tow MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2015 Repair Manual

The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journey, check
the trailer's document stosee what the max-
imum permitted speed is. Observe the legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the max-
imum permissible rear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. See the "Technical
data" section to find out whether this applies to your vehicle (Y page 484). If you utilise any
of the added maximum rear axle load when
towing atrailer, the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion may not exceed amaximum speed of
100 km/hf or reasons concerning the oper-
ating permit. This also applie sincountrie sin
which the permissible maximu mspee dfor
vehicle/trailer combinations is above
100 km/h.
When towing atrailer, you rvehicle's handling
characteristics wil lbedifferent in comparison
to whe ndriving without atrailer and it will
consume more fuel.
Change into alower gea ringood time on long
and steep downhill gradients.
i This also applie
sifyou have activated
cruis econtrol, SPEEDTRONIC or
DISTRONIC PLUS.
This wil luse the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking wil lberequired to maintain
vehicle speed. This relieves the loa donthe
brake system and prevents the brake sfrom
overheating and wearing too quickly. If you
need additiona lbraking, depress the brake
pedal repeatedl yrather than continuously.
Driving tips If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not countersteer.
X Brake if necessary. R
Maintain agreater distance to the vehicle in
front than whe ndriving without atrailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly .Ifpossible ,brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values give nfor gradient-climbing
capabilities from astandstil lrefer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power outpu tofthe engine,
and consequently the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decrease with increas-
ing altitude. Foldin
gout the ball coupling G
WARNING
If the bal lcoupling is not correctly engaged,
the trailer can detach .There is arisk of an
accident.
Always engag ethe bal lcoupling as described. G
WARNING
If you release the bal lcoupling or it does not
engag ecorrectly whe nfolding in, it wil lswing
out. Withi npivoting range of the bal lcoupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the bal lcoupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the bal lcoupling engages whe nfolding in. Saloon
Before you can tow
atrailer with you rvehicle,
you must fold out the bal lcoupling. 268
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot.
Opening the cover (Saloon):
X Slide luggage net ;down.
X Turn handle :around anti-clockwise and
fold cover =down. Estate
Before you can tow
atrailer with your vehicle,
you must fold out the ball coupling.
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand side trim panel in the boot/luggage
compartment.
Opening the cover (Estate):
X Pull handle :in the direction of the arrow
and fold cover ;down. Saloon
Unlocking and folding out the ball cou-
pling (Saloon):
X Grip release wheel Aso that your thumb
lies on the thumb rest.
X Turn release wheel Aaround anti-clock-
wise until the ball coupling releases and folds out from under the rear bumper. Indi-
cator lamp ?flashes. Estate
Unlocking and folding out the ball cou-
pling (Estate):
X Grip release wheel ?so that your thumb
lies on the thumb rest.
X Turn release wheel ?around anti-clock-
wise until the ball coupling releases and
folds out from under the rear bumper. Indi- cator lamp =flashes. Saloon
Estate Towing
atrailer
269Driving and parking Z

X
Pull the ball coupling in the direction of the
arrow until it engages in avertical position.
Indicator lamp =goes out. The trailer
power socket is integrated in the ball cou-
pling and swivels out with it.
Saloon: indicator lamp ?goes out.
Estate: indicator lamp =goes out.
The multifunction display shows the
Trailer Trailer hitch
hitch Check
Checklock
lockmech.
mech. mes-
sage until the ball coupling is engaged.
X Remove the protective coverin gfrom the
ball coupling and store it in asafe place.
X Make sure that the ball of the ball coupling
is clean and greased.
HYBRID vehicles :make sure that you read
the "HYBRID" Supplement included in the
vehicle literature. Otherwise, you may not
recognise dangers. Coupling up
atrailer
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Position the trailer horizontally behind the
vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electric connection between
the vehicle and the trailer.
X Check that the trailer lighting system is
working.
Ac onnected trailer is only recognised when
the electrical connection is established
correctly and when the lighting system is
working properly. The function of other sys-
tems, such as ESP ®
,P ARKTRONIC and
Active Parking Assist also depends on this. Uncoupling
atrailer G
WARNING
If you uncouple atrailer with an engaged over-
run brake, you could trap your hand between the vehicle and the trailer drawbar. This poses
ar isk of injury.
Do not uncouple atrailer with an engaged
overrun brake. G
WARNING
Vehicles with level control:
If you disconnect the trailer cable, the vehicle is lowered. This can cause you or others to
become trapped between the vehicle body
and tyres, or underneat hthe vehicle. This
poses arisk of injury.
Make sure that no-one is in the immediate
vicinit yofthe wheel arch or underneat hthe
vehicle when disconnectin gthe trailer cable.
! Do not disconnect
atrailer with an
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by the rebound- ing of the overrun brake.
X Make sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Secure the trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Folding in the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If you release the ball coupling or it does not
engage correctly when folding in, it will swing out. Within pivoting range of the ball coupling,
there is an increased risk of an accident and
injury.
Only release the ball coupling if the pivoting
range is unobstructed. Always make sure that the ball coupling engages when folding in.
X Place the protective coverin gonthe ball
coupling. 270
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

