automatic transmission MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE 2003 Owners Manual

ContentsControls in detail ............................... 81
Locking and unlocking ......................... 82 SmartKey ........................................ 82
Opening the doors from the inside . 85
Opening the trunk lid ...................... 85
Closing the trunk lid ....................... 86
Trunk lid emergency release .......... 86
Automatic central locking .............. 87
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ....................................... 87
Seats .................................................... 89 Easy-entry/exit feature* ................ 89
Head restraints............................... 90
Heated seats* ................................ 91
Memory function* ................................ 93 Storing positions into memory ....... 94
Recalling positions from memory ... 94
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ............................. 95
Lighting ................................................ 96 Exterior lamp switch ....................... 96
Combination switch ........................ 99
Hazard warning flasher ................... 99
Interior lighting ............................. 100 Instrument cluster ............................. 102
Instrument cluster illumination .... 102
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 102
Trip odometer .............................. 103
Tachometer .................................. 103
Outside temperature indicator ..... 104
Control system .................................. 105 Multifunction display .................... 105
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 106
Menus .......................................... 108
Standard display menu ................ 110
AUDIO menu ................................ 110
NAV menu .................................... 112
Malfunction memory menu .......... 112
Settings menu .............................. 114
Trip computer menu ..................... 125
TEL menu* ................................... 126
Manual transmission ......................... 130 Shifting into reverse ..................... 131
Automatic transmission* ................... 132 One-touch gearshifting ................. 133
Gear ranges .................................. 134
Gear selector lever position ......... 135
Program mode selector switch ..... 136
Accelerator position ..................... 137 Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 137
Good visibility .................................... 138 Rear view mirror ........................... 138
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 140
Sun visors .................................... 141
Climate control .................................. 142 Setting the temperature ............... 145
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 145
Defrosting .................................... 146
Air recirculation mode .................. 146
Rear window defroster ................. 147
Air conditioning ............................ 148
Ventilated storage compartment . 148
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 149
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 149
Automatic climate control*
(Canada only) .................................... 150 Setting the temperature ............... 152
Adjusting air distribution .............. 153
Adjusting air volume .................... 153
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ....... 154
Defrosting .................................... 154

25
At a glance
Center console
Center console
Item
Page
1
Seat heater*, driver‘s side
91
2
ESP control switch
75
3
Hazard warning flasher
switch – switching on/off
99
4
Central locking switch
87
5
Anti-theft alarm system in-
dicator lamp
78
Tow-away alarm switch
79
6
Seat heater*, passenger
side
91
7
Indicator lamp
7
67
8
Audio system, or
159
COMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)
Item
Page
9
Climate control
142
10
Ashtray
198
11
Storage compartment
196
12
Armrest
197
13
Program mode selector for
automatic transmission
136
14
Gearshift lever for manual
transmission
Selector lever for automat-
ic transmission
44
45

31
Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0
For removing key
The steering is locked when the key is
removed from the starter switch. If
necessary, move steering wheel slight-
ly to allow the locking mechanism to
engage.
1 Power supply to some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2 Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3 Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
the vehicle. Do not leave children unattend-
ed in the vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury.iVehicles with automatic transmission:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.
!If the key is left in the starter switch
position 0 for an extended period of
time, it can no longer be turned in the
starter switch.

Remove the key from the starter
switch and reinsert.
If the key can still not be turned, the
battery may not be sufficiently
charged.


Check the battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 294).


Get a jump start (
page 297).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge and a possible dead battery, al-
ways remove the key from the starter
switch.

45
Getting started
Driving

Turn the key in the starter switch to
position
3. Release only when the en-
gine is firing regularly (
page 31).
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (page 130).
Automatic transmission*
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionP Park position with selector lever lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive position

Make sure that the gear selector lever
is set to P.

Do not depress accelerator.
Starting

Turn the key in the starter switch to
position 3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 31).

Depress the brake pedal.
The selector lever lock is released.
For information on turning off the engine
with the key see “Turning off the engine”
(
page 52) Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:

Turn key in starter to position
0 and re-
peat starting procedure.
Remember that extended starting at-
tempts can drain the battery

Get a jump start (
page 297).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iYou can also use the “touch-start”
function. Turn the key to position 3 and
release it again immediately. The en-
gine then starts automatically.

46 Getting startedDrivingParking brake 1 Release handle
2 Parking brake

Release the parking brake by pulling on
handle 1.
The indicator lamp
;
(USA only) or
3
(Canada only) in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Driving

Depress the brake pedal.

Move selector lever to position D or R
(manual transmission: first or reverse
gear).

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the auto-
matic central locking system engages
and the locking knobs drop down. After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion engages at a higher revolution. This al-
lows the catalytic converter to reach its
operating temperature earlier.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could release the parking
brake, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.iVehicles with automatic transmission:
Wait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.

47
Getting started
Driving
More information on driving can be found
in the “Operation” section (
page 215).
Switching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1
Off
2 Low beam headlamps on
Turn the switch to
B
.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (page 96).
Turn signals and high beam
The combination switch is on the left of the
steering column.Combination switch1 Turn signals, right
2 Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch up 1 or
down 2.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with automatic transmission: It is
dangerous to shift the selector lever out of P
or N if the engine speed is higher than idle
speed. If your foot is not firmly on the brake
pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly
forward or in reverse. You could lose control
of the vehicle and hit someone or some-
thing. Only shift into gear when the engine is
idling normally and when your right foot is
firmly on the brake pedal.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.

53
Getting started
Parking and locking
Turning off with the SmartKey
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position
0 and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 41).

After exiting the vehicle press the lock
button
‹
on the remote control
(
page 30).
The locking knobs on the doors move
down.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (
page 82).
iVehicles with automatic transmission:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.!With the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure that there
is no possibility of someone getting caught
in a door during closing.

81
Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster Control system
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control* (Canada only) Audio system
Power windows
Panorama sliding/pop-up roof*
Driving systemsLoading
Useful features

105
Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the key in the starter switch is turned to
position 1. The control system enables you
to

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1 Main odometer
2 Trip odometer
3 Automatic transmission program mode
4 Current gear selector lever position
5 Digital clock
6 Outside temperature
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player, cassette player) will ap-
pear in English, regardless of the
language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 13.5 m) every second.

132 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*
Automatic transmission*Information for driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 41).
Your transmission adapts its gear shifting
process to your individual driving style by
continually adjusting the shift points up or
down. These shift point adjustments are
performed based on current operating and
driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change the au-
tomatic transmission reacts by adjusting
its gear shift program. The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on


the selector lever position
D with gear
ranges 4, 3 , 2 , 1 (
page 134)


the selected shift program ( W/S)
(page 136)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 137)


the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program ( W/S) appear in the multi-
function display (
page 22).
An additional indication of the current se-
lector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting gate. The indicators
come on when you activate a switch (e.g.
unlocking the vehicle or opening a door)
and go out after approximately
15 minutes. When the selector lever is in position
D,
you can influence transmission shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears yourself
iDuring the brief warm-up the transmis-
sion upshifting is delayed. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
of P or N if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.