2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 tow

431 Practical hints
Flat tire
Lowering the vehicle
Lower vehicle by turning crank coun-
terclockwise until vehicle is resting ful-
ly on its own weight.

Remove the jack.
1-5 Wheel bolts

Tighten the five wheel bolts evenly, fol-
lowing the diagonal sequence illustrat-
ed (1 to 5), until all bolts are tight.
Observe a tightening torque of 96 lb-ft
(130 Nm).

Before storing the jack in the trunk, it
should be fully collapsed.Warning!
G
Have the tightening torque checked after
changing a wheel. The wheels could come
loose if they are not tightened to a torque of
96 lb-ft (130 Nm).
iWrap the damaged wheel in the protec-
tive film that comes with the spare
wheel and put the wheel in the trunk.
You can also place the damaged wheel
down into the spare wheel well. In this
case, you must stow the holder from
the spare wheel well in the trunk.
Do not activate the tire pressure moni-
toring system until the depressurized
tire is no longer in the vehicle.

438 Practical hintsJump starting
Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.

Connect negative terminals4 and2
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery4
first.

Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.Now you can again turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.

Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals2 and4 and then
from positive terminals1 and3.
Now you can turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iThe message
Malfunction - electric
consumers switched off
may appear
in the instrument cluster. It will disap-
pear as soon as the battery is suffi-
ciently charged.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.

439 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment. This method is pref-
erable to other types of towing.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground or front wheels raised (except vehi-
cles with 4MATIC) only so far as necessary
to have the vehicle moved to a safe loca-
tion where the recommended towing
methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm and the
automatic central locking
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC:
Do not tow with one axle raised. Doing
so could damage the transfer case,
which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
All wheels must be on or off the ground.
Observe instructions for towing the ve-
hicle with all wheels on the ground.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised (not permissible for vehicles
with 4MATIC), the engine must be shut
off (SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or 1). Otherwise the ESP will
immediately be engaged and will apply
the rear wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the selector lever must
be in positionN and the SmartKey
must be in starter switch position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).

440 Practical hintsTowing the vehicle
!
To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the drive train, however, we
recommend the drive shaft be discon-
nected at the rear axle drive flange (ve-
hicles with 4MATIC: disconnected at
the front and rear axle drive flanges) for
any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.
Warning!
G
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:

the engine will not run


there is a malfunction in the SBC brake
system


there is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or in the vehicle’s electrical system
as that will be necessary to adequately con-
trol the towed vehicle.
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make certain that the SmartKey
is in starter switch position2.
If the SmartKey is left in the starter switch
position0 for an extended period of time, it
can no longer be turned in the switch. In this
case, the steering is locked. To unlock, re-
move SmartKey from starter switch and re-
insert.
Warning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes may only be applied to
the front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. For more information, refer to “SBC brake
system” (
page 90).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering system. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to steer the vehicle. Adapt your driv-
ing accordingly.

441 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
iTo signal turns while being towed with
the hazard warning flasher in use, turn
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 and activate the combina-
tion switch for the left or right turn sig-
nal in the usual manner – only the
selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approximately
9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(page 95).
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 118).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.
iThe selector lever will remain locked in
positionP and the SmartKey will not
turn in the starter switch if the battery
is disconnected or discharged. For
more information see “Battery”
(page 433) or “Jump starting”
(page 436).
Manual unlocking of the transmission
selector lever (
page 412).

442 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleInstalling towing eye bolt
Front of vehicle
1Cover on right side of front bumper
To remove cover:
Press mark on cover in direction of ar-
row.

L i f t c o v e r o f f t o r e v e a l t h r e a d e d h o l e f o r
towing eye bolt.The towing eye bolt is supplied with the
tool kit (located in the storage compart-
ment under the trunk floor).

Screw towing eye bolt in to its stop and
tighten with lug wrench.
To reinstall cover:

Fit cover and snap into place.
Rear of vehicle
2Cover on right side of rear bumperTo remove cover:

Pull cover in the direction of the arrow.

Fold cover down to reveal threaded
hole for the towing eye bolt.
The towing eye bolt is supplied with the
tool kit (located in the storage compart-
ment under the trunk floor).

Screw towing eye bolt in to its stop and
tighten with lug wrench.
To reinstall cover:

Fit cover and snap into place.

477 Index
A
ABS 85, 471
ABS control 86
Malfunction indicator lamp 356
Messages in display 369
Warning lamp 356
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission* 180
Accessory weight 337
Accident
In case of 54
Activating
Air conditioning (cooling) 201, 214
Air recirculation mode 199, 212
Anti-theft alarm system 94
Automatic climate control
(Dual-zone) 194, 195
Central locking (control system) 166
Defrosting 199
Distance warning function* 244
Distronic* 240
Easy-entry/exit feature* 167ESP 90
Exterior headlamps 50
Exterior lamps 134
Front fog lamps 136
Hazard warning flasher 138
Headlamps 50
High beams 137
Ignition 34
Ignition with KEYLESS-GO* 36
Immobilizer 56, 94
Rear fog lamp 136
Rear window defroster 191
Residual heat 202, 215
Seat heater* 128
Tow-away alarm 95
Windshield wipers 52
Adding
Engine oil 306
Additional turn signal 418
Adjustable air vents, rear passenger
compartment 216Adjusting 37
Air distribution 198, 210
Air volume 198, 211
Backrest tilt 38
Drive-dynamic seat* with multicontour
features 126
Exterior rear view mirror 41
Head restraint height 39
Head restraint tilt 39
Instrument cluster illumination 142
Interior rear view mirror 41
Mirrors 40
Seat cushion tilt 38
Seat fore and aft adjustment 38
Seat height 38
Seats 37
Steering column height 40
Steering wheel 39
Adjusting steering column in or out 40
Adjusting steering column up or down 40
Adjusting the dynamic seat 169

478 IndexAir conditioning (cooling)
Turning off 201, 214
Turning on 201, 214
Air distribution
Adjusting 198, 210
Air pressure 337
Air pressure see Tire inflation
pressure 322
Air pump, electric 430
Air recirculation mode 199, 212
Activating 199, 212
Deactivating 200, 213
Air vents, rear passenger compartment
Adjustable 216
Air volume
Adjusting 198, 211
Airbags 61
Children 62
Front 65
Passenger 65
Safety guidelines 64
Side impact 66
Window curtain 66Airmatic DC (Dual Control)* 247
Alarm
Audible 84, 95
Canceling 95
Visual 94
Alarm system
Anti-theft 94
Alignment bolt (vehicle tool kit) 409,
427, 471
Antilock brake system (ABS) 471
Anti-theft alarm system
Arming 94
Canceling alarm 95
Disarming 95
Anti-theft systems 94
Anti-theft alarm system 94
Immobilizer 94
Tow-away alarm 95
Aquaplaning see Hydroplaning 291Ashtray 268
Aspect ratio 337
At the gas station 299
AUDIO menu 150
Selecting radio station 150
Selecting satellite radio* station 151
Audio system
CD mode 151
Auto-dimming
Automatic 186
Auto-dimming for rear view mirrors 186
Automatic central locking
Activating/deactivating (control
system) 166
Automatic climate control
4-zone automatic climate
control* 204
Dual-zone automatic climate
control 192
Temperature sensor 29