Drivin
gtips
If th et railer sw ays, remember thef ollowing
points:
R Do no taccelerat eunder an ycircums tances.
R Do no tcounter steer.
R If necessar y,appl ythe brakes.
% Yo
uc an pr eventthet railer from sw aying and
rock ingbyretrofitting stabilizer bar sortrailer
st abilit yprograms. Youc an obtain fur ther
information from an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
R Maintain alarge rd ista nce than when driving
without atrailer.
R Avoid braking abruptl y.If possible, brak egen‐
tl yf irst of al lsot hatthet railer closes up
behind your vehicle. Then, increase theb rak‐
ing forc er apidl y.
R The values given fors tart-o ff gradeability
re fertos ea level. When driving in moun tain‐
ous areas, no tethat engine output, and there‐
fo re start-of fgradeability ,will dec rease with
inc reasin galtitude. Coupling/uncoupling
atrailer Coupling
atrailer
* NO
TEDama getothev ehicle batter ydue
to full discharge Charging
thet railer batter yusing thep ower
supply of thet railer can damag ethe vehicle
batter y. #
Do no tuse thev ehicle's po wersupply
to charge thet railer batter y. #
Shif tthe selector le vertop osition 005D. #
Appl ythe vehicle's parking brake. #
Close all thed oors. #
Position thet railer on alevel sur face behind
th ev ehicle.
% The ball head height
changes depending on
th ev ehicle's load. In this case, use atrailer
wit hah eight-adjus table trailer dr awbar. #
Couple up thet railer. #
Establish all electrical and other connections
to thet railer. #
Remo veobject sordevices whic hpreve nt the
traile rfromr olling, e.g. wheel choc ks. #
Release thet railer's parking brake.
% The
vehicle harness has acable connection
to theb rake light indicator lamp.
Obser vethem aximum permissible trailer dimen‐
sions (widt hand length).
Mos tUSs tatesa nd all Canadian pr ovinces pre‐
scribe thef ollowing points, and youa reurge ntly
re commended tocomply wi th these:
R Safetyc hains between thet ow ing vehicle and
th et railer .The chains should be routed in a
criss-cross pat tern unde rthe trailer dr awbar.
The ym ustbec onnected tothet railer tow
hitc hand no ttothe bumper or tothev ehicle
axle.
Lea vesuf ficient sla ckinthec hains. This
allo wsfore vens harp cornering.
R Aseparat ebrake system is requ ired forc er‐
ta in trailers.
R Asafet yf eatur eisrequired forb rake dt railers.
De term ine thes pecific requ irements acco rd‐
ing tother ele vant la ws.
If th et railer becomes de tach ed from thet ow‐
ing vehicle, thes afet yf eatur etrigger sthe
trailer brakes and can thus reduce thed anger.
Un coupling atrailer &
WARNING Risk of being crushed and
becoming trapped whe nuncoupling a
trailer
Whe nuncoupling atrail er wi than engaged
ine rtia-activated brake, your han dmay
become trapped between thev ehicle and the
traile rdrawbar. #
Do no tuncouple trailer swithan
engaged overrun brake. Do no
tuncouple atrailer wit hanoverrun brak ein
as tate ofove rrun. Otherwise, ther ebound of the
ove rrunb rake can damag eyour vehicle. #
Shif tthe selector le vertop osition 005D. #
Appl ythe vehicle's parking brake. #
Close all thed oors. #
Appl ythe trailer's parking brake. #
Secur ethe trailer agains trolling away wit ha
wheel choc kors imilar object. #
Remo vethet railer cables and saf etyc hains. #
Uncouple thet railer. 15 4
Driving and pa rking
Information abou
ttow ing atrailer Operatin
gatrailer is subject toman ystatutory
re gulations suc hasspeedrestrictions.
Man ystatesa lso requ ireana uxiliaryseparate
functional brakin gsystem when towing aweight
th at exc eeds acertain limit .For your saf ety, it is
re commended touse aseparat efunctional brak‐
ing sy stem on an ytowe dvehicle.
Mak esuret hat your trailer combinatio nmeets
local regulations. This no tonlya pplies to your
plac eofr esidence, but also to your destination.
In fo rm atio nont his can be obtained from the
police and local authorities.
Compl ywitht he following when driving wit ha
trailer:
R Practice cornering, stopping and backing up
in at raffic-free location. In this wa y,yo uw ill
ga in driving experience and become accus‐
to med tothen ew handling characteristics.
