
Un
coupling a trailer &
WARNING Risk of being crushed and
becoming trapped when uncoupling a
trailer
When uncoupling a trailer wi than engaged
ine rtia-activated brake, your hand may
become trapped between theve hicle and the
trailer dr awbar. #
Do not uncouple trailers with an
engaged overrun brake. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
when disconnecting the trailer cable
Ve hicles with le vel control sy stem: the
ve hicle lo werswhen the trailer cable is dis‐
connected.
This could result in you or other people
becoming trapped if your or their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure nobody is underneath the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of th
e wheel ar ches when you disconnect
th e trailer cable. *
NO
TEDama getothere ar bumper from
ins talling adap ter cables or adapte r plugs The
following parts could be damaged when
re tracting the ball neck fully electrically:
R bumper
R adap ter cable
R adapte r plug #
Alw aysre mo vethe adap ter cable or
adapte r plug before retracting the ball
neck fully electrically. #
Safeguard the trailer against rolling away. #
Disconnect the electrical connection
between theve hicle and the trailer. #
Uncouple the trailer. #
Place the pr otective co ver on the ball head. Bicycle
rack &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
using the bicycle rack incor rectly
The bicycle rack may become de tach ed from
th eve hicle in thefo llowing cases:
R the permissible load capacity of the
trailer hitch is exceeded.
R the bicycle rack is used incor rectl y.
R the bicycle rack is secured tothe ball
neck beneath the ball head.
Obser vethefo llowing foryo ur ow n sa fety
and that of other road users:
R always adhere tothe permissible load
capacity of the trailer hitch.
R only use the bicycle rack totranspo rt
bicycles.
R always mount the bicycle rack properly by
attaching tothe ball head and the ball
neck guide pin, if possible. Driving and parking
251 

R
when transporting four bic ycles, alw ays
use bic ycle rack s which ha veadditional
suppo rton the ball neck guide pin.
R only use bicycle rack s appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz.
R always obser vethe bicycle rack operating
instructions. *
NO
TEDama getoor crac kson the trailer
hitch due tounsuitable bic ycle rack s or
bicycle rack s being used incor rectly #
Only use bicycle rack s appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz. Tr
ailer hit ch(examp le with additional guide pins)
Depending on the design, up tofour bic ycles can
be transpor ted on the bicycle rack:
R when moun tedby attaching toball head 1,
th e maximum load capacity is 75kg.Up to
th re e bicycles can be transpor ted. R
when mounted on ball head 1and guide pin
2, the maximum load capacity is 100kg.
Up tofour bic ycles can be transpo rted.
The load capacity is calculated from thewe ight
of the bicycle rack and the bicycle rack load.
Fo r bicycles weighing a total of between 75kg
and 100kg only use bicycle rack s with addi‐
tional support on guide pin 2.
The vehicle's handling characteristics change
when a bicycle rack isfitted. The vehicle:
R is heavier
R isrestricted in its accele ration and gradeabil‐
ity
R has an increased braking di stance
This can impair theve hicle's handling character‐
istics. Adapt your driving style accordingly. Drive
carefully and maintain a safe dis tance.
When using a bicycle rack , set the tyre pressure
fo r maximum load on there ar axle of theve hicle.
Fu rther information on the tyre pressure can be
fo und in the tyre pressure table (→ page411). 252
Driving and pa rking 

Note
s on loads
The larger the dis tance between the load's
cent reof gr avity and the ball head, the greater
th e load on the trailer hitch.
Obser vethefo llowing no tes:
R mount heavy bicycles as close totheve hicle
as possible.
R always distribute the load on the bicycle rack
as eve nly as possible across theve hicle's
longitudinal axis.
Mercedes-Benz recommends removing all
de tach able parts from the bicycles, e.g. bask ets,
ch ild seats or batteries, before loading them
onto the bicycle rack . This impr ovesth e wind
re sis tance and centre of gr avity of the bicycle
ra ck.
Alw ays secure the bicycles toprev ent them from
moving around and check they are secured at
re gular inter vals.
Do not use tarp aulins or other co vers. The han‐
dling characteristics and rear view may be impaired. In addition,
the wind resis tance and
load on the trailer hitch increase. Distribution of
the load on the bicycle rack
1 Vertical dis tance between the cent reof gr av‐
ity and ball head
2 Horizon tal dis tance between centre of gr av‐
ity and ball head
3 Cent reof gr avity located on theve hicle's
centre axis Obser
vethefo llowing information when
loading the bicycle rack: Nu
mber
of bicy‐
cles To
tal
we ight
of bicy‐
cle rack
and load Max. dis‐
tance
1 1Max. dis‐
tance
2 2
3U pto
75 kg 420 mm 300 mm
4 1
Upto
90 kg1 420 mm 400 mm
4 1
Upto
10 0kg 1 420 mm 400 mm 1
When transpo rting four bicycles or with a totalwe ight between 75kgand 100kg , alw ays use bicycle rack s with additional support on the trailer hitch guide pin. Driving and parking
253 

