2018 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS CABRIOLET Owner's Manual

#Make surethat the positive term inal of
th e connected battery does not come
into conta ct withvehicle parts.
#Ne ver place me tal objects or tools on a
batter y.
#When connecting and disconnecting the
batter y,yo u must observ eth e descri‐
bed order forth e battery clamps.
#When giving starting assis tance, al ways
make sure that you only connect bat‐
te ry term inals with identical polarity.
#During starting assis tance, you must
observ eth e described order for con‐
necting and disconnecting the jumper
cables.
#Do not connect or disconnect the bat‐
te ry cla mp s while the engine is running.
&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion during
ch arging process and starting assis tance
During thech arging process and starting
assis tance, the battery may release an explo‐
sive gas mixture.
#Av oid fire , open flames, creating spar ks
and smoking.
#Make sure that there is suf ficient venti‐
lation du ring thech arging process and
during starting assis tance.
#Do not lean over a batter y.
Ifth e indicator/warning lamps in the instrument
clus ter do not light up at low temp eratures, it is
ve ry likely that the dischar ged battery has fro‐
zen.
& WARNING Risk ofexplosion from a fro‐
zen battery
A dischar ged battery may freeze at temp era‐
tures slightly abo veor below freezing point.
During starting assis tance or battery charg‐
ing, batte rygas may be released.
#Alw aysth aw a frozen batte ryout firs t
before charging it or per form ing start‐
ing assis tance.
The service li feof a battery that has been
th awe d may be dramatically shor tened. It is
recommended that you ha veathaw ed bat‐
te ry checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
All vehicles
* NO
TEDama gecaused bynumerous or
ex tended attem ptsto start the engine
Nume rous or extended attem ptsto start the
engine may damage the catalytic con verter
due tonon-combu sted fuel.
#Av oid numerous and extended attem pts
to start the engine.
Obser vethefo llowing points during starting
assis tance and when charging the battery:
ROnly use undamaged jumper/charging
cables with a suf ficient cross-section and
insula tedte rm inal clamps.
RNon- insulated parts of thete rm inal clamps
must not come into con tact wi thother me tal
parts while the jumper/charging cable is
connected tothe battery/jump-s tart connec‐
tion point.
Breakdown assis tance 351

RThe jumper/charging cable must not come
into contact with any parts which may move
when the engine is running.
RAlw ays make sure that nei ther you nor the
battery is elect rostatically charge d.
RKe ep away from fire and open flames.
RDo not lean overth e batter y.
RWhencharging: only use battery charge rs
te sted and appr oved byMercedes-Benz, and
please read the battery charge r's operating
instructions before charging the batter y.
Obser vethe additional following points during
st arting assis tance:
RSt arting assis tance may only be pr ovided
using batteries with a nominal voltage of
12 V.
RThe vehicles must not touch.
RGa soline engine: onlyaccept starting assis‐
ta nce if the engine and exhaust sy stem are
cold.
#Secure theve hicle byapplying the electric
parking brake.
#Au tomatic transmission: shiftthe transmis‐
sion toposition B.
#Make sure that the ignition and all electrical
consumers are switched off.
#Open the hood.
#Ve hicles with ground point co ver:tur n
sc rews 2 from ground point co ver1 anti-
clockwise and remo veground point co ver
1.#Slide co ver3 of positive clamp 4onthe
jump-s tarting connection point in the direc‐
tion of the ar row.
#Connect positive clamp 4onyour vehicle to
positive pole of the donor battery using the
jumper/charging cable. Alw ays begin with
positive clamp 4onyour ow nve hicle firs t.
352
Breakdown assist ance

