2013 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS SEDAN towing

X
Slide the seat backwards.
X To install: place the floormat in the
footwell.
X Press studs : onto retainers ;.
X To remove: pull the floormat off
retainers ;.
X Remove the floormat. Infrared reflective windshield
The infrared reflecting glass prevents the
vehicle
interior from becoming too hot. It also
blocks radio waves up into the gigahertz
range. Vehicles without Night View Assist Plus
:
Areas permeable to radio waves (to the
left and right of the rain sensor cover)
; Rain sensor cover
= Areas permeable to radio waves Vehicles with Night View Assist Plus
:
Area permeable to radio waves (to the left
of the rain sensor cover)
; Rain sensor cover
= Areas permeable to radio waves
In order to operate radio-controlled
equipment, e.g. toll recording systems,
areas : or = on the windshield are
permeable

to radio waves. In these areas, you
can install radio-controlled systems.
These areas can best be seen from outside
the vehicle by observing the light reflected off
the windshield. 454
Features
Stowing and features

lead to increased wear and damage to the
major assemblies or the vehicle.
Driving abroad
An
extensive Mercedes-Benz Service network
is also available in other countries. You can
obtain further information from any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Care
Notes on care
Regular
care of your vehicle is a condition for
retaining the quality in the long term.
Use care products and cleaning agents
recommended and approved by Mercedes-
Benz. G
WARNING
Many cleaning products can be hazardous.
Some are poisonous, others are flammable.
Always follow the instructions on the
particular container. Always open your
vehicle's

doors or windows when cleaning the
inside.
Never use fluids or solvents that are not
designed for cleaning your vehicle.
Always lock away cleaning products and keep
them out of reach of children.
! For cleaning your vehicle, do not use any
of the following:
R dry, rough or hard cloths
R abrasive cleaning agents
R solvents
R cleaning agents containing solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective
films with hard objects, e.g. a ring or ice
scraper. You could otherwise scratch or
damage the surfaces and protective film. H
Environmental note
Dispose of empty packaging and cleaning
cloths in an environmentally responsible
manner.
! Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period

straight after cleaning it, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after
cleaning. Braking heats the brake discs and
the brake pads/linings, thus drying them.
The vehicle can then be parked. Exterior care
Automatic car wash G
WARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the
vehicle. This could cause an accident. For
this reason, you must drive particularly
carefully after washing the vehicle until the
brakes have dried. G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOLD function
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate

the HOLD function and DISTRONIC
PLUS before the vehicle is washed in an
automatic car wash.
You can wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash from the very start.
! Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
If the vehicle is very dirty, pre-wash it before
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
! In car washes with a towing mechanism,
make sure that the automatic transmission
is in transmission position N, otherwise the
vehicle could be damaged. Care
463
Maintenance and care Z

Useful information ............................
472
Where will I find...? ........................... 472
Flat tire .............................................. 473
Battery ............................................... 478
Jump-starting .................................... 481
Towing and tow-starting .................. 483
Fuses .................................................. 485 471Breakdown assistance

Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Hybrid vehicles: be sure to read the "HYBRID"
supplement. Otherwise, you could fail to
recognize 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
steering can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum
permissible 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.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
! You may only tow the vehicle a maximum
distance of 30 miles (50 km). A towing
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h) must not be
exceeded.
For towing distances over 30 miles
(50 km), the vehicle must loaded onto a
transporter.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop. !
Only
secure the tow rope or tow bar at the
towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! When towing, pull away slowly and
smoothly. If the tractive power is too high,
the vehicles could be damaged.
! Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage the vehicle.
! When towing vehicles with KEYLESS-GO,
use the key instead of the Start/Stop
button. Otherwise, the automatic
transmission may shift to position P when
the driver's or front-passenger door are
opened, which could lead to damage to the
transmission.
The automatic transmission must be in
position N when the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2 in
the ignition lock
R cannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
i Before the vehicle is towed, switch off the
automatic locking feature ( Y page 264).
You could otherwise be locked out when
pushing or towing the vehicle. Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye X
Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit ( Y page 472). G
WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be hot. You could
burn yourself if you touch the tail pipe. Be
particularly careful when removing the rear
cover. Towing and tow-starting
483
Breakdown assistance Z