Saloon
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand sid etrim panel in the boot.
Opening the cover (Saloon):
X Slide luggage net ;down.
X Turn handle :anti-clockwise and fold
dow ncover =. Estate
The release wheel is located behind the left-
hand sid etrim panel in the boot/luggage
compartment.
Opening the cover (Estate):
X Pull handle :in the direction of the arrow
and fol dcover ;down. Saloon
Unlockin gand lowering the bal lcou pling
(Saloon):
X Grasp release wheel Awith your hand
such that the thum bisinthe thum brest
and turn it anti-clockwise.
The ball coupling unlocks and lowers. Indi-
cator lamp ?flashes. Estate
Unlockin gand lowering the bal lcou pling
(Estate):
X Grasp release wheel ?with your hand
such that the thum bisinthe thum brest
and turn it anti-clockwise.
The ball coupling unlocks and lowers. Indi-
cator lamp =flashes. Towin
gatrailer
271Drivingand parking Z

Saloon
Estate
X Press the ball coupling in the direction of
the arrow unti litengages behind the
bumper.
Saloon: indicator lamp ?goe soutand the
messag einthe multifunction display dis-
appears.
Estate: indicator lamp =goe soutand the
messag einthe multifunction display dis-
appears.
i Fol
dthe ball coupling back in if yo uare not
using the traile rtow hitch. Traile
rpower supply
! You can connect accessorie
switha
power rating of up to 240 Wtothe perma-
nent power suppl yand with apower rating
of up to 180 Wtothe power suppl ythat is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The traile rbattery may not be charge dfrom
the power supply. X
To switc hthe connecte dpower supply
on or off: turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2or 0respectivel y(Ypage 179).
Whe nitleavest he factory, your vehicle's
traile rsocke tise quipped with apermanent
power suppl yand apower suppl ythat is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The permanent power suppl yissupplie dvia
traile rsocke tpin9.
The power suppl ythat is switched on via the
ignition lock is supplie dvia traile rsocke tpin
10.
The trailer's permanent power suppl yis
switched off in the event of low vehicle supply
voltage and afte rsix hours at the latest.
You can find more information abou tinstal-
ling the traile relectrics at aquali fied special-
ist workshop. Failure check for LEDs
i If LED lamps are fitted in the trailer, a
malfunction messag emay appea rinthe
multifunction display eve nifthere is no
fault. The reason for the erro rmessag emay
be that the current ha sfalle nbelow the
minimum of 50 mA.
To ensure reliabl eindication of the failure,
each LED chain in the traile rlighting mus tbe
guaranteed aminimum current of 50 mA. Traile
rwith7 -pinc onnector
General notes Traile
rwith7 -pinc onnector: youc an con-
nect to the 13-pi nsocke tont he ball coupling
using an adapter or, if necessary, an adapter
cable .Both can be obtained at aquali fied
specialist workshop.
Fitting the adapter !
Make sure that there is sufficient cable
play so that the cable cannot become
detached when cornering. 272
Towin
gatrailerDrivin gand parking

X
Open the socket cover.
X Insert the plug connector with lug :into
groove =on the socket.
X Turn bayonet connection ;clockwise to
the stop.
X Let the cover engage.
X If you are using an adapter cable, secure
the cable to the trailer with cable ties. Towing
atrailer
273Driving and parking Z

