You will find the applicable permissible values,
which must not be exceeded, in the vehicle
documents.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates and
those for the towing vehicle under "Technical
data" (Y page 336).
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to
when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by strong crosswinds
R demands more sensitive steering
R has a larger turning circle
This can impair the vehicle's handling charac-
teristics. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Maintain a safe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your speed to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination. Notes on towing a trailer
General notes The E 500 model cannot be used to tow a trailer.
i When towing a trailer, set the tyre pressure
on the rear axle of the towing vehicle for a
maximum load; see the tyre pressure table in
the fuel filler flap (Y page 316).
Please note that when towing a trailer, the fol-
lowing driving systems have limited availability
or are not available at all.
R PARKTRONIC (Y page 172)
R Active Parking Assist (Y page 176)
R Blind Spot Assist (Y page 193)
i The height of the ball coupling changes with
the load of the vehicle. If necessary, use a
trailer with a height-adjustable drawbar.
You will find fitting dimensions and loads under "Technical data" (Y page 335). Driving tips i
Observe the notes on ESP ®
trailer stabilisa-
tion (Y page 68).
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginning the journey, check the
trailer's documents to see what the maximum
permitted speed is. Observe the legally prescri-
bed maximum speed in the relevant country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the maxi-
mum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing a trailer. See the "Technical data"
section to find out whether this applies to your
vehicle (Y page 336). If you utilise any of the
added maximum rear axle load when towing a
trailer, the vehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed a maximum speed of 100 km/h for rea-
sons concerning the operating permit. This also applies in countries in which the permissible
maximum speed for vehicle/trailer combina-
tions is above 100 km/h.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison to
when driving without a trailer and it will con-
sume more fuel.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients.
i This also applies if you have activated cruise
control, SPEEDTRONIC or DISTRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so
less braking will be required to maintain vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the brake sys-
tem and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. If you need additional
braking, depress the brake pedal repeatedly
rather than continuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake if necessary.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle in
front than when driving without a trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake gen-
tly at first to allow the trailer to run on. Then,
increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing capa-
bilities from a standstill refer to sea level.
When driving in mountainous areas, note that 202
Towing a trailerDriving and parking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Operating the integrated information systems and communications equipment in the vehicle
while driving will distract you from traffic con-
ditions. You could then lose control of the
vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Only operate these devices if road traffic con-
ditions permit. If you are unsure about the
surrounding conditions, pull over to a safe
location and make entries only while the vehi-
cle is stationary.
You must observe the legal requirements for the country in which you are currently driving whenoperating the on-board computer. G
WARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognise function
restrictions relevant to safety. The operating
safety of your vehicle may be impaired. There is a risk of an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have the vehicle checked
at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
The on-board computer only shows messages or warnings from certain systems in the multifunc-tion display. You should therefore make sure
your vehicle is operating safely at all times.
If the operating safety of your vehicle is
impaired, park the vehicle safely as soon as pos- sible. Contact a qualified specialist workshop.
For an overview; see the instrument cluster illus-
tration (Y page 30). Displays and operation
Speedometer with segments
The segments in the speedometer indicate
which speed range is available. R Cruise control activated (Y page 156):
The segments light up from the stored speed to the type-tested maximum speed.
R Variable SPEEDTRONIC activated
(Y page 158): The segments light up from the start of the
scale to the selected limit speed.
R DISTRONIC PLUS activated (Y page 161):
One or two segments in the set speed range
light up.
R DISTRONIC PLUS detects a vehicle in front:
The segments between the speed of the vehi-
cle in front and the stored speed light up. Rev counter
! Do not drive in the overrevving range. Doing
so will damage the engine.
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
The fuel supply is interrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached. Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Bear in mind that the outside temperature dis-
play indicates the measured air temperature
and not the road surface temperature.
The outside temperature display is in the multi-
function display (Y page 208).
The multifunction display shows changes in the
outside temperature with a delay. Coolant temperature gauge
G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is a fire in the
engine compartment, you could come into
contact with hot gases or other leaking ser-
vice products. There is a danger of injury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is a fire in the engine compartment, leave the bonnet
closed and notify the fire brigade.
The coolant temperature gauge is in the instru-
ment cluster on the left-hand side (Y page 30).206
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays
Trip computer "From start" or "From
reset" :
Distance
; Driving time
= Average speed
? Average fuel consumption
X Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select
From start
From start orFrom reset
From reset.
The values in the From
Fromstart
start submenu are cal-
culated from the start of a journey whilst the
values in the From reset
From reset submenu are calcu-
lated from the last time the submenu was reset
(Y page 209).
