2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV tow bar

tion. See the separate COMAND operating
instructi
ons.
The symbo lofthe selected function is high-
lighted.
To deactivate: the reversing camera is deac-
tivated if you:
R shift the transmission to position P
R drive forward ten metres
R shift the transmission from position Rto
anothe rposition (after 15 seconds)
R drive forwards at aspeed of over
10 km/h
Displays in the COMAN Ddisplay G
WARNING
Usin gthe reversing camera can be dangerous
if you ar ecolour-blin dorify our ability to dis-
tinguish colours is impaired.
Only use the reversin gcamera if you can see
and distinguis hbetween all the coloured
guide lines that are displayed by the reversing
camera in the COMAN Ddisplay. G
WARNING
Please note that objects not at ground level
may appea rtobefurther away than they
actually are. Thes einclude:
R the bumper of avehicle that is parked
behind your vehicle
R at railer drawbar
R theb all coupling of atrailer tow hitch
R thet ail-end of alorry
R slanted posts
The lines are only guides, not accurate meas-
urements of the distance to an obstacle.
Therefore, you should never pass the red line
when approachin ganobstacle. You could oth-
erwise cause an accident and injur eyourself
and others. :
Vehicle width includin gexterior mirrors
; Vehicl ewidth including wheel extremities
= Yellow guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 4.0 mfrom th erear area
? Red lane of vehicle width at curren tsteer-
ing whee langle (dynamic)
A Yellow lane of tyres at current steering
wheel angle (dynamic)
B Bumper
C Red guid eline at adistance of approx-
imately 0.2 5mfrom th erear area
D Yellow guide line at adistance of approx-
imately 1.0 mfrom th erear area
E White lane of vehicle width with steering
wheel straight (static)
F Vehicle centre axle (marker assistance)
The guide lines are only shown when the
transmission is in position R.
The distance specification sonly appl yto
objec tsthat are at ground level. Driving systems
199Drivingand park ing Z

R
cond ition of the LOW RAN GEoff-r oad
gear
R the on-roa dtraile rprogram is selected Tow
inga trailer Note
sont owingatrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When reversing the vehicl etowards the
trailer, make sure there is nobod ybetween
the trailer and the vehicle.
Couple and uncoupl ethe trailer carefully .If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer coul dbecome
detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximu mpermissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
You will fin dthe applicable permissible val-
ues, whic hmust not be exceeded ,inthe vehi-
cle documen ts.
You will find the values approved by the man-
ufacturer on the vehicle identification plates
and those for the towing vehicle in the "Tech-
nical data" section. G
WARNING
If the Checktrailer hitch locking mechanism message appears in th
emulti-
function display while the vehicle is in motion,
pull over immediately and check whethe rthe
ball coupling is correctly engaged. G
WARNING
When towin gatrailer, you rvehicle' shandling
characteristics will be different in comparison
to when driving without atrailer.
Th ev ehicle/ trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradi-
ent-climbin gcapability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demand smore sensitive steering
R has alarger turnin gcircle
As aresult, the handlin gcharacteristic smay
be impaired and you may lose control of the
vehicle. This could lead to an accident with
serious or even fatal injuries.
When towing atrailer, alway sadjust your
speed to the current road and weather con-
ditions. Do not exceed the maximum permis-
sible speed for your vehicle/trailer combina-
tion. G
WARNING
Never depress the brak epedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion ,e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying cons tant slight
pedal pressure. Thi scauses the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. G
WARNING
On no account shoul dyou attempt to dra wthe
vehicle/ trailer combination out by increasing
speed. G
WARNING
If you exceed the maximum noseweight when
using acarrier system on the ball coupling:
R the carrier system may be thrown around.
R the ball coupling and the carrier system
may become detached from the vehicle.
As aresult, you may injure others or cause an
accident. 226
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

