warning lights MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2012 User Guide

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance 5
ESP
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: observeth e no tes in
th e Supplement. Otherwise, you may failto rec‐
ognise dangers. #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Fu
nction of EBD Elect
ronic Breakforce Distribution (EBD) is char‐
acterised bythefo llowing:
R Monitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels. R
Impr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends. Fu
nction of STEER CONT ROL ST
EER CONTROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilisation.
This steering recommendation is given in thefo l‐
lowing situations:
R both right wheels or bo thleft wheels are on a
we t or slippe ryroad sur face when you brake
R theve hicle starts toskid
Sy stem limits
ST EER CONTROL may be impaired or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R ESP ®
is deactivated.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
R The steering is malfunctioning.
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering. HOLD function
HOLD function
The HOLD function holds
theve hicle at a stand‐
st ill without requ iring youto depress the brake
pedal, e.g. while waiting in traf fic.
The HOLD function is only an aid. The responsi‐
bility forth eve hicle safely standing still remains
with the driver.
Sy stem limits
The HOLD function is only intended toprov ide
assis tance when driving and is not a su fficient
means of safeguarding theve hicle against rolling
aw ay when stationar y.
R The incline must not be greater than 30%. 19 0
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
due totheve hicle rolling away
Af ter a short time, Hill Start Assist no lon ger
holds theve hicle. #
Swiftly mo veyour foot from the brake
pedal tothe accelera tor pedal. Do not
lea vetheve hicle when it is being held
by Hill Start Assist. Fu
nction of Adaptive Brake Lights Ad
aptive Brake Lights warnfollowing traf fic in an
emergency braking situation with th efo llowing
actions:
R Byflashing the brake lamps
R By activating the hazard warning lights
If th eve hicle is braked sharply from speeds
abo ve50 km/h, the brake lamps flash rapidl y.
This pr ovides traf fic tr avelling behind you with an
ev en more noticeable warning.
If th eve hicle is tr avelling at speeds of more than
70 km/h at the beginning of the brake applica‐
tion, the hazard warning lights switch on once th
eve hicle is stationar y.When you pull away
again, the hazard warning lights will switch off
automatically at appr oximately 10km/h. Yo u
can also switch off the hazard warning lights
using the hazard warning button. AT
TENTION ASSI ST Fu
nction of ATTENTION ASSI ST
AT TENTION ASSIST assists you on long, mon oto‐
nous jou rney s, e.g. on mo torw ays and trunk
ro ads. If ATTENTION ASSIST de tects indicators
of fatigue or increasing lapses in concentration
on the part of the driver, it suggests taking a
brea k.
AT TENTION ASSIST is only an aid. It cannot
alw ays de tect fatigue or lapses in concentration
in time. The sy stem is not a substitute for a well-
re sted and attentive driver. On long journe ys,
ta ke regular breaks in good time that allow for
adequate recuperation.
Yo u can choose between two settings:
R Standard: normal sy stem sensitivity. R
Sensitive: higher system sensitivity. The
driver is warned earlier and the attention
le ve l de tected byATTENTION ASSIST is adap‐
te d accordingly.
If dr owsiness or inc reasing lapses in concentra‐
tion are de tected, theATTENTION ASSIST: Take
a break! warning appears in the Instrument Dis‐
pla y.Yo u can ackn owledge the message and
ta ke a break where necessar y.Ifyo u do not take
a break and ATTENTION ASSIST continues to
de tect increasing lapses in concentration, you
will be warned again af ter a minimum of
15 minutes. 19 2
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

