Tow Starting/Towing
Tow Starting/Towing
• If air suspension shock absorbers in one axle lose pressure completely, the vehicle does not have enough ground clearance. The vehicle must not be moved in this condition. To drive onto a car transporter or a lift, for example, suspension blocks must be installed. Refer to => [ Suspension Blocks, Installing ] Suspension Blocks, Installing
Front Towing Eyes
- Attach tow rope or bar only at following eyes:
- Remove cover from below.
- Remove towing eye from vehicle tool kit.
- Screw in towing eye - arrow - until stop and tighten eye with wheel bolt wrench.
• Remove towing eye after use and return to vehicle tool kit storage compartment. Towing eye must always be in vehicle.
Rear Towing Eye
- Remove cover from above.
• The tow-rope should be able to stretch to reduce the risk of damage to both vehicles. Therefore only ropes of synthetic material or rope from similarly flexible material should be used. However it is safer to use a tow bar!
• Avoid excessive towing effort and do not jerk. During towing operations on unsurfaced roads there is always a danger that the attachment points will be overstressed and damaged.
• Vehicle towing should only be done if it is not possible to start the engine with the starting assist cable.
If the vehicle must ever tow or be towed, observe the following:
• Legal regulations concerning towing must be observed.
• Both drivers must be familiar with towing procedures. Inexperienced drivers should not attempt to tow start or tow.
• When using a tow rope the driver of the towing vehicle must engage the clutch very gently when moving off and changing gear.
• The driver of the vehicle being towed must ensure that the tow rope is always taut.
• Both vehicles must have the emergency flasher switched on - if necessary observe any other regulations.
• The ignition must be switched on, so that the steering wheel is not locked and the turn signals, horn, windshield wipers, and windshield washer system can be operated.
• Since the brake booster only works with the engine running, the brake pedal must be stepped on with substantially more force when the engine is switched off.
• With the engine switched off, the power steering also does not work, increasing the amount of steering effort.
• Without lubricants in the manual transmission and/or automatic transmissions the car may only be towed with raised drive wheels.
When towing vehicles with manual transmission, observe the following:
- Before tow starting, push in clutch pedal and hold, and select gear 2 or 3.
- Switch ignition on.
- When both vehicles are in motion, release the clutch pedal.
- As soon as the engine is started, push in the clutch and take the car out of gear to avoid running into the towing vehicle.
• Vehicles with catalytic converter (gasoline engine only) must not be started when the catalytic converter is at operating temperature and pulling the vehicle over a longer distance of more than 50 m. Otherwise, the vehicle could be damaged by unburned fuel entering the catalytic converter.
• Tow starting of vehicles with automatic transmission is not possible for technical reasons.
When towing vehicles with FWD and automatic transmission, observe the following:
• Selector lever must be in the "N" position.
• Do not tow at speeds greater than 30 mph (50 km/h).
• The maximum towing distance is 30 miles (50 km).
For longer distances, the front end of the vehicle must be raised.
Reason: With engine switched off, the transmission oil pump does not work. Therefore the transmission is not sufficiently lubricated at higher speeds and longer distances.
When towing with a tow truck, the vehicle may only be towed with raised front wheels.
Reason: With car raised in the back, the driveshafts turn backwards. This would cause the planetary gears in the automatic transmission to achieve such high RPM that the transmission would be heavily damaged within a very short time.
When towing vehicles with AWD and manual transmission, also observe the following:
• Do not tow at speeds greater than 30 mph (50 km/h).
• The maximum towing distance is 30 miles (50 km).
The vehicle can be towed with a tow truck with the front or rear axle raised.
• If normal towing of the vehicle is not possible, the vehicle must be transported with a special transporter or trailer. This also applies to towing distances of over 50 km.
When towing vehicles with AWD and automatic transmission, also observe the following:
• Selector lever must be in the "N" position.
• Do not tow at speeds greater than 30 mph (50 km/h).
• The maximum towing distance is 30 miles (50 km).
The vehicle must not be towed by a tow truck with front or rear axle raised.
• If normal towing of the vehicle is not possible, the vehicle must be transported with a special transporter or trailer.