fluid reservoir with amix of water
and windsc reen washer concentrate (e.g.
MB WinterFit). Adapt the mixing ratio to the
outside temperatures.
X To open: pull cap:upwards by the tab.
X Top up with the premixed washer fluid.
X To close: press cap :ontothe filler neck
until it engages. Maintenance
ASSYST PLUS service interval display
Service messages Informa
tion on the type of service and service
intervals (see separat eServic eBooklet).
You can obtain further information fr om a
Mercedes-Ben zServic eCentre.
The ASSYS TPLUS service interva ldisplay
inform syou when the nex tservice is due.
The multifunction display shows aservice
message for afew seconds, e.g.:
Next servic eAdue in .. days Service
Adue Service
Aoverdue by ... days Th
eletter indicates which servic eisdue.A stands for
aminor servic eand B for
am ajor
service. Anumber or another letter may be
displayed after the letter. This figure indicates
any necessary additional maintenanc ework
to be performed.
If you repor tthis displayed information to a
qualified specialist workshop, for example a
Mercedes-Ben zService Cent re,they can
infor myou of the cost sthe service will incur.
The AS SYST PLUS service interval display
doe snot tak einto account any periods of
time during which the battery is disconnec-
ted. 322
MaintenanceMaintenance and care

Maintainin
gthe time-dependen tservice
schedule:
X Not edown the service due date displayed
in the multifunc tion display befor ediscon-
necting the battery.
or
X Subtract the battery disconnection periods
from the servic edate shown on the displ ay
after reconnecting the battery.
i The ASSYST PLUS service interval displ ay
does not show any information on the
engine oil level .Observ ethe notes on the
engin eoil level (Y page 320).
Hiding aservice message X
Pres sthe % ora button on th esteer-
ing wheel.
Displaying service messages X
Switch th eignitio non.
X Press =or; on the steering wheel
to select the Serv. menu.
X Press 9or: to select the ASSYST PLUS submenu and press
ato confirm.
The service du edatea ppears in the multi-
function display.
Points to remember Resettin
gthe ASSYS TPLUS service inter-
val display
Aq ualified specialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes -Ben zS ervice Cent re,w ill reset the
ASSYST PLU Sservic einterval display after
the service work has bee ncarried out.
You can obtain further information ,e.g.
regarding servic ework,from aMercedes-
Benz Ser vice Centre or directly from
Mercedes-Benz.
! If the ASSYST PLUS servic einterval dis-
play has bee ninadvertently reset, this set-
ting can be corrected at aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre. Have servic
ework carried out as described
in the Ser vice Boo klet. This may otherwise
lead to inc reased wear and damage to the
major assemblies or the vehicle.
Driving abroad
An extensive Mercedes -Ben zS ervice network
is also available in other coun tries. The
Service Hotline's curren ttelephone numbers
for use when you are abroa dare to be found
in th e"Mercedes-Ben zService24h" section
of the Ser vice Boo klet. AdBlue
®
service indicator
i For BlueTE Cvehicles only.
The BlueTE Cexhaus tgas aftertreatment
must be operated with the reducing agent
AdBlue ®
in order for it to function correctly.
Under normal operating conditions, afull tank
of AdBlue ®
should last until the nex tservice
due date.
Depending on how and where the vehicle is
used, there may be an inc rease in the
AdBlue ®
consumption, resulting in the next
servic edue date being brought forward.
Certain display messages sho wthat
AdBlue ®
must be topped up, e.g.
Refill AdBlue at worksh opSee Owner’s Manual
Refill AdBlue at worksho
pNostart in .. km
Aw
arning signal also sounds.
You can no longer star tthe engin ewhen the
AdBlue ®
supply has been used up
(Y page 268).
Top up AdBlue ®
(Y page 157).
Before taking atripw ithy our vehicle outside
Europe, have th eAdBlue ®
suppl ychec kedat
aq ualified specialist workshop. If necessary,
have the AdBlue ®
topped up. Before using
your vehicle for an extended period in coun-
tries outside Europe, con tact aq ualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Obser vethe note sonAdBlue®
(Y page 374). Maintenance
323Maintenanceand care Z

