Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Functions relevant to safety are restricted or
no longer available if:
R the engine is not running.
R the brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning.
R there is a malfunction in the voltage supply
or the vehicle's electrical system.
If your vehicle is being towed, much more
force may be necessary to steer or brake.
There is a risk of an accident.
In such cases, use a tow bar. Before towing,
make sure that the steering moves freely. G
WARNING
You can no longer steer the vehicle if the
steering wheel lock has been engaged. There is a risk of an accident.
Always switch off the ignition when towing the
vehicle with a tow cable or a tow bar. G
WARNING
When towing or tow-starting another vehicle
and its weight is greater than the permissible gross weight of your vehicle, the:
R the towing eye could detach itself
R the vehicle/trailer combination could roll-
over.
There is a risk of an accident.
When towing or tow-starting another vehicle,
its weight should not be greater than the per- missible gross weight of your vehicle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate (Y page 390). !
When COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
PLUS, DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD func- tion is activated, the vehicle brakes auto-
matically in certain situations. To avoid
damage to the vehicle, deactivate these
systems in the following or similar situa-
tions:
R when towing the vehicle
R in the car wash
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
! Secure the tow rope or tow bar to the
towing eye only. Otherwise, the vehicle
could become damaged.
! Do not use the towing eyes for recovery
purposes as 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.
! Shift the automatic transmission to
Nand
do not open the driver's or front passeng-
er's door during towing. The automatic
transmission may otherwise shift to posi-
tion P, which could damage the transmis-
sion.
! Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage the vehicle.
! 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.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed away.
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. 348
Towing and tow-startingRoadside Assistance
tion switch, the hazard warning lamp starts
flashing again. Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
Only vehicles without 4MATIC can be
towed 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.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised,
as doing so will damage the transmission.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may either be towed
away with both axles on the ground or be loa- ded up and transported.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 122).
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X If necessary, turn the SmartKey in the igni-
tion lock to position 0and remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
X Take the SmartKey with you when you leave
the vehicle.
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, it is important that you observe the
safety instructions (Y page 348).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.
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 igni-
tion lock.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
As soon as the vehicle has been loaded:
X Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the electric parking brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the igni-
tion lock and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle. Notes on 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised,
as doing so will damage the transmission.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may either be towed
away with both axles on the ground or be loa- ded up and transported.
If the vehicle's transmission, front, or rear
axle is damaged, have the vehicle transported
on a truck or trailer.
In the event of damage to the electrical
system: if the battery is defective, the auto-
matic transmission will be locked in position
P. To shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N, you must provide power to the vehi-
cle's electrical system in the same way as
when jump-starting (Y page 345).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter
or trailer. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow-started. You could other-
wise damage the automatic transmission.
i Information on "Jump-starting"
(Y page 345). 350
Towing and tow-startingRoadside
Assistance
minated, the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety of reasons, including the installation of incom-
patible replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate Tires and wheels allow the TPMS to continue to
function properly.
It is the driver's responsibility to set the tire
pressure to that recommended for cold tires
which is suitable for the operating situation
(Y page 359). Note that the correct tire pres-
sure for the current operating situation must
first be taught-in to the tire pressure monitor. If there is a substantial loss of pressure, the
warning threshold for the warning message isaligned to the reference values taught-in.
Restart the tire pressure monitor after adjust-
ing the pressure of the cold tires
(Y page 365). The current pressures are
saved as new reference values. As a result, a warning message will appear if the tire pres-
sure drops significantly.
The tire pressure monitor does not warn you
of an incorrectly set tire pressure. Observe
the notes on the recommended tire pressure
(Y page 359).
The tire pressure monitor is not able to warn
you of a sudden loss of pressure, e.g. if the
tire is penetrated by a foreign object. In the
event of a sudden loss of pressure, bring the
vehicle to a halt by braking carefully. Avoid
abrupt steering maneuvers.
The tire pressure monitor has a yellow warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster for indicat-
ing a pressure loss or malfunction. Whether
the warning lamp flashes or lights up indi-
cates whether a tire pressure is too low or the tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning:
R if the warning lamp is lit continuously, the
tire pressure on one or more tires is signif- icantly too low. The tire pressure monitor is
not malfunctioning.
R if the warning lamp flashes for around a
minute and then remains lit constantly, the
tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning.
i In addition to the warning lamp, a mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
You can find further information under:
(Y page 273).
If the tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning, it may take up to ten minutes for the tire
pressure warning lamp to inform you of the
malfunction by flashing for approximately one
minute and then remaining lit. When the mal- function has been rectified, the tire pressure
warning lamp goes out after a few minutes of
driving.
The tire pressure values indicated by the on-
board computer may differ from those meas-
ured at a gas station with a pressure gauge.
The tire pressures shown by the on-board
computer refer to those measured at sea
level. At high altitudes, the tire pressure val-
ues indicated by a pressure gauge are higher than those shown by the on-board computer.
In this case, do not reduce the tire pressures.
The operation of the tire pressure monitor can be affected by interference from radio trans-
mitting equipment (e.g. radio headphones,
two-way radios) that may be being operated
in or near the vehicle.