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

pling
atrailer. Th evehicle level could change
and you could endanger yourself or others.
Never press the ADS button or operate the
leve lcontrol while you are coupling up or
decoupling atrailer.
Steel-spring vehicles X
Make sure that th etransmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Positio nthe trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Coupl eupthe trailer.
X Establish the electrical con nection
betwee nthe vehicle and the trailer.
X Chec kthat the trailer lighting system is
working.
Vehicles wit hthe AIRMATIC package X
Make sure that th etransmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Start th eengine.
X Set the vehicl etohighway level
(Y page 189).
X Set the Adaptive Dampin gSystem (ADS )to
AUTO orCOMF(Y page 188).
X Switch off the engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electrical connection
betwee nthe vehicle and the trailer.
X Chec kthat the trailer lighting system is
working.
i If you hav ecoupled atrailer, th evehicle
will remain at highway level.
The vehicle automatically lowers to high-
way level if you driv efaster than 30 km/h
with atrailer. Th evehicle is not lowered to
high-speed level even if you are travelling
at higher speeds. This also applies when using accessories
that are plugged into the socket of the
trailer tow hitch (e.g. abicycle rack). Decoupling
atrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not disconnect atrailer with an engaged
overru nbrake .Otherwise, you rhand could
becom etrapped between th ebumpe rand
drawbar. G
WARNING
As soo nasyou raise the trailer drawbar, the
unladen vehicle rises slightly .The vehicle then
lower stod riving level.
Make sure that nobod yisinthe vicinit yofthe
wheel arch or the underbody. You coul doth-
erwise trap yoursel forothers. G
WARNING
Th ev ehicle is lowered as soo nasyou discon-
nec tthe trailer cable. Make sur ethat nobody
is in the vicinit yofthe wheel arch or the
underbody. You coul dotherwis etrap yourse lf
or othe rs.
As soon as you decoupl ethe trailer ,the unla-
den vehicle rise sslightly. Make sure that you
or others are not injured in the process.
! Do not disconnect atrailer wit han
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damage dbythe rebound-
ing of the overru nbrake.
Steel-spring vehic les X
Ma ke sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Secure th etrailer agains trollin gaway.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Towing
atrailer
229Driving andparki ng Z

A
Jack
B Ratchet rin gspanner "M
inispare" emergency spare wheel
The "Minispare" emergency spar ewheel can
be fou ndin th estowage well unde rthe lug-
gage compartmen tfloor.
X Lif tthe luggage compar tment floor up
(Y page 30 5). X
Tur nemergency spare whee lretainer ;
anti-clockwise and rem ove it.
X Remove "Minis pare" emergency spare
wheel :.
For fur ther information on changing awheel
and fittin gthe spar ewheel, see
(Y page 33 4). Flat tyre
Preparing th
evehicle
Your vehicle may be equipped with:
R aT IREFIT kit
R an eme rgency spare wheel
R MOExtende dtyre s(tyres with run-flat char-
acteristics) (Y page 342)
i Vehicle preparation is not necessary on
vehicles with MOExtended tyres.
i Vehicles with MOExtended tyre sare not
equippe dwithaTIREFIT kit at th efactory. It is therefore recommended that you addi-
tionally equip your vehicle with
aTIREFIT kit
if yo ufit tyre sthat do not fea ture run-flat
prope rties, e.g. winter tyres. ATIREFIT kit
can be obtaine dfrom aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre.
X Make sure that highway level is selec-
ted 22
(Y page 183).
X Stop the vehicle as far away as possible
from traffic on solid, non-slippery and level
ground.
X Switch on the hazar dwarning lamps.
X Apply the electric parking brake manually
(Y page 161).
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Move the DIRECT SELECT lever to P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove
the key from the ignition lock.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: open the
driver' sdoor.
The on-boar delectronics have status 0,
which is the same as the key having been
removed.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: removethe
Star t/Stop butto nfrom th eignition lock
(Y page 139).
X All occupants must get out of the vehicle.
Make sure that they ar enot endangered as
they do so.
X Make sure that no one is near the danger
area whilst awheel is being changed. Any-
one who is not directly assisting in the
wheel change should, for example, stand
behind the barrier.
X Get out of the vehicle. Pay attention to traf-
fic condition swhen doing so.
X Close the driver's door.
22 Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package. 334
Flat tyreBreakdown assistance

