warning MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2012 Owners Manual

If, af
terte n minutes, a tyre pressure of
200 kPa (2.0 bar/29 psi) has been attained: &
WARNING Risk of accident from driving
wi th sealed tyres
A tyre temp orarily sealed with tyre sealant
impairs the handling characteristics and is
not suitable for higher speeds. #
Adapt your driving style according lyand
drive carefull y. #
Do not exceed the maximum speed
limit with a tyre that has been repaired
using tyre sealant. #
Obser vethe maximum permissible speed for
a tyre sealed with tyre sealant 80 km/h. #
Affix th e upper section of the TIREFIT sticker
to the instrument clus ter in a location where
it will be easi lyseen bythe driver.
* NO
TEStaining from leaking tyre sealant Af
ter use, excess tyre sealant may leak out
from thefilling hose. #
Therefore, place thefilling hose in the
plastic bag that con tained the TIREFIT
kit. +
ENVIRONMEN
TALNO TEEnvironmental
pollution caused byenvironmen tally ir re‐
sponsible disposal Ty
re sealant contains polluta nts. #
Have the tyre sealant bottle disposed of
professionall y,e.g. at a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre. #
Switch off the tyre inflation compressor. #
Unscr ew thefilling hose from theva lve of the
defective tyre. #
Stow th e tyre sealant bottle and the tyre
inflation compressor. #
Pull away immediatel y. #
Stop driving af ter appro ximately ten minu tes
and check the tyre pressure using the tyre
inflation compressor.
The tyre pressure must now be at least
13 0 kPa (1.3 bar/19 psi). &
WARNING Risk of accident due tothe
specified tyre pressure not being
attained
If th e specified tyre pressure is not reached,
th e tyre is too badly damaged. The tyre seal‐
ant cannot repair the tyre in this ins tance.
The braking and driving characteristics may
be great lyimpaired. #
Do not continue driving. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Countries
that ha veMercedes-Benz
Service24h: you will find a sticke r with thete le‐
phone number, e.g. on the B‑pillar on the driver's
side. #
Cor rect the tyre pressure if it is still at least
13 0 kPa (1.3 bar/19 psi). See the tyre pres‐
sure table on the fuel filler flap forva lues. #
Toincrease the ty repressure: switch on
th e tyre inflation compressor. Breakdown assis
tance 395
Internal use only

#
Toreduce the tyre pressure: press pres‐
su re re lease button 1next tomanome ter
2 . #
When the tyre pressure is cor rect, unscr ew
th efilling hose from theva lve of the sealed
tyre. #
Screw theva lve cap onto theva lve of the
sealed tyre. #
Pull the tyre sealant bottle out of the tyre
inflation compressor. Press the locking tabs
on theye llow cap toget her todo this.
The filling hose stay s on the tyre sealant bot‐
tle. #
Drive tothe nearest qualified specialist work‐
shop and ha vethe tyre, tyre sealant bottle
and filling hose replaced there. Batte
ry(vehicle) Note
s onthe12 V battery &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
wo rkcar ried out incor rectly on the bat‐
te ry
Wo rkcar ried out incor rectly on the battery
can, forex ample, lead toa short circuit. This
can restrict functions releva nt for saf ety sys‐
te ms and impair the operating saf ety of your
ve hicle.
Yo u could lose cont rol of theve hicle in the
fo llowing situations in particular:
R when braking
R intheeve nt of ab rupt steering manoeu‐
vres and/or when theve hicle's speed is
not adap tedto thero ad conditions #
Intheeve nt of a sho rtcircuit or a simi‐
lar incident, contact a qualified special‐
ist workshop immediately. #
Do not drive on. 396
Breakdown assis tance
Internal use only

#
Alw ays ha vewo rkon the battery car ried
out at a qualified specialist workshop. R
Further information on ABS (/ page187)
R Further information on ESP ®
(/ page 188)
Fo r saf etyre asons, Mercedes-Benz recommends
th at you on lyuse bat teries which ha vebeen tes‐
te d and appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle byMercedes-
Benz.
All vehicles except vehicles with a lithium-
ion battery &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion due toelec‐
tros tatic charge
Electros tatic charge can igni tethe highly
ex plosive gas mixture in the batter y. #
Todischar geany electros tatic charge
th at may ha vebuilt up, touch the me tal
ve hicle body before handling the bat‐
te ry. The highly
flammable gas mixture is created
while the battery is charging and during starting
assis tance. &
WARNING Danger of chemical burns
from the battery acid
Battery acid is caustic. #
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or
clo thing. #
Do not lean overth e batter y. #
Do not inhale battery gases. #
Keep children away from the batter y. #
Immedia tely rinse battery acid off thor‐
oughly with plenty of clean water and
seek medical attention immediately. All
vehicles
+ ENVIRONMENTAL
NOTEEnvironmental
dama gedue toimproper disposal of bat‐
te ries Batteries conta
in pollutants. It is
illegal todispose of them with the household
ru bbish. #
Dispose of batteries in an
environmen tally responsible manner.
Ta ke dischar ged batteries toaqu alified
specialist workshop or toa collection
point for used batteries. If
yo u ha vetodisconnect the12 V batter y,con‐
ta ct a qualified specialist workshop.
Comply with saf ety no tes and take protective
measures when handling batteries. Breakdown assis
tance 397
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from hydro‐
ge nga s igniting
There is a danger of hydrogen gas igniting
when charging the battery if there is a short
circuit or spar ksstart toform. #
Make sure that the positive term inal of
th e connected battery does not come
into conta ct withvehicle parts. #
Never place me tal objects or tools on a
batter y. #
The described order of the battery
clamps must be obser ved when con‐
necting and disconnecting the batter y. #
When giving starting assis tance, al ways
make sure that you on lyconnect bat‐
te ry term inals with identical polarity. #
During starting assis tance, you must
obse rveth e described order for con‐
necting and disconnecting the jump
lead. #
Do not connect or disconnect the bat‐
te ry cla mp s while the engine is running. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion during
ch arging process and starting assis tance
During thech arging process and starting
assis tance, the battery may release an explo‐
sive gas mixture. #
Avoid fire , naked flames, creating
spar ksand smoking. #
Make sure there is suf ficient ventila‐
tion. #
Do not lean over a batter y. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from a fro‐
zen battery
A dischar ged battery may freeze at temp era‐
tures slightly abo veor below freezing point.
During starting assis tance or battery charg‐
ing, bat tery gas can be released. #
Alw ays allow a battery tothaw before
ch arging it or per form ing starting assis‐
ta nce. If
th e indicator/warning lamps in the instrument
clus ter do not light up at low temp eratures, it is
ve ry likely that the dischar ged battery has fro‐
zen. In this case you may neither jump-s tart the
ve hicle nor charge the batter y.
The service life of a battery that has been
th awe d may be dramatically shor tened. The
st arting characteristics may be impaired, espe‐
cially at low temp eratures.
It is recommended that you ha veathaw ed bat‐
te ry checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Plug-in hybrid: be sure toobser vethe no tes in
th e Supplement. You could otherwise failto rec‐
ognise dangers.
All vehicles
* NO
TEDama gecaused bynumerous or
ex tended attempt sto start the engine Nume
rous or extended attempt sto start the
engine may damage the catalytic con verter
due tonon-combu sted fuel. #
Avoid numerous and extended attem pts
to start the engine. Breakdown assis
tance 399
Internal use only

#
Atowing dis tance of 50 km must not be
exc eeded. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or towed
aw ay, its weight must not exceed the permis‐
sible gross mass of your ow nve hicle, other‐
wise thefo llowing could occur:
R theto wing eye may become de tach ed.
R theve hicle/trailer combination may
swer veoreve nov erturn. #
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or
to we daw ay, its weight must not exceed
th e permissible gross mass of your own
ve hicle. If a
vehicle must be tow- star ted or towe daw ay,
its permissible gross weight must not exceed the
permissible gross weight of theto wing vehicle. #
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle iden‐
tification plate (/ page 428). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission: do
not open the driver's door or front passenger
door, otherwise the automatic transmission
automatically shifts toposition j. #
Fittheto wing eye (/ page 406). #
Fasten theto w bar.
* NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of theto w bar #
Onlyconnect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. #
Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(/ page 79). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate tow- aw ay protection
(/ page 96). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st
( / page 210). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i. #
Release the electric parking brake. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signif‐
icantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is norm allyrequ ired. #
Use a tow bar. #
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely before towing theve hicle
aw ay. 404
Breakdown assis tance
Internal use only

