towing MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2020 Service Manual

#
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. Maintenance and care
307

#
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 322).
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 Breakdown assis
tance 327

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 327). #
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 330). 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. 328
Breakdown assis tance

#
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 353). #
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 331). #
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 94). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st
( / page 195). #
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. Breakdown assis
tance 329

*
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 328). #
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 326). #
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. 330
Breakdown assis tance

4MATIC
vehicles/ vehicles with automatic
transmission #
Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transpor tation vehicle.
* 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 The
towing eye is located in thestow age space
under the boot floor. Installing
theto wing eye #
Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve. #
Screw intheto wing eyeclockwise as far as it
will go and tighten.
Ve hicles with a trailer hitch: vehicles with a
trailer hitch do not ha veare ar brac ketfo rthe
to wing eye. Fasten theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch.
% Make sure that co ver1 engages in the
bumper when youre mo vetheto wing eye.
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to
incor rect use of theto 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. Breakdown assis
tance 331

Model
Vehicle
height
E 220 d 4MATIC (143 kW) 1480 mm
E 300
E 220 d (150 kW) 14
60 mm
E 220 d 4MATIC (150 kW)
E 300 d 4MATIC 14 67
mm
E 350 1461 mm
E 300 d
E 350 d 14
75 mm
E 400 d 4MATIC 1481 mm
All other models 1468 mm We
ights and loads Please obser
vethefo llowing no tesfo rth e speci‐
fi ed vehicle data:
R Items of optional equipment increase the
unladen weight and reduce the pa yload. R
Vehicle-specific weight information can be
fo und on theve hicle identification plate
(/ page 353).
Ro of load Model
Maximumroof load
All models 100kg Tr
ailer hitch Gene
ral no tes on the trailer hit ch Modifications
tothe engine cooling sy stem may
be necessar y,depending on theve hicle model.
The retrofitting of a trailer hitch is only pe rmissi‐
ble if a towing capacity is specified in your vehi‐
cle documents.
Fu rther information can be obtained at a quali‐
fi ed specialist workshop. Mounting dimensions
1
Fastening points
2 Overhang dimension
3 Rear axle centre line 366
Tech nical da ta

The
overhang dimension and fastening points
are valid for a trailer hitch ins talled at thefa c‐
to ry. Model
2 2Overhang dimen‐
sion
All model s1 243 mm To
wing capacity The
tongue weight is not included in theto wing
capacity.
To wing capacit y,braked (at a minimum start-
off gradeability of 12%) Model
Towing capacit y,
braked
E 180
E 200 19
00 kg
All other models 2100 kg To
wing capacit y,unbraked Model
Towing capacit y,
unbraked
All model s7 50kg Maximum
tongue weight and load capacity *
NO
TEDama gecaused bythe trailer
coming loose If
th eto ngue weight used is too lo w,the
trailer may come loose. #
The tongue weight must not be below
50 kg. #
Use a tongue weight that is as close as
possible tothe maximum permissible
to ngue weight. *
NO
TEDama gecaused bythe bicycle
ra ck coming loose When using a bicycle
rack , bo th th e maximal
to ngue weight and the maximal load capacity
should be obser ved. #
Do not exceed the permissible load
capacity. Obser
vethe additional no tes on load capacity
(/ page 244).
To ngue weight Model
Maximumtongue
we ight
All models 84 kg Missing
values werenot available at the time of
going topress.
Load capacity Model
Maximum load
All models Te
ch nical da ta367

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions
Blind Spot Assist currently
unavailable See Owner's
Manual *B
lind Spot Assist is temp orarily una vailable.
The sy stem limits ha vebeen reached (/ page 233).
Once the cause of the problem is no longer present, the sy stem will be available again. #
Drive on.
or #
Ifth e display message does not disappear, stop theve hicle in accordance with the tra ffic conditions and restart
th e engine.
Blind Spot Assist inopera-
tive *B
lind Spot Assist is malfunctioning. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Blind Spot Assist not availa-
ble when towing a trailer
See Owner's Manual *W
hen you es tablish the electrical connection tothe trailer, Blind Spot Assist will be una vailable. #
Press the left-hand Touch Control and ackn owledge the display message.
Active Blind Spot Assist
currently unavailable See
Owner's Manual *A
ctive Blind Spot Assi stistemp orarily una vailable.
The sy stem limits ha vebeen reached (/ page 233).
Once the cause of the problem is no longer present, the sy stem will be available again. #
Drive on.
or 402
Display messages and warning/indicator lamps

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions #
Ifth e display message does not disappear, stop theve hicle in accordance with the tra ffic conditions and restart
th e engine.
Active Blind Spot Assist
inoperative *A
ctive Blind Spot Assi stis malfunctioning. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Active Blind Spot Assist
not available when towing
a trailer See Owner's Man-
ual *W
hen you es tablish the electrical connection tothe trailer, Active Blind Spot Assi stwill be una vailable. #
Press the left-hand Touch Control and ackn owledge the display message.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
currently unavailable See
Owner's Manual *A
ctive Lane Keeping Assist is temp orarily una vailable.
The ambient conditions are outside the sy stem limits (/ page 236).
As soon as the ambient conditions are within the sy stem limits, the sy stem will become available again. #
Drive on.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
inoperative *A
ctive Lane Keeping Assist is malfunctioning. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Display messages and
warning/indicator lamps 403