Observe the service intervals in the Mainte-
nance Booklet or contact a qualified specialist
workshop for more information.
!You should have all work involving the bat-
tery carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop. In the exceptional case that it is neces-
sary for you to disconnect the battery your-
self, make sure that:
Rswitch off the engine and remove the
SmartKey. On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO,
make sure that the ignition is switched off.
Check that all the indicator lamps in the
instrument cluster are off. Otherwise, elec-
tronic components, such as the alternator,
may be damaged.
Ryou first remove the negative terminal
clamp and then the positive terminal
clamp. Never swap the terminal clamps.
Otherwise, the vehicle's electronic system
may be damaged.
Rin vehicles with automatic transmission,
the transmission is locked in position j
after the battery is disconnected. The vehi-
cle is secured against rolling away. You can
then no longer move the vehicle.
The battery and the cover of the positive ter-
minal clamp must be installed securely during
operation.
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.
Rinse any acid spills immediately
with clear water. Contact a physician
if necessary.
Wear eye protection.
Keep children away.
Observe this Operator's Manual.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use batteries which have
been tested and approved for your vehicle by
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.
Only replace a battery with a battery that has
been recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
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:
Rset the clock using the multimedia system
(see the Digital Operator's Manual)
Rreset the function for folding the exterior mir-
rors in/out automatically, by folding the mir-
rors out once (
Ypage 98)
Charging the battery
GWARNING
During charging and jump-starting, explosive
gases can escape from the battery. There is a risk of an explosion.
290Battery (vehicle)
Breakdown assistance
GWARNING
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.
RMake sure that the positive terminal of a connected battery does not come into contact with
vehicle parts.
RNever place metal objects or tools on a battery.
RIt is important that you observe the described 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 disconnecting
the jumper cables.
RNever connect or disconnect the battery terminals while the engine is running.
GWARNING
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/warning lamps do not light up in the instrument cluster at low temperatures, it is very
likely that the discharged battery has frozen. In this case you may neither jump-start the vehicle nor
charge the battery. Let the battery thaw first. 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.
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.
RDo not start the engine if the battery is frozen. Let the battery thaw first.
ROnly jump-start from batteries with a 12 V voltage rating.
ROnly use jumper cables that are not damaged and have a sufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.
RMake sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that:
RThe jumper cables are not damaged.
RNon-insulated parts of the terminal clamps do not come into contact with other metal parts while
the jumper cables are connected to the battery.
RThe jumper cables cannot come into contact with parts that can move when the engine is running,
such as the V-belt pulley or the fan.
XSecure the vehicle by applying the electric parking brake.
XShift the transmission to position j.
XTurn the SmartKey to positiongin the ignition lock and remove it.
292Jump-starting
Breakdown assistance
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
Rcannot turn the SmartKey to position2in
the ignition lock.
Rcannot release the electric parking brake.
Rcannot shift the transmission to position i.
The function of the electric parking brake and
the parking lock is dependent on the on-board
voltage.
If the on-board voltage is low or if there is a sys-
tem malfunction:
Rthe electric parking brake may not be applied
in certain circumstances, or
Rit may no longer be possible to shift the trans-
mission to position j
Switch off non-essential consumers, e.g. the
radio.
Disarm the automatic locking feature before the vehicle is towed (
Ypage 196). You could other-
wise be locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye
The brackets for the screw-in towing eye are
located in the bumpers. They are at the rear and
at the front, under covers :.
XRemove the towing eye from the stowage
space. The towing eye is located with the vehicle tool
kit under the cargo compartment floor
(
Ypage 283).
Vehicles with the TIREFIT kit: the towing eye is
beneath the tire inflation compressor
(
Ypage 284).
XPress the mark on cover :inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
XTake cover :off the opening.
XScrew in the towing eye clockwise to the stop.
Removing the towing eye
XUnscrew and remove the towing eye.
XAttach cover :to the bumper and press until
it engages.
XPlace the towing eye in the stowage well
beneath the cargo compartment floor in the
cargo compartment (
Ypage 283).
XVehicles with the TIREFIT kit: put back the tire inflation compressor (Ypage 284).
Towing the vehicle with the front axle
raised
Observe the important safety notes when tow-
ing your vehicle with the front axle raised
(
Ypage 294).
Only vehicles without 4MATIC can be towed
with the front axle raised.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised, as doing so will damage the transmission.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may either 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 axle raised.
Otherwise, ESP
®may intervene and damage
the brake system.
XOn vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or the KEY-
LESS-GO start function: you must use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop button
(
Ypage 125).
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
Towing and tow-starting295
Breakdown assistance
Z
Vehicles with 4MATIC may only either be towed
away with both axles on the ground or be loaded
up and transported.
If the vehicle's transmission, front, or rear axle is
damaged, have the vehicle transported on a
truck or trailer.
In the event of damage to the electrical sys-
tem:
If the battery is defective, the automatic trans-
mission will be locked in position j. To shift the
automatic transmission to position i, you
must provide power to the vehicle's on-board
electrical system in the same way as when jump-
starting (
Ypage 291).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter or
trailer.
Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
!
Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be tow-started. You could otherwise dam-
age the automatic transmission.
iYou can find information on "Jump-starting"
under (Ypage 291).
Fuses
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you manipulate or bridge a faulty fuse or if
you replace it with a fuse with a higher amper- age, the electric cables could be overloaded.
This could result in a fire. There is a risk of an
accident and injury.
Always replace faulty fuses with the specified
new fuses having the correct amperage.
!Only use fuses that have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which have the
correct fuse rating for the system concerned.
Only use fuses marked with an "S". Other-
wise, components or systems could be dam-
aged.
!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 serve to close down
faulty circuits. If a fuse blows, all the compo-
nents on the circuit and their functions stop
operating.
Blown fuses must be replaced with fuses of the same rating, which you can recognize by the
color and value. The fuse ratings are listed in the
fuse allocation chart.
The fuse allocation chart is in the fuse box in the
front-passenger footwell (
Ypage 298).
If a newly inserted fuse also blows, have the
cause traced and rectified at a qualified special-
ist workshop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Before changing a fuse
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away
(Ypage 143).
XSwitch off all electrical consumers.
XVehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS-GO: open the driver's door.
The vehicle electronics are now in position
g. This is the same as the SmartKey being
removed from the ignition.
The fuses are located in various fuse boxes:
RFuse box in the engine compartment on the
left-hand side of the vehicle, when viewed in
the direction of travel
RFuse box in the front-passenger footwell
The fuse allocation chart is on the fuse box in the
front-passenger footwell (
Ypage 298).
Fuse box in the engine compartment
GWARNING
When the hood is open and the windshield
wipers are set in motion, you can be injured by
the wiper linkage. There is a risk of injury.
Always switch off the windshield wipers and
the ignition before opening the hood.
Fuses297
Breakdown assistance
Z