2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class trailer

Load compensation
The vehicle can compensat
edifferences in
th ev ehicle level by raisin gorlowering the
rear axle. This is the case, for example, if
people get out or if luggage is being loaded.
Load compensation takes place if:
R ad oor or the trunk lid/tailgate is opened
R the parked vehicle is unlocked
For larger level changes, the engine must be
running. 4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC
can neither reduce the risk of accident nor
override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot
take account of road, weather and traffic
conditions. 4MATIC is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front,f or vehicle speed, for braking in good
time and for staying in your lane.
If ad rive wheel spins due to insufficien tgrip:
R Only depress the accelerator peda lasfar
as necessary when pulling away.
R Accelerate less when driving.
! Never tow the vehicl ewith one axle
raised. This may damage the transfer case.
Damag eofthis sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remai neithe ront he ground
or be fully raised. Observe the instructions
for towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow
chains if necessary.
4MATIC ensures that allf our wheels are
permanently driven. Together with ESP ®
,it
improves the traction of you rvehicle
whenever adrive wheel spins due to
insufficient grip. PARKTRONIC
Important safet ynotes PARKTRONIC is an electronic parkin
gaid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distanc ebetween your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a
replacemen tfor your attention to your
immediate surroundings. You are always
responsible for safe maneuvering, parking
and exiting aparkin gspace. When
maneuvering, parkin gorpulling out of a
parkin gspace, make sure that ther eare no
persons, animals or objects in the area in
which you are maneuvering.
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detec tsuch objects
when they are in th eimmediat evicinity of
th ev ehicle. You could damag ethe vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objectst hat absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or apneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D,Ror N
R release the parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front bumper
and four sensors in the rear bumper. Driving systems
193Driving and parking Z

Parking tips:
R
On narrow roads, drive as close to the
parking space as possible.
R Parking spaces that are littered or
overgrown might be identified or measured
incorrectly.
R Parking spaces that are partially occupied
by trailer drawbars might not be identified
as such or be measured incorrectly.
R Snowfall or heavy rain may lead to aparking
space being measured inaccurately.
R Pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 195) warning messages during the
parking procedure.
R You can intervene in the steerin gprocedure
to correc titatany time. Active Parking
Assist will then be canceled.
R When transportin gaload which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parking Assist.
R Never use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are installed.
R Make sure that the tire pressures are
alway scorrect. This has adirec tinfluence
on the parking characteristics of the
vehicle.
Use Active Parking Assist for parking spaces:
R tha tare paralleltot he direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same leve lasthe road ,e.g.
not on the pavement
Detectin gparking spaces Objects located above the height range of
Active Parking Assist willn ot be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated ,e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. G
WARNING
If there are objects above the detection range,
Active Parking Assist may turn prematurely. You may caus
eacollision as aresult. There is
ar isk of an accident.
If there are objects above the detection range,
stop and deactivate Active Parking Assist.
For further information on the detection
range (Y page194).
Active Parking Assist does not support you
with parking spaces paralleltot he direction
of travel if:
R the parking space is on acurb
R thep arking spac eappear sblocke dtothe
system, for example ,byfoliage or grass
pavin gblocks
R thea rea that th evehicl eneeds to
maneuve ristoo small
R the parking space is bordered by an
obstacle, such as atree, apost or atrailer Example: detected parking space
001A
Detected parking space on the left
0010 Parking symbol
0024 Detected parking space on the right
Active Parking Assist is switched on
automaticallyw hen driving forwards. The
system is operational at speeds of up to
approximately 22 mph (35 km/h). While in
operation, the system independently locates
and measures parking spaces on both sides
of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parking
spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are at least 59 in (1.5 m) wide
R that are at least 51 in (1.3 m) longer than
your vehicle
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see parking symbol as a Driving systems
197Driving and parking Z