The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear, under the covers.
X
Press the mark on cover : inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
X Take cover : off the opening.
X Screw the towing eye in clockwise to the
stop and tighten 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 vehicle tool kit. Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
Only possible on vehicles without
4MATIC.
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, it is important that you observe the
safety instructions ( Y page 483).
! The ignition must be switched off if you
are towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised. Intervention by ESP ®
could
otherwise damage the brake system. X
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 279).
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0 in the
ignition lock and remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
X When leaving the vehicle, take the
SmartKey
or the KEYLESS-GO key with you. Towing a vehicle with both axles on
the ground
When

having your vehicle towed, observe the
important safety notes ( Y page 483). 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
vehicle. Adapt your style of driving
accordingly.
The automatic transmission automatically
shifts

to position P when you open the driver's
or front-passenger door or when you remove
the SmartKey from the ignition lock. In order
to ensure that the automatic transmission
stays in position N when towing the vehicle,
you must observe the following points:
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary and
the SmartKey in the ignition lock is in
position 0.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the
ignition lock.
On

vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the key
instead of the Start/Stop button
(Y page 303).
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Leave the SmartKey in position 2 in the
ignition lock.484
Towing and tow-starting
Breakdown assistance

Transporting the vehicle
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
onto a trailer or transporter for transporting
purposes.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the
ignition lock.
X Shift the automatic 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 Shift the automatic transmission to
position P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0 in the
ignition lock and remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
X Secure 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.
Otherwise, the vehicle could be damaged. Notes for 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles

with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised,
as doing so will damage the transmission.
If the vehicle has transmission damage or
damage to the front or rear axle, have it
transported 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 481).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter
or trailer. Tow-starting (emergency starting)
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be started by tow-starting. This
could otherwise damage the transmission. Fuses
Important safety notes
The
fuses in your vehicle serve to close down
faulty circuits. If a fuse blows, all the
components on the circuit and their functions
stop operating. G
WARNING
Only use fuses approved by Mercedes-Benz
with
the specified amperage for the system in
question and do not attempt to repair or
bridge a blown fuse. Using other than
approved fuses or using repaired or bridged
fuses may cause an overload leading to a fire,
and/or cause damage to electrical
components and/or systems. Have the cause
determined and remedied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Blown fuses must be replaced with fuses of
the same rating, which you can recognize by
the color and value. The fuse ratings are listed
in the fuse allocation chart. An authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center will be happy to
advise you.
i If a fuse has blown, contact a breakdown
service or an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If the newly inserted fuse also blows, have the
cause traced and rectified at a qualified
specialist workshop, e.g. an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
! Only use fuses that have been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which
have the correct fuse rating for the system
concerned. Otherwise, components or
systems could be damaged. Fuses
485
Breakdown assistance Z

X
Step 4: The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs and there will be five
150 lbs passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and luggage load
capacity is 650 lbs (1400 - 750 (5 x 150) =
650 lbs).
X Step 5:
Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in step 4.
X Step 6 (if applicable): If your vehicle will
be towing a trailer, load from your trailer
will be transferred to your vehicle. Consult
this

manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle ( Y page 504).502
Loading the vehicle
Wheels and tires

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Step 3 Permissible cargo
and trailer load/
noseweight
(maximum gross
vehicle
weight rating
from the Tire and
Loading Information
placard minus the
gross weight of all
occupants) 1500 lbs
(680 kg) -
750
lbs (340 kg)
= 750 lbs
(340 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg) -
540
lbs (245 kg)
= 960 lbs
(435 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg) -
150
lbs (68 kg) =
1350 lbs
(612 kg) The higher the weight of all the occupants, the smaller the maximum load for luggage.
Further information can be found under "Towing a trailer"

(Y page 504). Vehicle identification plate
Even if you have calculated the total load
carefully, you should still make sure that the
gross

vehicle weight rating and the gross axle
weight rating are not exceeded. Details can
be found on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side (Y page 500).
Gross vehicle weight: the gross weight of
the vehicle, all passengers, cargo and trailer
load/noseweight (if applicable) must not
exceed the permissible gross vehicle weight.
Gross axle weight rating: the maximum
permissible load that can be carried by one
axle (front or rear axle).
To ensure that your vehicle does not exceed
the maximum permissible values (gross
vehicle weight and maximum gross axle
weight rating), have your loaded vehicle
(including driver, occupants, cargo, and full
trailer load if applicable) weighed on a
suitable vehicle weighbridge. Trailer load/noseweight
The
trailer load/noseweight affects the gross
weight of the vehicle. If a trailer is attached,
the trailer load/noseweight is included in the
load along with occupants and luggage. The
trailer load/noseweight is usually approximately 10% of the gross weight of the
trailer and its load.
Your Mercedes-Benz has been designed
primarily to carry passengers and their
luggage. Mercedes-Benz does not
recommend

towing a trailer with your vehicle. Maximum load rating
G
WARNING
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information placard on the
driver's door B-pillar

. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also result
in handling or steering problems, or brake
failure. 504
Maximum load ratingWheels and tires