Page 285 of 350

XTake cover:off the opening.
XScrew in the towing eye clockwise as far as
it will go and tighten it.
Removing the towing eye
XUnscrew and remove the towing eye.
XAttach cover :to the bumper and press
until it engages.
XPlace the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit.
Towing a vehicle with both axles on
the ground
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(
Ypage 281).
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 transmission
stays in position Nwhen towing the vehicle,
you must observe the following points:
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary and
the SmartKey in the ignition lock is in posi- tion 0.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop button
(
Ypage 139).
XDepress and hold the brake pedal.
XShift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the parking brake.
XSwitch on the hazard warning lamps, see
the Digital Operator's Manual.
XLeave the SmartKey in position 2in the
ignition lock.
iWhen 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 indicator lamps
for the direction of travel flash. After reset-
ting the combination switch, the hazard
warning lamp starts flashing again.
Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
!
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 automatic transmission
must not be towed with the rear axle raised.
The vehicle/trailer combination may oth-
erwise swerve or even roll over.
!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.
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.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
XShift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
As soon as the vehicle has been loaded:
XPrevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the parking brake.
XShift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 0in the igni-
tion lock and remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock.
XSecure the vehicle.
Towing and tow-starting283
Roadside Assistance
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Page 286 of 350

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.
If the vehicle has transmission damage or
damage to the front or rear axle, have it trans- ported on a transporter or trailer.
In the event of damage to the electrical
system
If the battery is defective, the automatic
transmission will be locked in position P. To
shift the automatic transmission to position
N, you must provide power to the vehicle's
electrical system in the same way as when
jump-starting (
Ypage 279).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter
or trailer.
Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
!
Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be started by tow-starting. This
could otherwise damage the transmission.
iYou can find information on "Jump-start-
ing" under (
Ypage 279).
Fuses
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you manipulate or bridge a faulty fuse or if
you replace it with a fuse with a higher amper- age, the electric cables could be overloaded.
This could result in a fire. There is a risk of an
accident and injury.
Always replace faulty fuses with the specified
new fuses having the correct amperage.
!Only use fuses that have been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which
have the correct fuse rating for the system concerned. Otherwise, components or sys-
tems could be damaged. The fuses in your vehicle serve to close down
faulty circuits. If a fuse blows, all the compo-
nents on the circuit and their functions stop
operating.
Blown fuses must be replaced with fuses of
the same rating, which you can recognize by
the color and value. The fuse ratings are listed
in the fuse allocation chart.
If a newly inserted fuse also blows, have the
cause traced and rectified at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Before changing a fuse
Pay attention to the important safety notes
(
Ypage 284).
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away
(
Ypage 151).
XSwitch off the engine.
XSwitch off all electrical consumers.
XRemove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock.
or, on vehicles with KEYLESS ‑GO:
XOpen the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status
0. This is the same as the SmartKey having
been removed.
The driver’s door can be closed again.
All indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
must be off.
The fuses are located in various fuse boxes:
RFuse box in the engine compartment on the left-hand side of the vehicle, when viewed
in the direction of travel
RFuse box in the trunk/cargo compartment
on the right-hand side of the vehicle, when
viewed in the direction of travel
The fuse allocation chart is located in the
vehicle tool kit in the stowage compartment
under the trunk/cargo compartment floor
(
Ypage 270).
284Fuses
Roadside Assistance
Page 303 of 350

Step 3
Example 1Example 2Example 3
Permissible load
(maximum gross vehi-
cle weight rating from
the Tire and Loading
Information placard
minus the gross
weight of all occu-
pants)1500 lbs (680 kg)Ò
750 lbs (340 kg) =
750 lbs (340 kg)1500 lbs (680 kg) Ò
540 lbs (245 kg)
=960 lbs (435 kg)1500 lbs (680 kg) Ò
150 lbs (68 kg) =
1350 lbs (612 kg)
Vehicle identification plate
Even if you have calculated the total cargo
carefully, you should still make sure that the
gross vehicle weight rating and the gross axle
weight rating are not exceeded. Details can
be found on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side of the vehicle
(
Ypage 298).
Permissible Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR): the gross weight of the vehicle, all
passengers, load and trailer load/noseweight
(if applicable) must not exceed the permissi-
ble gross vehicle weight.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): the
maximum permissible weight that can be car-
ried by one axle (front or rear axle).
To ensure that your vehicle does not exceed
the maximum permissible values (gross vehi-
cle weight and maximum gross axle weight
rating), have your loaded vehicle (including
driver, occupants, cargo, and full trailer load if
applicable) weighed on a suitable vehicle
weighbridge.
All about wheels and tires
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. government specifications. Their pur-
pose is to provide drivers with uniform relia-
ble information on tire performance data. Tire
manufacturers have to grade tires using three
performance factors: :tread wear grade, ;
traction grade and =temperature grade.
These regulations do not apply to Canada.
Nevertheless, all tires sold in North America
are provided with the corresponding quality
grading markings on the sidewall of the tire.
Quality grades can be found, where applica-
ble, on the tire sidewall between tread shoul-
der and maximum section width.
All about wheels and tires301
Wheels and tires
Z