seats MERCEDES-BENZ C300 4MATIC 2008 W204 Owner's Guide

105 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Fastening the seat belts
For additional information on children in
the vehicle, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 51).
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 36).
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a nearly upright posi-
tion and the seat belt is properly positioned
on the body.

106 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
1Seat belt outlet
2Latch plate
3Release button
4Buckle
Pull the seat belt smoothly from the
seat belt outlet1.
Place the shoulder portion of the seat
belt across the top of your shoulder
and the lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate2 into buckle4 until
it clicks.
If necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
correct height (
page 107).
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
To release the seat belt, press release
button3 and guide latch plate2
back to seat belt outlet1.
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.

Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the seat belt under
your arm.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.

Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.

Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraints or toddler restraints or
children in booster seats, always follow
the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section.

120 Controls in detail
Power windows
Opening and closing power windows
The door windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches

for all door windows are on the driver’s
door

for the front passenger door window
are on the front passenger door

for each rear door window are on the
respective rear door
1Left front door window
2Right front door window
3Right rear door window
4Override switch
5Left rear door window
Warning!G
Do not keep any part of your body up against
the side window pane when opening a win-
dow. The downward motion of the pane may
pull that part of your body down between
the window pane and the door frame and
trap it there. If there is a risk of entrapment,
release the switch and press it again to
close the window.
Warning!G
When closing the windows, make sure there
is no danger of anyone being harmed by the
closing procedure.
Activate the override switch (
page 57)
when children are riding in the back seats of
the vehicle. The children may otherwise in-
jure themselves, e.g. by becoming trapped
in the window opening.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pressed past the resis-
tance point and released, by pressing the
lower part of the respective switch again.
The door windows are equipped with the ex-
press-close and automatic reversal func-
tion. If the window encounters an
obstruction that blocks its path in a circum-
stance where you pressed the switch past
the resistance point and released it to close
the window, the automatic reversal function
will stop the window and open it slightly.

191 Controls in detail
Audio system
Adjusting surround sound
With surround sound, you can choose be-
tween
LOGIC7® On and LOGIC7® Off.
Select Sound
Sound.
A dot R indicates the current setting.
To select a setting: Slidermq or
rotateymz.
To save setting: Press n.
The setting is stored and the menu is
exited.
To exit menu without saving: Press
button í or slideomp.
iThe LOGIC7® On function of the
harman/kardon LOGIC7® Surround Sound sys-
tem permits the playback of discrete 5.1 and ste-
reo recordings with an optimal surround sound
platform for each passenger.
The LOGIC7
® distributes the 5.1 surround infor-
mation over the 13-channel system architecture
to provide the optimum sound experience from
all seats. This produces the sound characteristic
as intended by the sound engineer during the
original recording.
Harman/kardon LOGIC7
® converts all two-chan-
nel stereo sound material into multi-channel sur-
round sound. The surround information stored
during the original recording is read out using
LOGIC7
® and likewise distributed over the
13 channels. No effects are created during this
process; only that which was already there be-
comes audible.
In addition, harman/kardon LOGIC7
® moves the
perceived sound source away from the individual
loudspeakers, thus generating a natural 360°
sound experience for each passenger.
iBy selecting LOGIC7® Off, all compatible
formats are played back as they are present on
the medium. Due to the vehicle’s spatial charac-
teristics, an optimal sound experience is not en-
sured from all seats.
iBalance and fader will be set to the default
value (0/0) automatically by activating or deacti-
vating LOGIC7
®.
iPlease note the following:

For an optimal sound experience from all
seats, the balance and fader should be ad-
justed to the center of the passenger com-
partment with LOGIC7
® switched on.

The best sound results are achieved when
playing high-quality audio CDs.

For MP3 tracks, the bit rate should be at
least 128 kbit/s.

Surround playback cannot be activated in
mono-signal sources as AM or Weatherband.
It will not function for mono-signal sources
as, e.g. mono audio tracks on some specific
audio CDs.

In the case of poor radio reception quality,
e.g. in tunnels, LOGIC7® should be switched
off, as otherwise a dynamic switchover from
stereo to mono and thus temporary sound
characteristic shifts can occur.

With certain stereo recordings, the resulting
sound characteristic may deviate from con-
ventional stereo playback.

286 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Storage compartments in rear passen-
ger compartment
Armrest with integrated storage
compartment
1Release catch
Opening: Pull down the armrest.
Pull release catch 1 and swing the
cover upward in direction of arrow.Storage pockets
Storage pockets 1 are located on the
back of the front seats.
!Before storing the armrest in the backrest,
close the storage compartment cover.
!Do not sit on or lean your body weight
against the armrest when it is folded down, as
you could otherwise damage it.
Warning!G
The storage pocket is intended for storing
light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
storage pocket. In an accident, during hard
braking, or sudden maneuvers, they could
be thrown around inside the vehicle and
cause injury to vehicle occupants.
The storage pocket cannot protect trans-
ported goods in the event of an accident.

356 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire ply material
1Plies in sidewall
2Plies under tread
This marking tells you about the type of
cord and number of plies in the sidewall
and under the tread.Tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those
standard items which may be replaced) of
automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power
seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as
factory-installed equipment (whether
installed or not).
Air pressure
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire.
Air pressure is expressed in pounds per
square inch (psi), or kilopascal (kPa) or
bars.
Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width
expressed in percentage.Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There
are 14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi)
to 1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa)
to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped
by steel cords that hold the tire onto the
rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle
has been sitting for at least 3 hours or driv-
en no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with stan-
dard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so
equipped, air conditioning and additional
optional equipment, but without passen-
gers and cargo.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.

