tow MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE 2003 User Guide

130 Controls in detailManual transmission
Manual transmissionInformation for driving with a manual
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 41).
Gearshift leverDo not exceed the maximum speed in the
individual gears. Refer to tachometer
(page 22) for engine speeds.
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in 1st or reverse
gear and parking brake engaged is danger-
ous. Also, when parked on an incline, an en-
gaged 1st or reverse gear alone may not
prevent your vehicle from moving, possibly
hitting people or objects
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging 1st or reverse gear (
page 51).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheel towards the road curb.
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.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 move the gearshift
lever, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.

135
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Gear selector lever position
Effect
P
Park position

Selector position when the vehicle is
parked. Only place selector lever in
position P when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehicle is
parked. Rather, the driver should al-
ways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to placing the selector lever in
position P to secure the vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the starter switch with the selector
lever in position P. With the key re-
moved the selector lever is locked in
position P.
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in position R only
when vehicle is stopped.
Effect
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engage N while driving.
If ESP is deactivated or malfunction-
ing:
Only move selector lever to N if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with selector lever in N
can result in transmission damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in position P is dan-
gerous. Also, position P alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to position P (
page 51).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.

164 Controls in detailAudio systemBalance
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BALANCE

appears on the display.

Press the
L or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or

Press both the
L and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the balance to its cen-
ter level. Returning audio functions to factory set-
tings

In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
and hold the
AUD
key longer than 2 sec-
onds.
RESET
will appear on the display.
All settings for bass, treble and balance
are returned to center and the volume
is set to a predefined level. Audio system sound selection (EXT)*

In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key.
The sound settings menu appears on
the display.

Press the
EXT
key.

Press one of the function keys.
You can select from among the follow-
ing settings:

DRV
: The tone level is set to the
“Driver” position, sound is directed
toward the passengers.

192 Controls in detailLoading
LoadingRoof rack*
Mount the roof rack only between the fas-
tening points1 and in the recess of the
rubber strip 2.
Luggage cover
Removal
Take off securing straps 1.

Pull cover towards rear 2.
Installation

Place cover into holder.

Attach securing straps to trunk lid.
Split folding rear bench seat
The two sections can be folded down sep-
arately to enlarge the trunk.
Warning!
G
Use only those roof racks approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model to
avoid damage to the vehicle. Follow manu-
facturer’s installation instructions.
!Do not place anything on the luggage
cover below the rear window.
Warning!
G
When expanding the luggage compartment,
always fold the seat cushions fully forward.
Unless you are transporting cargo, the back-
rests must remain properly locked in the up-
right position.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.

194 Controls in detailLoadingLoading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not ex-
ceed the vehicle capacity weight indicated
on the certification tag which can be found
on the left door pillar.
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Always place items being carried against
front or rear seat backrests, and fasten
them as securely as possible. The heaviest portion of the cargo should al-
ways be kept as low as possible since it in-
fluences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo.
Never drive vehicle with trunk lid open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.

195
Controls in detail
Useful features
Useful features
Interior storage spaces Glove box
1 Glove box
2 Glove box lid release
Opening the glove box

Pull lid release 2.
The glove box lid opens downward.
Closing the glove box

Push lid up to close. Locking the glove box

Insert mechanical key into the glove
box lock and turn it to position
4.
Unlocking the glove box

Turn mechanical key in the glove box
lock to position 3.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when stowing objects in the vehicle. Put lug-
g a g e o r c a r g o i n t h e t r u n k i f p o s s i b l e . D o n o t
pile luggage or cargo higher than the seat
backs. Do not place anything on the luggage
cover below the rear window.
Luggage nets cannot secure hard or heavy
objects.
Keep compartment lids closed. This will help
to prevent stored objects from being thrown
about and injuring vehicle occupants during
an accident.
iPrior to closing the glove box, close the
compartment for glasses first.