R Befor edriving, checkt he following:
- that thet railer towh itch and ball coupling
ar es ecure
- that thes afet ys wit ch forb rake dt railer sis
functioning cor rectly
- that thes afet yc hains ar esecur eand
undamaged
- that thee lectrical connection saresecure
- that thel ights ar efunctioning cor rectly
- thew heels ford ama geand cor rect tire
pressur e(/ page 202)
R Adjus tthe outside mir rors so that youh ave a
clea rviewoft herear sectio nofthe trailer.
R Ifth et railer is equipped wit hanindividual
braking sy stem, checkb efor eeachj ourney
whe ther theb rake sa refunctioning cor rectl y.
R Ifth et railer has electronicall ycont rolled
brakes, pull away carefully wi th thevehicle/
trailer combination .Brake manually using the
brak econtroller and checkw hether the
brakes ar efunctioning cor rectl y.
R Secu rethel oad on thet railer in line wit hthe
re qu irements and rules forl oad-securing
me thods.
R When driving wit hatrailer ,chec katr egular
inter vals that thel oad is secur eand that the
light sand brakes ar efunctioning cor rectl y.
R Bea rinm indthat theh andling characteristics
ar em oreu nstable when towing atrailer than when drivin
gwithout atrailer .Avoid sudden
st eering mo vements.
R The vehicle/trailer combination is heavier,
accelerates mor eslowl y,has areduced
climbing ability and an increased braking dis‐
ta nce. It is mor esusceptible toside winds
and requ ires careful steering.
R If possible, do no tbrake suddenl y,but rath er
moderately at firs tsot hatthet railer can acti‐
va te its brakes. Then inc rease thep ressur eon
th eb rake pedal.
R Ifth ea utomatic transmission shifts between
ge arsonu phill or downhill gradients, restrict
th es hiftrange. Select shif trang e4,3,2or1.
Al ow ergear and reduced speed decrease the
ri sk of engine damage.
R When driving on adownhill gradient, shif ttoa
lo we rgear touse thee ngine' sbraking ef fect.
Av oid cons tant braking, as this could cause
th ev ehicle brakes and possibly also the
traile rbrake stoo verheat.
R Ifth ec oolant temp eratur eincreases signifi‐
cant lywhen thea ir-conditionin gsystemis
switched on, switc hthe air-conditioning sys‐
te mo ff.
Coolant heat can also be dissipated by
switching thea irflow and thet emperatur eof
th eh eater or air conditioning tothem aximum
le ve l. Open thew indo wsif necessar y.
R When overtaking ,pay particular attention to
th ei ncreased overtakin gdista nce of your
ve hicle/trailer combination.
Due tothel engt hofy ourvehicle/trailer com‐
bination youw illrequ ireal onger stre tchof
ro ad befor eswit ching bac ktothe original
lane. Pe
rm issible trailer loads and trailer dr awbar
nose weights We
ight information &
WARNING Risk of accident du eto
unbraked trailer wit hexcessivel yhigh
gross weight
If yo ut ow atrailer without aseparat efunc‐
tional brakin gsystema ndagross trailer
we ight (G TW)ofm oret han 1635 lbs (750 kg),
th en thev ehicle brak esystemm ayove rheat.
This increases theb raking dis tance and the
brak esystem ma yevenf ail. Driving and parking
15 5
light
weight loads. La yanti-slip mats underneath
th el oad tosecur ethe load additionally. Installing and
removing tie-down eyes #
Toinstall: slidethet ie-down eyet hrough a
re cess in thel oading rail close tothel oad
until locking mechanism engages in the
re cess.
% Whe
nyou pull locking mechanism up and out
of ther ecess, thet ie-down eyeisa bleto
mo vewithin thel oading rail. Mak esuret hat
locking mechanism is alw ayse ngaged in a
re cess. #
Che ckthet ie-down eyef or firm seating. #
Toremo ve: pull lo cking mechanism up and
pull thet ie-down eyet ow ards thel ocking
mechanism and out of thel oading rail
th ro ugh arecess. Car
rier sy stems Information abou
tthe roof rack &
WARNING Risk of inju rydue tothem axi‐
mum roof load being exceeded
When youp laceal oad on ther oof as well as
all outer and inner attachments, thev ehicle's
center of gr avity will rise and thef amiliar driv‐
ing characteristic saswell asthes teering and
braking characteristic swillch ange. When
drivin garound bends, thev ehicle will tilt
mor eheavily and ma yreact mor esluggishly
to steering mo vements.
