lights MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2012 Owner's Manual

When
the electric parking brake is applied, the
re d! indicator lamp lights up in the instru‐
ment clus ter.
The electric parking brake is not automatically
applied if the engine is switched off bythe ECO
st art/ stop function.
Electric parking brake function (releasing
automatically)
The electric parking brake is released when the
fo llowing conditions are fulfilled:
R The driver's door is closed.
R The engine is running.
R The transmission is in position hork and
yo u depress the accelera tor pedal or you
shift from transmission position jtoh or
k when on le velground withthe driver's
door closed.
R Ifth e transmission is in position k,the boot
lid must be closed.
R The seat belt tongue is inser ted into the seat
belt buckle of the driver's seat. If
th e seat belt tongue is not inser ted into the
seat belt buckle of the driver's seat, one of
th efo llowing conditions must be fulfilled:
- You shift from transmission position j.
- You ha veprev iously driven at speeds
greater than 3 km/h.
When the electric parking brake is released, the
re d! indicator lamp in the instrument clus‐
te r goes out. Applying/releasing
the electric pa rking
brake manually
Applying #
Push handle 1.
The red! indicator lamp lights up in the
instrument clus ter. Driving and pa
rking 18 3
Internal use only

%
The electric parking brake is only securely
applied if the indicator lamp is lit continu‐
ously.
Re leasing #
Swit chon the ignition. #
Pull handle 1.
The red! indicator lamp in the instru‐
ment clus ter goes out.
Emer gency braking #
Press and hold handle 1.
As long as theve hicle is driving, theRelease
parking brake message is displa yed and the
re d! indicator lamp flashes.
When theve hicle has been braked to a
st andstill, the electric parking brake is
applied. The red! indicator lamp lights
up in the instrument clus ter. Information on collision de
tection on a
pa rked vehicle If a collision is de
tected when theto w- aw ay pro‐
te ction is primed on a loc kedve hicle, you will re
cei vea notification in the multimedia sy stem
when you swit chon the ignition.
Yo u will recei veinformation about thefo llowing
points:
R The area of theve hicle that may ha vebeen
damaged.
R The forc e of the impact.
The following situations can lead toinadver tent
acti vation:
R The pa rked vehicle is mo ved, e.g. in a two-
st or ey garage.
% Deactivate tow- aw ay protection in order to
pr eve nt inadver tent acti vation. If you deacti‐
va te tow- aw ay protection, collision de tection
will also be deactivated.
Sy stem limits
De tection may be restricted in thefo llowing sit‐
uations:
R theve hicle is damaged without impact, e.g. if
an outside mir ror is torn off or the paint is
damaged byakey
R an impact occurs at low speed R
the electric parking brake is not applied Note
s on parking up theve hicle If
yo u lea vetheve hicle par ked up for longer than
six weeks, it may suf fer dama gethro ugh disuse.
The 12V battery may also be impaired or dam‐
aged byheavy discharging.
% Further information can be obtained at a
qu alified specialist workshop.
* NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes about the high-volt‐
age battery in the Supplement. Yo u
could otherwise failto recognise dan‐
ge rs. St
andby mode (extension of the star ter bat‐
te ry 's period out of use) St
andby mode function
% This function is not available for all models. 184
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

R
EBD ( Electronic Brakeforce Distribution)
(/ page 190)
R STEER CONTROL (/ page 190)
R HOLD fu nction (/ page 190)
R Hill Start Assist (/ page191)
R Adaptive Brake Lights (/ page192)
R ATTENTION ASSIST (/ page192)
R Cruise control (/ page194)
R Limi ter (/ page194)
R Traf fic Sign Assi st (/ page 211)
R DYNA MIC BODY CONTROL (/ page218)
R AIRMATIC (/ page219)
Driving Assistance pac kage
The following functions are part of the Driving
Assis tance Package. Cer tain functions are only
av ailable in some countries. Some functions are
also available without the Driving Assis tance
Pa ckage, albeit with restricted functionality.
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
(/ page 197) R
Active Speed Limit Assi st(countr y-depend‐
ent) (/ page 201)
R Route-based speed adap tation (countr y-
dependent) (/ page 202)
R Active Brake Assi st (/ page 206)
R Active Steering Assist (count ry-dependent)
(/ page 203)
R Active Emergency Stop Assist (countr y-
dependent) (/ page 206)
R Blind Spot Assist and Active Blind Spot Assi st
with exitwa rning (/ page213)
R Active Lane Keeping Assist (/ page216)
Park ingPackage
R Reversing camera (/ page 221)
R 360° Camera (/ page 223)
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC ( /page 227)
R Active Parking Assist (/ page 231) Fu
nction of ABS The Anti-lock Brake Sy
stem (ABS) regulates the
brake pressure in critical driving situations:
R During braking, e.g. at full brake application
or insuf ficient tyre traction, the wheels are
pr eve nted from lock ing.
R Vehicle steerability while braking is ensured.
If ABS inter venes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal. The pulsating brake
pedal can be an indication of hazardous road
conditions and can ser veas a reminder totake
ex tra care while driving. Fu
nction of BAS The Brake Assist Sy
stem (BAS) supports your
eme rgency braking situation with additional
brake forc e.
If yo u depress the brake pedal quickl y,BA S is
acti vated:
R BAS au tomatically boosts the brake pres‐
sure.
R BAS can sho rten the braking dis tance. Driving and pa
rking 187
Internal use only

R
ABS pr events the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
re lease the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. Fu
nction of ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro‐
gr am) &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. *
NO
TEMercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. ESP
®
can moni tor and impr ovedriving stability
and traction in thefo llowing situations, within
ph ysical limits:
R When pulling away on wet or slippe rycar ria‐
ge wa ys.
R When braking.
If th eve hicle deviates from the direction desired
by the driver, ESP ®
can stabilise theve hicle by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R One or more wheels are braked.
R The engine output is adap ted according to
th e situation.
When ESP ®
is deactivated, theå warning
lamp lights up continuously:
R Driving stability will no lon ger be impr oved.
R The drive wheels could spin.
R ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% When ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still assis‐
te dby ESP ®
when braking. When
the÷ warning lamp flashes, one or
se veral wheels has reached its grip limit:
R Adapt your driving style to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
R Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
R Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
is necessary when pulling away.
Deactivate ESP ®
in thefo llowing situations to
impr ovetraction:
R When using snow chains.
R In deep snow.
R On sand or gr avel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action, which enhances traction.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rveth efo llowing information:
R Warning and indicator lamps (/ page 498)
R Display messages (/ page445) 18 8
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

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