2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA towing

quently. Under arduous operatin gc onditions,
the tires must be checked more often. Further
information can be obtained at aq ualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-
Ben zC enter.
Driving abroad An extensive Mercedes-Benz Service network is
also available in other countries. You can obtain
further information from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Care
General notes
H Environmental note
Dispose of empty packagin ga nd cleaning
cloths in an environmentally responsible man-
ner.
! For cleanin gy our vehicle, do not use any of
the following: R
dry, rough or hard cloths R
abrasive cleanin ga gentsR
solvents R
cleanin ga gent sc ontainin gs olvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective films
with hard objects, e.g. ar ing or ice scraper.
You could otherwise scratch or damage the
surfaces and protective film.
! Do not park your vehicle for al ong period of
time directly after cleaning, particularly after
cleanin gt he wheel rim with wheel cleaner.
Wheel cleaner can lead to the increased cor-
rosion of the brake discs and pads. Therefore,
drive for af ew minutes after cleaning. By
heating up the brakes, the brake discs and
pads dry. The vehicle can then be parked for a
long period of time.
Regular care of your vehicle is ac ondition for
retaining the quality in the long term.
Use care product sa nd cleanin ga gent sr ecom-
mended and approved by Mercedes-Benz. Washing the vehicle and cleaning the
paintwork
Automatic car wash
G WARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the vehicle. There is ar isk of an accident.
After the vehicle has been washed, brake
carefully while paying attention to the traffic
condition su ntil full brakin gp ower is restored.
! When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
! Never clean your vehicle in aT ouchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special
cleanin ga gents. These cleanin ga gent sc an
damage the paintwor korp lastic parts.
! Make sure that the automatic transmission
is in position N when washing your vehicle in
at ow-through car wash. The vehicle could be
damaged if the transmission is in another
position.
! Make sure that: R
the side windows and the sliding sunroof
are fully closed. R
the blower is switched off. R
the windshield wiper switch is at position 0 .
The vehicle may otherwise be damaged.
You can wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash from the very start.
If the vehicle is very dirty, pre-wash it before
cleanin gitinana utomatic car wash.
After using an automatic car wash, wipe off wax
from the windshield and the wiper blades. This
will preven ts mears and reduce wiping noises
caused by residue on the windshield.
Washing by hand
In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at specially equipped washing bays.
Observe the legal requirements in each country.262
Care
Maintenance and care

i Jumper cable sa nd further informatio nr egardin gj ump-startin gc an be obtaine data ny qualified
specialist workshop.
Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Function sr elevan ttos afety are restricted or
no longer available if: R
th ee ngine is no tr unning.R
th eb rak es ystem or th ep ower steering is
malfunctioning. R
there is am alfunctio nint he voltage supply
or th ev ehicle's electrical system.
If your vehicle is bein gt ow ed, muc hm ore
force may be necessar yt os te er or brake.
Ther eisar isk of an accident.
In such cases, use at ow bar. Before towing,
mak es ure that th es te ering moves freely.
G WARNING
You can no longer steer th ev ehicle if the
steering wheel loc kh as been engaged. There
is ar isk of an accident.
Always switch off th ei gnitio nw hen towing the
vehicle with at ow cable or at ow bar.
G WARNING
When towing or tow-startin ga nother vehicle
and its weight is greater than th ep ermissible
gross weight of your vehicle ,t he :R
th et ow ing eye could detach itselfR
th ev ehicle/trailer combinatio nc ould roll-
over.
Ther eisar isk of an accident.
When towing or tow-startin ga nother vehicle,
its weight shoul dn ot be greater than th ep er-
missible gross weight of your vehicle.
Details on th ep ermissible gross vehicle weight
of your vehicle can be foun dont he vehicle iden-
tification plat e( Y
page 314).
! When Activ eB ra ke Assist ,D istance Pilot
DISTRONIC or th eH OL Df unction is activated, th ev ehicle brakes automatically in certain
situations.
To avoid damage to th ev ehicle ,d eactivate
these systems in th ef ollowing or similar sit-
uations: R
when towing th ev ehicle R
in th ec ar wash
! Mak es ure that th ee lectric parking brak ei s
released. If th ee lectric parking brak eisf aulty,
visi taq ualifie ds pecialist workshop.
! Only secure th et ow rope or to wb ar at the
towing eyes. Otherwise, th ev ehicle coul db e
damaged.
! Do no tu se th et ow ing eyes for recover yp ur-
pose sast hi sc oul dd amage th ev ehicle .Ifi n
doubt ,r ecover th ev ehicle with ac ra ne.
! When towing ,p ull away slowly and
smoothly. If th et ra ctive power is to oh igh ,t he
vehicle sc oul dbed amaged.
! The vehicle can be towed am aximum of
30 miles (50km). The t owing speed of 30 mph
(5 0km/h) must no tbee xceeded.
If th ev ehicle has to be towed mor et ha n
30 miles (50km), th ef ront axle must be raised
or th ee ntire vehicle raise da nd transported.
! Do no tt ow with sling-type equipment .T his
coul dd amage th ev ehicle.
! When towing vehicle sw ith KEYLESS-GO,
use th ek ey instead of th eS ta rt/Sto pb utton.
Otherwise, th ea utomatic transmission may
shif ttop osition P when th ed river' sorf ront -
passenger door are opened, whic hc oul dl ead
to damage to th et ra nsmission.
! Vehicles with automatic transmission must
no tbes ta rted by tow-starting. This coul do th -
erwis ed amage th et ra nsmission.
It is bette rtoh ave th ev ehicle transported than
to have it towed away.
If th ev ehicle can no longer be driven because of
an acciden torb reakdown ,y ou have th ef ollow-
ing options: R
Transportin gt he vehicle.Towing and tow-starting 281
Breakdown assistance Z