Information on cleaning and car
eAvoiding vehicle damage
Ta ilpipes
Clean with cleaning agents recommended byMercedes-Benz,
particular lyin the winter and af terwa shing theve hicle. Use acid-free cleaning agents.
Tr ailer hitch R
Remo verust on the ball, e.g. with a wire brush.
R Remo vedirt with a lint-free clo th.
R After cleaning, oil or grease the ball head lightl y.
R Obser vethe cleaning instructions in the operating instruc‐
tions of the trailer hitch manufacturer. Do not clean
the ball neck with solvents or a high-pressure
cleaner. Note
s on care of the interior &
WARNING Risk of inju ryfrom pla stic
parts breaking off af terth e use of sol‐
ve nt-based care products
Ca reand cleaning products con taining sol‐
ve nts can cause su rfaces in the cockpit to
become porous. When
the airbags are deplo yed, plastic parts
may break away. #
Do not use any care or cleaning prod‐
ucts containing sol vents toclean the
cockpit. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death from
bleached seat belts
Bleaching or dyeing seat belts can se verely
we aken them.
This can, forex ample, cause seat belts to
te ar or fail in an accident. #
Never blea chor dye seat belts. Maintenance and care
385 

#
Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d.
When the battery is dischar ged:
R the engine cann otbe star ted.
R the electric parking brake cann otbe released
or applied.
R vehicles with automatic transmission: the
automatic transmission cannot be shif tedto
position iorj.
% Vehicles with automatic transmission: if
th e automatic transmission cann otbe shif‐
te dto position i, transport theve hicle
(→ page 403). A towing vehicle with lifting
equipment is requiredforve hicle transport.
* NO
TEDama gedue to to wing away at
exc essively high speeds or over long dis‐
ta nces The driv
etra in could be damaged when tow‐
ing at excessively high speeds or over long
dis tances. #
Atowing speed of 50 km/h must not
be exc eeded. #
Atowing dis tance of 50 km must not be
exc eeded. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If th eve hicle being tow- star ted or towed
aw ay is heavier than the permissible gross
mass, thefo llowing situations can occur:
R theto wing eye may become de tach ed.
R the car/t railer combination may swer ve
or eve nove rturn. #
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or
to we daw ay, its weight must not exceed
th e permissible gross mass of your own
ve hicle. If a
vehicle must be tow- star ted or towe daw ay,
its weight must not exceed the permissible gross
mass of theto wing vehicle. #
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle iden‐
tification plate . #
Vehicles with automatic transmission: do
not open the driver's door or front passenger
door, otherwise the automatic transmission
automatically shifts toposition j. #
Fittheto wing eye (→ page 405). #
Attach theto w bar.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion #
Only connect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. %
You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(→ page 71). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection (→ page 89). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st (→page 198). 402
Breakdown assi stance 

#
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i. #
Vehicles with manual transmission: shift
to neutral i. #
Release the electric parking brake. #
Vehicles with manual transmission:
switch on the ignition, otherwise thesteering
wheel locking may engage. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signif‐
icantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is no rmally requ ired. #
Use a tow bar. #
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely, before towing theve hicle
aw ay. *
NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po wer If
yo u pull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slowly and smoo thly. Loading the
vehicle for transport #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( → page 401). #
Connect theto w bar totheto wing eyeto
load theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
% Ve
hicles with automatic transmission:
th e automatic transmission may be loc ked in
position jintheeve nt of dama getothe
electrical sy stem. Toshift toi , pr ovide the
on-board electrical sy stem with po wer
( → page 398). #
Vehicles with manual transmission: shift
to neutral. #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
j. #
Vehicles with manual transmission:
engage firs t or reve rsege ar. #
Use the electric parking brake tosecure the
ve hicle and pr event it from rolling away. #
Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels. Breakdown assis
tance 403 

Ve
hicles with ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
Sy stem PLUS) &
WARNING Risk of accident when trans‐
porting vehicles with AIR BODY CON‐
TROL
The reduced damping forc es on theve hicle
being transpor ted can cause theve hicle/
trailer combination tostart toswing.
As a result, when transporting vehicles with
AIR BODY CONTROL theve hicle/trailer com‐
bination may start toskid. Consequentl y,you
could lose control of your vehicle.
There is a risk of accident and injur y.#
Load theve hicle cor rectly onto the
transpo rter. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels
with suitable tensioning stra ps. #
Do not exceed the maximum permissi‐
ble speed of 60 km/h when transport‐
ing. *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly #
After loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged. #
A minimum dis tance of 20 cm up wards
and 10cm down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels af ter
loading.
4MATIC vehicles/ vehicles with automatic
transmission #
Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transport vehicle.
* NO
TEDama getothe driv etra in due to
incor rect positioning #
Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi‐
cle. To
wing eyesto rage location To
wing eye1 is attached tothe edge of the lug‐
ga ge compa rtment under the load compartment
fl oor. 404
Breakdown assis tance 

Ve
hicles with folding bench seat: theto wing
ey e is located under a co ver. Fi
tting the towing eye #
Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve. #
Screw intheto wing eyeclockwise tothe
st op. Ve
hicles with a trailer hitch: vehicles with a
trailer hitch do not ha vea brac ket at the back for
th eto wing eye. Connect theto w bar tothe
trailer hitch.
% Makesure that co ver1 engages in the
bumper when youre mo vetheto wing eye.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect use of
th eto wing eye When a
towing eye is used toreco ver a vehi‐
cle, theve hicle may be damaged in the proc‐
ess. #
Only use theto wing eyeto to waw ay or
to w start theve hicle. To
w- starting theve hicle (eme rgency engine
st art) Ve
hicles with automatic transmission
* NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission due to tow-starting The automatic transmission may be damaged
in the process of tow- starting vehicles with
automatic transmission. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow- star ted. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be tow- star ted.
Ve hicles with manual transmission #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( → page 401). #
If necessar y,allow the engine and exhaust
sy stem tocool down. #
Switch the ignition on. #
Enga gesecond gear. #
Release the electric parking brake. Breakdown assis
tance 405