R
Make sure that the positive terminal of a
connected battery does not come into con-
tact with vehicle parts.
R Never place metal objects or tools on a bat-
tery.
R It is important that you observe the descri-
bed 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 dis-
connecting the jumper cables.
R Never connect or disconnect the battery
terminals while the engine is running. 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. H
Environmental 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 regularly checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
For more information, please contact a quali- fied specialist workshop. !
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, please observe the fol-
lowing:
R Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away.
R Switch off the ignition.
R Disconnect the negative terminal first and
then the positive terminal.
The transmission is locked in position 005D
after disconnecting the battery.
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.
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 Battery (vehicle)
341Breakdown assistance Z
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. However, you can also charge the battery with a charger recom-
mended by Mercedes-Benz. Contact a qualified
specialist workshop for further information.
Have the battery charge state checked more
frequently if you use the vehicle mainly for short trips or if you leave it standing idle for a lengthyperiod. 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 and
navigation system, the clock is set automati-
cally.
R reset the function for automatically folding
the exterior mirrors in/out by folding the mir-
rors out once(Y page 111) Charging the 12 V battery
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 use battery chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 14.8 V.
! Only charge the battery using the jump-
starting connection point.
The jump-starting connection point is in the
engine compartment (Y page 343).
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 343).
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, at low temperatures, the indicator lamps/
warning lamps in the instrument cluster do not
light up, it is highly likely that the discharged
battery has frozen. In this case you may neither
jump-start the vehicle nor charge the battery.
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. 342
Battery (vehicle)Breakdown assistance