#Duringthest arting assist ance proce‐
dure: start the engine of the donor vehicle
and run at idle speed.
#Connect the negative pole of the donor bat‐
te ry and ground po int5 ofyour ow nve hicle
by using the jumper/charging cable. Begin
with the donor battery firs t.
#Du ring starting assist ance:start the
engine of your ow nve hicle.
#During thech arging process: start the
ch arging process.
#During starting assist ance:letthe engines
ru nfo r se veral minutes.
#During starting assist ance:before discon‐
necting the jumper cable, switch on an elec‐
trical consumer in your ow nve hicle, e.g. the
re ar wind owheater or lighting.
When thest arting assis tance/charging process
is compl ete:
#Fir st,re mo vethe jumper/charging cable
from ground point 5and negative pole of
th e donor batter y,then from positive clamp
4 and positive pole of the donor batter y.
Begin eachtime with the conta cts onyour
ow nve hicle firs t.
#Af terre moving the jumper/charging cable,
close co ver3 of positive clamp 4.
#Vehicles with ground point co ver:replace
ground point co ver1 and turn scr ews2
clockwise.
Yo u can obtain fur ther information on starting
assis tance at any qualified specialist workshop.
Re placing the 12V battery
#Obser vethe no tes on the12 V battery
(→page 348).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you ha vethe
12 V battery replaced at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop, e.g. at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Obser vethefo llowing no tes if youwa ntto
re place the battery yourself:
RAlw aysre place a defective battery with a bat‐
te ry which meets the specific vehicle require‐
ments.
RCar ryove r de tach able parts, such as vent
hoses, elbow fitting or term inal co vers from
th e battery being replaced.
RMake sure that theve nt hose is al ways con‐
nected tothe original opening on the side of
th e batter y.
Ins tall any existing or supplied cell caps.
Otherwise, gases or battery acid could
escape.
RMake sure that de tach able parts are recon‐
nected in the same way.
Tow starting or towing away
Perm itted towing me thods
Mercedes-Benz recommends transporting your
ve hicle in the case of a breakdown, rath er than
to wing it away.
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to tow‐
ing away incor rectly
#Obser vethe instructions and no tes on
to wing away.
Breakdown assis tance 353

Perm itted towing me thods
Ve hicle equipment/to wing
me thod
Bo th axles on thegr oundFront axle raisedRe ar axle raised
Ve hicles with automatic transmis‐
sion Ye
s, maximum 31miles (50 km) at
31 mp h (50 km/h) No
Yes, if thesteering wheel is fixe d in
th e center position with a steering
wheel loc k.
4MATIC vehicles Yes, maximum 31miles (50 km) at
31 mp h (50 km/h) No
No
Towing wit h araised axle: towing should be
per form ed byato wing compan y.
Towing theve hicle with bo thaxles on the
gr ound
#Obser vethe no tes on the permitted towing
me thods(→page 353).
#Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d. When
the battery is dischar ged:
Rthe engine cannot bestar ted.
Rth e electric parking brake cannot bereleased
or applied.
Rth e automatic transmission cann otbe shif ted
to position iorj.
% Ifth e automatic transmission cannot be shif‐
te dto position i, orthe multifunction dis‐
play in the instrument clus ter does not show anything, ha
vetheve hicle transpor tedaw ay
(
→page 356). A towing vehicle with lifting
equipment is requiredforve hicle transpor ta‐
tion.
354 Breakdown assist ance

*NO
TEDama gedue to to wing away at
exc essively high speeds or over long dis‐
ta nces
The driv etra in could be damaged when tow‐
ing at excessively high speeds or over long
dis tances.
#A towing speed of 30 mph (50 km/h)
must not be exceeded.
#Atowing dis tance of 30 miles (50 km)
must not be exceeded.
&
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If th eve hicle being tow- star ted or towe d
aw ay is heavier than the permissible gross
mass of your vehicle, thefo llowing situations
can occur:
RThe towing eye may become de tach ed.
RThe vehicle/trailer combination may
swer veoreve nov erturn.
#If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or
to we daw ay, its weight must not exceed
the permissible gross mass of your ow n
ve hicle.
If a vehicle must be tow- star ted or towe daw ay,
its weight must not exceed the permissible gross
mass of theto wing vehicle.
#Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle iden‐
tification plate (
→page 394).
#Do not open the driver's door or front
passenger door, otherwise the automatic
transmission automatically shifts toposition
j.
#Ins tallth eto wing eye (→page 358).
#Fa sten theto w bar.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion
#Only connect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes.
#Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(→page 63).
#Do not activate the HOLD function.
#Deactivate Active Brake Assi st(→page 159).
#Shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
#Re lease the electric parking brake.
&
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
Rth e ignition is switched off.
Rthe brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
Rth e energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signif‐
icantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is no rmally requ ired.
#Use a tow bar.
Breakdown assis tance 355

