
Always make sure that neither you nor the bat-
tery is electrostatically charged. A build-up of
electrostatic charge can be caused, for exam-
ple:
Rby wearing clothing made from synthetic
fibers
Rdue to friction between clothing and seats
Rif you push or pull the battery across the car-
pet or other synthetic materials
Rif you wipe the battery with a cloth
GWARNING
During the charging process, a battery produ-
ces hydrogen gas. If a short circuit occurs or
sparks are created, the hydrogen gas can
ignite. There is a risk of an explosion.
RMake sure that the positive terminal of a
connected battery does not come into con- tact with vehicle parts.
RNever place metal objects or tools on a bat-
tery.
RIt is important that you observe the descri-
bed order of the battery terminals when
connecting and disconnecting a battery.
RWhen jump-starting, make sure that the
battery poles with identical polarity are
connected.
RIt is particularly important to observe the
described order when connecting and dis-
connecting the jumper cables.
RNever connect or disconnect the battery
terminals while the engine is running.
GWARNING
Battery acid is caustic. There is a risk of injury.
Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Do
not inhale any battery gases. Do not lean over
the battery. Keep children away from batter-
ies. Wash away battery acid immediately with
plenty of clean water and seek medical atten-
tion.
HEnvironmental note
Batteries contain dangerous
substances. It is against the
law to dispose of them with
the household rubbish. They
must be collected separately and recycled to protect the
environment.
Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally friendly
manner. Take discharged
batteries to a qualified spe-
cialist workshop or a special
collection point for used bat-
teries.
!Have the battery checked regularly at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Observe the service intervals in the Mainte-
nance Booklet or contact a qualified specialist
workshop for more information.
!Always have work on batteries carried out at
a qualified specialist workshop. Should it, in
exceptional circumstances, be absolutely
necessary to disconnect the 12-volt battery
yourself, observe the following:
Rsecure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away.
Rswitch off the ignition.
Ralways disconnect the negative terminal
clamp first, followed by the positive termi-
nal clamp.
After the battery has been disconnected, the
transmission is locked in position P.
After the work has been done, install the bat-
tery and replace the cover of the positive ter-
minal clamp firmly.
Comply with safety precautions and take pro-
tective measures when handling batteries.
Risk of explosion.
Fire, open flames and smoking are
prohibited when handling the bat-
tery. Avoid creating sparks.
Battery acid is caustic. Avoid contact
with skin, eyes or clothing.
Wear suitable protective clothing,
especially gloves, apron and face-
guard.
Battery (vehicle)271
Breakdo wn assis tance
Z

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 100)
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 274).
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 274).
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-
272Battery (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 122).
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-starting275
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 307).
!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.
276Towing 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 274).
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 266).
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 276).
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-starting277
Breakdown assistance
Z

XReleaseth ebrak epedal .
XReleas eth eparking brake.
In order to signal achang eof direction when
towin gth evehicl ewit hth ehazard warning
lamp sswitched on ,use th ecombination switch
as usual. In this case, only th eindicator lamp s
for th edirection of travel flash. Afte rresetting
th ecombination switch ,th ehazard warning
lamp start sflashin gagain .
Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
!
Vehicles wit h4MATIC mus tno tbe towed
wit heither th efron tor th erear axl eraised, as
doin gso will damag eth etransmission .
!Vehicles withautomatic transmission mus t
no tbe towed wit hth erear axl eraised. The
vehicle/traile rcombination may otherwise
swerve or eve nrol lover.
Transporting the vehicle
4MATIC vehicles/vehicles with auto-
matic transmission
!When th evehicl eis loade dfor transport, th e
fron tand rear axles mus tbe stationary and on
th esam etransportation vehicle. Positioning
ove rth econnection poin tof th etranspor t
vehicl eis no tpermitted. The driv etrain may
otherwise be damaged.
All vehicles
!You may only secure th evehicl eby th e
wheels, no tby part sof th evehicl esuc has
axl eor steering components. Otherwise, th e
vehicl ecould be damaged. The towin
geye can be used to pull th evehicl e
onto atrailer or transporte rfor transporting pur-
poses.
XTurn th eSmartKey to position 2in th eignition
lock.
XShift th eautomatic transmission to position
N .
As soon as th evehicle ha sbeen loaded:
XPreven tth evehicl efrom rollin gaway by
applyin gth eparking brake.
XShift th eautomatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
XTurn th eSmartKey to position 0in th eignition
loc kand remove it .
XSecureth evehicle.
Notes on 4MATIC vehicles
!
Vehicles wit h4MATIC mus tno tbe towed
wit heither th efron tor th erear axl eraised, as
doin gso will damag eth etransmission .
If th evehicl ehas transmission damag eor dam-
age to th efron tor rear axle, hav eit transporte d
on atransporte ror trailer .
In th eevent of damage to th eelectrical sys -
tem
If th ebattery is defective, th eautomatic trans -
mission will be locke din position P.To shif tth e
automatic transmission to position N,you mus t
provide powe rto th evehicle's electrical system
in th esam eway as when jump-starting
(
Ypage 274).
Hav eth evehicl etransporte don atransporte ror
trailer .
Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
!
Vehicles wit hautomatic transmission mus t
no tbe started by tow-starting .This could oth-
erwise damag eth etransmission .
iYou can findinformation on "Jump-starting "
under (Ypage 274).
278Towing and tow-starting
Breakdown assistance