R
if the camera is exposed to very bright light
R if the area is lit by fluorescen tlight or LED
lighting (th edisplay may flicker)
R if there is asudden change in temperature,
e.g. when drivin gintoah eatedgarage in
winter
R if the camera lens is dirt yorobstructed
R if the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In
this event, have the camera position and
settin gchecked at aqualified specialist
workshop.
General notes Example: Coupe
Rear view camera
001Ais located in the handle
strip of the trunk lid.
Rear view camera 001Ais an optical parking and
maneuverin gaid. It shows the area behind
your vehicle with guide lines in the COMAND
display.
The area behin dthe vehicle is displayed as a
mirror image, as in the rear view mirror.
i The tex tofmessages shown in the
COMAND display depends on the language
setting. The following are examples of rear
view camera messages in the COMAND
display. Activating/deactivating the rear view
camera X
To activate: make sure that the SmartKey
is in position 2in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the "Activation by Rgear"
setting is active in COMAND ,see the
separate COMAND operatin ginstructions.
X Engage revers egear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown in the
COMAND display with guide lines.
To deactivate: the rear view camera is
deactivated if you:
R shift the transmission to position P
R drive 33 ft (10 m) forwards
R shift the transmission from Rto another
position after 15 seconds
R drive forwards at aspeed of over 5mph
(10 km/h)
Displays in the COMAND display The rear view camera may show
adistorted
view of obstacles, show them incorrectly or
not at all. The rear view camera does not show
objects in the following positions:
R very close to the rear bumper
R under the rear bumper
R in the area immediately above the tailgate
handle
! Objects not at ground level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g.:
R the bumper of aparked vehicle
R the drawbar of atrailer
R the ball coupling of atrailer tow hitch
R the rear section of an HGV
R as lanted post
Use the guidelines only for orientation.
Approac hobjects no further than the
bottom-most guideline. 200
Driving systemsDriving and parking

X
First, remove the jumper cable sfrom earth point 001Eand negative terminal 0021,then from
positiv eclamp 0010and positiv eterminal 0024.Begine acht ime at the contacts on your own
vehicle first.
X Close cover 001Aof positiv eclamp 0010afte rremoving the jumper cables.
X Have the battery checke dataqualified specialist workshop.
i Jump-startin gisnot considered to be anormal operatin gcondition.
i Jumper cables and further information regardin gjump-starting can be obtained at any
qualified specialist workshop. Towing and tow-starting
Importan
tsafet ynotes G
WARNING
Function srelevant to safety are restricted or
no longer available if:
R the engin eisnot running.
R the brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning.
R ther eisam alfunction in the voltage supply
or the vehicle's electrical system.
If your vehicle is being towed, much more
forc emay be necessary to steer or brake.
There is arisk of an accident.
In such cases, use atow bar. Befor etowing,
make sure that the steering moves freely. G
WARNING
If the weight of the vehicle to be towed or tow-
started is greater than the permissible gross
weight of your vehicle:
R the towin geye could detach itself
R the vehicle/trailer combination could
rollover.
There is arisk of an accident.
When towin gortow-starting another vehicle,
its weight should not be greater than the
permissible gross weight of your vehicle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight ratin gcan be found on the vehicle
identification plate (Y page 372). !
If DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes
automatically in certain situations. To
preven tdamage to th evehicle ,deactivate
DISTRONI CPLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or other similar situations:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
! 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 .Ifindoubt,
recover the vehicle with acrane.
! When towing, pulla wayslowly 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.
! The vehicle can be towed amaximum 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. 328
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission
damage, have it transported on
atransporter
or trailer.
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 83). You could otherwis ebelocked
out when pushing or towing the vehicle. Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye G
WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be very hot. There
is ar isk of burns when removing the rear
cover.
Do not touch the exhaust pipe.T ake particular
car ew hen removin gthe rear cover. Example
:towing eye covers Towing eye covers (AMG vehicles)
The mountings for the removable towing 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 320).
X Pull cover 001Aout of the bumper in the
direction of the arrow by inserting your
fingers into the recess.
X Press the mark on cover 0010inwards in the
direction of the arrow. Towing and tow-starting
329Breakdown assistance Z

