2016 MERCEDES-BENZ METRIS tow bar

Coupling upatrailer
Trailer coupled read yfor use
XMakes ure that th eselecto rleveroft heauto-
matic transmission is in position P.
XOn vehicleswithana utomatic transmission,
ensure that th etransmission is in position P.
XEngage thevehicle's parking brake.
XClose all doors.
XPositio nthe trailer horizontally behindy our
vehicle.
iThe height of th eball neck changes accord-
ing to th eload on th evehicle .Inthisc ase, use
at railer withah eight-adjustable trailer draw-
bar.
XCouple th etrailer.
XEstablish all electrical and other connections
to th etrailer.W hen doings o, hook thebreak-
away cabl eofthetrailer int othe eyelet on the
ball coupling.
XRemove th eobject sthata re preventin gthe
trailer from rolling ,e.g.w heel chocks.
XRelease th etrailer parking brake.
iThe subharness of th evehicle has acable
connection to th ebrak elamp indicator lamp.
Observ ethe maximum permissible trailer
dimensions( widthand length).
Mostf ederal state sand all Canadian provinces
require by law:
Rsafety chains between th etow ing vehicle and
th et railer.T he chains should be cross-wound
unde rthe trailer drawbar. They must be fas- tene
dtot hevehicle's trailer coupling, no tto
th eb umpe rortheaxle.
Leavee nough slackint hechains .This allows
you to driv eroun dtight corn
ers.
Raseparate brak esystem for certain type sof
trailer.
Ras afety shut-off for braked trailers. Fin dout
th es pecific requirements according to the
applicable laws.
If th etrailer become sdetached from th etow -
ing vehicle ,the safety shut-off applies the
trailer brakes.
Towin gatrailer
Therea re numerous legal requirements con-
cernin gthe towing of atrailer,e .g.s peedr estric-
tions .Makes ure your vehicle/traile rcombina-
tio nc omplies withl ocal laws. This no tonly
mean swherey ou live ,but also anywhere you
are driving to .Inf ormation is available from the
policea nd local authorities.
Observ ethe followingw hen towing atrailer:
RPractic edriving aroun dbends, stoppinga nd
backing up at aplacew herethere is no traffic.
This enables you to gain experience and get
used to th enew handlingc haracteristics.
RBefore driving ,che ck:
-that th etrailer to whitch and ball coupling
are secure
-that th esafety switch for abraked trailer is
functioning properly
-that th esafety chains are secure and not
damaged
-that th eelectrical connectionsa re secure
-that thelightsa re working
-that thewheelsa re in good order and the
tir ep ressure is correct
RAdjus tthe exterior mirror stoprovide an
unobstructe dview of th erear sectio nofthe
trailer.
RIf th etrailer has electronicall ycontrolled
brakes, pull th evehicle/traile rcombination
away carefully. Brake manually usingt he
brak econtroller and check that th ebrakes
are working.
RSecure th eload on th etrailer according to the
applicable specifications an d currentst and-
ards on securin gloads (Ypage 234).
Towing atrailer165
Driving and parking
Z

