Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid
towing ba rif:
R the engine is not running.
R there is a brake system malfunction.
R there is a malfunction in the power supply
or the vehicle's electrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximu mforce.
Before towing away, make sure that the steer-
ing can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum per-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehicle. 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.
! 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 the tow rope must not be longer than is
legally permitted. It should be marked in
the middle, e.g. with a white cloth
(30 x30c m) so thatothe rroad users are
aware that a vehicle is being towed.
R the tow rope may only be attached to the
towing eyes.
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. The vehicle could be dam-
aged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
this could damage the vehicle. If in doubt,
recover the vehicle with acrane.
! Pull away smoothly when towing away or
tow-starting a vehicle. If the tractive power
is too high, the vehicles could be damaged.
! On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
key instead of the Start/Stop button. Turn
the key to position 2in the ignitio nlock and
shift the automatic transmission to N.
Then, turn the key back to 0and leave it in
the ignition lock.
! 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 entire
vehicle must be lifted up and transported.
! If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximu mper-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehi-
cle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate (Y page 371).
Observe the legal requirement sfor the rele-
vant countries when towing and tow-starting.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission dam-
age, have it transported on a transporter or
trailer.
When towing a vehicle with an automatic
transmission, the transmission must be in
position N. Towing and tow-starting
333Breakdown assistance Z
Towing the vehicle with both axles on
the ground G
WARNING
The powe rassistance 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.
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 333).
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 127).
i When towing with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination
switch as usual to signal achange of direc-
tion. In this case, only the turn signals for
the desired direction flash. When the com-
bination switch is reset, the hazard warning
lamps start flashing again.
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.
X Engage neutral.
or
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake. 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.
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. 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 selector lever to N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the parking brake.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
engage first or reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the key in the ignition lock to position
0and remove the key from the ignition
lock.
X Secure the vehicle. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow-started. The transmission
may otherwise be damaged.
When tow-starting, it is important that you
observe the safety instructions (Y page 333)
and the legal requirements in each respective
country.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 127).
X Fit the towing eye (Y page 334).
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. Towing and tow-starting
335Breakdown assistance Z
X
Release the clutch pedal slowly; do not
depress the accelerato rpedal while doing
so.
The engine is started.
X Depress the clutch pedal and shift to neu-
tral.
X Stop at a suitable place.
X Depress the parking brake.
X Remove the rigid towing bar or towing rope.
X Remove the towing eye (Y page 334).
X Switch off the hazard warning lamps.
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.
You can find information on "Jump-starting"
at (Y page 331). Electrical fuses
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only use fuses that have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which have the
correct fuse rating for the systems con-
cerned. Do not attempt to repair or bridge
faulty fuses. Using fuses which have not been
approved or attempting to repair or bridge
faulty fuses could cause the fuse to be over-
loaded and result in a fire. Have the cause
traced and rectified at a qualified specialist
workshop.
! Only use fuses that have been approved
for Mercedes-Benzv ehicles and which
have the correct fuse rating for the system
concerned. Otherwise, components or sys-
tems could be damaged.
The fuses in your vehicle serve to close down
faulty circuits. If afuse blows, all the compo-
nents on the circuit and their functions stop
operating. Blown fuses must be replace
dwith 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
Service Centre. Before replacing a fuse
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away
(Y page 177).
X Switch off all electrical consumers.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it (Y page 159).
or
X On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, make sure
the ignition is switched off (Y page 159).
All indicator lamps in the instrumen tcluster
must be off.
The fuses are located in various fuse boxes:
R fuse box on the driver's side of the dash-
board
R fuse box in the engine compartmen tonthe
left-hand side of the vehicle, when viewed
in the direction of travel
R fuse box in the boot on the right-hand side
of the vehicle, when viewed in the direction
of travel
The fuse allocation chart is located in the
vehicle tool kit in the stowage compartment
under the boot floor (Y page 323). Dashboard fuse box
! Do not use a pointed object such as a
screwdriver to open the cover in the dash-
board. You could damage the dashboard or
the cover.
! Make sure that no moisture can enter the
fuse box when the cover is open. 336
Electrical fusesBreakdown assistance
!
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
To open: pull out cover :slightly at the
bottom in the direction of arrow =.
X Pull cover :outwards in the direction of
arrow ;and remove it.
X To close: clip in cover :on the front of
the dashboard.
