towing MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS ESTATE 2020 Service Manual

#
Ensu rethat the driven speed complies
with traf fic re gulations. #
Adjust the driving speed tosuit cur rent
traf fic and weather conditions. Fu
nction of route-based speed adaptation When
Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti‐
va ted, theve hicle speed will be adap ted accord‐
ingly tothero ute events ahead. Depending on
th e drive prog ram selected, theve hicle negoti‐
ates a route event ahead in a fuel-s aving, com‐
fo rtable or dynamic manner. When thero ute
eve nt has been passed, theve hicle accelerates
again tothestored speed. The set dis tance to
th eve hicle in front, vehicles de tected ahead and
speed restrictions ahead are take n into account.
Yo u can activate and deactivate route-based
speed adap tation in the multimedia sy stem
(/ page 215).
The following route events are take n into
account:
R Bends R
T-junctions, roundabouts and tollst ations
R Turns and exits
R Traf fic jams ahead (only wi thLive Traf fic
Information )
% When theto llst ation is reached, Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC adopts the speed as
th estored speed.
Also, the speed is reduced if the turn signal indi‐
cator tochange lanes is swit ched on and one of
th efo llowing situations is de tected:
R Turning off at junctions
R Driving on slowing-down lanes
R Driving on lanes adjacent toslowing-down
lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tojunctions, roundabouts
and traf fic lights, as route-based speed adap ta‐
tion does not brake theve hicle toast andstill.
When route guidance is active, thefirs t speed
adjustment is car ried out automaticall y.Ifthe
turn signal indica tor is switched on, the selected ro
ute is confirmed and fur ther speed adjustment
is activated.
Speed adap tation is cancelled in thefo llowing
cases:
R Ifth e turn signal indicator is switched off
before thero ute event.
R Ifth e driver depresses the accelerator or
brake pedal during the process.
Sy stem limits
Ro ute-based speed adap tation does not take
ri ght of wayre gulations into account. The driver
is responsible for complying with road traf fic
re gulations and driving at a suitable speed.
In dif ficult conditions, the speed selection made
by the sy stem may not alw ays be suitable:
R unclear roads
R road nar rowing
R wetro ad sur faces, snow or ice
R when towing a trailer
In these situations the driver must inter vene
acco rding ly. 214
Driving and pa rking

Ste
ering and touch de tection
The driver is requiredtokeep their hands on the
st eering wheel at all times and be able tointer‐
ve ne at any time tocor rect the course of the
ve hicle and keep it in lane. The driver must
ex pect a change from active topassive mode or
vice versa at any time. If
th e sy stem de tects that the driver has not
st eered theve hicle for a considerable period of
time or has remo vedth eir hands from thesteer‐
ing wheel, display 1appears. If the driver still
does not steer theve hicle, a warning tone
sounds in addition tothe visual warning mes‐
sage. If
th e driver does not react tothis wa rning for a
considerable period, an emergency stop is initi‐
ated (/ page217).
If th e driver steers, no warning is issued, or the
wa rning is ended.
If Ac tive Steering Assist de tects that a sy stem
limit has been reached, a visual warning is
issued and a warning tone sounds.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 194).
Sy stem limits
Ac tive Steering Assist has a limited steering tor‐
qu efo r lateral guidance. In some cases, the
st eering inter vention is not su fficient tokeep the
ve hicle in the lane or todrive thro ugh exits.
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R The reis poor visibilit y,e.g. due tosno w,rain,
fo g, heavy spr ay,greatly varying light condi‐
tions or strong shado wsonthe car riag ew ay.
R There is glare, e.g. from oncoming traf fic,
di re ct sunlight or reflections. R
Insuf ficient road illumination.
R The windsc reen is dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered in the vicinity of the camera, e.g.
by ast icke r.
R No, or se veral, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, or the markings change
qu ickl y,forex ample, in a con stru ction area
or junctions.
R The lane markings are wornaw ay, dark or
co vered up, e.g. bydirt or sno w.
R Ifth e dis tance totheve hicle in front is too
short and thus the lane markings cann otbe
de tected.
R The road is nar row and winding.
R There are obs tacles on the lane or projecting
out into the lane, such as object mar kers.
The sy stem does not pr ovide assis tance in the
fo llowing conditions:
R On tight bends and when turning.
R When crossing junctions.
R Atroundabouts or tollst ations.
R When towing a trailer. 216
Driving and pa rking

*
NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes on theto ngue
we ight:
R Do not use a tongue weight that exceeds or
fa lls below the permissible tongue weight
R Use a tongue weight as close as possible to
th e maximum tongue weight
Do not exceed thefo llowing values:
R Perm issible towing capacity
R Perm issible rear axle load of theto wing vehi‐
cle
R Perm issible gross weight of theto wing vehi‐
cle
R Perm issible grossweight of the trailer
R Maximum permissible speed of the trailer Ensure
thefo llowing before starting a journey:
R The tyre pressure on there ar axle of theto w‐
ing vehicle is set for a maximum load
R The lighting of the connected trailer is opera‐
tional
R Vehicles without LED headlamps or MUL‐
TIBEAM LED headlamps: the headlamps
ha ve been set cor rectly
In theeve nt of increased rear axle load, the car/
trailer combination must not exceed a maximum
speed of 100 km/h forre asons concerning the
operating permit. This also applies in countri es
in which the permissible maximum speed for
car/trailer combinations is ab ove100 km/h. Extending or
retracting the ball ne ckfully
electrically &
WARNING Risk of accident due tothe
ball neck not being engaged
If th e ball neck is not engaged, the trailer
may come loose. #
Make sure that the ball neck securely
engages and loc ksinto place. *
NO
TEDama getothe all-electric trailer
hitch due toadditional pressure The all-electric trailer hit
chcould be mechan‐
ically damaged byapplying additional pres‐
sure when the ball neck is being extended or
re tracted. #
Do not ma kethe ball neck extend/
re tract faster by applying additional
pressure. Re
quirements:
R The vehicle is secured against rolling away.
R The swivel range is clear.
R The trailer cables or adap ter plugs ha vebeen
re mo ved. Driving and parking
249

Loading
the bicycle rack 3 bicycles 4 bicycles
To talwe ight of
bicycle rack
and load Up
to75 kg Up to
10 0kg
Max. dis tance
1 420 mm 420 mm
Max. di stance
2 300 mm 400 mmWhen transpo
rting four bic ycles or with a total
we ight between 75kgand 100kg , alw ays use
bicycle rack s with additional support on the
trailer hitch guide pin. Ve
hicle towing instructions
The vehicle is not suitable forth e use of tow bar
sy stems that are used forflat towing or ding hy
to wing, forex ample. Attach ing and using tow bar
sy stems can lead todamage on theve hicle.
When you are towing a vehicle with tow bar sys‐
te ms, safe driving characteristics cannot be guaranteed
forth eto wing vehicle or theto wed
ve hicle. The vehicle-trailer combination may
swer vefrom side toside. Comply with the per‐
mitted towing me thods (/ page 336) and the
instructions forto wing with bo thaxles on the
ground ( /page 337). 256
Driving and parking

Obser
vethe additional information on stowing
mobile communications devices cor rectly:
R Loading theve hicle (/ page115)
Blue tooth ®
connection:
The menu view and theav ailable functions in the
te lephone menu are in part dependent on the
Blu etoo th®
profile of the connected mobile
phone. Full functionality is only available if the
mobile phone supports bo thofthefo llowing
Blue tooth ®
profiles:
R PBAP (Phone Book Access Profile)
- The contacts on the mobile phone are
shown automatically on the multimedia
sy stem.
R MAP (Message Access Profile)
- The mobile phone message functions can
be used on the multimedia sy stem.
Ir re spective of this, Blue tooth ®
audio functional‐
ity can byused with any mobile radio unit.
Fo r information on thera nge of functions of the
mobile radio unit tobe connec ted, see the man‐
ufacturer's operating instructions. Ne
twork connection:
The following cases can lead tothe call being
disconnected while theve hicle is in motion:
R You swit chinto a transmission/reception
st ation, in which no communication channel
is free.
R The SIM card used is not compatible with the
network available
R a mobile phone with "Twincard" is logged into
th e network with the second SIM card at the
same time
The multimedia sy stem supports calls in HD
Vo ice ®
for impr oved speech qualit y.Arequ ire‐
ment forth is is that the mobile phone and the
mobile phone network pr ovider of the person
yo u are calling suppo rtHD Voice ®
.
Depending on thequ ality of the connection, the
vo ice quality may fluctuate.
Fu rther information can be obtained from a
Mercedes-Benz service centre or at: https://
www.mercedes-benz.com/connect MBUX multimedia sy
stem 285

#
Remo vecap 1bytheta b. #
Top up thewa sher fluid. Ke
eping the air-water duct free #
Keep the area between the bonn etand the
windscreen free of deposits, e.g. ice, sn ow
and lea ves. Cleaning and care
Information on
washing theve hicle in a car
wa sh &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
re duced braking po wer af terwa shing the
ve hicle
Braking ef ficiency is reduced af terwa shing
th eve hicle. #
Afterth eve hicle has been washed,
brake carefully while paying attention to
th e traf fic conditions until braking
po we r has been fully restored. *
NO
TEDama gefrom auto matic braking If one of
thefo llowing functions is switched
on, theve hicle brakes automatically in cer‐
ta in situations:
R Active Brake Assi st
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R HOLD function R
Active Parking Assist
To avo id damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thefo llowing or similar sit‐
uations: #
during towing #
in a car wash *
NO
TEDama gedue tounsuitable car
wa sh #
Before driving into a car wash make
sure that the car wash is suitable for
th eve hicle dimensions. #
Ensure there is suf ficient ground clear‐
ance between the underbody and the
guide rails of the car wash. #
Ensure that the clearance width of the
car wash, in particular the width of the
guide rails, is suf ficient. 316
Maintenance and care

