check engine MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV 2016 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: MERCEDES-BENZ, Model Year: 2016, Model line: G-CLASS SUV, Model: MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV 2016Pages: 261, PDF Size: 6.01 MB
Page 96 of 261

X
Insert new battery =with the lettering facing
upwards. X
Slide battery cover :onto the remote con-
trol in the opposite direction to the arrow until it engages.
X Use the remote control to check the vehicle's
auxiliary heating functions.
Problems with the auxiliary heating/ventilation Problem
Possible causes/con
sequences andM
MSolutions FAIL
¨ The signal transmission between the transmitter and the vehicle is
faulty.
X
Change your position in relation to the vehicle, moving closer if
necessary. FAIL The auxiliary heating or auxiliary ventilation cannot be switched on or
has switched itself off.
The starter battery is not sufficiently charged.
X Charge the starter battery. The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. The auxiliary heating or auxiliary ventilation is faulty.
X Have the auxiliary heating or auxiliary ventilation checked at a
qualified specialist workshop. The auxiliary heating or auxiliary ventilation was started more than
twice when the engine was switched off.
X Switch on the engine and let it run for more than 10 seconds. The battery symbol on
the left of the remote
control display is shown
as empty. The remote control battery is discharged.
X Replace the remote control battery (Y page 92).Air ven
ts Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Very ho torvery cold air can flow from the air
vents. This coul dresult in burns or frostbite in
the immediate vicinity of the air vents. There
is ar isk of injury.
Make sure that all vehicl eoccupants always
maintai nasufficient distance to the air out-
lets. If necessary, redirect the airflow to
another area of the vehicl einterior. In order to ensure the direct flow of fresh air
through the air vents into the vehicle interior,
please observe the following notes:
R keep the air inlet betwee nthe windscree nand
the bonnet free of blockages, such as ice,
snow or leaves
R never cover the vents or ventilation grilles in
the vehicle interior
i For virtually draught-free ventilation, adjust
the sliders of the air vents to the centre posi- tion.
i If the automatic climate control regularly
deviates from the selected temperature or is Airv
ents
93Climatecont rol Z
Page 99 of 261

!
Avoid high engine speeds when the engine
is cold. The engine's service life could other-
wise be significantly shortened. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature. Key positions
g
To remove the key
1 Power supply for some consumers, such as
the windscreen wipers
2 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 Starting the vehicle
You can only remove the key if: R the key is in position gin the ignition lock
R the automatic transmission selector lever is
in j Starting the vehicle
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves. Children could als
oset th evehicle in motion,
for example by:
R releasin gthe parking brake
R shiftin gthe automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting th eengine.
Ther eisar iskofana ccidentand injury.
When leaving th evehicle ,always tak ethe key
wit hyou and loc kthe vehicle .Never leave
children unattende dinthevehicle .Always
keep th ekeyout of reac hofchildren. G
WARNING
Combustion engine semit poisonous exhaust
gase ssuch as carbon monoxide .Inhaling
these exhaust gase sleads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fatal injury .Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclose dspace swith-
out sufficient ventilation. G
WARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignite if in contact with the exhaust system or parts of the engine that heat up. There is arisk
of fire.
Carry out regular checks to make sure that
there are no flammable foreig nmaterials in
the engine compartment or in the exhaust
system.
! Do not depress the accelerator when start-
ing the engine.
Starting procedure X
Shift the automatic transmissio ntoposition
j.
i You can also star
tthe engine when the auto-
mati ctransmissio nisinpositioni.
X Make sure that the parking brake is applied.
X Turn the key to position 2(Ypage 96) in the
ignition lock.
The % preglow indicator lamp on the
instrument cluster lights up.
X Whe nthe % preglow indicator lamp goes
out, turn the key to position 3(Ypage 96) 96
DrivingDrivin
gand park ing
Page 103 of 261

Problems with the engine
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The engine does not
start. The starter motor
can be heard. R
The engine electronics are malfunctioning.
R The fuel supply is malfunctioning.
X Turn the key back to position gin the ignition lock before attempt-
ing to start the engine again.
X Restart the engine (Y page 96). Avoid excessively long and frequent
attemptstos tart the engine, as this (Y page 96) will drain the bat-
tery.
If the engine does not start after several attempts:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. The engine does not
start
.The starter motor
can be heard. The yellow reserve fuel warning
lamp is lit and the needle
of the fuel gauge shows
0. The fuel tank is empty.
X Refuel the vehicle.
X Bleed the fuel system (Y page 110).The engine does not
start
.You cannot hear
the starter motor. The on-board voltage is too low because the battery is too weak or
discharged.
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 227).
If the engine does not start despite attempt stojump-start it:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. The starter motor was exposed to excessively high thermal load.
X Allow the starter motor to cool down for approximately two minutes.
X Try to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. The coolant temperature
display is showing more
than 120 †. Adisplay
message may also
appear in the multifunc-
tion display and awarn-
ing tonem ay sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is not
being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 215). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolan
tlevel is correct, the radiator fan may be faulty. The cool-
ant is too hot and the engine is not being cooled sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below1 20 †, you can continue driving
to the nearest qualifieds pecialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loadsont he engine as you do so, e.g. driving in moun-
tainous terrain and stop-start traffic. 100
DrivingDriving and parking
Page 104 of 261

Automati
ctransmission Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If th eengine spee disabove the idling speed
and you engag etransmission position Dor R,
the vehicl ecouldp ulla wa ysuddenly .There is
ar isk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
alwaysf irmly depress the brake peda land do
not simultaneously accelerate. G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicl emay roll away. There is arisk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, alwayss witch
to parking position P.Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling awaybya pplying the parking
brake.
i Bear in mind that power transmission
between the engine and the transmission is
interrupted when the engine is switched off.
For this reason, shift the automatic transmis-
sion to Pwhen the engine is switched off and
the vehicl eisstationary. Apply the parking
brake to prevent the vehicl efrom rolling
away. Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions !
If the engine speed is too high or if the vehi-
cle is rolling ,donot shift the transmission
directly from Dto R,f rom Rto Dor directly to
P.
Do not open the driver's door while the vehi-
cle is in motion. At low speeds in transmission position Dor R,p ark position Pis otherwise
engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged. :
Pbutton: park position with parking lock
k Revers egear
i Neutral
h Drive
After you select atransmission position ,the
selector lever return stoits original position.
The curren ttransmission position P,R, Nor D
appears in the transmission position display in
the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display !
If the transmission position display in the
multifunctio ndisplayisn ot working, you
should pull awayc arefully to check whether
the desired transmission position is engaged.
Select transmission position D.Donot
restrict the shift range. Current transmission position
:and dri vepro-
gram ;appear in th emultifunction display.
When th eselector leve risinposition D,you can
influence th egearshifts made by th eautomatic
transmission by:
R restricting th eshiftrange
R changing gear yourself Automatic transmission
101Driving and parking Z
Page 111 of 261

Problems with the automatic transmission
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The transmission has
problems shifting gear. The transmission is losing oil.
X Have the transmission checked at aqualified specialist workshop
immediately. The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no lon-
ger shifts gear. The transmission is in emergenc
ymode.
It is possible to shift to secondgear and reverse gear only.
X Stop.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Turn the key to position gin the ignition lock.
X Wait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
If D is selected, the transmission shifts to secondgear; ifRis
selected, the transmission shifts to reverse gear.
X Have the transmission checked at aqualified specialist workshop
immediately. Aw
arning tone sounds. Yo
uh ave:
R switched off the engine
R opene dthe driver's door
R not shifted the selector lever to position P
X Shif tthe selector lever to position P.Refuelling
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Fue lish ighly flammable.Ify ou handlefuel
incorrectly ,there is arisk of fire and explo-
sion.
You must avoi dfire, naked flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and, if applicable,t he auxiliary heating before
refuelling. G
WARNING
Fuel sare poisonous and hazardous to health.
There is adange rofinjury.
Do not swallowf uel or let it come into contact
with skin, eyesorc lothing. Do not inhal efuel
vapours. Keep fuel sout of the reach of chil-
dren. If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following:
R Wash the fuel off any affected area sofskin
with water and soap immediately.
R If you get fuel in youre yes,rinse them thor-
oughlyw ith clean water immediately.S eek
immediate medica lattention.
R If fuel is swallowed, seek immediate medi-
cal attention. Do not induce vomiting.
R Change any clothing that has come into
contact with fuel immediately. G
WARNING
Electrostatic charge can cause sparks and
thereby ignite fuel vapours. There is arisk of
fire and explosion.
Always touch the vehicl ebody before opening
the fuel filler flap or touching the fuel pump 108
RefuellingDrivinga
nd parking
Page 114 of 261

AdBlue
®
Genera lnotes To function properly, BlueTE
Cexhaust gas after-
treatment must be operated with the reducing
agent AdBlue ®
.
When the supply of AdBlue ®
is almost used up,
the Refill AdBlue See Owner's Manual Refill AdBlue See Owner's Manual
message is shown in the multifunction display .A
warning tonea lso sounds.
If the Refill AdBlue No start in Xkm
Refill AdBlue No start in Xkm
message is shown in the multifunction display,
you can still drive the vehicle over the distance
shown. If AdBlue ®
is not topped up, you will
subsequently be unable to startt he engine.
When you see the warning message, it is rec-
ommended that you fill the AdBlue ®
reservoir
with 10 litres of AdBlue ®
.T his ensures that the
AdBlue ®
supply will last until the next regular
service due date.
Further information about BlueTEC exhaust gas
aftertreatmen tand about AdBlue ®
can
be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
i You can also have the AdBlue ®
tank refilled
at aq ualified specialist workshop.
If the outside temperature is lower than Ò11 †,
it may be difficult to top up. If AdBlue ®
is frozen
and there is an active warning indicator, topping up may not be possible. Park the vehicle in a
warm place, e.g. in agarage, until AdBlue ®
has
become liquid again. Topping up is then possible
again. Alternatively, have the AdBlue ®
tank refil-
led at aqualified specialist workshop.
Before driving your vehicle outside Europe, have the AdBlue ®
supply checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Further information about BlueTEC exhaust gas
aftertreatmen tand about AdBlue ®
can
be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
Important safety notes AdBlue
®
is aw ater-soluble fluid for the exhaust
ga sa ftertreatment of diese lengines. It is:
R non-toxic
R colourless and odourless
R non-flammable If you open the AdBlue
®
tank ,small amounts of
ammonia vapourm ay be released.
Ammonia vapours have apungent odoura nd are
particularly irritating to the skin, mucous mem-
branes and eyes.Y ou may experience aburning
sensation in youre yes,nose and throat. You
may also experience coughing and watery eyes.
Do not inhalea ny ammonia vapours that may be
released. Fill the AdBlue ®
tank only in well-ven-
tilated areas.
Do not swallow AdBlue ®
or let it come into con-
tact with skin, eyes or clothing. Keep AdBlue ®
awayf rom children.
If you or others come into contact with AdBlue ®
,
observe the following:
R immediately rinse AdBlue ®
off yours kin with
soap and water.
R if AdBlue ®
comes into contact with youre yes,
immediately rinse them thoroughl ywith clean
water. Seek medica lattention immediately.
R if AdBlue ®
is swallowed, immediately rinse
yourm outh out thoroughly. Drink plenty of
water. Seek medica lattention immediately.
R change immediately out of clothing that has
come into contact with AdBlue ®
.
! Only use AdBlue ®
in accordance with
ISO 22241. Do not mix any additives with
AdBlue ®
,a nd do not dilute AdBlue ®
with
water. This may destroy the BlueTEC exhaust
gas aftertreatment system.
! In order to fill the AdBlue ®
tank, the vehicle
must be parked on alevel surface. The
AdBlue ®
tank can only be filledasi ntended
with the vehicle parked on alevel surface.
Fluctuations in capacity willt hus be avoided.
Filling avehicle standing on an uneven sur-
face is not permitted. There is adanger of
overfilling, which can cause damage to Blue-
TEC exhaust gas aftertreatment components.
! Surfaces which have come into contact with
AdBlue ®
whiler efilling shouldber insed
immediately with water, or remove AdBlue ®
with amoist cloth and cold water. If AdBlue ®
has already crystallised, use asponge and
cold water to clean the area.A dBlue®
residue
crystallises after acertain amount of time and
soils the affected surfaces.
! AdBlue ®
is not afuel additive and must not
be addedtot he fuel tank. If AdBlue ®
is added Refuelling
111Driving and parking Z
Page 123 of 261

Observe the following notes:
R stop the vehicle before you drive off-road and,
if necessary, shift the transfer case to the
LOW RANGE off-road driving position
(Y page 124)
R engage the differential locks if necessary
(Y page 126)
i ABS,4
ETS, ESP ®
and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged. This
allowst he front wheels to lock briefly, so that
they can dig into aloose surface. However,
please note that locked wheels skid and can
no longer steer.
R Make sure that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(Y page 203).
R To avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
R Alwaysk eep the engine running and in gear
when driving on adownhill gradient.
R Alwaysk eep the engine running and in gear
when driving on aslope.
R Drive slowly and evenly, if necessary at walk-
ing pace.
R Ensure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at all times.
R Drive with extreme care on unknown off-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea- sons, get out of the vehicle first and survey
the off-road route.
R Check the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
R Watch out for obstacles.
R Alwaysk eep the doors, the rear door, the side
windows and the sliding sunroof closed while
the vehicle is in motion.
R Do not deviate from marked routes.
R Match your speed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower your speed should be.
R Do not jump with the vehicle. This will inter-
rupt the vehicle's propulsion.
R Avoid high engine speeds. Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds.
R Alwaysc heck the vehicle for damage after off-
road driving.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off- road, on steep uphillord ownhill gradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicle on such surfaces. You can obtain further information aboutr
etro-
fittin gspecial all-terrain tyres from aqualified
specialis tworkshop.
Checklist before off-roa ddriving X
Engine oil level: check the engine oil and top
it up if necessary.
When driving on steep gradients, the oil level must be sufficiently high to ensure acorrect
oil supply in th evehicle.
X Hav ethe AdBlue ®
level checked at aqualified
specialist workshop (Y page 111).
X Tyre-change tool kit: check that thejackis
working and mak esure that th ewheel
wrench, arobus ttow cable and afolding
spade are in th evehicle.
X Wheels and tyres: check thetyret read
dept hand tyr epressure.
X Chec kfor damage and remove any foreign
objects, e.g .small stones, fro mthewheels/
tyres.
X Replace any missing valv ecaps.
X Replace dented or damage dwheels .Also
check th espare wheel.
X Wheels: dented or ben twheels can lead to a
loss of tyr epressure and damage to th etyre
bead. Before driving off-road, check the
wheels and replac ethemifn ecessary.
Checklist after off-roa ddriving !
If you detect damage to the vehicl
eafter
driving off-road, have the vehicle checked
immediately at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on normal
roads. After driving off-road, check the vehicle.
This allowsy ou to detect damage promptly and
reduce the risk of an accident to yourselfa nd
other road users.
X Shift the transfer case to the on-road position
HIGH RANGE (Ypage 124).
X Disengage the differential locks
(Y page 127).
X Cleant he headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage.
X Cleant he front and rear licence plates.
X Cleant he wheels and tyres with awater jet
and remove any foreign objects. 120
Drivingt
ipsDriving and parking
Page 124 of 261

X
Clean th ewheels, wheel arches and th evehi-
cle underside wit hawaterjet;c he ck for any
foreign object sand damage.
X Chec kwhether twigs or other part sofplants
have become trapped. Thes eincreas ethe risk
of fir eand can damag efuel pipes ,brake
hoses or th erubbe rbellows of th eaxle joints
and propeller shafts.
X Afte rthe trip, examin ewithout fail th eentire
undercarriage, wheels, tyres, bodywork struc- ture, brakes, steering ,cha ssis and exhaust
system for damage.
X Afte rdriving in sand, mud, gravel, wate ror
similar dirt yconditions ,have th efollowing
checked and cleaned:
R brak ediscs
R wheels
R brak epads
R axle joints
X If you notic estron gv ibrations after off-road
driving ,che ck for foreign object sinthe
wheel sand driv etrain and ,ifnecessary,
remove them. Foreign object scan disturb the
balance and caus evibrations.
Driving on sand Observ
ethe following rules when driving on
sand:
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124).
R avoid high engine speeds.
R Shift the automatic transmission to alow
gear.
R drive quickly to overcome the rolling resist-
ance. Otherwise, the vehicle could dig itself
into the sand.
R drive in the tracks of other vehicles if possible.
When doing so, make sure that:
- the tyre ruts are not too deep
- the sand is firm enough
- your vehicle has sufficient ground clear-
ance
Tyre rutsa nd unpaved roads !
Check that the ruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or bottom out and get stuck. Observe the following rules when driving along
ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loose
gravel:
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124)
R avoid high engine speeds
R observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and the
general notes (Y page 119) on off-road driving
R shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
R drive slowly
R where ruts are too deep, drive with the wheels
on one side on the middle section of turf if
possible
Driving over obstacles !
Obstacles could damage the floor of the
vehicle or componentsoft he chassis. Ask
passengers for guidance when driving over
large obstacles. Any damage to the vehicle
always increases the risk of an accident.
! Drive with particular care when driving over
an obstacle while driving up or down asteep
slope.
The vehicle could otherwise tilt and slide side- waysort ip over.
Observe the following rules when driving over
tree stumps, large stones and other obstacles:
R observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and the
general notes (Y page 119) on off-road driving
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124)
R avoid high engine speeds
R shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
R make sure that you have enough ground
clearance before driving across an obstacle
R drive very slowly
R try to drive straight over the centreofo bsta-
cles: front wheel first, then rear wheel Travelling uphill
Approach/departure angle G
WARNING
If you drive on asteep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicl ecoulds lip
sideways, tip and overturn. There is arisk of
an accident. Drivingt
ips
121Driving an dparking
Z
Page 125 of 261

When driving on an incline, drive into the line
of fall (upwards or downwards in astraight
line) and do not turn.
Always observe the approach/departure angle
values (Y page 255).
R Observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and
general notes (Y page 119) on driving off-
road.
R Follow the line of fall when driving on slopes
and steep inclines.
R Befor edriving on extreme uphill and extreme
downhill gradients ,set the transfer case to
the LOW RANGE off-road driving position
(Y page 124).
R Engage the differential locks if necessary
(Y page 126).
R Drive slowly.
R Accelerate gently and make sure that the
wheels are gripping.
R Avoid high engine speeds, except when driv-
ing on sandy and muddy routes with high driv-
ing resistance.
R Use the braking power of the engine when
driving down aslope. Observe the engine
speed; do not overrev the engine.
R Shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
appropriate for tackling an uphill gradient or a long, steep downhill gradient.
The HOLD function assists you when pulling
away and manoeuvrin gonaslope or hillside
(Y page 122).
Maximum gradient-climbing capability Alwayso
bserve the maximu mgradient climbing
ability values (Y page 255).
Hilltops When drivin
gupanu phill gradient, slightly
reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately
before reaching the brow of the hill. Make use of the vehicle's own impetus to travel over the
brow.
This style of driving prevents:
R the vehicle from lifting off the ground on the
brow of ahill
R loss of traction
R the vehicle from travelling too quickly down
the other side Driving downhill R
Drive slowly.
R Do no tdrive at an angle down stee pinclines.
Stee rinto the line of fall and drive with the
front wheels aligned straight forwards .Oth-
erwise, the vehicl ecould slip sideways ,tip
and overturn.
R Before tackling stee pdownhil lgradients ,shift
the automatic transmission to alow gear.
By doing so, yo uwillu se the braking effect of
the engine to reduce the speed. If thi sisnot
sufficient, brake gently .Whend oing so, make
sure tha tthe vehicl eisfacing in the direction
of the line of fall.
R Observe the note sondrivinginm ountainous
terrai n(Ypage 122).
R Check tha tthe servic ebrake is workin gnor-
mall yafter alon gd ownhil lstretch.
When drivin gatspeeds below60km/h ,off-road
ABS is activated and the front wheels lock cycli- cally durin gbraking .The digging-i neffect ach-
ieved in the proces sreduce sthe stopping dis-
tance durin goff-roa ddriving. Thi slim its steering
capability. Driving systems
HOLD function
General notes Th
eH OLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away,e specially on steep slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Do not use the HOLD function when driving off-
road, on steep uphill or downhill gradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot hold the vehicle on such surfaces. 122
Driving systemsDriving and parking
Page 131 of 261

To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey
R the noseweight should be as close as possible
to the maximum noseweight
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight
R the noseweight must not be lower than the
minimum permissible noseweight
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
When reversin gthe towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
The applicable permissible values, which must
not be exceeded, can be found:
R in your vehicle documents
R on the type plates for the trailer
R on the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the identification plates and for the
towing vehicle under "Technical data"
(Y page 256).
When reversin gthe towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If youdo not couple the trailer to the towing vehicle
correctly, the trailer could become detached.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different from when driv-
ing without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demands more sensitiv esteering
R has alarger turnin gcircle This can impair the vehicle's handling charac-
teristics. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Maintain asafe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing atrailer, alway sadjust your speed
to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination. Notes on to
wingatrailer
General notes When towing
atrailer, set the tyre pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for amaxi-
mum load. Further information on the tyre pres-
sure table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 109).
The height of the ball coupling changes with the load of the vehicle. If necessary, use atrailer
with aheight-adjustable drawbar.
You will find permissible trailer loads under
"Technical data" (Y page 256).
Driving tips X
Observe the information on ESP ®
trailer sta-
bilisation (Y page 55).
X On long and steep downhill gradients, select
shift range 1,2or 3(Y page 105) in good time.
X If necessary, shift the transfer case to LOW
RANGE (Ypage 124).
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so less braking will be required to maintain
the vehicle speed. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additional braking, depress the
brake pedal repeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journey, check the
trailer's documents to see what the maximum
permitted speed is. Observe the maximum per-
missible speed in the relevant country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the maxi-
mum permissibler ear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. See the "Technical data"
section to find out whether this applies to your
vehicle (Y page 256). In the event of increased
rear axle load, the car/trailer combination may
not exceed amaximum speed of 100 km/h for
reasons concerning the operating permit. This 128
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking