Before handling the battery, touch the vehicle
body to remove any existing electrostatic
build-up.
The highly flammable gas mixture is created
while the battery is charging and when jump- starting.
Always make sure that neither you nor the
battery is electrostatically charged. Electro-
static charge is created, for example:
R by wearing synthetic fibre clothing
R due to friction between clothing and the
seat
R when you pull or push the battery across
carpet or other synthetic materials
R when you rub the battery with a cloth G
WARNING
During the charging process, a battery produ- ces hydrogen gas. If a short circuit occurs or
sparks are created, the hydrogen gas can
ignite. There is a risk of an explosion.
R Make sure that the positive terminal of a
connected battery does not come into con- tact with vehicle parts.
R Never place metal objects or tools on a bat-
tery.
R It is important that you observe the descri-
bed order of the battery terminals when
connecting and disconnecting a battery.
R When jump-starting, make sure that the
battery poles with identical polarity are
connected.
R It is particularly important to observe the
described order when connecting and dis-
connecting the jump leads.
R Never connect or disconnect the battery
terminals while the engine is running. G
WARNING
Battery acid is caustic. There is a risk of injury. Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or clothing.
Do not inhale any battery gases. Do not lean
over the battery. Keep children away from batteries. Wash battery acid immediately with
water and seek medical attention. H
Environmental note Batteries contain pollutants.
It is illegal to dispose of them
with the household rubbish.
They must be collected sep-
arately and disposed of in anenvironmentally responsible
recycling system. Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally responsible
manner. Take discharged
batteries to a qualified spe-
cialist workshop or to a col-
lection point for used batter-
ies.
! Have the battery checked regularly at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Observe the service intervals in the Service
Booklet or contact a qualified specialist
workshop for more information.
! You should have all work involving the
battery carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop. In the exceptional case that it is
necessary for you to disconnect the battery yourself, make sure that:
R you switch off the engine and remove the
key. On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO,
ensure that the ignition is switched off.
Check that all the indicator lamps in the
instrument cluster are off. Otherwise,
electronic components, such as the
alternator, may be damaged.
R you first remove the negative terminal
clamp and then the positive terminal
clamp. Never swap the terminal clamps.
Otherwise, the vehicle's electronic sys-
tem may be damaged.
R the transmission is locked in position P
after disconnecting the battery. The vehi-
cle is secured against rolling away. You
can then no longer move the vehicle. 352
Battery (vehicle)Breakdown assistance
!
Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
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.
! 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-passenger door 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 maximum per- missible gross vehicle weight of your vehi-
cle.
Observe the legal requirements for the rele-
vant countries when towing.
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.
The automatic transmission must be in posi-
tion Nwhen the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged. Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2
R cannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
i Deactivate the automatic locking feature
before the vehicle is towed away
(Y page 90). You could otherwise be locked
out when pushing or towing the vehicle.
i Deactivate tow-away protection before
the vehicle is towed away (Y page 79). Fitting/removing the towing eye
Fitting the towing eye G
WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be extremely hot.
There is a risk of burning when removing the
rear cover.
Do not touch the exhaust tail pipe. Use
extreme caution when removing the rear
cover. Towing eye covers (example: CLS Coupé)
Towing eye covers (AMG vehicles)358
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance
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 Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 345).
X Pull cover :out of the bumper in the
direction of the arrow by inserting your fin-
gers into the recess.
X Press the mark on cover ;inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
X Remove cover ;from 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 Position cover :on top of the bumper and
press it in at the bottom until it engages.
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
! The ignition must be switched off if you
are towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised. Intervention by ESP ®
could other-
wise damage the brake system.
Only possible on vehicles without
4MATIC.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 126).
X Turn the key in the ignition lock to position
0 and remove the key from the ignition
lock.
X When leaving the vehicle, take the key 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 357). Towing the vehicle with both axles on
the ground
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 357).
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 159).
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 126).
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 a change of direc- tion. In this case, only the turn signals for
the desired direction flash. When you reset
the combination switch, the hazard warn-
ing lamps start flashing again. Transporting the vehicle
! You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as
axle or steering components. Otherwise,
the vehicle could be damaged. Towing and tow-starting
359Breakdown assistance Z
X
Secure the vehicle against rolling away
(Y page 180).
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 instrument cluster
must be off.
The fuses are located in various fuse boxes:
R fuse box in the engine compartment on the
left-hand side of the vehicle, when viewed
in the direction of travel
R CLS Coupé: fuse box located in the boot on
the right-hand side when viewed in the
direction of travel
R CLS Shooting Brake: fuse box located in
the luggage compartment on the right-
hand side when viewed in the direction of
travel
CLS Coupé: the fuse allocation chart is loca-
ted in the vehicle tool kit in the stowage com-
partment under the boot floor (Y page 345).
CLS Shooting Brake: the fuse allocation
chart is located in the vehicle tool kit in the
stowage compartment under the luggage
compartment floor (Y page 345).Fuse box in the engine compartment
Observe the important safety notes
(Y page 360) G
WARNING
When the bonnet is open, and the windscreen wipers are set in motion, you can be injured by
the wiper linkage. There is a risk of injury.
Always switch off the windscreen wipers and
the ignition before opening the bonnet.
! 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 ;out of the guides.
X Move lines ;to one side. Route the lines
behind connection =to do this.
X Open retaining clamps :.
X Remove the fuse box cover forwards.
X To close: check whether the rubber seal is
seated 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 (CLS Coupé)
Observe the important safety notes
(Y page 360)
! 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. Electrical fuses
361Breakdown assistance Z
Interchanging the front and rear wheels of
differing dimensions can render the general
operating permit invalid.
Observe the instructions and safety notes in
the "Fitting a wheel" section (Y page 374).
The wear patterns on the front and rear tyres differ depending on the operating conditions.Interchange the wheels before a clear wear
pattern has formed on the tyres. Front tyres
typically wear more on the shoulders and the
rear tyres in the centre.
On vehicles that have the same size front and rear wheels, you can interchange the wheels
every 5,000 to 10,000 km depending on the
degree of tyre wear. Ensure that the direction
of rotation is maintained.
Clean the contact surfaces of the 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 a wheel
Preparing the vehicle X
Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Move the front wheels to the straight-
ahead position.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Vehicles with AIRMATIC: make sure that
"normal" vehicle level is selected
(Y page 202).
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 now have status
0. This 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 (Y page 345).
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away.
i Apart from some country-specific var-
iants, vehicles are not equipped with tyre-
changing tools. Some tools for changing 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 workshop. 374
Changing a wheelWheels and tyres