#Make surethat thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely, before towing theve hicle
aw ay.
* NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po we r
Ifyo upull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged.
#Pull away slowly and smoo thly.
Loading the vehicle for transport
#Obser vethe no tes on towing away
(→page 354).
#Connect theto w bar totheto wing eyeto
load theve hicle.
#Shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
% The automatic transmission may be loc ked
in position jintheeve nt of damage tothe
electrics. Toshift toi, pr ovide the on- board electrical sy
stem with po wer
(
→page 350).
#Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter.
#Shift the automatic transmission toposition
j.
#Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels.
Ve hicles with ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
Sy stem PLUS)
&
WARNING Risk of an accident when
transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS
The reduced damping forc es on theve hicle
being transpor ted can cause theve hicle/
trailer combination tostart toswing.
As a result, when transporting vehicles with
th eAd aptive Damping Sy stem PLUS, the
ve hicle/trailer combination may start toskid.
Consequentl y,yo u could lose cont rol of your
ve hicle.
#When transporting, ensure that:RThe vehicle has been loaded onto
th e transpor ter cor rectly
RThe vehicle is secured at all four
wheels with suitable tensioning
st ra ps
RThe maximum permissible speed of
35 mph(6 0 km/h) is not exceeded
when transporting
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly
#Af ter loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged.
#A minimum dis tance of 4 in (10 cm)
up wa rds and 8 in (20 cm) down wards
must be kept tothe transport platform.
%
Transport le vel is not available forth efo llow‐
ing vehicles:
RMercedes‑AMG vehicles
RVe hicles with MAGIC BODY CONTROL
356
Breakdown assis tance

#Toactivate transport leve l:press button
1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up.
The vehicle is raised by1.2 in (30 mm) com‐
pared tothe normal le vel.
#Press button 1again and hold it for at least
fi ve seconds.
The vehicle is raised from thera ised le velto
th e transport le vel.
The transport le vel is reached when indicator
lamp 2flashes and theMax. Speed
35 km/h display message appears in the
multifunction displa y.
Load theve hicle and lash it down at all four
wheels. Otherwise, theve hicle could be dam‐
aged.
% A minimum dis tance of 4 in (10 cm) up wards
and 8 in (20 cm) down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform.
The vehicle is lo wered again in thefo llowing sit‐
uations:
RWhen driving fasterthan 21 mp h (35 km/h).
RAfter selecting a drive program using the
DY NA MIC SELECT switch.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the last
active drive prog ram.
#To deactivate transpo rtleve l:start the
engine when theve hicle is at a standstill.
If transport leve l is activated, indicator lamp
2 flashes.
#Press and hold button 1for at least five
seconds.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the
last active drive prog ram. Indicator lamp 2
goes out.
#Drive theve hicle off the transpor ter.
4MATIC vehicles
#Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transpor tation vehicle.
Breakdown assis tance 357

*NO
TEDama getothe driv etra in due to
incor rect positioning
#Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi‐
cle.
To wing eyesto rage location
Towing eye1 is located with theve hicle tool kit
under the trunk floor.
Installing theto wing eye
#Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve.
#Scr ew intheto wing eyeclockwise as far as it
will go and tighten.
% Make sure that co ver1 engages in the
bumper when youre mo vetheto wing eye. *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect use of
th eto wing eye
When a towing eye is used toreco ver a vehi‐
cle, theve hicle may be damaged in the proc‐
ess.
#Only use theto wing eyeto to waw ay or
to w start theve hicle.
To w starting theve hicle (eme rgency engine
st arting)
Ve hicles with automatic transmission
* NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission due to towstarting
The automatic transmission may be damaged
in the process of tow starting vehicles with
automatic transmission.
#Ve hicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow star ted.
#Ve hicles with automatic transmission must
not be tow star ted.
358
Breakdown assis tance