372 Operation
Vehicle care
Upholstery
Using aftermarket seat covers or wearing
clothing that have the tendency to give off
coloring (e.g. when wet, etc.) may cause
the upholstery to become permanently dis-
colored. By lining the seats with a proper
intermediate cover, contact-discoloration
will be prevented.Leather upholstery
Wipe leather upholstery with a damp
cloth and dry thoroughly or clean with
Mercedes-Benz approved Leather
Care.
Exercise particular care when cleaning per-
forated leather as its underside should not
become wet.Wood trimsDampen cloth using water and use
damp cloth to clean wood trims in your
vehicle.
Warning!G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for availability.
!Do not use solvents like tar remover or
wheel cleaner nor polishes or waxes as these
may be abrasive.

427 Practical hints
Resetting activated head restraints
Resetting activated head restraints
If the active head restraints (front seats)
have been triggered in an accident, the ac-
tive head restraints must be reset. Other-
wise, the active head restraints cannot
offer any additional protection in the event
of another rear-end collision.
You can tell that the head restraints have
been triggered when they have been
moved forward and cannot be adjusted.
1Fold back
2Push back
3Push downPush the head restraint cushion by the
bottom, back as far as it will go2.
Push the head restraint cushion down
into the guide as far as it will go3.
Fold the head restraint cushion by the
top, back firmly until it engages1.
Repeat this procedure on the active
head restraints for second head re-
straint.
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraints” (
page 50).
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Adjusting rear head restraints”
(
page 89).
Warning!G
For safety reasons, have the active head
restraints checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center after a rear-end
collision.
Warning!G
When pushing back the head restraint cush-
ion, take care that your fingers do not be-
come caught between the head restraint
cushion and the cover. Failing to do so may
lead to injury.
iFor your convenience, we recommend that
you have this work carried out at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

493 Index
ESP®62
Four wheel electronic traction system
with ESP
®65
Messages in display 389, 397, 398
Warning lamp 27, 376, 379, 380
ETD 49
Safety guidelines 38
Ethanol fuel
At the gas station 322
Switching fuels 483
Exterior rear view mirrors
Adjusting 97
Auto-dimming on the driver’s
side 99, 100
Fold-in settings 175
Power folding* 98F
Fahrenheit see Temperature display
mode 167
First aid kit 420
Flat tire 440
Lowering the vehicle 445
Mounting the Minispare wheel 441
Preparing the vehicle 440
Flexible fuel vehicles 482
At the gas station 322
Switching fuels 483
Floormats* 294
Fluids
Automatic transmission fluid 476,
477
Brake fluid 478, 480
Capacities 476
Engine coolant 329, 478, 484
Engine oil 328, 476, 480
Power steering fluid 478
Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system 479, 486
Fog lamps 431
Messages in display 410
Replacing bulbs 431, 432, 436Four wheel electronic traction system
(4MATIC) with ESP
®65
4MATIC 65
Front air bags 39
Front lamps see headlamps
Front passenger front air bag 39
Messages in display 393
Front passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp 29, 45, 385
Front seats
Heating* 91
Fuel 322, 478, 481
Additives 481
Capacity, Fuel tank 478
Cruising range 483
E85 (Ethanol fuel) 478, 483
Filling the tank 322
Fuel filler flap and cap 322
Fuel reserve warning lamp 27, 150,
380
Gauge 27, 150
Premium unleaded gasoline 478,
481
Requirements, Octane rating 482
Switching (Flexible fuel vehicle) 483

500 Index
Passenger compartment 318
Electrical outlet, glove box 293
Electrical outlet, rear seat
ashtray 293
Passenger safety see Occupant safety
Pedals 311
Performance
Cold weather 483
Hot weather 483
Phone* see Telephone*
Plastic parts, cleaning 370
Poly-V-belt drive 464
Layout 464
Potential problems associated with under-
inflated and overinflated tires 347
Power assistance 311
Power folding exterior rear view
mirrors* 98
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 273
Opening/closing 273
Synchronizing 275
Power washer 365
Power windows 120
Blocking of rear window operation 57
Cleaning 368
Opening/closing 120Practical hints 420
Premium unleaded gasoline 478, 481
Problems
While driving 132
With vehicle 16
Product information 9
Production options weight 357
Program mode 151
Program mode see Automatic transmis-
sion*, Automatic shift program
Program mode selector switch*
Automatic shift program 144
Proper use of the vehicle 15
PSI 358
Push-start see Tow-start
R
Radio
Operation 188, 189, 192, 193, 194,
222
Satellite radio*, operation 200
Selecting stations
(Control system) 159
Radio transmitters, control and
operation 319
Range (distance to empty) 157
Reading lamps in the front 115, 116Reading lamps in the rear 116
Rear bench seat, foldable* 281
Rear climate control 268
Rear door window
Blocking operation 57
Rear fog lamp see Fog lamps
Rear lamps see Tail lamps
Rear seat ashtray see Ashtray
Rear seats
Adjustment 85
Head restraints 89
Rear view mirrors see Mirrors
Rear window defroster 256, 265
Recommended inflation pressure 358
Recovery services, Stolen vehicle
(Tele Aid*) 302
Refrigerant, Air conditioning 478, 480
Refueling 322
Regular checks 324
Remote
Door lock with Tele Aid* 302
Door unlock with Tele Aid* 301
Trunk opening/closing* switch 269
Remote control, SmartKey 70
Remote control, SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only) 73