X
Take cover 0010off the opening.
X Screw in and tighten the towing eye
clockwise to the stop.
Removing the towing eye X
Unscrew and remove the towing eye.
X Position the top of cover 001Ain the bumper
and press it in at the bottom until it
engages.
X Attach cover 0010to 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
! 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.
Only possible for vehicles without
4MATIC.
X Switc hont he hazard warning lamps
(Y page 120).
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in 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.
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, it is importan tthat you observe the
safety instructions (Y page 328).Towing
avehicle with both axles on
th eg round
It is importan tthat you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 328). 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 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 147).
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 120).
X Leave the SmartKey in position 2in the
ignition lock.
i When towing with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination
switch as usualtos ignalachange of
direction. In this case, only the indicator
lamps for the direction of travel flash. After
resetting the combination switch, the
hazard warning lamp starts 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.
Otherwise, the vehicle could be damaged.
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
onto atrailer or transporter for transporting
purposes. 330
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

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 Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the parking brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to
position P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
X Secure the vehicle. Notes on 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with 4MATI Cmust not be towed
with either the frontort he 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 atransporter 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,y ou must provide power to the vehicle's
electrical system in the same way as when
jump-starting (Y page 326).
Have the vehicle transported on atransporter
or trailer. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be started by tow-starting. This
could otherwise damage the transmission.
You can find information on "Jump-starting"
at (Y page 326). Fuses
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you manipulate or bridge afaulty fuse or if
you replace it with afuse with ahigher
amperage, the electric cables could be
overloaded. This could result in afire. There
is ar isk of an accident and injury.
Always replace faulty fuses with the specified
new fuses having the correct amperage.
! Only use fuses that have been approved
for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles and which
have the correct fuse ratin gfor the system
concerned. Otherwise, componentsor
systems could be damaged.
The fuses in your vehicle serve to close down
faulty circuits. If afuse blows ,all the
component sonthecircuit and their functions
stop operating.
Blown fuse smust be replace dwith fuses of
the same rating, which you can recognize by
the color and value. The fuse ratings are listed
in the fuse allocation chart.
If an ewly inserted fuse also blows, have the
cause traced and rectified at aqualified
specialist workshop, e.g. an authorized
Mercedes-Ben zCenter. Befor
echanging afuse
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away
(Y page 167).
X Switc hoff all electrical consumers.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove it (Y page 147).
or
X On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, make sure
the ignition is switched off (Y page 147).
All indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
must be off. Fuses
331Breakdown assistance Z

Step 3
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Permissible load
(maximumg
ross
vehicle weight rating
fro mt he Tire and
Loading Information
placard minus the
gross weight of all
occupants) 1500 lb
s(68 0k g)
0022 750 lb s(34 0k g) =
750 lb s(34 0k g) 1500 lb
s(68 0k g)
0022 540 lb s(24 5k g)
=960 lb s(43 5k g) 1500 lb
s(68 0k g)
0022 150 lb s(68 kg) =
1350 lb s(61 2k g) Vehicle identificatio
nplate
Even if yo uhavec alculate dthe tota lcargo
carefully, yo ushoul dstill make sure tha tthe
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 of the vehicle
(Y page 345).
Permissible gross vehicle weight: the
gross weight of the vehicle, all passengers,
load and trailer load/noseweight (if
applicable) must not exceed the permissible
gross vehicle weight.
Gross axle weight rating: the maximum
permissible weight 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. All about wheelsa
nd tires Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading
Standards Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. governments
pecifications. Their
purpose is to provide drivers with uniform
reliablei nformation on tire performance data.
Tire manufacturers have to grade tires using
three performance factors: 001Atread wear
grade, 0010traction grade and 0024temperature
grade. These regulations do not apply to
Canada.N evertheless, all tires sold in North
America are provided with the corresponding
quality grading markings on the sidewall of
the tire.
Where applicable, the tire grading
information can be found on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and maximum
tire width. All about wheels and tires
349Wheels and tires Z