2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON trailer

R
AIRMATIC
Coupling up a trailer
* NO
TEDama getothest ar ter battery due
to full dischar ge Charging
the trailer battery using the po wer
supply of the trailer can damage thest ar ter
batter y. #
Do not use theve hicle's po wer supply
to charge the trailer batter y.#
Remo vethe co ver cap from the ball head and
st ore it in a safe place. #
Position the trailer on a le vel sur face behind
th eve hicle and couple it up totheve hicle. #
Open the soc ket cap. #
Inse rtthe plug with lug 1in groo ve3 on
th e soc ket. #
Turn bayonet coupling 2totheright as far
as it will go. #
Let the cap engage. #
Secure the cable tothe trailer with cable ties
(only if you are using an adap ter cable). #
Make sure that the cable is alw ays slack for
ease of mo vement during cornering. Under
thefo llowing conditions, a message may
appear on the multifunction display even if the
trailer has been connected cor rectly:
R LEDs ha vebeen ins talled in the trailer light‐
ing sy stem.
R The cur rent has fallen below the trailer light‐
ing sy stem's minimum cur rent (50 mA).
% Accessories can be connected tothe perma‐
nent po wer supp lyup to180 W and tothe
po we r supp lythat is swit ched on via the igni‐
tion loc k.
Un coupling a trailer &
WARNING Risk of being crushed and
becoming trapped when uncoupling a
trailer
When uncoupling a trailer with an engaged
ine rtia-activated brake, your hand may
become trapped between theve hicle and the
trailer dr awbar. #
Do not uncouple trailers with an
engaged overrun brake. 240
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

*
NO
TEDama gewhen uncoupling in a
st ate of overrun Uncou
pling in a state of overru n can dama ge
th eve hicle. #
Do not uncouple trailers with an
engaged overrun brake. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
when disconnecting the trailer cable
Ve hicles with le vel control sy stem: The
ve hicle may lo wer when the trailer cable is
disconnected.
This could result in you or other people
becoming trapped if your or their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure that nobody is unde rneath
th eve hicle or in the immediate vicinity
of the wheel ar ches when you discon‐
nect the trailer cable. #
Secure the trailer against rolling away. #
Disconnect the electrical connection
between theve hicle and the trailer. #
Uncouple the trailer. #
Place the co ver cap on the ball head. Bicycle
rackfunction &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
using the bicycle rack incor rectly
The bicycle rack may become de tach ed from
th eve hicle in thefo llowing cases:
R the permissible load capacity of the
trailer hitch is exceeded.
R the bicycle rack is used incor rectl y.
R the bicycle rack is secured tothe ball
neck beneath the ball head.
Obser vethefo llowing foryo ur ow n sa fety
and that of other road users: #
always adhere tothe permissible load
capacity of the trailer hitch. #
only use the bicycle rack totranspo rt
bicycles. #
always proper lysecure the bicycle rack
by attaching it tothe ball head. #
only use bicycle rack s appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz. #
always obser vethe bicycle rack operat‐
ing instructions. *
NO
TEDama geto, or cra cks on, the
trailer hitch due tounsuitable bic ycle
ra ck s or bicycle rack s being used incor‐
re ctly #
use only bicycle rack s appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz. Driving and parking
241
Internal use only

Depending on
the bicycle rack 's design, up to
th re e bicycles can be transpor ted on the bicycle
ra ck.
When mounted byattaching toball head 1,the
maximum load capacity is 75kg.
The load capacity is calculated from thewe ight
of the bicycle rack and the bicycle rack load.
The vehicle's driving characteristics will change
when a bicycle rack isfitted. Adapt your driving st
yle according ly. Drive carefully and maintain a
sa fe dis tance.
When using a bicycle rack , set the tyre pressure
fo r maximum loading on there ar axle of the
ve hicle. Further information on the tyre pressure
can be found in the tyre pressure table
(/ page 412).
Note s on loading
The lar gerth e dis tance between the load's
cent reof gr avity and the ball head, the greater
th e load on the trailer hitch.
Therefore, obser vethefo llowing no tes:
R mount heavy bicycles as close totheve hicle
as possible
R always distribute the load on the bicycle rack
as evenly as possible across theve hicle's
longitudinal axis
Mercedes-Benz recommends removing all
de tach able parts from bicycles (e.g. bask ets,
ch ild seats, rech arge able bat teries) before load‐
ing them onto the bicycle rack . This will impr ove
th e aerodynamic resis tance and centre of gr avity
of the bicycle rack. Alw
ays secure the bicycles topreve ntthem from
moving around and check them at regular inter‐
va ls to ensure that they are secure.
Do not use tarp aulins or other co vers. The driv‐
ing characteristics and rear view may be
impaired. In addition, aerodynamic resis tance
and the load on the trailer hitch will increase. Load distribution on
the bicycle rack
1 Vertical dis tance between centre of gr avity
and ball head
2 Horizon tal dis tance between centre of gr av‐
ity and ball head
3 The centre of gr avity is on theve hicle's
centre axis 242
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

Obser
vethefo llowing information when you are
loading the bicycle rack with up tothre e bicy‐
cles:
Loading the bicycle rack To
tal weight
of bicycle
rack and
load Max. dis‐
tance
1 1 Max. dis‐
tance
2 2
Up to75 kg 420 mm 300 mm Ve
hicle towing instructions
The vehicle is not suitable forth e use of tow bar
sy stems that are used forflat towing or ding hy
to wing, forex ample. Attach ing and using tow bar
sy stems can lead todamage on theve hicle.
When you are towing a vehicle with tow bar sys‐
te ms, safe driving characteristics cannot be
guaranteed forth eto wing vehicle or theto wed
ve hicle. The vehicle-trailer combination may
swer vefrom side toside. Comply with the per‐
mitted towing me thods (/ page 402) and the
instructions forto wing with bo thaxles on the
ground (/ page 403). Driving and parking
243
Internal use only

