warning MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE 2005 Owner's Manual

50 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 brake pedal.

Move gear selector lever to position D
or R (manual transmission: first or re-
verse 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.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. 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.
iVehicles with automatic transmission*:
Wait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open doors only when condi-
tions are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic lock-
ing using the control system
(page 148).
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.

51
Getting started
Driving
After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.
For more information on driving, see “Driv-
ing instructions” (
page 277).
Switching on headlamps
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 110).
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch1 Off
2 Low beam headlamps on
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.!Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
Place the gear selector lever in
position P or R only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.
!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
speeds may shorten the service life of
the engine.Warning!
G
Vehicles with automatic transmission*: It is
dangerous to shift the gear 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 acceler-
ate quickly forward or in reverse. You could
lose control of the vehicle and hit someone
or something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

56 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake1 Release handle
2 Parking brake
Step firmly on parking brake 2.
When the engine is running, the indica-
tor lamp ; (USA only) or 3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before
removing the SmartKey from the starter
switch. The vehicle cannot be steered when
the SmartKey is removed.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
Warning!
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.
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 gear selector lever to
position P (manual transmission: first or
reverse gear).


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position 0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey with you and lock
the vehicle when leaving.

57
Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
M
(page 51).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 110).
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in position P
(manual transmission: first or reverse gear)
is dangerous. Also, when parked on an
incline, position P (manual transmission:
first or reverse gear) alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to position P (manual transmission:
first or reverse gear).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children
could release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever from position P
(manual transmission: into neutral), either of
which could result in an accident and/or se-
rious injury.

58 Getting startedParking and lockingTurning off the engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP (manual transmission: first
or reverse gear).

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position 0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 44).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.

After exiting the vehicle, press the lock
button ‹ on the SmartKey
(page 32).
With the hood, trunk and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs in the doors
move down. The anti-theft alarm sys-
tem* is armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 90).
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to position P (manual
transmission: first or reverse gear).
On slopes, turn the front wheels to-
wards the road curb.iVehicles with automatic transmission*:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.
iWith 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 there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.

61
Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!
G
In the event that the 1
indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not deploy when needed in an accident,
which could result in serious or fatal injury,
or it might deploy un expectedly and unnec-
essarily which could also result in injury.
In addition, improper work on the SRS
creates a risk of rendering the SRS inopera-
tive or causing unintended air bag deploy-
ment. Work on the SRS must therefore only
be performed by qualified technicians. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system
to accommodate a person with disabilities,
contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
Warning!
G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags) or side impacts (side
impact air bags and head protection window
curtain air bags). However, no system avail-
able today can totally eliminate injuries and
fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body.
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured by an air bag as it inflates with great
force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.


Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 in (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front air bag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door or the rear
side trim panel where the side impact air
bag inflates. This could result in serious
injuries or death should the air bag be
triggered. Always sit nearly upright,
properly use the seat belts and use an
appropriately sized infant or toddler re-
straint or booster seat recommended
for the size and weight of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety in-
formation. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator's Manual.

63
Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat.
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact air bags there is a
possibility for a side impact air bag related
injury if occupants, especially children, are
not properly seated or restrained when next
to a side impact air bag which needs to de-
ploy rapidly in a side impact in order to do its
job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
side impact air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the side impact air bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit nearly upright, properly use the seat belts and for children 12 years
old and under, use an appropriately
sized infant or toddler restraint or boost-
er seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
rear seat occupants to have the rear mount-
ed side impact air bags deactivated, then
deactivation can be accomplished upon
your written request to do so at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center at an additional
cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
iAir bags are designed to deploy only in
certain frontal impacts (front air bags)
and in side impacts (side impact and
head protection window curtain air
bags) which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these events will they
provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passengers should
always wear their seat belts. Otherwise
it is not possible for air bags to provide
their supplemental protection.
In case of other types of impacts and
impacts below air bag deployment
thresholds, air bags will not deploy. The
driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a
properly fastened seat belt. A properly
fastened seat belt is also needed to
provide the best possible protection in
a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the air bags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.

64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and air
bag
It is important to your safety and that of
your passengers that you replace de-
ployed air bags and repair any malfunc-
tioning air bags to make sure that the
vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD
that is deployed must be replaced.


Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.


Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.


No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag cov-
er, door trim panels, or door frame
trims, and installation of additional elec-
trical/electronic equipment on or near
SRS components and wiring. Keep area
between air bags and occupants free
from objects (e.g. packages, purses,
umbrellas, etc.).


Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when curtain air bag is deployed.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.


Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.
The passenger front air bag will only be
deployed if:

the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied


the 56 indicator lamp in the
center console is not lit (
page 76)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold Side impact air bags, window curtain
air bags
1 Window curtain air bag
2 Side impact air bags
The side impact air bags and window cur-
tain air bags are deployed:


on the impacted side of the vehicle


in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold


independently of the front air bags
The side impact air bags and window cur-
tain air bags are not deployed in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment threshold. The front passenger side impact air bag
will only deploy if the system senses that
the front passenger seat is occupied.
Seat belts
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale
< illuminates to remind you and
your passengers to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
before the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale < illuminates and a warning
chime sounds for approximately six
seconds when the engine is started.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the
U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.
For more information, see “Fastening the
seat belt” (
page 44).