navigation system MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class 2004 W203 Comand Manual
Page 5 of 243
ContentsTelephone*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Important notes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Multifunction display  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Display overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Telephone operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Quick reference  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Menu overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Switching telephone operation on  . 96
Switching telephone operation off  . 97
Incoming call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Outgoing calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Notebook  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Editing the phone book . . . . . . . . . 116
SMS function  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Activating  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Reading SMS messages received . 122
Emergency call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Telephone is ready for operation  . 125Service numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Calling a service number. . . . . . . . 126
Changing personal service 
number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Changing the number for Roadside 
Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Navigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Important notes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Quick reference  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Changing the navigation CD . . . . . 137
Destination input  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Menu overview  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Switching the navigation system 
on  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Entering destination address  . . . . 141
Continuing destination input. . . . . 146
Selecting a destination via 
the map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Entering Points of Interest  . . . . . . 155
Selecting the last destinations  . . . 159
Calculating a route  . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Route guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Route guidance principles. . . . . . . 162
Requesting destination and route 
information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Beginning route guidance . . . . . . . 170
Turning onto a street. . . . . . . . . . . 172
Following the course of the road  . 173
Driving through an intersection. . . 173
Changing to map display. . . . . . . . 174
Mix of map and symbol display . . . 175
Altering the map scale  . . . . . . . . . 176
Selecting map orientation . . . . . . . 177
Marking a way point  . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Selecting a detour . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Resetting functions . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Deviating from the calculated 
route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 
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1
Where to find itIntroduction
 Where to find itThis Operator’s Manual is designed to pro-
vide support information for you, the 
COMAND operator. Each chapter has its 
own guide color to provide fast access to 
information.At a glance
Here you will find an overview of 
all COMAND control elements and system 
components. If you are operating 
COMAND for the first time or if you have 
rented or borrowed the vehicle, this is the 
chapter you should read first.Audio
Here you will find all the information on 
how to use the radio, cassette player*, CD- 
player, CD changer*, and adjust the audio 
system settings.
Satellite radio*
This chapter provides information on how 
to select a station and a program category.Telephone*
Here you can learn in detail about the 
many functions of the telephone, SMS, 
how to initiate an emergency call and use 
service numbers.Navigation
This chapter provides detailed information 
on the following topics:
Destination input
Route selection and calculation
Route guidance including detour
Destination memory
Info Services* and System settings
This chapter provides information on how 
to:
Request and display info services such 
as news, weather, stocks and sports
Adjust COMAND system settings
Directories
The glossary explains the most important 
technical terms.
The table of contents and index directory 
will help you quickly locate the information 
you need. 
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3 Introduction
Operating safety
 Operating safety
Warning
G
Any alterations made to electronic compo-
nents and the software can cause malfunc-
tions.
The radio, amplifier, CD changer*, navigati-
on module, satellite radio*, telephone* and 
voice control system* are interconnected. 
Therefore, when one of the components is 
not operational or has not been removed/
replaced properly, the function of other 
components may be impaired.
This condition might seriously impair the 
operating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend that you have any service 
work on electronic components carried out 
only by qualified personnel. 
Warning
G
In order to avoid distraction which could 
lead to an accident, the driver should enter 
system settings with the vehicle at a stand-
still and operate the system only when road 
and traffic conditions permit. 
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 
30 mph (approximately 50 km/h), your car 
is covering a distance of 50 feet (approxima-
tely 14 m) every second.
COMAND supplies you with information to 
help you select your route more easily and 
guide you conveniently and safely to your 
destination. For safety reasons, we encoura-
ge the driver to stop the vehicle in a safe 
place before answering or placing a call, or 
consulting the COMAND screen to read na-
vigational maps, instructions, or downloa-
ded information.
While the navigation system provides direc-
tional assistance, the driver must remain fo-
cused on safe driving behavior, including 
attention to traffic and street signs, and 
should utilize the system’s audio cues while 
driving. 
The navigation system does not supply any 
information on stop signs, yield signs, traffic 
regulations or traffic safety rules. This al-
ways remains your personal responsibility 
when you drive. CD maps do not cover all 
areas nor all routes within an area.  
Page 14 of 243
7 At a glance
COMAND control unit
/
Function
Page
1
Switching COMAND on 
and off
12
2
Switching the navigation 
system on
Quick reference
140
134
3
CD drive for an audio or a 
navigation CD
4
Zooming in for more de-
tailed map
176
5
Zooming out for less de-
tailed map
176
6
Route guidance is active:
Switching between map 
and symbol display or ac-
tivating the map
Route guidance is 
not active:
Activating the location 
map
174
167
7
Selecting a detour during 
route guidance
181
8
Requesting destination 
and route information
165
9
Muting of:
Audio source
Voice output during 
route guidance
28
171
a
Setting the display dim-
ming characteristics 
(day and night display)
216
b
Ejecting an audio or a na-
vigation CD
45
c
Radio operation:
Selecting a station
Saving stations manually
CD operation:
Selecting a track or CDs
Telephone:
Entering the unlock code 
Entering the telephone 
number
 
30
34
51, 53
96
100
Function
Page
Navigation (Destination 
input):
Selecting destination via 
the map
149
d
Subsequent dialing
Displaying a long list en-
try in full in a window
Removing a window
102
145
145
e
Subsequent dialing
102
f
From within a system:
Return to the previous 
menu
Telephone:
Ending a call
99
Function
Page 
Page 16 of 243
9 At a glance
COMAND control unit
Screen displays include:
Main system menus, e.g. the main ra-
dio menu
Lists for the selection of entries, 
e.g. the city list (
page 20)
Input menus, e.g. during destination 
input (
page 19)
Selection menus, e.g. during route 
calculation (
page 21)
Symbol display (
page 21) or map 
(
page 150) in navigation
Pop-up windows (
page 189)Main menu structure
Main radio menu1Status line, displays active system 
2Station frequency and function that 
has been switched on
3Menu fields to call further menus or 
functions
4Symbol barStatus line and symbol bar 
Screen displays
P82.85-9059-31
1
23
4
Symbols
Status line
FM1
AM, WB
SAT, CD, 
TEL, NAV, 
SVC, SYS, 
AUX
Symbol bar
>
M 
Meaning
The radio is switched on in 
FM Band; the current sta-
tion has been saved in me-
mory location 1 in the FM 
preset menu
AM or Weather Band WB
The corresponding system 
is active
Reception strength of the 
mobile phone
Incoming SMS message
1
1 if available from carrier 
Page 17 of 243
10 At a glanceCOMAND control unitPop-up screen messages
Battery voltage gets low
You can still operate COMAND without the 
engine running.You will see the message “Caution. Please 
start engine. Otherwise COMAND will shut 
down in 3 minutes”.