If yo ue xceed them aximum roof load, the
driving characteristics, as well as thes teering
and braking, will be greatl yimp aired. #
Nevere xceed them aximum roof load
and adjus tyour driving style. 1
Mountin grails
Informatio nabout them aximum roof load can be
fo und in the" Tech nical data" section
(/ page246).
Obse rvet he following point sfor assembling roof
ra ck s:
R Tighten ther oof rack 's scr ewstoat orque of
6.0 lb-f t(8N m)–7.4 lb-f t(10 Nm) in thed es‐
ignated groo vedp lates.
R The tightened scr ewsshould no ttouc hthe
ra ils.
R Ensur ethat theg roove dplates ar enotloca‐
te dint he areas around thep lastic caps.
R The groo vedp lates mus thave ther ight cross-
sectio n.
R The insides of them ounting rails mus tbefree
of dirt.
R Re-tigh tent he scr ewsu niformly af tera round
300 mile s(500 km).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that youu se on ly
ro of rack st hat ha vebeen tested and appr oved
fo rM ercedes-Benz. These help topreve ntvehicle
damage.
If yo uw ant toretrofit them ounting rails, ha ve
th em ins talled at aqualified specialis tworks hop.
Otherwise, youc oul dd amag ethe vehicle.
If yo ur vehicle is ins talled wit hmountin grails on
th er oof, youc an install aroof rack on ther oof.
Special fastener s(sliding bloc ks)a re available as
accesso ries fort his purpose.
These fastener sareavailable from an yauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zCenter. Tr
ansporting 16 9
#
Tomo vether ackr ails: unscr ewstar knobs
7 coun ter-clockwise until they ares lightly
loose. #
Sliderackr ail 2 along roof rail1 tothe
desired position. #
Screw star knobs 7tight clo ckwise. #
Chec kthat ther ackr ail is seated securely.
Moving thes liders &
WARNING Risk of inju rydue toinade‐
qu atel ysecured loads
If th es lider of thei nterior roof rack system is
no te ngaged proper ly,t he load ma ycome
loose, fall down and injur epeople, for
ins tance when they enter or load and unload
th ec argo compartment. #
Alwayse ngag ethe slider properly. %
Ring
8of slider 4mus talway sbeatan
angle of 90° torack rail2,sot hat slider 4
is engaged proper ly. #
When ther ing of thes lider is at an angle
of 90° tother ackr ail: pullring 8of slider
4 down an dsimul taneously mo veslider 4
to thed esired position. #
Release ring 8 atthed esired position. #
Moveslider 4slightl yfurther along on rack
ra il2 until slider 4engages automaticall y.#
When ther ing of thes lider is pa rallel to
th er ackr ail: moveslider 4tothed esired
position. #
Position ring 8 of slider 4at an angle of
90° torack rail2.
Slider 4is engaged. Ad
justin gthe belt strap #
Press and hold thel ocking mechanism on
slider 9. #
Pull or release belt strap 5. #
Release thel ocking mechanism on slider 9.
% When securing or loosening
aload, be sure
to nots tand unde rthe load.
Securing and loosening thel oad #
Tosecur ethe load: placethel oad in theb elt
st ra ps of ther ackr ails. #
Fasten thel oad flush wit hthe partition. #
Secur ebelt strap 5. #
Chec kthat thel oad is seated securel y. #
Toloosen thel oad: press and hold thel ock‐
ing mechanism on slider 9. #
Pull ring 8 ofthes lider down and simultane‐
ously mo vethes lider away from thel oad. #
Loosen belt strap 5and at thes ame time
mak esuret hat thel oad does no tfall out of
th eb elt stra ps. #
Remo vethel oad from theb elt stra ps.
Installing cargo tie down rings Tr
ansporting 171
#
Take support 1from theb rack et on the
hood and pull it down wards. #
Inse rtthes uppor tint ob rack et below 2. &
WARNING Risk offire due toflammable
material in thee ngine compartmen tor
th ee xhau stsystem
Clo thsoro ther flammable materials lef tin
th ee ngine compartmen tbymista ke could
igni teupon coming int ocontact wi thhots ec‐
tions of thee ngine or exhaus tsyst em. #
Ensur ethat ther ea reno flammable
ex tern al materials in thee ngine com‐
partmen torontheexhaus tsyst em af ter
maintenance workhas been conducted. &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
when opening and closing thee ngine
hood
When opening or closing thee ngine hood, it
ma ysuddenl ydropi ntot he end position.
