2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK Owners Manual

Position number
Bidentifies the charged battery of the other vehicle or an equivalent jump-
starting device.
X Press together cover :of positive clamp ;and slide it back.
X Connect positive terminal ;on your vehicle to positive terminal =of donor battery B
using the jump lead, 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 earth point Aof your vehicle using the
jump lead, connecting the jump lead to donor battery Bfirst.
X Start the engine.
X Before disconnecting the jump leads, let the engines run for several minutes.
X First, remove the jump leads from earth point Aand negative terminal ?, then from pos-
itive clamp ;and positive terminal =. Begin each time at the contacts on your own vehicle
first.
X Close cover :of positive clamp ;after removing the jump leads.
X Have the battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
i Jump-starting is not considered to be a normal operating condition.
i Jump-starting cables and further information regarding jump starting can be obtained at
any qualified specialist workshop. Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Safety-relevant functions are restricted or not
available if:
R the engine is not running.
R the brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning
R the voltage supply or the vehicle's electrical
system is malfunctioning.
If your vehicle is towed, significantly greater
force may be required to steer the vehicle or
to brake. There is a risk of an accident.
In such circumstances, use a towing bar.
Make sure that the steering is moving freely
before towing. G
WARNING
If the weight of the vehicle to be towed or tow- started is greater than the permissible gross
weight of your vehicle:
R the towing eye could detach itself
R the vehicle/trailer combination could over-
turn.
There is a risk of an accident.
When towing or tow-starting another vehicle,
its weight should not be greater than the per-
missible gross weight of your vehicle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate (Y page 338). G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOLD function or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLD and DISTRONIC PLUS if the
vehicle is to be towed. 310
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

!
Only secure the tow rope or towing bar to
the towing eyes. The vehicle may otherwise be damaged.
! Observe the following points when towing
with a tow rope:
R secure the tow rope on the same side on
both vehicles.
R make sure that the tow rope is not longer
than legally permitted. Mark the tow rope in the middle, e.g. with a white cloth
(30 x 30 cm). This makes other road
users aware that a vehicle is being
towed.
R only secure the tow rope to the towing
eye.
R observe the brake lamps of the towing
vehicle while driving. Always maintain a
distance so that the tow rope does not
sag.
R do not use steel cables or chains to tow
your vehicle. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
! Do not use the towing eyes for recovery
purposes as this could damage the vehicle.
If in doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! Pull away smoothly when towing away or
tow-starting a vehicle. If the tractive power
is too high, the vehicles could be damaged.
! You may tow the vehicle for a maximum of
50km. A towing speed of 50 km/h must not be exceeded.
For towing distances over 50 km, the frontaxle or the entire vehicle must be raised
and transported.
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow-started. The transmission
may otherwise be damaged.
Observe the legal requirements for the rele-
vant countries when towing and tow-starting.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed. Vehicles with automatic transmission:
when towing a vehicle, the transmission must
be in position N.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2
R vehicles with automatic transmission:
cannot shift the transmission to position N
i Deactivate the automatic locking feature
(Y page 223). You could otherwise be
locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection
(Y page 70) before the vehicle is towed. Fitting/removing the towing eye
Fitting the towing eye X
Remove the towing eye from the stowage
space.
The towing eye is located with the vehicle
tool kit under the luggage compartment
floor (Y page 299). Towing and tow-starting
311Breakdown assistance Z

Vehicles with a TIREFIT kit: the towing eye
is located under the tyre inflation compres-
sor.
X Press the mark on cover :inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
X Remove cover :from the opening.
X Screw the towing eye in clockwise to the
stop and tighten it.
Vehicles with a trailer tow hitch do not have a bracket for the screw-in towing eye at the
back. If you intend to use the vehicle for tow- ing, fold out the ball coupling (Y page 203)
and secure the towbar to it.
Removing the towing eye X
Loosen the towing eye and unscrew it.
X Attach cover :to the bumper and press
until it engages.
X Place the towing eye in the stowage well
under the luggage compartment floor
(Y page 299).
X Vehicles with a TIREFIT kit: replace the tyre
inflation compressor. Towing the vehicle with the front axle
raised
Only vehicles without 4MATIC can be
towed with the front axle raised.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised; otherwise, the transmission may be damaged.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may either be towed
away with both axles on the ground or be loa-
ded up and transported.
! The ignition must be switched off if you
are towing the vehicle with the front axle
raised. Intervention by ESP ®
could other-
wise damage the brake system.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed. X
Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal fully and shift to
neutral.
or
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Deactivate automatic locking (Y page 223).
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 108).
X Turn the key in the ignition lock to position
0 and leave the key in the ignition lock.
When towing your vehicle with the front axle
raised, it is important that you observe the
safety instructions (Y page 310). Towing the vehicle with both axles on
the ground G
WARNING
The power assistance for the steering and the brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will then need
much more effort to brake and steer the vehi-
cle. Adapt your style of driving accordingly.
i In order to signal a change of direction
when towing with the hazard warning lamps switched on, use the combination switch asusual. In this case, only the turn signals for
the desired direction flash. When you reset
the combination switch, the hazard warn-
ing lamps start flashing again. 312
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

