Page 404 of 474

402 Practical hintsBatteriesWarning!
G
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting, 
you might get injured.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not 
allow this fluid to come in contact with eyes, 
skin or clothing. In case it does, immediately 
flush affected area with water and seek 
medical help if necessary.
A battery will also produce hydrogen gas, 
which is flammable and explosive. Keep 
flames or sparks away from battery, avoid 
improper connection of jumper cables, 
smoking, etc.
!Never loosen or detach battery termi-
nal clamps while the engine is running 
or the SmartKey is in the starter switch. 
Otherwise the alternator and other 
electronic components could be se-
verely damaged.
Have the starter battery checked regu-
larly by an authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Center.
Refer to Maintenance Booklet for main-
tenance intervals or contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for further 
information.
Warning!
G
Do not place metal objects on the battery as 
this could result in a short circuit. 
Use leak-proof batteries only to avoid the 
risk of acid burns in the event of an acci-
dent. 
     
        
        Page 408 of 474

406 Practical hintsJump starting
If the starter battery is discharged, the en-
gine can be started with jumper cables and 
the battery of another vehicle. Observe the 
following:
Jump starting should only be performed 
when the engine and catalytic convert-
er are cold.
Do not start the engine if the battery is 
frozen. Let the battery thaw out first.
Only jump start from batteries with the 
same voltage rating (12 V). Jump start-
ing with a more powerful battery could 
damage the vehicle’s electrical system, 
which will not be covered by the 
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Only use jumper cables with sufficient 
cross section and insulated terminal 
clamps.
Always make sure the jumper cables 
are not on or near pulleys, fans, or oth-
er parts that move when an engine is 
started or running.
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these directions will cause 
damage to the electronic components, and 
can lead to a battery explosion and severe 
injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting 
or jump starting, you might get injured.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not 
allow this fluid to come in contact with eyes, 
skin or clothing. In case it does, immediately 
flush affected area with water, and seek 
medical help if necessary.
A battery will also produce hydrogen gas, 
which is flammable and very explosive. Keep 
flames or sparks away from battery, avoid 
improper connection of jumper cables, 
smoking, etc.
Attempting to jump start a frozen battery 
can result in it exploding, causing personal 
injury.
Read all instructions before proceeding.
!Jump starting may only be performed 
on the battery installed in the engine 
compartment.
Avoid repeated and lengthy starting at-
tempts.
Do not attempt to start the engine us-
ing a battery quick charge unit.
If the engine does not run after several 
unsuccessful starting attempts, have it 
checked at the nearest authorized 
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Excessive unburned fuel generated by 
repeated failed starting attempts may 
damage the catalytic converter and 
may present a fire risk.
Make sure the jumper cables do not 
have loose or missing insulation.
Make sure the cable clamps do not 
touch any other metal part while the 
other end is still attached to a battery. 
     
        
        Page 409 of 474

407 Practical hints
Jump starting
The starter battery is located on the right 
side of the engine compartment.
Make sure the two vehicles do not 
touch.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift gear selector lever to positionP.
Remove the red cover from positive ter-
minal on both vehicles (
page 401).1Negative terminal of charged battery
2Negative terminal of discharged 
battery
3Positive terminal of discharged battery
4Positive terminal of charged battery
Connect positive terminals 3 and 4 
of the batteries with the jumper cables. 
Clamp cable to charged battery 4 
first.
Start the engine of the vehicle with the 
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminals 1 and 2 
of the batteries with the jumper cables. 
Clamp cable to charged battery 1 
first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
You can now turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not turn on the lights under 
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from 
negative terminals 1 and 2 and then 
from positive terminals 3 and 4.
You can now turn on the lights.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery. 
Do not smoke. 
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries 
(page 277).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle. 
     
        
        Page 412 of 474

410 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
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 are only applied to the 
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. For more information, see “SBC brake 
system” (
page 85).
With the engine not running, there is no 
power assistance for the brake and steering 
systems. In this case, it is important to keep 
in mind that a considerably higher degree of 
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!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 approx. 9 mph 
(15 km / h) or more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from 
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 110). 
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.
iIf the battery is disconnected or dis-
charged
the SmartKey will not turn in the 
starter switch
the gear selector lever will remain 
locked in positionP.
For more information, see “Batteries” 
(
page 401) and 
“Jump starting” (
page 406).