Ther eisar isk of injur yfor an yone in the
engine hood's rang eofm ovement. #
Only open or close thee ngine hood
when ther ea reno persons in thee ngine
hood's rang eofm ovement. *
NO
TEDama getotheh ood Pushing
theh ood closed wit hyour hands
could dama geit. #
Toclos ethe hood, le titdropf romt he
specified height. #
Toclose: liftt he hood slightl y. #
Movesupport 1totheb rack et on theh ood
and apply light pressur etoengageit. #
Lowe rthe hood and le titdropf romah eight
of appr oximately 0.5 ft(15c m). #
If it is still possible toliftt he hood alittle,
open theh ood again and le titdropf roma
height of appr oximately 0.7 ft(20 cm) until it
engages cor rectly. Engin
eoil Che
cking thee ngine oil le velw ithad ipst ick &
WARNING Risk of bu rnsf romh otcom‐
ponent parts in thee ngine compartment
Cer tainc omponent pa rtsint he engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. thee ngine, the
cooler and pa rtsoft heexhaus tsystem. #
Letthe engine cool down and only
to uc ht he component parts described
as follo ws. Depending on
thee ngine, thed ipstic kmaybe in
va rying locations in thee ngine compartment.
Wa itin gtimeb efor echecking theo il le vel:
R engin eatn ormal operatin gtemperature:
fi ve minutes
R engine no tatnormal operating temp erature
(the engine waso nlys tarted briefly ,for exam‐
ple): 30 minutes Dip
stick( example) #
Park thev ehicle on an even sur face. #
Remo vedipstick 1and wipe it off. Maintenanc
eand care 175
Fi
lling up thew indshield washer sy stem &
WARNING Risk of bu rnsf romh otcom‐
ponent parts in thee ngine compartment
Cer tainc omponents in thee ngine compart‐
ment can be very hot, e.g. thee ngine, the
ra diator and parts of thee xhau stsystem. #
Allo wthe engine tocool down and only
to uc hc omponent parts desc ribed in the
fo llowing. If
yo uh ave tocar ryout an yworkint he engine
compartment, touc ho nlyt he following compo‐
nents:
R Hood
R Engine oil filler openin gcap
R Washer fluid reser voir cap
R Coolant expansion reser voir cap &
WARNING Danger of bu rnsw hen open‐
ing theh ood
If yo uo pen theh ood when thee ngine has
ove rheated or during afireint he engine com‐
partment, youc oul dc om eintoc ontact wi th
ho tg ases or other escaping operating fluids. #
Befor eopening theh ood, allo wthe
engine tocool down. #
Inthee vent of afireint he engine com‐
partment, keep theh ood closed and call
th ef ires ervice. &
WARNING ‑Riskoff irea nd injur yfrom
windshiel dwashe rconcentrate
Wi ndshield washer concentrat eishighlyflam‐
mable. It could ignit eifitcomes int ocontact
wi th hote ngine component parts or the
ex haus tsystem. #
Mak esuret hat no windshield washer
concentrat espills out next tothef iller
opening. *
NO
TEDama getothee xterio rlighting
due tounsuitable windshield washer fluid Uns
uitable windshield washer fluid ma ydam‐
ag et he plastic sur face of thee xterio rlighting. #
Onlyuse windshield washer fluids that
ar ea lso suitable foru se on plast ic sur‐
fa ces, e.g. MB SummerFit or MB Winter‐
Fit. Ad
ding washer fluid Wa
sher fluid reser voir (e xamp le) #
Pre-mix thew ashe rfluid in thec orrect mixing
ra tio in acontainer. #
Park thev ehicle on alevel sur face and secu re
it agains trolling away ( /pag e132). #
Ope nthe hood (/ page173). #
Pullthe cap of washer fluid con tainer 1
upwards bythes trap. #
Pour in thep re-mixed washer fluid. #
Press cap 1onto thef iller openin guntil it
audibly engages. #
Close theh ood (/ page173).
% Mi
xt he washer fluid wit hwindshield washer
concentrat eallye ar round. Compl ywitht he
information about windshield washer fluid in
th et echnical dat a(/ pag e240).
% Co
mply withthe fur ther information about
windshield washer fluid (/ page240) Cleaning
thew ater drain valveoft he air
intak ebox &
WARNING Risk of inju rydue tomoving
parts
Cer tainc omponents in thee ngine compart‐
ment ma ycontinue tomo veor suddenly
mo veagain even af tert he ignition has been
switched off, e.g. thec ooler fan.