202 Controls in detailUseful featuresSystem self-check
Initially, after turning the key in starter
switch to position2, malfunctions are de-
tected and indicated (the indicator lamps
in the SOS button, the Roadside Assis-
tance button
•
and the Information
button
¡
stay on longer than
10 seconds or do not come on). The mes-
sage
TELE AID – VISIT WORKSHOP!
ap-
pears for approx. 10 seconds in the
multifunction display. Emergency calls
An emergency call is initiated automatical-
ly:


following an accident in which the
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs)
or airbags deploy


if the anti-theft alarm or the tow-away
alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds. See anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (
page 78)and tow-away alarm
(
page 79)
An emergency call can also be initiated
manually by opening the cover next to the
inside rear view mirror labeled “SOS”, then
briefly pressing the button located under
the cover. See below for instructions on
initiating an emergency call manually.
Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp in the “SOS” button will be-
gin to flash. The message
EMERGENCY CALL
– CONNECTING CALL
appears in the multi-
function display. When the connection is
established, the message
EMERGENCY CALL
– CALL CONNECTED
appears in the multi-
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamps in the SOS button, in
the Roadside Assistance button and/or in
the Information button do not come on dur-
ing the system self-check or if any of these
indicators remain illuminated constantly in
red and/or the message
TELE AID defec-
tive – VISIT WORKSHOP!
is displayed in
the multifunction display after the system
self-check, a malfunction in the system has
been detected.
If a malfunction is indicated as outlined
above, the system may not operate as ex-
pected. Have the system checked at the
nearest Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.

205
Controls in detail
Useful features
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established. When a
voice connection is established the audio
system mutes and the message
TELE AID
– ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CALL ACTIVE
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.

Describe the nature of the need for as-
sistance.
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center. For services such
as labor and/or towing, charges may ap-
ply. Refer to the Roadside Assistance man-
ual for more information. These programs are only available in the
USA:


Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.


Remote Vehicle Diagnostics: This func-
tion permits the Mercedes-Benz Road-
side Assistance dispatcher to
download malfunction codes and actu-
al vehicle data.iThe indicator lamp in the Roadside As-
sistance button
•
remains illumi-
nated in red for approx. 10 seconds
during the system self-check after turn-
ing the key in the starter switch to
position 2 (together with the “SOS”
button and the Information
button
¡
).
See system self-check (
page 202)
when the indicator la mp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button
•
is illuminated
continuously and there was no voice
connection to the Response Center es-
tablished, then the Tele Aid system
could not initiate a Roadside Assis-
tance call (e.g. the relevant cellular
phone network is not available). The
message
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE –
CALL FAILED
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be ter-
minated using the
ì
button on the
multifunction steering wheel.

217
Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so that the air stream will cool
down the brakes faster.
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow one wheel to spin for an extend-
ed period with the ESP switched off. Doing
so may cause serious damage to the drive
train which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parking
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.
!Set the parking brake whenever park-
ing or leaving the vehicle. In addition,
move selector lever to position
P (man-
ual transmission: first or reverse gear).
In addition, when parking on hills, turn
front wheel towards the curbWarning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.

218 OperationDriving instructions
TiresTread wear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately 1/16 in (1.5 mm), at which point
the tire is considered worn and should be
replaced.
The tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the selector lever to position P
(manual transmission: first or reverse
gear).


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel against curb.


Turn the key to starter switch
position 0.


Take the key and lock vehicle when leav-
ing.
Warning!
G
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride disturbance, or you suspect that possi-
ble damage to your vehicle has occurred,
you should turn on the hazard warning flash-
ers, carefully slow down, and drive with cau-
ti o n t o an a re a wh ic h i s a s a fe dis ta n c e f ro m
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have it towed to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or tire dealer for re-
pairs.
Warning!
G
Do not allow your tires to wear down too far.
As tread depth approaches 1/16 in
(1.5 mm), the adhesion properties on a wet
road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.