RWhen driving withatrailer, check at regular
intervals that the load is secured and that the
brakes and lights are working.
RBear in mind that the handling will be less
stable when towing atrailer than when driving
without one. Avoid sudden steerin gmove-
ments.
RThe vehicle/trailer combination is heavier,
accelerates more slowly and has adecreased
gradient climbing capability and alonger
braking distance.
It is more susceptible to crosswinds and
requires cautious steering.
RIf possible, do not brake suddenly, but rather
moderately at first so that the trailer can acti-
vate its brakes. Then increase the forceont he
brake pedal.
RIf the automatic transmission repeatedly
shifts between gears when driving on inclines,
restrict the shift range. Select shift range 4,3,
2 or 1.
Drivin ginal ow gear and at alow speed
reduces the risk of damaging the engine.
RWhen driving on adownhill gradient, shift to a
low gear and take advantage of the engine's
braking effect.
Avoid continuous brake application as this
may overheat the vehicle brakes and, if instal-
led, the trailer brakes.
RIf the coolant temperature increases dramat-
ically while the air-conditionin gsystem is
switched on, switch off the air-conditioning
system.
Coolant heat can also be dissipated by
switchin gthe airflow and the temperature of
the air conditioning to the maximum level.
Open the windows if necessary.
RWhen overtaking, pay particular attention to
the extended length of your vehicle/trailer
combination.
Due to the length of your vehicle/trailer com- bination you need an additional distance
before you can return to your original lane.
Uncoupling atrailer
GWARNING
If you uncouple atrailer with the overrun
brake engaged, you could trap your hand
between the vehicle and the trailer drawbar.
There is arisk of injury.
Do not uncouple atrailer if the overrun brake
is engaged.
!Do not disconnect atrailer with an engaged
overrun brake. Otherwise, your vehicle could
be damaged by the rebounding of the overrun
brake.
XMake sure that the selector lever of the auto-
matic transmission is in position P.
XEngage the vehicle's parking brake.
XClose all doors.
XApply the parking brake of the trailer.
XIn addition, secure the trailer against rolling
away withawheel chock or similar object.
XRemove the trailer cable and safety chains
and decouple the trailer.
Permissible trailer loads and trailer
drawbar noseweights
Weight information
!For vehicles with apermissible gross vehicle
weight of 6724 lbs (3050 kg), the permissible gross combination weight is less than the sum
of the permissible gross vehicle weight plus
the permissible trailer load. Exceeding the
permitted gross combination weight could
damage the powertrain ,transmission or
trailer tow hitch.
If either the vehicle or the trailer is fully laden,
the permitted gross vehicle weight or the per- mitted trailer load values are reduced accord-
ingly. In this case, you may only partially load
the trailer or the vehicle.
The gross trailer weight (GTW) is calculated by
adding the weight of the trailer to the weight of
the load and equipment. The permissible gross
trailer weight is 5000 lbs (2268 kg).
The maximum noseweight of the trailer drawbar
on the ball coupling is 500 lbs (227 kg). The
actual noseweight may not exceed the value
given on the identification plates of the trailer
tow hitch or the trailer. If the values vary, the
lowest value alwaysa pplies.
The gross combination weight rating (GCWR) is
calculated by adding the gross weight of the
trailer to the gross vehicle weight including a
166Towing atrailer
Driving and parking

driver'sweight of approximately 150 lbs (68 kg).
The permissible Gross Combination Weight Rat-
ing is vehicle-specific and depends on the equip-
ment level.
When driving with atrailer, you should not
exceed the permitted Gross Combination
Weight Rating (GCWR).
The permissible values, which must not be
exceeded, can be found in your vehicle docu-
ment sand on the trailer tow hitc htype plates for
the trailer and the vehicle (
Ypage 294). The
basic values approved by the manufacturer can
also be found in the "Technical data" section
(
Ypage 305). If the values vary, the lowest
value always applies.
Loading atrailer
!Utiliz ethe maximum permissible nose-
weight as fully as possible. Do not allow the
weight to fall below the minimum permissible
noseweight ,otherwise the trailer may come
loose.
RThe load must be distributed over the vehicle
and the trailer so as not to exceed either the
maximum permissible values for the gross
vehicle weight ratin g(GVWR) and gross trailer
weight (GTW), the gross combination weight
ratin g(GCWR), nor the maximum permissible
gross axle weight ratin g(GAWR) and trailer
drawbar noseweight ratin gofyour vehicle.
RAdd the drawbar noseweight on the ball cou-
pling (TWR) to the rear axle load. This will pre-
vent you from exceeding the permissible
gross axle weight (GAWR).
RAdd the drawbar noseweight on the ball cou-
pling (TWR) to the vehicle payload. This will
ensure that you do not exceed the permissi-
ble gross vehicle weight ratin g(GVWR).
Checking the vehicle and trailer weight
RMake sure the weights of the towing vehicle
and the trailer comply with the maximum per-
missible values. Have the vehicle/trailer com-
bination weighed on acalibrated weigh-
bridge. The vehicle/trailer combination con-
sists of the towing vehicle includin gthe driver,
passenger sand load, as well as the loaded
trailer.
RCheck the maximum permissible gross axle
weight ratin gofthe fronta nd rear axles
(GAWR), the gross trailer weight (GTW), the gross combination weight ratin
g(GCWR) and
the noseweight of the trailer drawbar (TWR).
Trailer power supply
!
Incorrectw iring of the connector plug could,
under certain circumstances, cause malfunc-
tion sint he vehicle's other electronic sys-
tems .Wet herefore recommend having the
connector plug wired at aqualified specialist
workshop.
!You can connec taccessories with amaxi-
mum power consumption of 240 Wtothe
permanen tpower supply.
You must not charge atrailer battery using the
power supply.
Your vehicle may be equipped with various elec-
trical installations for trailer towing .Depending
on your trailer, you may need an adapter to con-
nec tthe electrical system of the trailer with that
of the vehicle.
The trailer socket of your vehicle is equipped at
the factory with apermanen tpower supply.
The permanen tpower supply is on the trailer
socket pin assignmen t4.
Note that the permanen tpower supply of the
trailer is not switched off when the on-board
voltage is low. This can completely discharge
the starter battery of your vehicle.
Further information on the electrical equipment currently installed on your vehicle and on instal-
ling trailer electrics can be obtained at any quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Towing atrailer167
Driving and parking
Z

