Vehicles with
acollapsible emergency
spare wheel :
Towing eye
; One pair of gloves
= Jack
? Folding wheel chock
A Centring pin
B Sheet for faulty wheel
C Tyre inflatio ncompressor
D Wheel wrench
E Fuse allocation chart
X Open the boot lid/tailgate.
X Swing the boot floor/luggage compart-
ment floor upwards (Y page 325) or
(Y page 325). Flat tyre
Preparing the vehicle
Information on changing a wheel/fitting
(Y page 388).
Vehicle preparation is not necessary on vehi-
cles with MOExtended tyres.
Your vehicle may be equipped with:
R MOExtended tyres (tyres with run-flat char-
acteristics) (Y page 363)
R a TIREFIT kit (Y page 364)
R an emergency spare wheel (only for certain
countries) (Y page 425) X
Stop the vehicle as far away as possible
from traffic on solid, non-slippery and level
ground.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Vehicles with AIRMATIC: make sure that
"normal" level is selected (Y page 208).
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'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 161).
X All occupants must get out of the vehicle.
Make sure that they are not endangered as
they do so.
X Make sure that no one is near the danger
area while a wheel 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 conditions when doing so.
X Close the driver's door.
X Place the warning triangle a suitable dis-
tance away (Y page 360). Observe legal
requirements. MOExtended tyres (tyres with run-flat
characteristics)
G
WARNING
When driving in emergency mode, the driving
characteristics deteriorate, e.g. when corner-
ing, accelerating quickly and when braking.
There is a risk of accident. Flat tyre
363Breakdown assistance
Z
Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Hybrid vehicles: it is imperative tha tyou read
the "HYBRID" supplement. Otherwise, you
may not recognise dangers. G
WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid
towing bar if:
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 maximum force.
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.
! To tow vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use
the key instead of the Start/Stop button.
The automatic transmission may otherwise
switch to position Pwhen you open the
driver's or front-passenge rdoor which
could damage the transmission.
! 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 435).
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. 372
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance
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 372).
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 position Nwhen towing the vehicle, you
must observe the following points:
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary and
that the key is in position 0in the ignition
lock.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the key
instead of the Start/Stop button
(Y page 161).
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal.
X Engage neutral.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 129).
X Leave the key in position 2in the ignition
lock.
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. 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 Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion 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:
shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
X Turn the key in the ignition lock to position
0and remove the key from the ignition
lock.
X Secure the vehicle. Notes for 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised; otherwise,
the transmission may be damaged.
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 374
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance
Clean the contact surface
softhe wheel and
the brake disc thoroughly every time a wheel
is interchanged. Check the tyre pressure and,
if necessary, restart the tyre pressure loss
warning system or the tyre pressure monitor. Direction of rotation
Tyres with a specified direction of rotation
have additional benefits, e.g. if there is a risk
of aquaplaning. You will only gain these ben-
efits if the correct direction of rotation is
observed.
An arrow on the sidewall of the tyre indicates
its correct direction of rotation. Storing wheels
Store wheels that are not being used in a cool,
dry and preferably dark place. Protect the
tyres against oil, grease, petrol and diesel. Cleaning the wheels
G
WARNING
The water jet of circular-jet nozzles (dirt grind-
ers) can cause damage not visible from the
outside to tyres or chassis components. Com-
ponents damaged in this way can unexpect-
edly fail. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not use high-pressure cleaners with circu-
lar-jet nozzles to clean the vehicle. Have dam-
aged tyres or chassis components replaced
immediately. Fitting
awheel
Preparing the vehicle X
Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Shift the transmission to position P.X
Vehicles with AIRMATIC :make sure that
"normal" level is selected (Y page 208).
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'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 161).
X If included in the vehicle equipment,
remove the tyre-change tool kit from the
vehicle.
X Secure the vehicle to preven titfrom rolling
away.
i Apart from certain country-specific varia-
tions, the vehicles are not equipped 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 agains trolling
away Changing
awheel
389Wheels and tyres Z