Ma kesur eoft hefollowing befor eperform ing
ta sk sint he engine compartment: #
Switc hthe ignition off. Maintenance and care
17 9
#
Nevertouc hthe danger zone sur round‐
ing movin gcomponent parts ,e.g.t he
ro tatio na reaoft hefan. #
Remo vejewe lrya nd watches. #
Keep items of clo thing and hair away
from moving parts. &
WARNING Risk of bu rnsf romh otcom‐
ponent parts in thee ngine compartment
Cer tainc omponents in thee ngine compart‐
ment can be very hot, e.g. thee ngine, the
ra diator and parts of thee xhau stsystem. #
Allo wthe engine tocool down and only
to uc hc omponent parts desc ribed in the
fo llowing. If
yo uh ave tocar ryout an yworkint he engine
compartment, touc ho nlyt he following compo‐
nents:
R Hood
R Engine oil filler openin gcap
R Washer fluid reser voir cap
R Coolant expansion reser voir cap #
Open theh ood (/ page173). #
Remo vedirtfromw ater drain valve 2 of air
intak ebox1 . Draining
thef uel filter &
WARNING Danger of fire and explosion
due tofuel
Fu els ar ehighly flammable. #
It is essential toavoid fire ,o pen flames,
smokin gand creating spar ks. #
Befor efilling up, switc hoffthee ngine,
and, if applicable, thea uxiliar yheating. &
WARNING Risk offire and explosion due
to fuel
Fu els ar ehighly flammable. Ther eisarisk of
fi re and explosion due tocontact wi thhot
component parts. #
Allo wthe engine and thee xhau stsys‐
te mtoc ool down. *
NO
TEEngine damag eduetodela yed
drainag eofthe fuel filter Ve
hicles with adiese lengine: delayed
drainag eofthe fuel filter can lead toengine
damage.
If the 003A indicator lam plights up, drain the
fuel filter immediately. +
ENVIRONMENTAL
NOTEEnvironmental
pollution du etodisposal in anon-envi‐
ro nmental ly-friendly manner #
Dispose of thew ater/fuel mixtur einan
environmentally-friendly manner. Mo
torO M642 #
Park thev ehicle in asafel ocation and secure
it agains trolling away. #
Switc hoffthea uxiliar yheating
(/ page100). #
Switc hoffthee ngine. #
Open theh ood (/ page173). 18 0
Maintenance and care
Obser
vethef ollowing no tes: Note
sonc leaning and car eA voiding paintwor kdamage
Pa int
R
Insect remains: soak wit hinsect
re mo vera nd then wash off.
R Birdd roppings: soak wit hwater and
th en wash off.
R Remo vecoolant, tree resin, oils,
fuels and greases: rubg entl ywitha
clo thsoaked in petroleum ether or
lighter fluid.
R Brak efluid: wash of fwithw ater.
R Tars tains :use tarr emo ver.
R Wax: us eas ilicone remo ver. R
Do no taffix sticke rs,f ilms or similar.
R Remo vedirtass oon as possible.
Mat tefinish
R
Onlyuse car eproducts appr ovedfor
Mercedes-Benz. R
Do no tpolish thev ehicle and alloy
wheels.
R Do no tuse aw ash program that
end swithah otwa xtreatment in
au tomatic car washes.
R Do no tuse paint cleaners, buf fing or
polishing products, or gloss preserv‐
ers, e.g. wax.
R Have paint repair scarried out in a
qu alified specialis tworks hop onl y. Note
sont he car eofvehicle parts &
WARNING Risk of entrapment if the
windshield wiper sareswit ched on while
th ew indshield is being cleaned
If th ew indshield wiper saresetinm otion
while youa recleanin gthe windshield or
wiper blades, youc an be trapped bythew iper
arm. #
Alwayss witc hoffthew indshield wipers
and thei gnition befor ecleaning the
windshield or wiper blades. &
WARNING Risk of bu rning from thet ail‐
pipe or tailpipe trim
The tailpipe and tailpipe trim can become
ve ry hot. If youc om eintoc ontact wi th these
car parts, youc oul db urny ourself. #
Alwaysbep articularly careful when in
th ev icinit yoft hetailpipe and tailpipe
trims and supervise children very
closely whe ninthis area. #
Befor eanycon tact, allo wthe car parts
to cool down. Maintenance and care
18 3