As ar ule, yo us houl dh av et he vehicl et rans-
ported. R
Towing the vehicl ew it hat ow rop eort ow bar.
Onl yt ow the vehicl eine xceptiona lc ases.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you: R
canno tt urn the SmartKe ytop osition H in
the ignition lock. R
canno tr elease the electri cp ar king brake.R
canno ts hift the transmission to position \\ .
The functio noft he electri cp ar king brake and
the parking lock is dependent on the on-board
voltage.
If the on-board voltag eisl ow or if ther eisas ys -
tem malfunction: R
the electri cp ar king brake ma yn ot be applied
in certain circumstances ,o rR
it ma ynol on ge rbep os sibl etos hift the trans-
mission to position ]
Switch off non-essentia lc onsumers, e.g .t he
radio.
Disar mt he automatic locking feature before the
vehicl eist owed ( Y
page 187). Yo uc ould other-
wise be locked ou tw he np us hing or towing the
vehicle.
Installing/removin gt he towin ge ye
Installing the towin ge ye
The brackets for the screw-i nt owing ey ea re
locate dint he bumpers. The ya re at the rea ra nd
at the front, under covers C . X
Remove the towing ey ef rom the stowage
space.
The towing ey eisl oc ate dw it ht he vehicl et ool
kit under the cargo compartment floor
( Y
page 270).
Vehicles with the TIREFIT kit: the towing ey ei s
beneath the tire inflation compressor
( Y
page 271). X
Press the mark on cover C inwards in the
direction of the arrow. X
Take cover C off the opening. X
Screw in the towing ey ec lockwise to the stop.
Removing the towin ge ye X
Unscrew and remove the towing eye. X
Attach cover C to the bumpe ra nd press until
it engages. X
Place the towing ey eint he stowag ew el l
beneath the cargo compartment floor in the
cargo compartment ( Y
page 270).X
Vehicles with the TIREFIT kit: pu tb ac kt he tire
inflation compressor ( Y
page 271).
Towin gt he vehicle with the fron ta xle
raised Observ et he important safety notes when tow-
ing your vehicl ew it ht he front axl er aised
( Y
page 281).
Only vehicle sw it hou t4 MATIC can be towed
with the fron ta xl er aised.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rea ra xl er aised, as
doing so will damage the transmission.
Vehicles with 4MATIC ma ye it her be towed away
with both axles on the ground or be loaded up
and transported.
! The ignition must be switched off if the vehi-
cle is being towed with the front axl er aised.
Otherwise, ESP ®
ma yi ntervene and damage
the brake system. X
On vehicle sw it hK EYLESS -GO or the KEY-
LESS-GO start function: yo um us tu se the
SmartKe yi nstea doft he Start/Stop button
( Y
page 123). X
Make sure tha tt he vehicl eiss tationary.X
Turn the SmartKe ytop osit ion H in the igni-
tio nl oc k.282
Towin ga nd tow-starting
Breakdo wn assis tance

X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed. X
Shift the automatic transmission to position
] . X
Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switc ho ff the automatic locking
( Y
page 187). X
Switc hont he hazard warning lamps
( Y
page 102). X
Turn the SmartKey in the ignition lock to posi-
tion Z and leave the SmartKey in the ignition
lock.
Towing av ehicle with both axles on
the ground It is importan tt hat you observe the safety
instruction sw hen towing away your vehicle
( Y
page 281). X
On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or the KEY-
LESS-GO star tf unction: you must use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop button
( Y
page 123).
The automatic transmission automatically shifts
to position ] when 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 \\ when towing away the vehicle, you
must observe the following points: X
Make sure that the vehicle is stationary. X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock. X
Depress and hold the brake pedal. X
Shift the automatic transmission to position
\\ . X
Leave the SmartKey in position H in the igni-
tion lock. X
Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switc hont he hazard warning lamps
( Y
page 102).
i In order to signal ac hange of direction when
towing the vehicle with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination
switch as usual. In this case, only the indicator
lamps for the direction of travel flash. After resetting the combination switch, the hazard
warning lamp start sf lashing again.
Transporting the vehicle
4MATIC vehicles or vehicles with auto-
matic transmission
! When the vehicle is loaded for transport, the
fron ta nd rear axles must be stationary and on
the same transportation vehicle. Positioning
over the connection point of the transport
vehicle is not permitted. The drive train may
otherwise be damaged.
All vehicles
! You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as
axle or steerin gc omponents. Otherwise, the
vehicle could be damaged. X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock ( Y
page 122). X
Shift the transmission to position \\ .
As soon as the vehicle has been loaded: X
Preven tt he vehicle from rolling away by
applying the electric parking brake. X
Shift the transmission to position ] .X
Turn the SmartKey to position Z in the igni-
tion lock and remove it. X
Secure the vehicle.
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
ont oat railer or transporter for transportin gp ur-
poses.Towing and tow-starting 283
Breakdown assistance Z