Start the engine.
You will see the message “Caution. Please 
start engine. Otherwise COMAND will shut 
down in 10 seconds”.
Start the engine.
You will see the message “Caution. 
COMAND will shut down now”.
Start the engine.Transmitting an emergency call 
via Tele Aid*
Refer to the vehicle operating instructions 
for information regarding the operation of 
the Tele Aid emergency call system and on 
how to transmit an emergency call.
You will see the message “Tele Aid active”.
Press the right-hand rotary/push-
button v to remove the window.
COMAND will mute an audio source or one 
of the two service sources Voice output in 
navigation or Voice control system.
iThe symbol bar appears in all system 
main menus.
For symbol and map displays in naviga-
tion:
The symbol bar appears on the left hand 
side of the display and shows different 
symbols.!To prevent the car battery from running 
down, you will be receiving two mes-
sages asking you to start the engine 
when battery power gets low.
iIf you do not start the engine, you can 
continue using COMAND until the next 
message appears. 
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13 At a glance
Quick reference COMAND
The navigation system was the last sys-
tem used
The menu displayed will vary according to 
the last navigation function used.
If route guidance was active:
the symbol display or
the map
If route guidance was active and the 
COMAND was switched off for more than 
2hours:
an inquiry menu (
page 187)If destination input was active:
the main destination input menuSwitching another system on
Press a system key, e.g. d.
The main CD menu will appear.
Switching off
Press #.
The COMAND control unit will switch 
off.
iIf COMAND is switched off for more 
than 30 minutes during active route 
guidance, all manually entered traffic 
jams and detours are deleted. You will 
see a corresponding message. Selec-
ting a detour (
page 181). 
Page 21 of 243
14 At a glanceQuick reference COMANDAt the multifunction steering wheel
To raise the volume
Press J. 
To lower the volume
Press I.
At the COMAND operating unit
Turn the the left-hand rotary/push-
button v.
For the audio sources
Radio
CD (CD drive and CD changer)
you can set the volume jointly.For the service sources
Voice output during route guidance 
(navigation system)
and
Voice Control System (refer to separa-
te operating instruction)
you can set the volume jointly.
For the service source 
Telephone 
you can alter the listening volume for the 
telephone only.
Switching on
Press c.
The radio is switched on. The station 
last tuned to will begin to play.
Changing the radio band
Press c to switch between FM-, 
AM- and WB-Band.
Adjusting the volume 
Radio operation
P82.85-6062-31 
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18 At a glanceQuick reference COMANDBegin dialing
When the “Send” button is highlighted, 
press the right-hand rotary/push-
button v to confirm your input.
Dialing will begin. If the phone number 
together with a name is stored in the 
phone book, the name appears on the 
screen.
Conducting a call
When the call is answered, the call time ap-
pears in the screen.
Ending a call
Press the right-hand rotary/push-but-
ton v to confirm the “End” button.
Switching another system on
Press any system key, e.g. b.
COMAND switches to the navigation 
system.
You will find more information in chapter 
“Telephone” (
page 96).Switching the navigation system on
Main destination input menu
Press b.
If the navigation system has not been 
booted up, the message “Navigation 
being activated. Please obey all traffic 
rules” will appear.
The navigation menu displayed will vary 
according to the last navigation func-
tion used (
page 13).
If route guidance was switched off, the 
main destination input menu will be 
displayed.
Entering a destination and calcula-
ting a route
P82.85-9065-31 
Page 29 of 243
22 At a glanceQuick reference COMANDThe route will be calculated. COMAND 
identifies the road you are travelling on.
You will see the arrow indicating the direc-
tion of travel if COMAND recognizes the 
road you are travelling on. You will e.g. 
hear the message “Please turn right”. Rou-
te guidance will begin.
You will find more information in chapter 
“Navigation” (
page 161).Day and night display, switching off 
screen
Press Ä repeatedly until the desired 
display appears.
The display changes in this order: 
Day display
Night display
Screen off
Day displayYou can switch different beeps on and off.
Acknowledgement beep
Beeps when you accept an entry or en-
ter a destination on the map
Info beep
Beeps when you see the messages an-
nouncing a drop of battery voltage 
(page 10)
Alarm beep
Beeps if the device has a serious mal-
function or if you are listening to an 
emergency broadcast on the radio. You 
can only switch off the beep if you also 
switch off COMAND.
You will find more information in chapter 
“System settings” (
page 215).
P82.85-9073-31
iIt is also possible to carry out the 
change between day and night display 
automatically via the headlight switch 
(page 216).
Selecting beeps