Checking the tire pressure electroni-
cally X
Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock (Y page 147).
X Use 00E2 on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the 0063or0064 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Service Servicemenu.
X Press the 0076button. 364
Tire pressureWheels and tires
X
Press the 0063or0064 button to select
Tire Pressure
Tire Pressure.
X Press the 0076button.
The current tire pressure of each tire is
shown in the multifunction display.
If the vehicle has been parked for over
20 minutes, the Tire pressure will be Tire pressure will be
displayed after driving a few
displayed after driving a few
minutes minutes message appears.
After a teach-in process, the tire pressure
monitor automatically detects new wheels or
new sensors. As long as a clear allocation of
the tire pressure value to the individual
wheels is not possible, the Tire Pressure Tire Pressure
Monitor Active
Monitor Active display message is shown
instead of the tire pressure display. The tire
pressures are already being monitored.
Tire pressure monitor warning mes-
sages If the tire pressure monitor detects a pressure
loss in one or more tires, a warning message is shown in the multifunction display and theyellow tire pressure monitor warning lamp
comes on.
R If the Please Correct Tire Pressure
Please Correct Tire Pressure
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play, the tire pressure in at least one tire is
too low and must be corrected at the next
opportunity.
R If the Check Check Tires
Tiresmessage appears in the
multifunction display, the tire pressure in
one or more tires has dropped significantly and the tires must be checked.
R If the Warning Tire Malfunction
Warning Tire Malfunction
appears in the multifunction display, the
tire pressure in one or more tires has drop-
ped suddenly and the tires must be
checked.
Observe the instructions and safety notes in
the display messages in the "Tires" section
(Y page 273).
i If the wheel positions on the vehicle are
rotated, the tire pressures may be dis-
played for the wrong positions for a short time. This is rectified after a few minutes of
driving, and the tire pressures are displayed
for the correct positions.
Restarting the tire pressure monitor When you restart the tire pressure monitor, all
existing warning messages are deleted and
the warning lamps go out. The monitor uses
the currently set tire pressures as the refer-
ence values for monitoring. In most cases, the
tire pressure monitor will automatically
detect the new reference values after you
have changed the tire pressure. However, you
can also define reference values manually as
described here. The tire pressure monitor
then monitors the new tire pressure values.
X Set the tire pressure to the value recom-
mended for the corresponding driving sit-
uation on the Tire and Loading Information
placard on the driver's side
B-pillar (Y page 359).
Additional tire pressure values for different loads can also be found on the tire pressure
table on the inside of the fuel filler flap
(Y page 359).
X Make sure that the tire pressure is correct
on all four wheels.
X Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock.
X Use 00E2 on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the 0063or0064 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Service Servicemenu.
X Press the 0076button.
X Press the 0063or0064 button to select
Tire Pressure
Tire Pressure.
X Press the 0076button.
The multifunction display shows the cur-
rent tire pressure for the individual tires or
the Tire Tire pressure
pressure will
willbe
bedisplayed
displayed Tire pressure
365Wheels and tires Z
after driving a few minutes
after driving a few minutes
mes-
sage.
X Press the 0064button.
The Use Current Pressures as New
Use Current Pressures as New
Reference Values
Reference Values message appears in
the multifunction display.
If you wish to confirm the restart:
X Press the 0076button.
The Tire Press. Monitor Restarted
Tire Press. Monitor Restarted
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
After driving for a few minutes, the system
checks whether the current tire pressures
are within the specified range. The new tire
pressures are then accepted as reference
values and monitored.
If you wish to cancel the restart: X Press the 0038button.
The tire pressure values stored at the last
restart will continue to be monitored.
Radio type approval for the tire pres-
sure monitor Country Radio type approval number
USA FCC ID: MRXMW2433A
FCC ID: MRXGG4
FCC ID: MRXMC34MA4
Canada IC: 2546A-MW2433A
IC: 2546A-GG4
IC: 2546A-MC34MA4
Loading the vehicle
Instruction labels for tires and loads
G
WARNING
Overloaded tires can overheat, causing a
blowout. Overloaded tires can also impair the steering and driving characteristics and lead
to brake failure. There is a risk of accident.
Observe the load rating of the tires. The load
rating must be at least half of the GAWR of your vehicle. Never overload the tires by
exceeding the maximum load.
Two instruction labels on your vehicle show
the maximum possible load.
(1) The Tire and Loading Information placard is on the B-pillar on the driver's side. The
Tire and Loading Information placard
shows the maximum permissible number of occupants and the maximum permis-
sible vehicle load. It also contains details
of the tire sizes and corresponding pres-
sures for tires mounted at the factory.
(2) The vehicle identification plate is on the B-pillar on the driver's side. The vehicle
identification plate informs you of the
gross vehicle weight rating. It is made up
of the vehicle weight, all vehicle occu-
pants, the fuel and the cargo. You can
also find information about the maximum gross axle weight rating on the front and
rear axle.
The maximum gross axle weight rating is the maximum weight that can be carried
by one axle (front or rear axle). Never
exceed the maximum load or the maxi-
mum gross axle weight rating for the
front or rear axle. 0043
B-pillar, driver's side 366
Loading the vehicleWheels and tires