In the following cases, the trip computer is auto-
matically reset From start
From start:
R the ignition has been switched off for more
than four hours
R 999 hours have been exceeded
R 9,999 kilometres have been exceeded
When 9,999 hours or 99,999 kilometres have
been exceeded, the trip computer is automati-
cally reset From reset
From reset.
ECO display X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip
Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select ECO
ECO
DISPLAY
DISPLAY.
If the ignition remains switched off for longer
than four hours, the ECO display will be auto-
matically reset.
Further information on the ECO display
(Y page 152). Displaying the range and current fuel
consumption X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Press 9or: to select the display with
approximate range and the current fuel con-
sumption.
The approximate range that can be covered is calculated according to your current driving
style and the amount of fuel in the tank. If
there is only a small amount of fuel left in the
fuel tank, a vehicle being refuelled C
appears instead of approximate range.
Digital speedometer X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
digital speedometer.
A gearshift recommendation Zcan also
appear in the display.
Observe the information on gearshift recom-
mendation Zfor manual transmission
(Y page 140) or for automatic transmission
(shifting manually) (Y page 144).
Resetting values X
Press the =or; button on the steering
wheel to select the Trip Tripmenu.
X Press the 9or: button to select the
function that you wish to reset.
X Press ato confirm your selection.
X Press :to select Yes
Yesand press ato
confirm.
You can reset the values of the following func-
tions: R Trip meter
R "From start" trip computer
R "From reset" trip computer
R ECO display Menus and submenus
209On-board computer and displays Z
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions #
See Owner's Manual See Owner's Manual The battery is not being charged.
A warning tone also sounds.
Possible causes:
R faulty alternator
R torn poly-V-belt
R a malfunction in the electronics
! Do not continue driving. The engine could otherwise overheat.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 150).
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. #
Stop vehicle See Stop vehicle See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The battery is no longer being charged and the battery charge level is
too low.
A warning tone also sounds.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 150).
X Observe the instructions in the #See SeeOwner's
Owner's Manual
Manualdisplay
message.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 4
Check Check
eng.
eng.oil
oillev.
lev.
when
when next
nextrefuelling
refuelling The engine oil level has dropped to the minimum level.
A warning tone also sounds.
! Avoid long journeys when there is too little coolant in the cooling
system. Otherwise the engine will be damaged.
X Check the oil level when next refuelling, at the latest (Y page 285).
X If necessary, top up the engine oil (Y page 286).
X Have the engine checked at a qualified specialist workshop if the
engine oil needs topping up more often than usual.
Information on approved engine oils can be obtained from any quali-
fied specialist workshop or on the Internet at http://bevo.mercedes-
benz.com. 8
Reserve fuel level Reserve fuel level The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated if the fuel level drops
into the reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. C There is very little fuel in the fuel tank.
The auxiliary heating cannot be operated.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station without fail. 232
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions ¸
Please replace air Please replace air
filter filter Vehicles with a diesel engine: the engine air filter is dirty and must be
replaced.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. !
Clean the fuel fil‐ Clean the fuel fil‐
ter ter Vehicles with a diesel engine: there is water in the fuel filter. The water
must be drained off.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. ¯
Refill AdBlue at Refill AdBlue at
workshop See Own‐ workshop See Own‐
er's Manual er's Manual The AdBlue
®
level has fallen below the reserve range. A warning tone
also sounds.
X Have AdBlue ®
refilled as soon as possible at a qualified specialist
workshop. ¯
Refill AdBlue at Refill AdBlue at
workshop No start workshop No start
in .. km in .. km The AdBlue
®
level is only sufficient for the indicated distance. A warn-
ing tone also sounds.
X Have AdBlue ®
refilled as soon as possible at a qualified specialist
workshop. ¯
Refill AdBlue at Refill AdBlue at
workshop workshop
Eng.
Eng.start
start
not possible
not possible The AdBlue
®
tank is empty. A warning tone also sounds. You can no
longer start the engine.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. ¯
Check AdBlue See Check AdBlue See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. A warning tone also sounds.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. ¯
Eng. start not pos‐ Eng. start not pos‐
sible in ..km sible in ..km The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. A warning tone also sounds.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. ¯
Eng. start not pos‐ Eng. start not pos‐
sible sible The AdBlue
®
system is malfunctioning. A warning tone also sounds.
You can no longer start the engine.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. Display
messages
233On-board computer and displays Z
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions j
Check Check
trailer
trailer hitch
hitch
lock
lock The trailer tow hitch is not correctly engaged.