tems mus
tbec arrie dout at aquali fieds pe-
cialist workshop.
Ty re pressure of 180 kPa (1.8 bar/
26 psi) is reached X
Switch off the tyre inflation compressor.
X Unscrew the fille rhose from the valve of
the faulty tyre.
! Afteru se, excess TIREFIT ma yrun out of
the filler hose. This may cause stains.
Therefore, place the filler hos einthe plastic
bag whic hcontained the TIREFIT kit.
X Stow the tyr esealan tbottle, the tyr einfla-
tion compresso rand the warning triangle.
X Pull away immediately. G
WARNING
Do not exceed the maximum speed of
80 km/h.
The "max. 80 km/h" labe lmust be affixed in
the driver's field of vision.
The vehicle's handling characteristic smay be
affected.
X Stop after driving for approximately ten
minutes and check the tyre pressure with
the tyre inflation compressor. G
WARNING
If the tyre pressure is less than 130 kPa
(1.3 bar/2 0psi), the tyr eistoo severely dam-
aged. Do not driv eany further. Consult a
qualified specialis tworkshop which has the
necessary specialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required .Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you use aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre for thi spurpose. In particular,
work relevant to safety or on safety-related
systems must be carried out at aqualified
specialist workshop.
X Correct the tyre pressure if it is still at least
130 kPa (1.3 bar/20 psi) (for the values,
see the fuel filler flap). X
To increase the tyr epressure: switchon
the tyre inflation compressor. E
Pressure releas ebutton
F Pressure gauge
X To reduce the tyr epressur e:press pres-
sure release button Eon the filler hose.
X Stow the tyr esealan tbottle, the tyr einfla-
tion compresso rand the warning triangle.
X Drive to the neares tworkshop and have the
tyr ec hange dthere.
X Hav ethe tyr esealan tbottle replaced as
soon as possible at aqualified specialist
workshop, e.g. at aMercedes-Benz Ser vice
Centre. H
Environmental note
Have the use dtyre sealant bottle dispose dof
professionally, e.g. at aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre.
X Have the tyre sealant bottle replaced every
four years at aqualified specialist work-
shop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz Ser vice
Centre. Changing
awhee land fitting th espare
wheel
Preparing the vehicle G
WARNING
The wheel and tyre size of the emergency
spare wheel/s pare wh eelm ay differ to tha tof
the damaged wheel. Whe nusing an emer- Flat ty
re
337Breakd ownassistance
Z

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

R
the engine is not running.
R there is abrake syst emmalfunction.
R there isam alfunction in the power supply
or the vehicle' selectrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake forc ebooster do not work when the
engin eisnot running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximu mforce.
Before towin gaway ,make sure that the steer-
ing can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-star tanothe rvehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximu mper-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehicle. G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOL Dfunction
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLD and DISTRONIC PLUS if the
vehicle is to be towed.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
! You may tow the vehicle for amaximum
of 50 km. Atowing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
For towin gdistances over 50 km, the entire
vehicle must be lifted up and transported.
! Make sure that the electric parkin gbrake
is released. If th eelectric parkin gbrake is
faulty, visit aqualified specialist workshop.
! Only secure the tow rope or towing bar to
the towing eyes. The vehicle may otherwise
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with acrane.
! When towing, pull awa yslowly and
smoothly. If the trac tivepower is too high,
the vehicles could be damaged.
! To tow vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use
the key instead of the Star t/Stop button.
Th ea utomatic transmission may otherwise switch to position
Pwhen you open the
driver' sorfront-passenger door which
could damag ethe transmission.
! Vehicles with differential locks: make
sur ethe differential lock sare in automatic
mode. Th edifferential locks must not be
switched on by hand when towing the vehi-
cle. The transmission may otherwise be
damaged.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission dam-
age, have it transported on atransporter or
trailer.
Th ea utomatic transmission must be in posi-
tion Nwhen the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2
R cannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
i Before the vehicle is towed, switch off the
automatic locking feature (Y page 249).
You could otherwis ebelockedout when
pushing or towing the vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection
(Y page 69) before the vehicle is towed. Fitting/removing the towing eye
Fitting the towing eye Vehicles with
atrailer to whitch: if you intend
to use the vehicle for towing, fold out the ball
coupling and connect the towbar to it
(Y page 228).
X Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 333).
The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear ,under the covers. 350
Towing and tow-startingBreakdow
nassistance