Change of direction announced without
lane recommendation
:Road to whichthechange of direction leads
;Distance to th echange of direction and dis-
tance graphic
=Change-of-direction symbol
If ac hange of direction is required, adynamic
bar is shownasadistanc egraphic above the
distanc etothechange of direction ;.The bar
shortens towards th etop of th edisplay as you
approach th epointoft heannounced change of
direction.T he change of direction start sonce
th ed istanc egraphic no longer showsab ar.
Other navigation system status indica-
tors
RNew Route...orCalculating Route
An ew rout eiscalculated.
ROff Maporac ompass needle pointin ginthe
direction of th edestination
The vehicle position is outside th earea of the
digital map (off-map position)ort heroad is
no trecognized, e.g .unpaved roads (off-road).
RNo Route
No rout ecoul dbec alculate dtotheselected
destination.
RO
You have reached th edestination or an inter-
mediate destination.
Audio menu
Selecting aradio station
:Waveband with statio npreset
;Station
Station ;is displayedw ith thestatio nfre-
quency or statio nname. The statio npreset is
only displayeda longwith waveband :if the
statio nhas been stored.
Usingt hesteering wheel buttons
XSwitch on th eaudio system and selectt he
radio function (see separate operating
instructions).
XPress =or; to selectt heAudiomenu.
The display showsc urrently selectedsta-
tion ;.
XTo select astored stati on:press 9
or : briefly.
XTo select astatio nfromt hestation list:
pres sand hold 9or:.
If as tatio nlist is no treceived:
XTo select astatio nusingthe station
search: pressand hold 9or:.
180On-boardc omputer (vehicles with steerin gwheel buttons)
On-boardc omputer and displays

XConnect thenegative terminal clam pofthe
jumper cabl etonegative terminal ;of the
donor veh icle's battery, and then to earth
contact ?of your own veh icle.
XInsertt hekeyintot he ignition locka nd start
th ee ngine.
You can no wswitch electrical consumers
back on excep tthe lighting system.
XBefore disconnecting th ejumper cables, let
th ee nginer un for several minutes.
XDisconnect th enegative terminal of the
jumper cabl efrome arthc ontac t? and then
from negative terminal ;of th edonor veh i-
cle's battery.
XDisconnect th epositiv etermi nal clam pofthe
jumper cabl efromp ositiv etermi nalAon the
jump-startin gconnectio npoint, and then
from positiv etermi nal=of th edonor veh i-
cle's battery.
Contac tprotection cover :isautomatically
returned forwards to its original positio nby
th es pring force and th ejump-startin gcon-
nection pointisc losed.
XPositio nthe cover on positiv etermi nal=of
th ed onor veh icle's battery.
You can no wswitch on th elighting system.
XHav ethe battery checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Tow-startin gand towin gaway
Important safety notes
GWAR NING
Functionsr elevanttosafety are restricted or
no longer availab leif:
Rthee ngineisn otrunning.
Rtheb rak esystem or th epower steering is
malfunctioning.
Rthere isam alfunctio ninthevoltage supply
or th evehicle 's electrical system.
If your veh icle is bein gtow ed, muc hmore
force may benecessary to steer or brake.
Thereisar iskofana cciden t.
In suchc ases, use atow bar. Before to wing,
mak esure that th esteering moves freely.
GWARNING
You can no longer steer th evehicle ifthe
steering wheel lockh as been engaged.There
is ar iskofana ccident.
Alwa ysswit ch off th eignition when to wingthe
vehicle withat owcabl eorat owbar.
GWARNING
When to wingor tow-startin ganother vehicle
and its weightisg reatertha nt he permissible
gross weightofy our vehicle,the :
Rthet ow ing eye could detach itself
Rthev ehicle /traile rcom binatio ncould roll-
over.
Thereisar iskofana ccident.
When towing or tow-startin ganother vehicle,
its weights hould notbegreatertha nt he per-
missible gross weightofy our vehicle.
In formation on th egross vehicle weightc anbe
foun dont hevehicle identification plate
(
Ypage 294).
!Secure th etow rop eort owbar to th etow ing
eye or trailer to whitch only. Otherwise, the
vehicle could become damaged.
!Do no tuse th etow ing eye for recovery, this
could damag ethe vehicle .Ifindoubt,recover
th ev ehicle withac rane.
!Drive slowlya nd smoothly when to wing.
Excessivet ractive power could otherwise
damag ethe vehicles.
!Shift th eautomatic transmission to Nand
do noto pen th edriver' sorf rontpassenger's
door durin gtow ing .The automatic transmis-
sion may otherwise shifttop ositionP,which
could damag ethe transmission.
!The vehicle can be towed amaximum of
30 mile s(50km ).The to wingspeedof30m ph
(50 km/h) must no tbeexceeded.
If th evehicle has to betowed mor ethan
30 mile s(50km) ,the entire vehicl emus
tbe
ra