A warning tone also sounds.
G WARNING
If the ball coupling is not engaged, the trailer may come loose. There
is a risk of an accident.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Engage the trailer coupling's ball coupling in the end position
(Y page 203). &
inoperative inoperative
Battery
Battery
Low
Low The on-board voltage is too low. The auxiliary heating has switched
itself off or cannot be switched on (Y page 124).
X Drive for a considerable distance.
The battery charges. The auxiliary heating is operational again as
soon as the on-board electrical system voltage is sufficient. &
inoperative Refuel inoperative Refuel
vehicle vehicle There is too little fuel in the fuel tank. The auxiliary heating cannot be
switched on (Y page 124).
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. &
inoperative inoperative
See
SeeOwn‐
Own‐
er's Man.
er's Man. The auxiliary heating is temporarily malfunctioning or faulty.
X When the vehicle is on a level surface and the engine has cooled
down, make up to four attempts to switch on the auxiliary heating,
waiting several minutes between each attempt (Y page 124).
X If the auxiliary heating does not switch on, consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. Telephone Telephone
No
Noservice
service Your vehicle is outside the network provider's transmitter/receiver
range.
X Wait until the mobile phone operational readiness symbol appears
in the multifunction display. 244
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays
Engine
Warning/
indicator
lamp
N N
Signal type
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions ;
N
The yellow engine diagnostics warning lamp lights up while the engine is run-
ning.
There may be a fault, for example:
R in the engine management
R in the fuel injection system
R in the exhaust system
R in the ignition system (for vehicles with petrol engines)
R in the fuel system
The emission limit values may be exceeded and the engine may be running in
emergency mode.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
Vehicles with a diesel engine: the fuel tank has been run dry (Y page 150).
X After refuelling start the engine three to four times.
If the yellow engine diagnostics warning lamp goes out, emergency running
mode is cancelled. You do not need to have the vehicle checked. 8
N
The yellow reserve fuel warning lamp is on while the engine is running.
The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated if the fuel level drops into the
reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. ?
N
The red coolant warning lamp lights up while the engine is running and the
coolant temperature gauge is at the start of the scale.
The temperature sensor for the coolant temperature gauge is faulty.
The coolant temperature is no longer being monitored. There is a risk of engine
damage if the coolant temperature is too high.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic conditions,
and switch off the engine. Do not continue driving under any circumstances.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 150).
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 252
Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument clusterOn-board computer and displays
Engine compartment
Bonnet
Important safety notes G
WARNING
An unlocked bonnet may open up when the
vehicle is in motion and block your view. There is a risk of an accident.
Never unlock the bonnet when driving. Before
every trip, ensure that the bonnet is locked. G
WARNING
When being opened and closed, the bonnet
may suddenly fall into the closed position.
There is a risk of injury to persons in the range of movement of the bonnet.
Open and close the bonnet only when nobody
is in the range of movement. G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is a fire in the
engine compartment, you could come into
contact with hot gases or other leaking ser-
vice products. There is a danger of injury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is a fire in the engine compartment, leave the bonnet
closed and notify the fire brigade. G
WARNING
There are moving components in the engine
compartment. Certain components may con-
tinue to move or suddenly move again even
after the ignition has been switched off, e.g.
the radiator fan. There is a risk of injury.
If you have to carry out work in the engine
compartment:
R switch off the ignition
R never touch the dangerous areas surround-
ing moving components, e.g. the rotation
area of the fan R
remove jewellery and watches
R keep items of clothing and hair, for exam-
ple, away from moving parts. G
WARNING
The ignition system and the fuel injection sys- tem operate with a high voltage. If you touch
the live components, you could receive an
electric shock. There is a danger of injury.
Never touch components of the ignition sys-
tem or the fuel injection system when the
ignition is switched on.
Active bonnet (pedestrian protection) Operating principle
! An active bonnet that had been triggered
must be repaired at a qualified specialist
workshop. The active bonnet function will
then be available again. The additional pedes- trian protection provided by the active bonnet will then be restored.
! Do not try to press down the raised bonnet
at the back. Otherwise, the bonnet could be
damaged.
i The active bonnet is only available in certain
countries.
The active bonnet can reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians in certain accident situations. Rais-
ing the active bonnet increases the clearance to hard components, such as the engine. If active bonnet
:has been triggered, it will be
raised at the back by approximately 50 mm.
Lids ;will then no longer rest on housings =.
The active bonnet is triggered by pyrotechnics.
You can reset a triggered active bonnet yourself. Engine compartment
283Maintenance and care Z