*
NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po wer If
yo u pull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slowly and smoo thly. Loading the
vehicle for transport #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( / page 403). #
Connect theto w bar totheto wing eye in
order toload theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
% Ve
hicles with automatic transmission:
th e automatic transmission may be loc ked in
position jintheeve nt of damage tothe
electrical sy stem. Toshift toi , pr ovide the on-board electrical sy
stem with po wer
( / page 400). #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
j. #
Use the electric parking brake tosecure the
ve hicle against rolling away. #
Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels.
Ve hicles with ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
Sy stem PLUS) &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS
When transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS, theve hicle/trailer
combination may begin torock andstart to
skid. #
When transporting, ensure that:
R theve hicle has been loaded onto
th e transpor ter cor rectly R
theve hicle is secured at all four
wheels with suitable tensioning
st ra ps
R the maximum permissible speed of
60 km/h is not exceeded when
transporting *
NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly #
After loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged. #
A minimum dis tance of 20 cm up wards
and 10cm down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels af ter
loading. Breakdown assis
tance 405
Internal use only

To
w starting theve hicle (eme rgency engine
st art) Ve
hicles with automatic transmission
* NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission due to tow-starting The automatic transmission may be damaged
in
the process of tow- starting vehicles with
automatic transmission. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow- star ted. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be tow- star ted. Electrical fuses
Note
s on electrical fuses &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
due to ov erloaded lines
If yo u manipulate or bridge a faulty fuse or if
yo ure place it with a fuse with a higher amperage,
the electric line could be overloa‐
ded.
This could result in a fire. #
Alw aysre place faulty fuses with speci‐
fi ed new fuses conta iningthe cor rect
amperage. *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect fuses Electrical components or sy
stems may be
damaged byincor rect fuses, or their func‐
tionality may be significant lyimpaired. #
Only use fuses that ha vebeen appr oved
by Mercedes-Benz and which ha vethe
cor rect fuse rating. Blown fuses mu
stbe replaced with fuses of the
same rating, which you can recognise bythe col‐
our and the labelling. The fuse ratings and fur‐
th er information tobe obser ved can be found in
th e fuse assignment diagram.
Fu se assignment diag ram: onthe fuse box in
th e boot (/ page 409). *
NO
TEDama geor malfunctions caused
by moisture Moisture may cause dama
getothe electrical
sy stem or cause it tomalfunction. #
When the fuse box is open, make sure
th at no moisture can enter the fuse
box. #
When closing the fuse box, make sure
th at the seal of the lid is positioned cor‐
re ctly on the fuse box. If
th e newly inser ted fuse also blo ws, ha vethe
cause traced and rectified at a qualified special‐
ist workshop.
Ensure thefo llowing before replacing a fuse:
R The vehicle is secured against rolling away.
R All electrical consumers are switched off.
R The ignition is switched off.
The electrical fuses are located in various fuse
bo xes:
R Fuse box in the engine compartment on the
driver's side (/ page 408) Breakdown assis
tance 407
Internal use only

R
Fuse box on the driver's side of the cockpit
(/ page 409)
R Fuse box in the front passenger foot we ll
(/ page 409)
R Fuse box in the boot on theright-hand side
of theve hicle, when vie wed in the direction
of tra vel (/ page 409) Opening and closing
the fuse box in the
engine compa rtment Re
quirements:
R A dry clo thand a sc rewdriver are available.
Obse rveth e no tes on electrical fuses
(/ page 407).
Opening &
WARNING Risk of injury from usingthe
windscreen wipers while the engine bon‐
net is open
When the engine bonn etis open, and the
windscreen wipers are set in motion, you can
be trapped bythe wiper linkage. #
Alw ays switch off the windscreen wip‐
ers and ignition before opening the
engine bonn et. #
Turn retaining clip 2on co ver1 aqu arter-
turn anti-clo ckwise. #
Fold co ver1 up in the direction of the
ar row. #
Remo veany existing moisture from the fuse
box using a dry clo th. #
Loosen scr ews3 and remo vefuse box lid
4 upwards.
Closing #
Che ckwhe ther the seal is positioned cor‐
re ctly in lid 4. 408
Breakdown assis tance
Internal use only

Note
s on noise or unusual handling charac‐
te rist ics
Make sure there are no vibrations, noises or
unusual handling characteristics when theve hi‐
cle is in motion. This may indicate that the
wheels or tyres are damaged. Hidden tyre dam‐
age could also be causing the unusual handling
ch aracteristics.
If yo u suspect that a tyre is defective, reduce
yo ur speed immediately and ha vethe tyres and
wheels checked at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Note
s onregular lyinspecting wheels and
tyres &
WARNING Risk of injury duetodamaged
tyres
Damaged tyres can cause tyre pressure loss. #
Check the tyres regularly for signs of
dama geand replace any damaged tyres
immediatel y. &
WARNING Risk of aquaplaning due to
insuf ficient tyre tread
Insu fficient tyre tread will result in reduced
tyre grip.
The risk of aquaplaning is increased on wet
ro ads, especially when the speed of theve hi‐
cle is not adap tedto suit the conditions. #
Thus, you should regularly check the
tread de pth and the condition of the
tread across the entire width of all
tyres.
Minimum tread dep thfor:
R Summer tyres: 3 mm
R M+S tyres: 4 mm #
For saf etyre asons, replace the tyres
before the legally-prescribed limit for
th e minimum tread dep thisreached. Car
ryout thefo llowing checks on all wheels reg‐
ularly, at least once a month or as requ ired, for
ex ample, prior toa long journey or driving off-
ro ad:
R Check the tyre pressure (/ page411).
R Visually inspect wheels and tyres for dam‐
age.
R Check theva lve caps.
R Visual check of the tyre tread dep thand the
tyre contact su rface across the entire width.
The minimum tread dep thfor summer tyres
is 3 mm and for winter tyres 4 mm. Note
s on snow chains &
WARNING Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct snow chain fitting
If yo u ha vefitted snow chains tothe front
wheels, the snow chains may drag against
th eve hicle body or chassis components.
This could cause damage totheve hicle or
th e tyres. 41 0
Wheels and tyres
Internal use only

#
Neverfit snow chains on the front
wheels. #
Only fit snow chains on there ar wheels
in pairs. *
NO
TEDama getocomponents of the
ve hicle body or chassis due tofitted
snow chains If
yo ufit snow chains tothe front wheels of
4MATIC vehicles, you may damage co mpo‐
nents of theve hicle body or chassis. #
Onlyfit snow chains tothere ar wheels
of 4MATIC vehicles. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes when using snow
ch ains:
R Snow ch ains are on ly permissible for cer tain
wheel/tyre combinations. You can obtain
information about this from a Mercedes-Benz
Service Cent re.
R For saf etyre asons, only use snow chainsthat
ha ve been specifically appr ovedfo ryo ur ve
hicle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains
with the same quality standard.
R If sn ow ch ains are fitted, the maximum per‐
missible speed is 50 km/h.
R Vehicles with Active Park ing Assis t:do
not use Active Parking Assist when snow
ch ains are fitted.
R Vehicles with le vel control: if snowchains
are fitted, only drive at raised vehicle le vel
( / page 219).
% You can permanently limit the maximum
ve hicle speed for driving with winter tyres
(/ page 196).
% You can deactivate ESP ®
to pull away
( / page 190). This all owsth e wheels to
spin, achieving an increased driving forc e. Ty
re pressure Note
s on tyre pressure Ty
re pressure which is too high or too low can:
R Shor tenth e service life of the tyres. R
Cause increased tyre damage.
R Adversely af fect driving characteristics and
th us driving saf ety, e.g. due toaquaplaning. &
WARNING Risk of accident due torepea‐
te d pressure drop in the tyres
The wheels, valves or tyres could be dam‐
aged.
To o low a tyre pressure can lead tothe tyres
bur sting. #
Examine the tyres forfo re ign objects. #
Check whe ther the tyre has a puncture
or theva lve has a leak. #
Ifyo u are unable torectify the damage,
conta ct aqualified specialist workshop. Information on
there commended tyre pressure
fo rth eve hicle's factor y-fitted tyres can be found
on the tyre pressure table on the inside of the
fuel filler flap (/ page412).
Use a suita ble pressure gauge tocheck the tyre
pressure. The outer appearance of a tyre does Wheels and tyres
411
Internal use only