#
First,re mo vethe jump lead/charging cable
from ear thpoint 3and the negative pole of
th e donor batter y,then from positive clamp
2 and the positive pole of the donor bat‐
te ry. Begin ea chtime wi th the conta cts on
yo ur ow nve hicle firs t. #
Afterre moving the jump lead/charging
cable, close co ver1 of positive clamp 2.
Fu rther information can be obtained at a quali‐
fi ed specialist workshop. Re
placing the 12V battery #
Obser vethe no tes on the12 V battery
(/ page 331).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you ha vethe
12 V battery replaced at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop, e.g. at a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes if youwa ntto
re place the battery yourself:
R Alw aysre place a faulty bat tery with a battery
which meets the specific vehicle require‐
ments.
The vehicle is equipped with an AGMtech nol‐
ogy battery (Absorbent Glass Mat) or a li th‐
ium-ion batter y.Fu llve hicle functionality is
only guaranteed with an AGM battery or lith‐
ium-ion batter y.Fo r saf etyre asons,
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you on ly
use bat teries which ha vebeen tested and
appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
R Carryove r de tach able parts, such as vent
hoses, elbow fittings or term inal co vers from
th e battery being replaced.
R Make sure that theve nt hose is al ways con‐
nected tothe original opening on the side of
th e batter y.
Fit any existing or supplied cell caps.
Otherwise, gases or battery acid could
escape.
R Make sure that de tach able parts are recon‐
nected in the same way. To
w- starting or towing away Pe
rm itted towing me thods Plug-in
hybrid: be sure toobser vethe no tes in
th e Supplement. You could otherwise failto rec‐
ognise dangers.
* NO
TEDama gefrom auto matic braking If one of
thefo llowing functions is switched
on, theve hicle brakes automatically in cer‐
ta in situations:
R Active Brake Assi st
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R HOLD function
R Active Parking Assist
To avo id damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thefo llowing or similar sit‐
uations: #
During towing #
In a car wash 336
Breakdown assis tance

Mercedes-Benz
recommends transporting your
ve hicle in the case of a breakdown, rath er than
to wing it away.
Fo rto wing, use a tow rope or tow bar with bo th
axles on the ground. Do not use tow bar sys‐
te ms.
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to tow‐
ing away incor rectly #
Obser vethe instructions and no tes on
to wing away. Ve
hicles with automatic transmission
Bo th axles on
th e ground Ye
s, max. 50 km at 50 km/h
Fr ont axle
ra ised No
Re ar axle
ra ised Ye
s, if thesteering wheel is
fi xe d in the cent reposition
with a steering wheel lock 4MATIC
vehicles
Bo th axles on
th e ground Ye
s, max. 50 km at 50 km/h
Fr ont axle
ra ised No
Re ar axle
ra ised No To
wing with a raised axle: towing should be
per form ed byato wing compan y. To
wing theve hicle with bo thaxles on the
gr ound #
Obser vethe no tes on the permitted towing
me thods (/ page 336). #
Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d.
Obser vethefo llowing points when the battery is
dischar ged:
R the engine cann otbe star ted R
the electric parking brake cann otbe released
or applied
R vehicles with automatic transmission: the
automatic transmission cannot be shif tedto
position iorj
% Vehicles with automatic transmission: if
th e automatic transmission cann otbe 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 339). A towing vehicle with lifting
equipment is requiredforve hicle transpor ta‐
tion.
* 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. #
Atowing speed of 50 km/h must not
be exc eeded. Breakdown assis
tance 337

#
Atowing dis tance of 50 km must not be
exc eeded. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or towed
aw ay, its weight must not exceed the permis‐
sible gross mass of your ow nve hicle, other‐
wise thefo llowing could occur:
R theto wing eye may become de tach ed.
R theve hicle/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
th e permissible gross mass of your own
ve hicle. If a
vehicle must be tow- star ted or towe daw ay,
its permissible gross weight must not exceed the
permissible gross weight of theto wing vehicle. #
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle iden‐
tification plate (/ page 363). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission: do
not open the driver's door or front passenger
door, otherwise the automatic transmission
automatically shifts toposition j. #
Fittheto wing eye (/ page 340). #
Fasten theto w bar.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of theto w bar #
Onlyconnect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. #
Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(/ page 77). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection
(/ page 95). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st
( / page 203). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i. #
Release 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:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the 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. #
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely before towing theve hicle
aw ay. 338
Breakdown assis tance

*
NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po wer If
yo u pull 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 337). #
Connect theto w bar totheto wing eye in
order toload theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
% Ve
hicles with automatic transmission:
th e automatic transmission may be loc ked in
position jintheeve nt of dama getothe
electrical sy stem. Toshift toi , pr ovide the on-board electrical sy
stem with po wer
( / page 335). #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
j. #
Use the electric parking brake tosecure the
ve hicle against rolling away. #
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
When transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS, theve hicle/trailer
combination may begin torock andstart to
skid. #
Load theve hicle cor rectly onto the
transpo rter. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels
with suitable tensioning stra ps. #
Do not exceed the maximum permissi‐
ble speed of 60 km/h when transport‐
ing. *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly #
After loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged. #
A minimum dis tance of 20 cm up wards
and 10cm down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels af ter
loading. Breakdown assis
tance 339