proper
lyde tected bythe sy stem. The maximum
permissible speed applying toave hicle with a
trailer is not de tected bythe sy stem.
Ad just the speed in these situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toActive
Speed Limit Assi stadapting theve hicle's
speed
The speed adop tedby Active Speed Limit
Assi stmay be too high or incor rect in some
individual cases, su chas:
R at speed limits below 20 km/h
R inwe t conditions or in fog
R when towing a trailer #
Ensure that the driven speed complies
with traf fic re gulations. #
Adjust the driving speed tosuit cur rent
traf fic and weather conditions. Fu
nction of route-based speed adaptation
When Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti‐
va ted, theve hicle speed will be adap ted accord‐
ingly tothero ute events ahead. Depending on th
e drive prog ram selected, theve hicle negoti‐
ates a route event ahead in an economical, com‐
fo rtable or dynamic manner. When thero ute
eve nt has been passed, theve hicle accelerates
again tothestored speed. The set dis tance to
th eve hicle in front, vehicles de tected ahead and
speed restrictions ahead are take n into account.
Yo u can activate and deactivate route-based
speed adap tation in the multimedia sy stem
(/ page 203).
The following route events are take n into
account:
R Bends
R T-junctions, roundabouts and tollst ations
R Turns and exits
R Traf fic jams ahead (only wi thLive Traf fic
Information (/ page 304))
% When theto llst ation is reached, Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC adopts the speed as
th estored speed. Also,
the speed is reduced if the turn signal indi‐
cator tochange lanes is swit ched on and one of
th efo llowing situations is de tected:
R Turning off at junctions
R Driving on slowing-down lanes
R Driving on lanes adjacent toslowing-down
lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tojunctions, roundabouts
and traf fic lights, as route-based speed adap ta‐
tion does not brake theve hicle toast andstill.
When route guidance is active, thefirs t speed
adjustment is car ried out automatically. If the
turn signal indica tor is switched on, the selected
ro ute is confirmed and fur ther speed adjustment
is activated.
Speed adap tation is cancelled in thefo llowing
cases:
R Ifth e turn signal indicator is switched off
before thero ute event.
R Ifth e driver depresses the accelerator or
brake pedal during the process. 202
Driving and parking
Internal use only

Fu
nction of Active Eme rgency Stop Assist If
th e sy stem de tects that the driver has not
st eered theve hicle for a considerable period of
time or has remo vedth eir hands from thesteer‐
ing wheel, display 1appears in the multifunc‐
tion displa y.Ifth e driver still does not steer the
ve hicle, or gives no confirmation tothe sy stem,
a wa rning tone sounds in addition tothe visual
wa rning message.
If th e driver still does not respond tothewa rn‐
ing, theBeginning emergency stop message
appears in the multifunction displa y.Ifth e driver
st ill does not respond, Active Dis tance Assi st DISTRONIC
reduces the speed. The vehicle is
decelerated in stages toast andstill.
Depending on the count ry, at speeds below
60 km/h the hazard warning lights switch on
automaticall y.
When theve hicle is stationar y,thefo llowing
actions are car ried out:
R The vehicle is secured with the electric park‐
ing brake.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is ended
R The vehicle is unloc ked.
R If possible, an emer gency call is placed to
th e Mercedes-Benz emer gency call centre
The driver can cancel the deceleration at any
time byper form ing one of thefo llowing actions:
R Steering
R Braking or accelerating
R Deactivating Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC Ac
tive Brake Assi st Fu
nction of Active Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stconsi sts of thefo llowing
functions:
R Distance warning function
R Autonomous braking function
R Situation-dependent braking assi stance
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist and cornering
function
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles, cyclists or
pedestrians or toreduce the ef fects of such a
collision.
If Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, a warning tone sounds and theL dis‐
ta nce warning lamp lights up in the instrument
clus ter.
If yo u do not react tothewa rning, autonomous
braking can be initiated in critical situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initia teautonomous braking direct ly.206
Driving and parking
Internal use only

In
this case, thewa rning lamp and warning tone
occur simultaneously wi th the braking applica‐
tion.
If yo u apply the brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or apply the brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occu rs. The brake pressure increases up tomax‐
imum full-s top braking if necessar y.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185). If autonomous braking or situation-dependent
braking assi
stance has occur red, display 1 appears in
the multifunction display and then
automatically goes out af ter a short time. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d de tection per form ance of Active
Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stcannot al ways clear ly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
Ac tive Brake Assi stis only an aid. The driver
is responsible for maintaining a suf ficiently
safe di stance totheve hicle in front, vehicle
speed and for braking in good time. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Active Brake
Assi stalone. #
Be prepared tobrake or swer veif nec‐
essar y. Also obser
vethe sy stem limits of Active Brake
Assi st. The individual subfunctions are
available in
va rious speed ranges:
The dis tance warning function can issue a warn‐
ing in thefo llowing situations:
R From appr oximately 30 km/h, if over se veral
seconds the dis tance maintained totheve hi‐
cle tr avelling in front is insuf ficient forthe
driven speed, theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
R From appr oximately 7 km/h, if your vehicle
is critically close toave hicle, cyclist or
pedestrian, you will hear an intermit tent
wa rning tone and theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
Brake immediately or take evasive action, pr ovi‐
ded it is safe todo so and the traf fic situation
allo wsthis. Driving and parking
207
Internal use only

#
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
The speed limits de tected byTraf fic Sign
Assi stare automatically adop tedby Active
Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC.
Displ aying de tected traf fic signs in the
media display #
Select Display in COMAND. #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
% If one of thefo llowing sy stems is activated,
th e de tected speed can be manually adop ted
as the speed limit:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R Cruise control
R Variable limiter
Fu rther information (/ page199).
Ad justing the type of warning #
Select Visual & audible ,Visual orNone.
Ad justing the warning threshold
This value de term ines the speed at which a
wa rning is issued when exceeded. #
Select Warning threshold. #
Set the desired speed. Blind Spot Assist and
Active Blind Spot
Assi stwith exitwa rning Fu
nction of Blind Spot Assist and Active
Blind Spot Assi stwith exitwa rning
Blind Spot Assist and Active Blind Spot Assi st
use two lateral, rear-facing radar sensors to
monitor the area up to40 m behind and 3 m
next toyour vehicle.
If a vehicle is de tected at speeds abov e approx‐
imately 12km/h and this vehicle subsequently
enters the monitoring range di rectly next to your
ve hicle, thewa rning lamp in the outside mir ror
lights up red.
Pe rm anent status display in the instrument clus‐
te r:
R ¸ (gre y): sy stem is activated but inopera‐
tive
R ¸ (green): sy stem is activated and opera‐
tional If a
vehicle is de tected close toyour vehicle and
yo u swit chon the turn signal indicator in the cor‐
re sponding direction, a double warning tone
sounds and there dwa rning lamp in the outside
mir rorflashes. If the turn signal indicator
re mains switched on, all other de tected vehicles
are indicated only bytheflashing of thered
wa rning lamp.
If yo uove rtake a vehicle quickl y,no warning is
given. &
WARNING Risk of accident despite Blind
Spot Assi st
Blind Spot Assi stdoes not react tovehicles
approaching and overtaking you at a greatly
di fferent speed.
Blind Spot Assist cann otwa rndrivers in this
situation. #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation and maintain a safe dis‐
ta nce at the side of theve hicle. Driving and parking
213
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of accident despite inter‐
ve ntion of Active Lane Keeping Assist
Ac tive Lane Keeping Assist does not de tect
traf fic conditions or road users. The sy stem
may make an inappropriate brake applica‐
tion.
The brake application can be inter rupte d at
any time, forex ample, bysteering slightly in
th e opposite direction. #
Alw ays make sure that there is suf fi‐
cient dist ancetothe side forot her traf‐
fi c or obs tacles. &
WARNING Risk of accident despite Lane
Ke eping Assist
Lane Keeping Assist cannot always clearly
de tect lane markings.
In such cases, Lane Keeping Assist can:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give a warning #
Alw ays pay particular attention tothe
traf fic situation and keep within the lane, especially if
Active Lane Keeping
Assist alerts you. Be sure
toobser vethe sy stem limitations of
Ac tive Lane Keeping Assist. #
Press button 2.
If indicator lamp 1lights up, Active Lane
Ke eping Assist is activated, the lane mark‐
ings are shown as light in the assis tance graphic. When
Active Lane Keeping Assist is
active, the lane markings are shown in green
in the assis tance graphic.
Setting Active Lane Keeping Assist
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance
5 Act. Lane Keep. Assist
Ac tivating/deactivating the warning #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª Lane depart.
warning.
Yo u do not recei veany warning when leaving
a lane if the lane keeping warning sy stem is
deactivated. DY
NA MIC BODY CONT ROL function DY
NA MIC BODY CONTROL continuously adjusts
th ech aracteristics of the suspension dampers to
th e cur rent operating and driving conditions.
The da mping is tuned individually for each wheel
and is af fected bythefo llowing factors:
R The road sur face conditions
R Vehicle load 218
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