ised and transported.
When towing away, you must observet helegal
requirement sfor th ecountr yinw hichy ou are
currently driving.
It is bette rtohave th evehicle transported than
to have it towed.
264Tow-startin gand towing away
Breakdown assistance

Towingthe vehicle with both axles on
the ground
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Yo uc an no longe rstee rthe vehicl eifthe
steerin gwheel lock hasb eene ngaged .There
is ar iskofana ccident.
Alway sswitch off the ignition when towing the
vehicl ewithat ow cable or atow bar.
!Do not exceed the towing spee dof30mph
(50 km/h). Yo ucould otherwis edamag ethe
transmission.
Please observe the important safety notes
befor etowing your vehicl e(
Ypage 264).
Towingvehicle switha utomatic trans-
mission
XTurn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
XDepres sthe brake peda land kee pit
depressed.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N.
XLeave the key in position 2in the ignition lock.
XSwitch on the hazar dwarning lamps
(Ypage 94).
XReleas ethe parkin gbrake.
XReleas ethe brake pedal.
XDo not exceed the towing spee dof30m ph
(50 km/h).
Recovering avehicle that is stuck
!
When recovering avehicl ethath asbecome
stuck, pull it as smoothl yand evenly as pos-
sible. Excessive tractiv epower could damage
the vehicles.
If the drive wheels gett rapped on loose or
mudd yground ,recover the vehicl ewitht he
utmost care. Thi sisespecially the cas eifthe
vehicl eisladen .
Never attempt to recover avehicl ewithat railer
attached.
Pull ou tthe vehicl ebackwards ,ifpossible, using
the tracks it made when it becam estuck.
Transporting the vehicle
!
Yo um ayonl ysecur ethe vehicl ebythe
wheels ,not by parts of the vehicl esucha s
axl eors teerin gcomponents. Otherwise, the
vehicl ecould be damaged.
The towing ey eortrailer tow hitch can be used
to pull the vehicl eonto atrailer or transporte rif
yo uw ishtot ransport it.
XTurn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
XShift the transmission to position N.
XReleasethe parkin gbrake.
If the vehicle is loaded:
XShift the transmission to position P.
XTurn the key to position 0in the ignition lock
and remove it.
XMake sure the parkin gbrake is applied.
XLash down the vehicle.
Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
Vehicle switha utomatic transmission
!Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be tow-started .You could otherwis edam -
ag et he automatic transmission.
Yo uc an find informatio nonjump-starting under
"Jump-starting “(
Ypage 262).
Electrical fuses
The fuse allocation chart and important safety
informationonthe fuses can be found in the
"Fuse allocation chart" supplement.
266Electrical fuses
Breakdow nassistance