Route guidanc
enotactive :
Direction of travel
; Current road
Route guidanc eactive No chang
eofdirection announced :
Distance to the destination
; Distance to the next change of direction
= Current road
? Symbol indicating "follow the road's
course"
Chang eofdirection announce dwithout a
lan erecommendation :
Road to which the change of direction
leads
; Distance to change of direction and visual
distance display
= Change-of-direction symbol
Whe nac hange of direction is announced, you
will see change-of-direction symbol =and
distance graphic ;.Thiss hortens towards
the top of the display as yo uapproach the
point of the announce dchange of direction. Chang
eofdirection announce dwitha
lan erecommendation :
Road to which the change of direction
leads
; Distance to change of direction and visual
distance display
= Lane snot recommended
? Recommended lane and new lane during a
change of direction
A Change-of-direction symbol
On multi-lane roads, new lane recommenda-
tions can be displayed for the next change of
direction if the digital map supports this data. During the change of direction, new lanes
may be added.
Lane not recommended =:youwill not be
able to complete the next change of direction
if yo ustay in this lane.
Recommended lane and new lane during a
change of direction ?:inthis lane yo uwillbe
able to complete the next two changes of
direction withou tchanging lane.
Othe rstatus indicators of the naviga-
tio ns ystem The navigation system display
saddit ional
information and the vehicl estatus.
Possible displays
R New route... New route... orCalculating route
Calculating route 282
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Blind Spo
tAssist
Blind Spo tAssist
not
not available
available when
when
towing atrailer
towing atrailer
See Owner' sManual
See Owner' sManual Blind Spot Assis
torActiveBlind Spot Assis tisdeactivated while
towin gatrailer.
You hav eestablished th eelectrica lconnectio nbetween th etrailer
and your vehicle.
X Press aon thesteerin gwhee ltoc onfir mthedisplay mes-
sage. Blind Spo
tAssist
Blind Spo tAssist
inopera‐
inopera‐
tive tiveor Active Blind
Active Blind
Spot
Spot Assist
Assist inoper‐
inoper‐
ative
ative Blind Spot Assis
torActiveBlind Spot Assis tisfaulty.
The yellow 9indicato rlamp salso ligh tupint heexterio rmir-
rors.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. Park
Park
Assist
Assist cancel‐
cancel‐
led
led The driver's doo
risopen and th edriver's seat belt has no tbeen
fastened.
X Repea tthe parkin gprocess wit hthe seat belt fastene dand the
driver's doo rclosed. You inadvertentl
ytou ched th emultifunction steerin gwhee lwhile
steerin ginterventio nwas active.
X Whil esteerin ginterventio nisactive,makes uren otto touch the
multifunction steerin gwheel. The vehicl
ehas started to skid and ESP ®
has intervened.
X Use Active Parking Assis tagain later (Y page 239). Park
Park
Assist
Assist inoper‐
inoper‐
ative
ative You hav
ejustc arrie doutalarg enumber of turning or parking
manoeuvres.
Active Parking Assis twill become available again after approx-
imately te nminute s(Ypage 239).
X Pull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo naspossible, paying
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
X Switc hoffand restar tthe engine.
If th emultifunction display still shows th edisplay message:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. PARKTRONI
Cisfaulty.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. Par
kA ssist
Par kA ssist
switched off switched off The vehicl
eisparked. Awarnin gtonea lso sounds.
The display message disappear sautomatically. DISTRONIC PLU
Soff
DISTRONIC PLU Soff DISTRONIC PLU
Shas been deactivated (Y page 217).
If it was no tdeactivated by th edriver ,awarnin gton ea lso sounds. 318
Display
messagesOn-boardcomputer an ddisplays

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions ü
The red seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up after
the engine starts, as
soon as the driver's or
the front-passenger
door is closed.
The driver or passenger has not fastened their seat belt.
X Fasten your seat belt (Y page 48).
The warning lamp goes out. There are objectsont
he front-passenger seat.
X Remove the objectsf rom the front-passenger seat and stow
them in asecure place.
The warning lamp goes out. ü
The red seat belt warn-
ing lamp flashes and an
intermittenta udible
warning sounds. The driver or passenger has not fastened their seat belt. At the
same time, you are driving faster than 25 km/ho rhave briefly
driven faster than 25 km/h.
X Fasten your seat belt (Y page 48).
The warning lamp goes out and the intermittentw arning tone
ceases. There are objectsont
he front-passenger seat. At the same time,
you are driving faster than 25 km/ho rhave briefly driven faster
than 25 km/h.
X Remove th eobjects from th efront-pa ssenger seat and stow
them in asecure place.
The warnin glamp goe sout and th eintermitten twarnin gtone
ceases. Safet
ysystems Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M MSolutions J
The yellow brak
esys-
te mw arnin glamp
lights up while the
engin eisrunning. G
WARNING
The brak esystem is malfunctionin gand th ebrakin gcharacteris-
tics may be affected.
There is ariskofana ccident.
X If th emultifunction display shows adisplay message ,please
observ ethis.
X Drive on carefully.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. J
The red brak
esystem
warnin glamp comes on
while th evehicl eis
moving. Awarnin gtone
also sounds. You are drivin
gwitht he parkin gbrak eapplied.
X Releas ethe parkin gbrake.
The warnin glamp goe sout and th ewarnin gtonec eases. 330
Wa
rning an dindicator la mpsint he instrument clusterOn-board computera nd displays

Useful information
............................342
Stowage areas ................................... 342
Features ............................................. 360 341Stowing and features