X
Release the electric parking brake.
X Switc hoff the ig nition and leav ethe key in
th ei gnition lock.
! Mak esuret hat:
R the side windows and slidin gsunroo fare
close dcompl etely.
R the blower for the ventilation/heating is
switched off (OFF button is depressed).
R the windscreen wiper switch is at posi-
tion 0.
The vehic lecoul dotherwise be damaged.
After using an automatic car wash, wip eoff
wa xfrom th ewindscreen and the wiper
blades. This wil lprevent smears and red uce
wiping noises cause dbyresidue on the wind-
screen.
Washing by hand In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at speciall
yequipped washing bays.
Observe the lega lrequirements for each indi-
vidual country.
X Do not use hot water and do not wash the
vehic lein direct sunlight.
X Use asoft sponge to clean.
X Use amild cleaning agent, such as acar
shampoo approved by Mercedes-Benz.
X Thoroughly hos edown the vehicle with a
gentle jet of water.
X Do not point the water jet directly towards
the air inlet.
X Use plenty of water and rinse out the
sponge frequently.
X Rinse the vehicle with clean water and dry
thoroughly with achamois.
X Do not let the cleanin gagent dry on the
paintwork.
When using the vehicle in winter, remove all
traces of roa dsalt deposits carefully and as
soon as possible. High-pressure cleanin
gequipment G
WARNING
Do not use high-pressure cleaners with circu-
lar-jet nozzles (dirt grinders) to clean your
vehicle, in particular the tyres. You could oth-
erwis edamage the tyres and cause an acci-
dent.
! Always maintain adistance of at least
30 cm between the vehicle and the high-
pressure cleaner nozzle. Information about
the correct distance is available from the
equipment manufacturer.
Move the high-pressure cleaner nozzle
around when cleaning your vehicle.
Do not aim directly at any of the following:
R tyres
R door gaps, roof gaps, joint setc.
R electrical components
R battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim elements
R ventilatio nslots
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to leaks or failures.
Cleanin gthe whee ls !
Do not use acidic whee lcleaning products
to remov ebrake dust .This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components.
! Do not par kupthe vehicle for an extended
period straight after cleanin git, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosio nofthe brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for afew minutes after clean-
ing. Brakin gheats the brak ediscs and the
brake pads/linings, thus drying them. The
vehicle can then be parked up. Care
325Maintenance andcare Z

It is therefore recommende
dthat you addi-
tionally equip your vehicle with aTIREFIT kit
if yo ufit tyres that do not featur erun-flat
properties, e.g. winter tyres. ATIREFIT kit
can be obtaine dfrom aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre. Battery
Important safety notes
In orde rfor the batter ytoachieve the maxi-
mum possibl eservic elife, it must always be
sufficiently charged.
Hav ethe batter ycharge checked mor efre-
quently if yo uuse the vehicle mainl yfor short
trips or if you leav eitstanding idle for a
lengthy period.
Only replace abatter ywithabatter ythat has
been recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
Consult aMercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre if
you wis htoleave your vehicle parked up for
al ong period of time. G
WARNING
Comply with safety precaution sand take pro-
tective measure swhen handling batteries. Risk of explosion
Fire, naked flames and
smoking ar eprohibited
when handling th ebattery.
Avoid creating sparks. Battery acid is caustic.
Avoid contact with the skin,
eyes or clothing.
Wear suitable protective
clothing, in particular
gloves, an apron and aface
mask.
Immediately rinse acid
splashes off with clean
water. Consult adoctor if
necessary. Wear eye protection.
Keep children away.
Observ
ethis Owner's Man-
ual. H
Environmental note Bat
terie sc ontain pollutants.
It is against the law to dis-
pose of them with the house-
hold rubbish. They must be
collec teds eparately and
recycled in an environmen-
tally responsible man ner. Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally responsible
manner. Take discharged
batteries to aqualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes -Benz Ser vice
Centre, or to aspecial col-
lection point for old batter-
ies. G
WAR
NING
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use batteries which have
bee ntested and approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz .These batteries provide
increased impact protection to prevent vehi-
cle occupants from suffering aci dburns
should the battery be damaged in the event
of an accident.
To prevent acid burns, observe the following
safety notes when handling batteries:
R do not lean over the battery.
R do not place any metal objects on abattery.
Otherwise ,you coul dcause ashort circuit
and the battery's gas mixtur ecould ignite. Battery
343Breakdownassistance
Z

R
make sure that yo udonot create an elec-
trostati ccharge, e.g. by wearing synthetic
clothing or as aresul toff riction on fabrics.
Therefore, you should not pul lorslide the
battery over carpets or other synthetic
materials.
R never touc hthe battery fir st. To discharge
ap ossible electrostatic charge, ste pout of
the vehicle firs tand touch the bodywork.
R do not wipe the battery using acloth. The
battery may explode as aresul tofe lectro-
static charge or due to flying sparks.
! Switch off the engin eand remove the key
befo redisconnecting the terminal clamps
from the battery. On vehicles with KEY-
LESS-GO, mak esure that the ignition is
switched off .Check that all the indicator
lamps in the instrumen tcluster are off .You
ma yotherwis edestroy electronic compo-
nents, such as the alternator.
i When you park the vehicle, remove the
key if you do not require any electrical con-
sumers. The vehicle will then use ver ylittle
energy, thus conserving battery power.
Mercedes-Benz recom mends that you do not
carry out work on batteries yourself, e.g.
removing or charging. Have this work per-
formed at aqualified specialist workshop, e.g.
aM ercedes-Benz Servic eCentre. Installation location of the battery
Your vehicle is equipped with abattery in the
vehicle interior. It is located under the front
seat on the right-hand side of the vehicle
when viewed in the direction of travel.
X Apply the electric parking brake and shift
the transmission to position P.
X Position the right-hand front seat as far for-
wards as possible.
X Switch off all electrical consumer s(e.g.
radio, blower, etc.).
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 139) in
the ignition lock and remove it. On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, mak
esure the ignition
is switched off (Y page 139). All indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster must be off. X
Get into the rear compartment.
X Remove cap :under the right-hand front
seat. X
Use ashar pknifeonc arpet;to cut along
the dashe dwhite line until you reach the
perforated part.
X Position the right-hand front seat at its rear-
most position. 344
Ba
tteryBreakdown assistance

X
Fold the piece of cut carpet ;in the direc-
tio noft he arrow.
X Adjust the right-hand front seat to its high-
est position.
X Position the right-hand front seat as far for-
wards as possible. Vehicle with THERMATIC automatic climate con-
trol
Removing the rear footwell outlet
(THERMATIC)
X Pull the head of expanding alignment
rivet ?up.
X Pull complete expanding alignment
rivet ?up and remove it.
X Pull rear footwell outlet =from the air duct
in the direction of the arrow and remove it. Vehicle with THERMOTRONIC automatic climate
control
Removing the air deflector
(THERMOTRONIC)
X
To disconnect the cable from air deflector
=,p ull the plug out of the socket.
X Pull the cable together with retaining
clip ?out of the battery cover.
X Slide air deflector =to the left towards the
centre of the vehicle. The right-hand air
deflector nozzle is no longer connected to
the air duct.
X Lift air deflector =up to the right.
X Pull air deflector =to the right in the direc-
tion of the arrow until the left-hand nozzle
is disconnected from the air duct.
X Remove air deflector =. X
Lift battery cover Aand remove it from
battery B. Battery
345Breakdown assistanc e Z

Disconnecting th
ebattery
! Always disconnect the battery in
the order described below. Never swap the
terminal clamps. You ma yotherwis edam-
age the vehicle electronics.
In vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission is locked in position P
after disconnecting the battery. The vehicle
is secured against rolling away .You can
then no longer mov ethe vehicle. :
Positive termi nal
; Battery
= Negative terminal
X Loosen the negative terminal clamp on the
battery and remove it.
X Remove the cover from the positive termi-
nal clamp.
X Loosen the positive terminal clamp on the
battery and remove it. Removing/fitting the battery
X To remove: disconnect the battery
(Y pag e346). X
Remove breather hose :.
X Loose nbolts ;on bracket =,which holds
the battery in place.
i For this, you will need a13mmsocket
wrenc hwith an extension that is at least
30 cm long. This tool is not included in the
vehicle tool kit.
X Remove bracket =. X
Lif tb attery ?at the side until the lower
edge is free.
X Pull out battery ?in the direction of the
arrow.
X To fit: follow the steps described in "To
remove" in reverse order. Reconnecting the battery
! Always connect the battery in the order
described below. Never swap the terminal
clamps. You may otherwise damage the
vehicle electronics. 346
BatteryBreakdown assistance

X
Switch off al lelec trical consumers (e.g.
radio ,blow er, etc.).
X Connec tthe positive terminal clamp and
secure the cov er.
X Connect the negative terminal clamp.
i If the power supply ha sbeeninterrupted,
e.g. if yo ureconnect the battery, you will
have to:
R set the clock; see the separate operat ing
instructions.
R rese tthe function for automatically fold-
ing the exterior mirror sin/out by foldi ng
the mirrors out onc e(Ypage 10 1). Charging th
ebattery G
WARNING
Onl ycharge the battery in awell-ventilated
area .Ast he battery is being charged, gases
can escap eand generat eminor explosions.
This could injure you and other person sor
caus edamage to the paintwork or acid cor-
rosion on the vehicle.
You can obtain information about battery
chargers which allow the batter ytobe
charged while still installed from aqualified
specialist workshop ,e.g. aM ercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre. G
WARNING
There is arisk of acid burns during the charg-
ing process due to the gases which escape
from the battery. Do not lean over the battery
during the chargin gprocess. G
WARNING
Battery aci discaustic. Avoid contact with the
skin, eyes or clothing.
! Only charge the installed batter ywith a
batter ycharger whic hhas been tested and
approved by Mercedes -Benz .These battery
chargers allow the battery to be charged
while still installed. !
Only use battery chargers with amaxi-
mum charging voltage of 14.8 V.
! Only charge the battery using the jump-
start connection point.
The jump-starting connection point is in the
engine compartmen t(Ypage 348).
X Open the bonnet (Y page 318).
X Connec tthe battery charger to the positive
terminal and earth point in the sam eorder
as when connecting th edonor battery in
the jump-startin gprocedure
(Y page 348).
X Read th ebattery charger's operating
instructions before charging the battery. Battery
347Breakdown assistanc e Z

Jum
p-starting G
WARNING
There is arisk of acid burns when jump-starting avehicle due to the gases which escape from
the battery. Do not lean over the batter ywhile the engin eisbeing jump-started. G
WARNING
Gases escapin gfrom th ebattery during jump-starting may cause minor explosions. Avoid cre-
ating sparks. Keep naked flames away from the battery, and do not smoke.
Comply with safety precautions when handling batteries. You will find these under "Battery" in
the index.
! Avoid repeated and lengthy startin gattempts. Otherwise, non-combuste dfuel may dam-
age the catalytic converter 24
and create arisk of fire.
Do not use arapid-charging device to start the engine.
Make sure the jump leads are not damaged.
Make sure the jump leads are not touching any other metal objects when they are connected
to the battery.
If your vehicle's battery is discharged ,the engin ecan be jump-started from another vehicle
or from asecond batter yusing jum pleads.
Observ ethe followin gpoints:
X The battery is not accessible in all vehicles. If the other vehicle' sbattery is not accessible,
jump-start the vehicle using asecond batter yorajump-star ting device.
X Only jump-start the vehicl ewhen th eengineisc old an dthe catalytic converter system has
cooled down 25
.
X Do no tstart the engine if the battery is frozen. Let the battery thaw first.
X Jump-starting may only be performed from batterie swithanominal voltage of 12 V.
X Only use jum pleads which have asufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.
X Make sure that the jump leads cannot come into contact with parts, such as the pulley or
the fan. Thes eparts move when the engine is started and while it is running.
X If the battery is fully discharged ,leave the batter ythat is being used to jump-star tconnected
for afew minutes befor eattempting to start. This charges the empty battery alittle.
i Jump leads and further information about jump-startin gcan be obtained from any
Mercedes-Ben zService Centre, for example.
X Make sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
X Secure the vehicle by applying the electric parking brake.
X Shif tthe transmission to position P.
X Tur nthe key to position 0(Y page 139) in the ignition lock and remove it. On vehicles with
KEYL ESS-GO ,make sure the ignition is switched off (Y page 139). All indicator lamps in the
instrumen tcluster must be off.
24 Only vehicles with apetrol engine.
25 Only vehicles with apetrol engine. 348
Jump-startingBreakdown assistance

X
Switch off al lelec trical consumers (e.g. radio ,blow er, etc.).
X Ope nthe bonnet (Y page 318). Position number
Bidentifies the charged battery of the other vehicle or an equivalent jump-
startin gdevice.
X Slide cover :of positiv eterminal ;in the direction of the arrow.
X Connect positiv eterminal ;on your vehicle to positiv eterminal =of donor battery B
using the jum plead, beginning with your own battery.
X Start the engine of the donor vehicle and run it at idling speed.
X Connect negative terminal ?of donor battery Bto eart hpoint Aof your vehicle using
the jum plead, connectin gthe jum plead to donor battery Bfirst.
X Start the engine.
X Allow the engine to run for afew minutes befor edisconnecting the jump lead.
X First, remov ethe jum plead from eart hpoint Aand negative terminal ?,then from positive
terminal ;and positive terminal =,each time disconnecting from the contacts on your
own vehicle first.
X After removing the jump lead, close cover :on positive terminal ;.
X Have the battery checked at aqualified specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Ben zService
Cent re.T he jump-star ting procedure is not astandard operatin gstate; therefore, have the
battery checked. Towing and tow-starting
Important safet
ynotes
Observe the legal requirements for the rele-
vant countries when towing. G
WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use arigid
towing bar if: Towing and tow-starting
349Breakdown assis tance
Z