TIN (Tire IdentificationNumber)
Auniqu eide ntificatio nnumbe rwhich can be
used by atire manufacturer to identify tires, for
exampl efor ap roduct recall ,and thusi dentify
the purchasers. The TIN is compose dofthe
manufacturer identificatio ncode, tire size, tire
model cod eand manufacturing date.
Load bearin gind ex
The load bearing index (als oloa dindex) is acode
thatc ontains the maximu mloadb eari ng capa-
city of atire.
Traction
Tractio nist he resul toffrictio nbetween the tires
and the roa dsurface.
TWR (permissibl etrailer drawbar load)
The TWRist he maximumpermissibl eweigh t
thatm ayact on the ball coupling of the trailer
tow hitch.
Wea rind icator
Narrowb ars( tread wear bars) thata redistrib-
ute doverthe tire tread. If the tire trea dislevel
with the bars, the wear limit of áin (1.6 mm)
hasb eenr eached.
Distribution of the vehicle occupants
The distributio nofvehicleoccupants ove rdes-
ignate dseatp osit ions in avehicle.
Maximum permissible payload weight
Nomina lloa da nd goods/luggage load plus
68 kg (150 lb s)multiplie dbythe number of
seats in the vehicle.
Changing wheels
Rotating the wheels
GWARNING
Interchanging the front and rear wheels may
severelyi mpair the driving characteristics if
the wheels or tires have different dimensions. The whee lbrakes or suspension components
may als obedamaged. There is arisk of acci-
dent.
Rotate front and rear wheels only if the wheels and tires are of the same dimensions.
!On vehicles equippedw ithatire pressure
monitor, electronic components are located
in the wheel.
Tire-mounting tools should not be used near
the valve .This could damage the electronic
components.
Only have tires changed at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes under "Mounting awheel" (
Ypage 287).
The wea rpatterns on the front and rear tires
differ, depending on the operating conditions.
Rotate the wheels before aclear wea rpattern
has formed on the tires. Front tires typically
wea rmore on the shoulders and the rear tires in
the center.
If you rvehicle's tire configuration allows, you
can rotate the wheels according to the intervals
in the tire manufacturer's warranty book in your
vehicled ocuments. If no warranty book is avail-
able, the tires should be rotated every 3,000 to
6,000 mile s(5,000 to 10,000 km) or earlier if
tire wea rrequires. Do not change the direction
of rotation.
Clean the contact surfaces of the whee land the
brake disc thoroughly every time awheelisr ota-
ted. Avoid oily or greas ycleaning agents.
Check the tire pressure and reactivate the tire
pressure monitor if necessary.
Directio nofrotation
Tires with aspecified directio nofrotation have
additional benefits, e.g. if there is arisk of hydro-
planing. You wil lonly gai nthese benefits if the
correct directio nofrotation is observed.
An arrow on the sidewal lofthe tire indicates its
correct directio nofrotation.
You may mount aspare whee lagainst the direc-
tion of rotation. Observe the time restriction on
use as wel lasthe speed limitation specified on
the spare wheel.
Storing wheels
Store wheels that are not being used in acool,
dry and preferably dark place. Protect the tires
from contact with oil, greas eand fuel.
286Changing wheels
Wheel sand tires

Maximum roof load330 lbs (150 kg)
with at least three
pairs of support
points
Maximum load for a
rear-mounted cycle
rack154 lbs (70 kg)
for up to four bicycles
The data is validfor aloadd istributed evenly
over the entire roof area.
Reduce the loa donshorter roof carriers pro-
portionately. The maximu mloadp er pai rofroof
carrie rsupports is 110 lbs (50 kg) .The maxi-
mum loa dofarail carrie rbar is 220 lbs (100 kg).
If you have installed arear-mounted bicycle rack
on the tailgate, the additiona lweight reduces
the support provided by the pneumatic springs
when the tailgate is opened.Y ou willthen need
more force to open the tailgate. At low outside
temperatures belowf reezing the tailgate can
sink unintentionally after opening.
Loading guidelines and other information con-
cerning loa ddistribution and loads ecuring can
be found in the "Transporting" section
(
Ypag e232).
Trailer tow hitch
General notes
Mercedes-Benz recommends having atrailer
tow hitch retrofitted at an authorized Sprinter
Dealer.
Use only atrailer tow hitch that has been tested
and approved specially for you rvehicl ebyt he
distributor named on the insid eofthe front
cover. Only use aballc oupling that is approved
for you rvehicl eand Sprinter trailer tow hitch.
You can als ofind information on the permitted
dimensions of the bal lcoupling on the identifi-
cation plate of the trailer tow hitch.
You can obtai nadvice from aqualified specialist
workshop .Also observe the information on tow-
ing atrailer in the "Driving and parking" section
(
Ypag e162).
Trailer loads
The permissible weights and loads which cannot
be exceededc an alsobefound:
Rin you rvehicl edocuments and
Ron the identification plates of the trailer tow
hitch, the trailer and the vehicl e(Ypage294).
You wil lfind the basi cvalues approved by the
manufacturer in the following table .Ifthe values
differ, the lowest valu eapplies.
Make sure that you adhere to the weight restric-
tions by having the weight checked on acali-
brated weighbridge.
Permissible gross
weight GVWR6724 lbs (3050 kg)
Gross front axle
load GAWR (FA)3417 lbs (1550 kg)
Gross rear axle load
GAWR (RA)3417 lbs (1550 kg)
Maximum permissi-
ble gross weight of
vehicle/trailer
combination
2
GCWR
11684 lbs (5300 kg)
Trailer load3GTW5000 lbs (2268 kg)
Maximum permissi-
ble nose weight
TWR500 lbs (227 kg)
2Maximu mpermissibleg ross weight of the vehiclea nd trailer3Maximumpermissibl egross weight of the trailer
Vehicle data305
Technical data
Z