#
Choose a vehicle le vel which is suited
to the driving style and thero ad sur face
conditions. &
WARNING Risk of entrapment from vehi‐
cle lo wering
When lo wering theve hicle, other people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure no one is underneath the
ve hicle or in the immediate vicinity of
th e wheel ar ches when theve hicle is
being lo wered. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
due totheve hicle lo wering
Ve hicles with AIRMATIC or le vel control:
when you unload luggage or lea vetheve hi‐
cle, theve hicle firs trises slightly and then
re turns tothe set le vel shortly af terw ards. Yo
u or an yone else in the vicinity of the
wheel ar ches or the underbody could thus
become trapped.
The vehicle can also be lo wered af ter being
loc ked. #
When leaving theve hicle, make sure
th at nobody is in the vicinity of the
wheel ar ches or the underbody. *
NO
TEDama gedue tovehicle lo wering Pa
rts of the body could be damaged when
th eve hicle is lo wered. #
Make sure that there are no obs tacles
such as kerbs underneath or in the
immediate vicinity of the body when the
ve hicle is being lo wered. Re
quirements:
R The vehicle has been star ted.
R The vehicle must not be moving fasterthan
60 km/h. Ra
ising theve hicle #
Press button 1.
Indica tor lamp 2lights up.
The vehicle is set tothe high le vel.
Yo ur selection is sa ved. 220
Driving and parking
Internal use only

Yo
u can find information on thefo llowing topics:
R Activation of Me rcedes me connect
R Operating theve hicle
R Nearest Mercedes-Benz service centre
R Other products and services from Mercedes-
Benz
Data is transfer red during the connection tothe
Mercedes-Benz Cus tomer Centre (/ page 334).
Calling the Mercedes-Benz Cus tomer Centre
using the multimedia sy stem
Requ irements:
R You ha veaccess toa GSM networ k.
R The contra ct partner's GSM network co ver‐
age is available in there spective region.
R The ignition is switched on so that vehicle
data can be transfer red automatically.
Multimedia sy stem:
4 Telephone 5
ª Contacts #
Call Mercedes me connect.
The call is made. Af
ter confirmation, the multimedia sy stem
sends there qu ired vehicle data. The data
transfer is shown in the media displa y.
Then, you can select a service and be con‐
nected toa specialist at the Mercedes-Benz
Cus tomer Centre.
Fu rther information about Mercedes me con‐
nect, the pr ovided service scope and operation:
https://moba.i.daimler.com/mar kets/ece-r ow/
baix/cars/connectme/en_GB/#emotions/
St artseite.html
Calling the Mercedes-Benz Cus tomer Centre
af te r automatic accident or breakdown
de tection
Re quirements:
R The vehicle has de tected an accident or
breakdown situation.
R The vehicle is stationar y.
R The hazard warning lights are switched on.
% This function is not available in all countries.
In limited situations theve hicle can de tect acci‐
dent or breakdown situations. In
theeve nt an accident or breakdown is de tec‐
te d, the emer gency guide sho wssafety no tes in
th e multimedia sy stem displa y.
Af terqu itting the emer gency guide displ ayon
th e multimedia sy stem, a prom ptappears asking
whe ther you wish toget support from the
Mercedes-Benz Cus tomer Centre. #
Select Call.
R Afteryo ur agreement, or if the Mercedes
me connect service "Accident and Break‐
down Management" is active, theve hicle
data is transfer red automatically
(/ page 336).
R A Mercedes-Benz Cus tomer Centre
emplo yeeta ke syo ur call and or ganises
th e breakdown and accident assis tance.
Yo u may be charge dfo rth ese services.
% Depending on the se verity of the accident,
an automatic emer gency call can be initi‐
ated. This has prio rity over all other active
calls. Multimedia sy
stem 333
Internal use only

Lights
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and M
MSolutions
: Left dipped beam (examp le) *T
he cor responding light source is defective. #
Drive on carefully. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediatel y.
or #
Check whe ther you are permit tedto replace the light source yourself (/ page135).
% LED light sourc es:the display message forth e cor responding light appears only when allthe light-emitting
diodes in the light are faulty.
: Malfunction See Owner's
Manual *T
heexterior lighting is malfunctioning. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
* Ve hicles with a trailer hitch: a fuse may haveblown. #
Stop theve hicle in accordance with the tra ffic conditions. #
Check the fuses and replace them if necessary (/ page 407).
: Automatic driving lights
inoperative *T
he light sensor is malfunctioning. #
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Display messages and
warning/indicator lamps 451
Internal use only