Vehicles with automatic transmission:
the
automatic transmission automatically shifts
to position Pwhen you open the driver's or
front-passenger door or when you remove the
key from the ignition lock. In order to ensure that the automatic transmission stays in posi- tion Nwhen towing the vehicle, you must
observe the following points:
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
Vehicles with manual transmission: X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Engage neutral.
Vehicles with manual or automatic trans- mission:
X Leave the key in position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 108).
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 310). Transporting the vehicle
! Only lash the vehicle down by the wheels
or wheel rims, not by parts of the vehicle
such as axle or steering components. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could be damaged. X
Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Move the transmission to position N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded: X Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the electric parking brake.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
engage first or reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission to position P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle.
The towing eyes or trailer tow hitch can be
used to pull the vehicle onto a trailer or trans-
porter if you wish to transport it. Notes for 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised; otherwise,
the transmission may be damaged.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may only be either
towed away with both axles on the ground or be loaded up and transported.
If the vehicle has transmission damage or
damage to the front or rear axle, have it trans-
ported on a transporter or trailer.
In the event of damage to the electrical
system
If the battery is defective, the automatic
transmission will be locked in position P. To
shift the automatic transmission to position
N, you must provide power to the vehicle's
electrical system in the same way as when
jump-starting (Y page 308).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter
or trailer. Towing and tow-starting
313Breakdown assistance Z

Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Do not tow-start vehicles with automatic
transmission. You could otherwise damage the automatic transmission.
Before tow-starting, the following conditions
must be fulfilled:
R the battery is connected.
R the engine has cooled down.
R the exhaust system has cooled down.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 108).
X Fit the towing eye (Y page 311).
X Secure the rigid towing bar or the towing
rope.
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Depress the clutch pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Engage neutral.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Tow-start the vehicle.
X Engage second gear.
X Release the clutch pedal slowly without
depressing the accelerator pedal.
The engine is started.
X Depress the clutch pedal and shift to neu-
tral.
X Stop at a suitable place.
X Secure the vehicle by applying the electric
parking brake.
X Remove the rigid towing bar or towing rope.
X Remove the towing eye (Y page 312).
X Switch off the hazard warning lamps.
When tow-starting, it is important that you
observe the safety instructions (Y page 310)
and the legal requirements for the relevant
countries. Electrical fuses
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you manipulate, bridge or replace a faulty
fuse with a fuse of a higher amperage, the
electric cables could be overloaded. This may result in a fire. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Always replace faulty fuses with specified new fuses of the correct amperage.
! Only use fuses that have been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which
have the correct fuse rating for the system concerned. Only use fuses marked with an
"S". Components or systems could other-
wise be damaged.
The fuses in your vehicle serve to disconnect faulty circuits. If a fuse blows, all the compo-
nents on the circuit and their functions will
fail.
Blown fuses must be replaced with fuses of
the same rating, which you can recognise by
the colour and fuse rating. The fuse ratings
are listed in the fuse allocation chart.
If the newly inserted fuse also blows, have the cause traced and rectified at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-Benz Ser-
vice Centre. Before replacing a fuse
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away
(Y page 162).
X Switch off all electrical consumers.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it (Y page 143). All indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster must be off.
The fuses are located in various fuse boxes:
R fuse box in the engine compartment on the
left-hand side of the vehicle, when viewed
in the direction of travel
R fuse box in the front-passenger footwell 314
Electrical fusesBreakdown assistance

The fuse allocation chart is on the fuse box in
the front-passenger footwell (Y page 315).Fuse box in the engine compartment
G
WARNING
When the bonnet is open, and the windscreen wipers are set in motion, you can be injured by
the wiper linkage. There is a risk of injury.
Always switch off the windscreen wipers and
the ignition before opening the bonnet.
! Make sure that no moisture can enter the
fuse box when the cover is open.
! When closing the cover, make sure that it
is lying correctly on the fuse box. Moisture
seeping in or dirt could otherwise impair
the operation of the fuses. X
Open the bonnet.
X Remove any existing moisture from the
fuse box using a dry cloth.
X To open: open clamps ;.
X Fold cover :up in the direction of the
arrow and remove it. X
To close: check whether the seal is lying
correctly in cover :.
X Insert cover :at the back into openings
= on the fuse box.
X Fold down cover :.
X Hook clamps ;into the fuse box and
close.
X Close the bonnet. Fuse box in the front-passenger foot-
well
X
To open: remove the floormat from the
front-passenger side.
X Fold out perforated floor covering :in the
direction of the arrow. Electrical fuses
315Breakdown assistance Z

X
To release cover =, press retaining
clamp ;.
X Fold out cover =in the direction of the
arrow to the catch.
X Remove cover =forwards.
i Fuse allocation chart
?is located on the
lower right-hand side of cover =.
X To close: insert cover =on the left-hand
side of the fuse box into the retainer.
Cover =engages in the retainers.
X Fold down cover =until clamps ;lock
audibly.
X Fold back perforated floor covering :.316
Electrical fusesBreakdown assistance

Useful information
............................318
Important safety notes ....................318
Operation ........................................... 318
Winter operation ............................... 320
Tyre pressure .................................... 321
Changing a wheel ............................. 324
Wheel and tyre combinations ..........329
Emergency spare wheel ...................332 317Wheels and tyres