Mercedes-Benz. These batteries provide
increased impact protection to prevent vehicle
occupants from suffering acid burns should the
battery be damaged in the event of an accident.
In order for the battery to achieve the maximum
possible service life, it must always be suffi-
ciently charged.
Like other batteries, the vehicle battery may
discharge over time if you do not use the vehicle.
In this case, have the battery disconnected at a
qualified specialist workshop. You can also
charge the battery with a charger recommended
by Mercedes-Benz. Contact a qualified special-
ist workshop for further information.
Have the battery condition of charge checked
more frequently if you use the vehicle mainly for
short trips or if you leave it standing idle for a
lengthy period. Consult a qualified specialist
workshop if you wish to leave your vehicle
parked for a long period of time.
Remove the SmartKey if you park the vehicle
and do not require any electrical consumers.
The vehicle will then use very little energy, thus
conserving battery power.
If the power supply has been interrupted, e.g. if
you reconnect the battery, you will have to: R
set the clock; see the Digital Operator's Man-
ual
On vehicles with a multimedia system, the
time is set automatically. R
reset the function for folding the exterior mir-
rors in/out automatically, by folding the mir-
rors out once ( Y
page 101).
Charging the battery
! Only use battery chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 14.8 V.
G WARNING
During charging and jump-starting, explosive
gases can escape from the battery. There is a
risk of an explosion.
Particularly avoid fire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Ensure there is sufficient
ventilation while charging and jump-starting.
Do not lean over a battery.
G WARNING
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.
G WARNING
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera-
tures below freezing point. When jump-start-
ing the vehicle or charging the battery, gases
can escape from the battery. There is a risk of
an explosion.
Allow the frozen battery to thaw out before
charging it or jump-starting.
! Only charge the battery using the jump-
starting connection point.
The jump-starting connection point is in the
engine compartment ( Y
page 285).X
Open the hood. X
Connect the battery charger to the positive
terminal and ground point in the same order
as when connecting the donor battery in the
jump-starting procedure ( Y
page 285).
Keep away from fire and open flames. Do not
lean over a battery. Never charge the battery if it
is still installed in the vehicle, unless you use a
battery charger which has been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. A battery charger
unit specially adapted for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles and tested and approved by Mercedes-
Benz is available as an accessory. It permits the
charging of the battery in its installed position.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for further information and availability. Read the
battery charger's operating instructions before
charging the battery.
If the warning and indicator lamps do not light up
on the instrument cluster when temperatures
are low, it is probably because the discharged
battery has frozen. In this case, you may neither
charge the battery nor jump-start the vehicle.
The service life of a thawed-out battery may be
shorter. The starting characteristics can be
impaired, particularly at low temperatures. Have
the thawed-out battery checked at a qualified
specialist workshop.284
Battery (vehicle)
Breakdown assistance
Jump-starting For the jump-starting procedure, use only the jump-starting connection point in the engine com-
partment, consisting of a positive terminal and a ground point.
G WARNING
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 batteries. Wash away battery acid immediately with plenty of
clean water and seek medical attention.
G WARNING
During charging and jump-starting, explosive gases can escape from the battery. There is a risk
of an explosion.
Particularly avoid fire, open flames, creating sparks and smoking. Ensure there is sufficient ven-
tilation while charging and jump-starting. Do not lean over a battery.
G WARNING
During the charging process, a battery produces hydrogen gas. If a short circuit occurs or sparks
are created, the hydrogen gas can ignite. There is a risk of an explosion. R
Make sure that the positive terminal of a connected battery does not come into contact with
vehicle parts. R
Never place metal objects or tools on a battery. R
It is important that you observe the described order of the battery terminals when connecting
and disconnecting a battery. R
When jump-starting, make sure that the battery poles with identical polarity are connected. R
It is particularly important to observe the described order when connecting and disconnecting
the jumper cables. R
Never connect or disconnect the battery terminals while the engine is running.
G WARNING
A discharged battery can freeze at temperatures below freezing point. When jump-starting the
vehicle or charging the battery, gases can escape from the battery. There is a risk of an explosion.
Allow the frozen battery to thaw out before charging it or jump-starting.
! Avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise, the catalytic converter could be
damaged by the non-combusted fuel.