X Fold cover :inwards until it engages. Fuse box in the engine compartment
G
WARNING
Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
turned off and the key is pulled out of the igni-
tion lock before you open the cover of the fuse
box. Otherwise, the windscreen wipers and
the wiper rods above the cover could be set
in motion. This could lead to you or others
being injured by the wiper rods.
! 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 Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
switched off.
X Open the bonnet. X
Remove any existing moisture from the
fuse box using a dry cloth.
X To open: take lines ;from the guides.
X Move aside lines ;.Route the lines behind
connection =to do this.
X Open clamps :.
X Remove the fuse box cover forwards.
X To close: check whether the rubber seal is
lying correctly in the cover.
X Insert the cover at the rear of the fuse box
into the retainer.
X Fold down cover and close clamps :.
X Secure lines ;in the guides.
X Close the bonnet. Fuse box in the boot
! 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 boot lid. Electrical fuses
337Breakdown assistance Z
X
Vehicles withou tKEYLESS-GO: remove
the key from the ignition lock.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: open the
driver's door.
The on-board electronics have status 0,
which is the same as the key having been
removed.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock
(Y page 159).
X If included in the vehicle equipment,
remove the tyre-change tool kit from the
vehicle.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away.
i Apart from certain country-specific varia-
tions, the vehicles are no tequipped with a
tyre-change tool kit .Some tools for chang-
ing a wheel are specific to the vehicle. For
more information on which tools are
required to perform a wheel change on your
vehicle, consult a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Necessary wheel-changing tools can
include, for example:
R jack
R wheel chock
R wheel wrench
Securing the vehicle against rolling
away If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel chock,
it can be found in the tyre-change tool kit
(Y page 323). The folding wheel chock is an additional
securing measure to prevent the vehicle from
rolling away, for example when changing a
wheel.
X
Fold both plates upwards :.
X Fold out lower plate ;.
X Guide the lugs on the lower plate fully into
the openings in base plate =. Securing the vehicle on level ground (example:
Coupé)
X
On level ground: place chocks or other
suitable items under the front and rear of
the wheel that is diagonally opposite the
wheel you wish to change. Securing the vehicle on slight downhill gradients
(example: Coupé)
X
On light downhill gradients: place
chocks or other suitable items in front of
the wheels of the front and rear axle. Changing
awheel
347Wheels and tyres Z
Raising the vehicle
G
WARNING
If you do not position the jack correctly at the
appropriate jacking point of the vehicle, the
jack could tip ove rwith the vehicle raised.
There is a risk of injury.
Only position the jac katthe appropriate jack-
ing point of the vehicle. The base of the jack
must be positioned vertically, directly under
the jacking point of the vehicle.
The following must be observed when raising
the vehicle:
R to raise the vehicle, only use the vehicle-
specific jack that has been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. If the jack is
used incorrectly, it could tip over while the
vehicle is raised.
R the jack is designed only to raise and hold
the vehicle for a short time while a wheel
is being changed. It is not suited for per-
forming maintenance work under the vehi-
cle.
R avoid changing the wheel on uphill and
downhill slopes.
R before raising the vehicle, secure it from
rolling away by applying the parking brake
and inserting wheel chocks. Never disen-
gage the parking brake while the vehicle is
raised.
R the jack must be placed on a firm, flat and
non-slip surface. On a loose surface, a
large, load-bearing underlay must be used.
On a slippery surface, a non-slip underlay
must be used, e.g. rubber mats.
R do not use wooden blocks or similar
objects as a jack underlay.O therwise, the
jack will not be able to achieve its load-
bearing capacity due to the restricted
height.
R make sure tha tthe distance between the
underside of the tyres and the ground does
not exceed 3 cm.
R never place your hands or feet under the
raised vehicle. R
never lie under the raised vehicle.
R never start the engine when the vehicle is
raised.
R never open or close a door or the boot lid
when the vehicle is raised.
R make sure that no persons are present in
the vehicle when the vehicle is raised. X
Using wheel wrench :, loosen the bolts on
the wheel you wish to change by about one
full turn. Do not unscrew the bolts com-
pletely. Jacking points (example: Coupé)
The jacking points are located just behind the
front wheel arches and just in front of the rear
wheel arches (arrows).
Vehicles with AMG equipment: the vehicle
has covers fitted to protect the vehicle body
next to the jacking points on the outer sills. 348
Changing
awheelWheels and tyres