Fuses
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you manipulat eor bridge afault yfus eor if
you replace it wit h afusewit h a higher amper-
age, th eelectric cables could be overloaded.
This could result in afire. Ther eis aris kof an
acciden tand injury.
Always replace fault yfuses wit hth especifie d
ne wfuses having th ecorrect amperage .
Blown fuses must be replace dwit hfuses of th e
sam erating ,whic hyou can recognize by th e
color and value .The fus erating sare listed in th e
fus eallocation chart .
The fus eallocation chart is locate din th evehicl e
tool kit in th estowage compartmen tunder th e
trunk floor (
Ypage 266).
If anewly inserted fus ealso blows ,have th e
caus etrace dand rectifie dat aqualified special-
ist workshop, e.g. an authorize dMercedes-Ben z
Center.
!Only use fuses that have been approve dfor
Mercedes-Ben zvehicles and whic hhave th e
correct fus erating for th esystem concerned.
Otherwise, component sor systems could be
damaged.
!Mak esure that no moisture can ente rth e
fus ebox when th ecover is open .
!When closingth ecover ,mak esure that it is
lyin gcorrectly on th efus ebox .Moistur eseep -
ing in or dirt could otherwise impair th eoper -
ation of th efuses.
The fuses in your vehi
cl
eserve to close down
fault ycircuits. If afus eblows ,all th ecompo -
nent son th ecircuit and their function sstop
operating .
Before changing a fuse
Pay attention to th eimportant safet ynote s
(Ypage 279).
XSwitc hoff th eengine.
XSwitc hoff all electrical consumers.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway
(Ypage 138).
XRemove th eSmartKey from th eignition lock.
or, on vehicles wit hKEYLESS‑ GO:
XOpen thedriver' sdoor .
The on-board electronics no whave status 0.
This is th esam eas th eSmartKey having been
removed.
XRemove th eStart/Sto pbutto nfrom th eigni-
tion loc k (Ypage 122).
All indicator lamps in th einstrumen tcluste r
must be off .
The fuses are locate din various fus eboxes:
RFus ebox on th edriver' sside of th edashboar d
RFusebox in th eengin ecompartmen ton th e
left-han dside of th evehicle, when viewed in
th edirection of travel
RFus ebox in th etrunk on th eright-hand side of
th evehicle, when viewed in th edirection of
travel
Dashboard fuse box
Pay attention to th eimportant safet ynote s
(Ypage 279).
!Do no tuse apointe dobject suc has ascrew-
driver to open th ecover in th edashboard. You
could damag eth edashboar dor th ecover .
!Makesure that no moisture can ente rth e
fus ebox when th ecover is open .
!When closingth ecover ,mak esure that it is
lyin gcorrectly on th efus ebox .Moistur eseep -
ing in or dirt could otherwise impai rth eoper -
ation of th efuses.
XTo open :pull out cover :slightly at th ebot -
to m in th edirection of arrow =.
XPull cover:outwards in th edirection of
arrow ;and remove it .
Fuses279
Breakdown assistance
Z

Check wheels and tires for damage at least once
a month. Check wheels and tires afterdriving
off-road or on rough roads. Damaged wheels
can cause a loss of tire pressure. Pay particular
attention to damage such as:
Rcuts inthe tires
Rpunctures
Rtears inthe tires
Rbulges on tires
Rdeformation or severe corrosion on wheels
Regularly check the tire tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width of
the tire (
Ypage 282). Ifnecessary, turn the
front wheels to full lock inorder to inspect the
inner sideof the tire surface.
All wheels must have a valve cap to protect the valve against dirtand moisture. Do not mount
anything onto the valve other than the standard
valve cap or other valve caps approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your veh icle. Do not use any
other valve caps or systems, e.g. tire pressure
monitoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tires par-
ticularly prior to long tr ips.Adjust the tire pres-
sure as necessary (
Ypage 284).
Observe the notes on the emergency spare
wheel (
Ypage 304).
The service lifeof tires depends, among other
things, on the foll owing factors:
Rdriving style
Rtire pressure
Rdistance covered
Notes on tire tread
GWAR NING
In suff icient tire tread willreduce tire traction.
The tire isno longer abletodissipat e water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk
of hydroplaning increases, inparticular where
speed isnot adapted to suit the driving con-
dit ions. There isa risk of acc ident.
If the tire pressure istoo high or too low,tires
may exhibit diff erent levelsof wear at differ-
ent locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
widt h of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
RSummer tires: âin(3 mm)
RM+S tires: ãin(4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribe d limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached.
Marking :shows where the bar indicator
(arrow) for tread wear is integrated into the tire
tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire tread.
They are vis ibleonce a tread depth of approx-
imately áin (1.6 mm) has been reached. If this
is the case, the tire isso worn that it must be
replaced.
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
ROnly mount tires and wheels of the same type
and make.
Exception: itis permissible to install a differ-
ent type or make in the event of a flat tire.
Observe the "MOExtended tires (tires with
run-flat characteristics" section (
Ypage 266).
ROnly mount tires of the correct size onto the
wheels.
RBreak in new tires at moderate speeds for the
first 60 miles(100 km). They only reach their
full performance after this distance.
RDo not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth, as this significantly reduces the
traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
RReplace the tires after six years at the latest,
regardless of wear.
Observe the notes on the emergency spare
wheel (
Ypage 304).
282Operation
Wheels and tires