2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class towing

Useful information
............................526
Where will I find...? ...........................526
Flat tire .............................................. 527
Batter y(vehicle) ................................ 531
Jump-starting .................................... 534
Towing and tow-starting ..................536
Fuses .................................................. 539 525Breakdown assistance

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's
Manual. Country-specific differences are
possible. Please note that your vehicle may
not be equipped with all features
described. This also applies to safety-
related systems and functions.
i Read the information on qualified
specialist workshops: (Y page 38).Where will I find...?
First-aid kit
First-aid kit
0002is located in the trunk under
the trunk floor.
X Open the trun klid.
X Open the trunk partition (Y page 106).
X Lift the trunk floor upwards (Y page 494).
X Remove first-aid kit 0002.
i Check the expiration date on the first-aid
kit at least once a year. Replace the
contents if necessary, and replace missing
items. Vehicle tool kit
General notes The vehicle tool kit consists of a towing eye
and tes
tgauge for measuring the brake pad
thickness (Y page 181). The towing eye is
located in the trunk in a bracket below the
trunk lid lock. The gauge for measuring brake
pad/lining thickness is in the vehicle
documen twallet .Ifthe vehicle is equipped
with a TIREFIT kit, this will be located in the
stowage space under the trunk floor.
Vehicles with aTIREFIT kit 0002
Towing eye
0003 Tire sealan tfiller bottle
0027 Fuse allocation chart
0026 Tire inflation compressor
X Open the trunk lid.
X Open the trunk partition (Y page 106).
X Lift the trunk floor upwards (Y page 494).526
Where will I find...?Breakdown assistance

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
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.
! 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,
this could damage the vehicle. If in doubt,
recover the vehicle with acrane.
! When towing, pull away slowly and
smoothly .Ifthe 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 Pwhen
the driver's or front-passenger door are opened, which could lead to damage to the
transmission.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
! The vehicle can be towed a maximum of
30 miles (50km). The towing speed of
30 mph (50 km/h) must not be exceeded.
If the vehicle has to be towed more than
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicle must be
raised and transported.
! If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum
permissible gross vehicle weight of your
vehicle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate (Y page 577).
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
The automatic transmission must be in
position Nwhen the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock
R cannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
i Deactivate the automatic locking feature
(Y page 235). You could otherwise be
locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle. Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye 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. 536
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

Example: towing eye mounting covers
0002 Front cover
0003 Back cover
The mountings for the screw-i ntowing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear, behind the covers.
X Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 526).
X Front bumper: insert a finger into the
recess on the bottom edge of cover 0002.
X Pull cover 0002out of the bumper towards
you in the direction of the arrow.
Cover 0002is attached to the opening with a
strap.
X Rear bumper: press the mark on
cover 0003inwards in the direction of the
arrow.
X Take cover 0003off the opening.
X Screw in and tighten the towing eye
clockwise to the stop. Removing the towing eye
Example: towing eye mounting covers
0002
Front cover
0003 Back cover
X Unscrew and remove the towing eye.
X Front bumper: position cover0002on the
opening in the bumper, as shown.
X Twist cover 0002into the opening in the
direction of the arrow.
Cover 0002is now attached at the top edge
of the opening.
X To close, press the lower section of
cover 0002.
X Rear bumper: position cover0003on the
bumper and press until it engages.
X Place the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit
(Y page 526). Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
! 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. Towing and tow-starting
537Breakdown assistance Z

X
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 130).
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
X Whe nleaving the vehicle, take the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO key with you.
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, it is important that you observe the
safety instructions (Y page 536).Towing
avehicle 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
vehicle .Adapt your style of driving
accordingly.
The automatic transmission automatically
shifts to position Pwhen 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 Nwhen towing
the vehicle, you must observe the following
points:
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 130).
i In order to signal a change of direction
when towing the vehicle with the hazard
warning lamps switched on, use the
combination switch as usual. In this case,
only the indicator lamps for the direction of
travel flash. When you reset the
combination switch, the hazard warning
flashers start flashing again.
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 2in the
ignition lock. On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop button
(Y
page 155).
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 2in the
ignition lock.
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 536). 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.
Otherwise, the vehicle could be damaged.
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
onto a trailer or transporter for transporting
purposes.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Preven tthe vehicle from rolling away by
applying the electric parking brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Vehicles with an automatic transmission
must not be tow-started. You could
otherwise damage the automatic
transmission. 538
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance