Towing And Tow-Starting; Fitting The Towing Eye - Mercedes-Benz 2012 A-Class Owner's Manual

! Only secure the tow rope or towing bar to
the towing eyes. The vehicle may otherwise
be damaged.
! Observe the following points when towing
with a tow rope:
secure the tow rope on the same side on
R
both vehicles.
make sure that the tow rope is not longer
R
than legally permitted. Mark the tow rope
in the middle, e.g. with a white cloth
(30 x 30 cm). This makes other road
users aware that a vehicle is being
towed.
only secure the tow rope to the towing
R
eye.
observe the brake lamps of the towing
R
vehicle while driving. Always maintain a
distance so that the tow rope does not
sag.
do not use steel cables or chains to tow
R
your vehicle. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
! Do not use the towing eyes for recovery
purposes as this could damage the vehicle.
If in doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! Pull away smoothly when towing away or
tow-starting a vehicle. If the tractive power
is too high, the vehicles could be damaged.
!
You may tow the vehicle for a maximum
of 50km. A towing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
For towing distances over 50 km, the front
axle or the entire vehicle must be raised
and transported.
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow-started. The transmission
may otherwise be damaged.
Observe the legal requirements for the rele-
vant countries when towing and tow-starting.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.

Towing and tow-starting

Vehicles with automatic transmission:
when towing a vehicle, the transmission must
be in position N.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
R
position 2
vehicles with automatic transmission:
R
cannot shift the transmission to position N
i Deactivate the automatic locking feature
( Y page 223). You could otherwise be
locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection
( Y page 70) before the vehicle is towed.
Fitting/removing the towing eye

Fitting the towing eye

X
Remove the towing eye from the stowage
space.
The towing eye is located with the vehicle
tool kit under the luggage compartment
floor ( Y page 299).
311
Z