Rinseany acid spills immediately
wit hclear water. Contac t aphysician
if necessary.
Wear eye protection .
Keepchildren away.
Observ ethis Operator's Manual.
Fo rsafet yreasons, Mercedes-Ben zrecom-
mends that you only use batterie swhic hhav e
been tested and approve dfor your vehicl eby
Mercedes-Benz. These batterie sprovide
increased impact protection to preven tvehicl e
occupant sfrom suffering acid burn sshould th e
battery be damaged in th eevent of an accident.
In order for th ebattery to achiev eth emaximum
possibl eservic elife ,it mus talways be suffi-
ciently charged.
Lik eother batteries, th evehicl ebattery may
discharge ove rtime if you do no tuse th evehicle.
In this case, hav eth ebattery disconnected at a
qualified specialist workshop. You can also
charge th ebattery wit h acharge rrecommended
by Mercedes-Benz. Contac t aqualified special-
ist workshop for further information .
Hav eth ebattery condition of charge checke d
mor efrequentl yif you use th evehicl emainly for
short trips or if you leav eit standing idle for a
lengthy period. Consult aqualified specialist
workshop if you wish to leav eyour vehicl e
parked for alon gperiod of time.
Remove th eSmartKey if you park th evehicl e
and do no trequire any electrical consumers.
The vehicl ewill then use ver ylittl eenergy, thus
conserving battery p
ower
.
If th epower suppl yhas been interrupted, e.g. if
you reconnect th ebattery, you will hav eto :
Rset th eclock .Information on setting th eclock
can be foun din th eDigital Operator's Manual
On vehicles wit h amultimedia system, th e
time is set automatically.
Rreset th efunction for foldin gth eexterio rmir -
ror sin/out automatically, by foldin gth emir -
ror sout once (
Ypage 106)
Charging the battery
GWARNING
During charging and jump-starting ,explosive
gase scan escape from th ebattery. There is a
ris kof an explosion .
Particularly avoi dfire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Ensur ethere is sufficien t
ventilation while charging and jump-starting .
Do no tlean ove r abattery.
GWARNIN G
Battery acid is caustic. There is aris kof injury.
Avoid contact wit hskin, eyes or clothing .Do
no tinhale any battery gases. Do no tlean ove r
th ebattery. Kee pchildren away from batter-
ies. Wash away battery acid immediately wit h
plenty of clean water and seek medical atten -
tion .
GWARNIN G
A discharged battery can freez eat tempera-
tures belo wfreezing point. When jump-start -
ing th evehicl eor charging th ebattery, gase s
can escape from th ebattery. There is aris kof
an explosion .
Allow th efrozen battery to thaw out before
charging it or jump-starting .
!Only use battery chargers wit h amaximum
charging voltag eof 14.8 V.
!Only charge th ebattery usin gth ejump-
starting connection point.
The jump-starting connection poin tis in th e
engin ecompartmen t (
Ypage 278).
XOpen thehood.
XConnect th ebattery charge rto th epositive
termina land ground poin tin th esam eorder
as when connecting th edonor battery in th e
jump-starting procedure (
Ypage 278).
If th eindicator/warning lamp sdo no tligh tup at
low temperatures ,it is ver ylikely that th edis-
charge dbattery has frozen .In this case, you
may neither charge th ebattery no rjump-start
th evehicle. The servic elife of athawed-out bat -
tery may be shorter. The starting characteristics
may be impaired, especially at low tempera-
276Battery (vehicle)
Breakdown assistance
Do not start the vehicle using a rapid charging device. If your vehicle's battery is discharged, the
engine can be jump-started from another vehicle or from a second battery using jumper cables.
Observe the following points:
RThe battery is not accessible in all vehicles. If the other vehicle's battery is not accessible, jump-
start the vehicle using a second battery or a jump-starting device.
RYou may only jump-start the vehicle when the engine and exhaust system are cold.
ROnly jump-start from batteries with a 12 V voltage rating.
ROnly use jumper cables which have a sufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.
RIf the battery is fully discharged, leave the battery that is being used to jump-start connected for
a few minutes before attempting to start. This charges the battery slightly.
RMake sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that:
Rthe jumper cables are not damaged.
Rwhen the jumper cables are connected to the battery, uninsulated sections of the terminal clamp
do not come into contact with other metal sections.
Rthe jumper cables cannot come into contact with parts which can move when the engine is
running, such as the V-belt pulley or the fan.
XApply the parking brake firmly.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XMake sure that the ignition is switched off. All indicator lamps in the instrument cluster must be
off. When using the SmartKey, turn the SmartKey to position 0in the ignition lock and remove it
(
Ypage 128).
XSwitch off all electrical consumers, e.g. rear window defroster, lighting, etc.
XOpen the hood.
Position number Bidentifies the charged battery of the other vehicle or an equivalent jump-starting
device.
XSlide cover :of positive terminal ;in the direction of the arrow.
XConnect positive terminal ;on your vehicle to positive terminal =of donor battery Busing the
jumper cable, always begin with positive terminal ;on your own vehicle first.
Jump-starting279
Breakdown assistance
Z
XStart the engine of the donor vehicle and run it at idling speed.
XConnect negative terminal?of donor battery Bto ground point Aof your vehicle using the
jumper cable, connecting the jumper cable to battery of other vehicle Bfirst.
XStart the engine.
XBefore disconnecting the jumper cables, let the engine run for several minutes.
XFirst, remove the jumper cables from ground point Aand negative terminal ?, then from pos-
itive clamp ;and positive terminal =. Begin each time at the contacts on your own vehicle first.
XClose cover:of positive clamp ;after removing the jumper cables.
XHave the battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Jump-starting is not considered to be a normal operating condition.
iJumper cables and further information regarding jump-starting can be obtained at any qualified
specialist workshop.
Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Functions relevant to safety are restricted or
no longer available if:
Rthe engine is not running.
Rthe brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning.
Rthere 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.
GWARNING
When towing or tow-starting another vehicle
and its weight is greater than the permissible
gross weight of your vehicle, the:
Rthe towing eye could detach itself
Rthe 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. Details on the permissible gross vehicle weight
of your vehicle can be found on the vehicle iden-
tification plate (
Ypage 311).
!When COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
PLUS, DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD function
is activated, the vehicle brakes automatically
in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
these systems in the following or similar sit-
uations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
!Only secure the tow rope or tow bar at the
towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could be
damaged.
!Do not use the towing eye for recovery, 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.
!Do not tow with sling-type equipment. This
could damage the vehicle.
!On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop button.
Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock and shift the automatic transmission to
N. Then, turn the SmartKey back to 0and
leave it in the ignition lock.
!The vehicle can be towed a maximum of
30 miles (50km). The towing speed of 30 mph
(50 km/h) must not be exceeded.
280Towing and tow-starting
Breakdown assistance
If the vehicle has to be towed more than
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicle must be
raised and transported.
!If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum per-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehicle.
It is better to have the vehicle transported than
to have it towed away.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission damage,
have it transported on a transporter or trailer.
The automatic transmission must be in position
N when the vehicle is being towed.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
Rcannot turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock
Rcannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
In the event of damage to the electrical sys-
tem
If the battery is defective, the automatic trans-
mission 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 278).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter or
trailer.
Disarm the automatic locking feature before the
vehicle is towed (
Ypage 79). You could other-
wise be locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye
GWARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be very hot. There is
a risk of burns when removing the rear cover.
Do not touch the exhaust pipe. Take particular
care when removing the rear cover.
The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the rear
and at the front, under covers :.
XRemove the towing eye from the vehicle tool
kit (Ypage 270).
XPress the mark on cover:inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
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.
XPosition cover :on top of the bumper and
press it in at the bottom 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 280).
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N.
Towing and tow-starting281
Breakdown assistance
Z