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.
The battery and the cover of the positive
terminal clamp must be installed securely
during operation.
Comply with safety precautions and take pro-
tective measures when handling batteries. Risk of explosion.
Fire, open flames and smoking are
prohibited when handling the bat-
tery. Avoid creating sparks. Battery acid is caustic. Avoid con-
tact with skin, eyes or clothing.
Wear suitable protective clothing,
especially gloves, apron and face-
guard.
Rinse any acid spills immediately
with clear water. Contact a physi-
cian if necessary.
Wear eye protection.
Keep children away.
Observe this Operator's Manual.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use batteries which have been tested and approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz. These batteries provide
increased impact protection to prevent vehi-
cle occupants from suffering acid burns
should the battery be damaged in the event of
an accident. In order for the battery to achieve the maxi-
mum possible service life, it must always be
sufficiently charged.
The vehicle battery, like other batteries, can
discharge over time if you do not use the
vehicle. In this case, have the battery discon-
nected at a qualified specialist workshop. You
can also charge the battery with a charger
recommended by Mercedes-Benz. Contact a
qualified specialist workshop for further infor- mation.
Have the battery condition of charge checked
more frequently if you use the vehicle mainly
for short trips or if you leave it standing idle
for a lengthy period. Consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop if you wish to leave your
vehicle parked for a long period of time.
i Remove the SmartKey if you park the
vehicle and do not require any electrical
consumers. The vehicle will then use very
little energy, thus conserving battery
power.
i If the power supply has been interrupted,
e.g. if you reconnect the battery, you will
have to:
R set the clock. Information on setting the
clock can be found in the separate oper-
ating instructions.
On vehicles with COMAND and a naviga-
tion system, the clock is set automati-
cally.
R reset the function for folding the exterior
mirrors in/out automatically, by folding
the mirrors out once (Y page 123) Charging the battery
G
WARNING
During charging and jump-starting, explosive
gases can escape from the battery. There is a risk of an explosion.
Particularly avoid fire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Ensure there is sufficient Battery (vehicle)
395Breakdown assistance
Z
X
Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 388).
X To open the cover at the front: press the
mark on cover 0043inwards in the direction
of the arrow.
X To open the cover at the rear: insert a
flat, blunt object into the cutout and lever
cover 0044out of the bumper.
X Take cover 0043or0044 off the opening.
X Screw in and tighten the towing eye clock-
wise to the stop.
Removing the towing eye X
Unscrew and remove the towing eye.
X Attach cover 0043or0044 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 for vehicles without
4MATIC.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 132).
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the igni-
tion lock and remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock.
X When leaving the vehicle, take the Smart-
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 399). Towing a vehicle with both axles on
the ground
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 399).
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 trans-
mission 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 posi-
tion 0.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop button
(Y page 167).
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Leave the SmartKey in position 2in the
ignition lock.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 132).
i In order to signal a change of direction
when towing the vehicle with the hazard
warning lamps switched on, use the com-
bination switch as usual. In this case, only
the indicator lamps for the direction of
travel flash. After resetting the combina-
tion switch, the hazard warning lamp starts
flashing again. Transporting the vehicle
! You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as Towing and tow-starting
401Breakdown assistance Z