If the indicator and warning lamps do not light up at low temperatures, it is very likely that the
discharged battery has frozen. In this case, you may neither charge the battery nor jump-start the
vehicle. The service life of a thawed-out battery may be shorter. The starting characteristics can be
impaired, particularly at low temperatures. Have the thawed-out battery checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Jump-starting 285
Breakdown assistance Z
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: R
The 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. R
You may only jump-start the vehicle when the engine and exhaust system are cold. R
Only jump-start from batteries with a 12 V voltage rating. R
Only use jumper cables which have a sufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps. R
If 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. R
Make sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that: R
the jumper cables are not damaged. R
when the jumper cables are connected to the battery, uninsulated sections of the terminal clamp
do not come into contact with other metal sections. R
the jumper cables cannot come into contact with parts which can move when the engine is
running, such a s the V-belt pulley or the fan.X
Apply the parking brake firmly. X
Shift the transmission to position P .X
Make 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 0 in the ignition lock and remove it
( Y
page 123).X
Switch off all electrical consumers, e.g. rear window defroster, lighting, etc. X
Open the hood.
Position number
! 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: R
cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the
ignition lock. R
cannot 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
( Y
page 285).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter or
trailer.
Disarm the automatic locking feature before the
vehicle is towed ( Y
page 82). You could other-
wise be locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye
G WARNING
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. All vehicles except Mercedes-AMG vehicles
Mercedes-AMG vehicles
The brackets for the screw-in towing eye are
located in the bumpers. They are at the front and
at the rear, behind the covers. X
Remove the towing eye from the vehicle tool
kit ( Y
page 277). X
Pull cover C out of the bumper in the direc-
tion of the arrow by inserting your fingers into
the recess. X
Press the mark on cover D inwards in the
direction of the arrow. X
Remove cover D from the opening.X
Screw in the towing eye clockwise as far as it
will go and tighten it.288
Towing and tow-starting
Breakdown assistance
As soon as the vehicle has been loaded:X
Prevent the veh icle from rolling away by
applyin g the parking brake.X
Sh ift the automat ic transmission to posi-
tion P .X
Turn the Sm artKey to position 0 in the ignition
lock and remove it. X
Secure the veh icle .
Notes on 4MATIC vehicles
! Veh icle s wit h 4MATIC must not be towed
wit h either the front or the rear axle raised, as
doin g so will damage the transmission.
If the veh icle has transmission damage or dam-
age to the front or rear axle, have it transported
on a transporter or trailer.
In the event of da ma ge to the electrical sys-
tem
If the battery is defective, the automat ic trans-
mission will be locked in position P . To shift the
automat ic transmission to position N , you must
pro vide power to the veh icle 's electrical system
in the same way as when jump-starting
( Y
page 285).
Have the veh icle transported on a transporter or
trailer.
Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Veh icle s wit h automat ic transmission must
not be started by tow-starting. This could oth-
erwise damage the transmission.
i You can find information on "Jump-starting"
under ( Y
page 285).
Fuses
Important safety notes
G WAR NING
If you man ipulat e or brid ge a faulty fuse or if
you replace it wit h a fuse wit h a higher amper-
age, the electr ic cables could be overloaded.
This could result in a fire. There is a risk of an
acc iden t and injury. Alwa ys replace faulty fuses wit h the specified
new fuses having the correct amperage.
Blo wn fuses must be replaced wit h fuses of the
same rating, whic h you can recognize by the
color and value. The fuse ratings are listed in the
fuse allocation chart.
The fuse allocation chart is located in the vehicle
tool kit in the stowage compartment under the
trunk floor ( Y
page 277).
If a ne wly inserted fuse also blows, have the
cause traced and rectified at a qualified special-
ist worksho p, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
! Only use fuses that have been appr oved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and whic h have the
correct fuse rating for the system concerned.
Otherwise, components or systems could be
damaged.
! Make sure that no moisture can enter the
fuse box when the cover is open.
! When closing the cover, make sure that it is
lying correctly on the fuse box. Moisture seep-
ing in or dirt could otherwise impair the oper-
ation of the fuses.
The fuses in your vehicle ser ve to close down
faulty circuits. If a fuse blows, all the compo-
nents on the circuit and their functions stop
operating.
Before changing a fuse Pay attention to the important safety notes
( Y
page 290). X
Swit ch off the engine. X
Swit ch off all electrical consumers. X
Make sure that the ignition is swit ched off
( Y
page 123).
or X
When using the SmartKey, turn the SmartKey
to position 0 in the ignition lock and remove it
( Y
page 123). X
Secure the vehicle against rolling away
( Y
page 141).
All indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
must be off.290
Fuses
Breakdown assistance