Wi
per blades
R Movethe wiper arms into there placement
position (/ page139).
R With th e wiper arms folded out, clean the
wiper blades with a damp clo th.
R Do not clean the wiper blades too of ten.
Ex terior lighting
R Clean the lenses with a wet sponge and mild
cleaning agent, e.g. car sha mpoo.
R Only use cleaning agents or cleaning clo ths
th at are suitable for plast ic lenses.
Sensors
R Clean the sensors in the front and rear
bumpers with a soft clo thand car shampoo
(/ page 186).
R When using a high -pressure cleaner,maintain
a minimum dis tance of 30 cm.
Re versing camera and 360° Camera
R Open the camera co ver with the multimedia
sy stem (/ page 227).
R Use clean water and a soft clo thtoclean the
came ralens. R
Do not use a high-pressure cleaner.
Ta ilpipes
R Clean with a cleaning agent recommended
fo r Mercedes-Benz, especially inthe winter
and af terwa shing theve hicle.
R Do not use acidic cleaning agents.
Tr ailer hitch
R Obse rveth e no tes on care in the trailer hitch
manufacturer's operating instructions.
R Do not clean the ball neck with a high-pres‐
sure cleaner or solvent.
R Remo vetraces of rust on the ball, forex am‐
ple, with a wire brush.
R Remo vedirt with a lint-free clo th.
R After cleaning, lightly oil or grease the ball
head.
% Before using trailers with anti- torsional cou‐
pling, obser vethe manufacturer's operating
instructions. Note
s on care of the interior &
WARNING Risk of injury from plastic
parts breaking off af terth e use of sol‐
ve nt-based care products
Ca reand cleaning products con taining sol‐
ve nts can cause su rfaces in the cockpit to
become porous. When the airbags are
deplo yed, plastic parts may break away. #
Do not use any care or cleaning prod‐
ucts containing sol vents toclean the
cockpit. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death from
bleached seat belts
Bleaching or dyeing seat belts can se verely
we aken them.
This can, forex ample, cause seat belts to
te ar or fail in an accident. #
Never blea chor dye seat belts. To
avo id damage totheve hicle, obser vethefo l‐
lowing no tes on cleaning and care: Maintenance and care
385
Internal use only

#
Atowing dis tance of 50 km must not be
exc eeded. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or towed
aw ay, its weight must not exceed the permis‐
sible gross mass of your ow nve hicle, other‐
wise thefo llowing could occur:
R theto wing eye may become de tach ed.
R theve hicle/trailer combination may
swer veoreve nov erturn. #
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or
to we daw ay, its weight must not exceed
th e permissible gross mass of your own
ve hicle. If a
vehicle must be tow- star ted or towe daw ay,
its permissible gross weight must not exceed the
permissible gross weight of theto wing vehicle. #
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle iden‐
tification plate (/ page 428). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission: do
not open the driver's door or front passenger
door, otherwise the automatic transmission
automatically shifts toposition j. #
Fittheto wing eye (/ page 406). #
Fasten theto w bar.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of theto w bar #
Onlyconnect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. #
Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(/ page 79). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection
(/ page 96). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st
( / page 210). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i. #
Release the electric parking brake. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signif‐
icantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is norm allyrequ ired. #
Use a tow bar. #
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely before towing theve hicle
aw ay. 404
Breakdown assis tance
Internal use only

*
NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po wer If
yo u pull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slowly and smoo thly. Loading the
vehicle for transport #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( / page 403). #
Connect theto w bar totheto wing eye in
order toload theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
% Ve
hicles with automatic transmission:
th e automatic transmission may be loc ked in
position jintheeve nt of damage tothe
electrical sy stem. Toshift toi , pr ovide the on-board electrical sy
stem with po wer
( / page 400). #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
j. #
Use the electric parking brake tosecure the
ve hicle against rolling away. #
Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels.
Ve hicles with ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
Sy stem PLUS) &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS
When transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS, theve hicle/trailer
combination may begin torock andstart to
skid. #
When transporting, ensure that:
R theve hicle has been loaded onto
th e transpor ter cor rectly R
theve hicle is secured at all four
wheels with suitable tensioning
st ra ps
R the maximum permissible speed of
60 km/h is not exceeded when
transporting *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly #
After loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged. #
A minimum dis tance of 20 cm up wards
and 10cm down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels af ter
loading. Breakdown assis
tance 405
Internal use only

4MATIC
vehicles/ve hicles with automatic
transmission #
Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transpor tation vehicle.
* NO
TEDama getothe driv etra in due to
incor rect positioning #
Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi‐
cle. To
wing eyesto rage location The
towing eye is located in thestow age space
under the boot floor. Installing
theto wing eye #
Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve. #
Screw intheto wing eyeclockwise as far as it
will go and tighten.
Ve hicles with a trailer hitch: vehicles with a
trailer hitch do not ha veare ar brac ketfo rthe
to wing eye. Fasten theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Make sure that co ver1 engages in the
bumper when youre mo vetheto wing eye.
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to
incor rect use of theto wing eye When a
towing eye is used toreco ver a vehi‐
cle, theve hicle may be damaged in the proc‐
ess. #
Only use theto wing eyeto to waw ay or
to w start theve hicle. 406
Breakdown assis tance
Internal use only