automatic transmission MERCEDES-BENZ C230 2006 W203 Owner's Manual

Contents
Trip computer menu..................... 155
TEL menu* ................................... 157
Manual transmission ......................... 160
Shifting into reverse ..................... 161
Automatic transmission* ................... 162
Gear selector lever position ......... 164
Driving tips ................................... 165
Gear ranges ................................. 166
Automatic shift program .............. 167
One-touch gearshifting................. 168
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 169
Good visibility .................................... 170
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 170
Rear view mirrors ......................... 170
Sun visors .................................... 173
Rear window sunshade* .............. 174
Rear window defroster ................. 175
Climate control .................................. 176
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 179
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 179
Setting the temperature ............... 180Adjusting air distribution and
volume .......................................... 180
Adjusting air volume ..................... 181
Front defroster.............................. 181
Air recirculation mode .................. 182
Air conditioning............................. 183
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 184
Automatic climate control*
(Canada only) ..................................... 186
Deactivating the automatic climate
control system .............................. 189
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 189
Setting the temperature................ 190
Adjusting air distribution............... 190
Adjusting air volume ..................... 191
Front defroster.............................. 191
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 192
Air recirculation mode .................. 192
Charcoal filter ............................... 194
Air conditioning............................. 196
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 197
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 197Audio system...................................... 199
Audio and telephone, operation .... 199
Operating safety ........................... 199
Operating and display elements ... 200
Button and soft key operation ...... 202
Operation...................................... 202
Radio operation ............................ 207
Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only) ..................................... 211
CD mode....................................... 216
GSM network phones ................... 225
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 231
Emergency calls “911” ................. 237
Power windows .................................. 240
Opening and closing the windows 240
Synchronizing power windows ...... 242
Summer opening feature .............. 243
Convenience closing feature......... 243
Power tilt/sliding sunroof* ................ 244
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 244
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 246
Driving systems .................................. 247
Cruise control ............................... 247

28 At a glanceCenter consoleLower part
Item
Page
1
Ashtray
261
Cigarette lighter
262
2
Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission*
49,
164
Gearshift lever for manual
transmission
48,
160
3
Cup holder
259
4
Armrest
258
5
Program mode selector
switch for automatic
transmission*
167

34 Getting startedUnlocking
iWhen you switch on ignition, the
indicator and warning lamps (except
low beam headlamp indicator lamp,
high beam headlamp indicator lamp,
and turn signal indicator lamps unless
activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning
lamps (except low beam headlamp in-
dicator lamp, high beam headlamp indi-
cator lamp, and turn signal indicator
lamps if activated) will go out when the
engine is running. This indicates that
the respective systems are operational.iVehicles with automatic transmission*:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be
sufficiently charged.

Check the battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 412).


Get a jump start (
page 415).
To prevent accelerated vehicle battery
discharge or a completely discharged
battery, always remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch when the en-
gine is not in operation.

49 Getting started
Driving
Starting
Depress brake pedal.

Make sure the gearshift lever is in
neutral position (no gear selected).

Fully depress clutch pedal.
Otherwise the engine cannot be
started due to the integrated safety
interlock.

Do not depress the accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 (
page 33) and hold until
the engine starts.
For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off engine” (
page 59).Automatic transmission*
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position with gear selector lever
lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral position
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission*” (
page 162).Starting

Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.

Do not depress the accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 (
page 33) and release it
again immediately. The engine then
starts automatically.
For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off engine” (
page 59).

51 Getting started
Driving
Driving
Manual transmission

Depress the brake pedal.

Fully depress the clutch pedal.

Move gearshift lever to first gear to
drive forward, or to reverse gear to
drive rearward.

Simultaneously release the brake pedal
and slowly the clutch pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.Automatic transmission*

Depress the brake pedal.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
to drive forward, or to positionR to
drive rearward.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
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.!If you hear a warning signal and the
message
Release parking brake
ap-
pears in the multifunction display when
driving off, you have forgotten to re-
lease the parking brake.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.
iOnce the vehicle is in motion, the auto-
matic central locking system engages
and the locking knobs drop down.
For more information, see “Automatic
central locking” (
page 107).
!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
engine speeds may shorten the service
life of the engine.
!Wait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.!Place the gear selector lever in
positionP orR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.


54 Getting startedDrivingSwitching on windshield wipers
Turn the combination switch to the
desired position depending on the
intensity of the rain.
0Windshield wipers off
IIntermittent wiping
IINormal wiper speed
IIIFast wiper speedIntermittent wiping
Vehicles with rain sensor*:
Intermittent wiping interval is dependent
on wetness of windshield.

Turn the combination switch to
positionI.
Vehicles with rain sensor*:
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by
the rain sensor.
!Do not operate the windshield wipers
when the windshield is dry. Dust that
accumulates on a windshield might
scratch the glass and/or damage the
wiper blades when wiping occurs on a
dry windshield. If it is necessary to op-
erate the windshield wipers in dry
weather conditions, always operate the
windshield wipers with windshield
washer fluid (
page 55).
!Vehicles with rain sensor*:
Do not leave windshield wipers in
intermittent setting when the vehicle is
taken to an automatic car wash or
during windshield cleaning. Windshield
wipers will operate in the presence of
water sprayed on the windshield, and
windshield wipers may be damaged as
a result.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a front
door is opened. This protects persons
getting into or out of the vehicle from
being sprayed.
Intermittent wiping will be continued
when

all doors are closed
and


the clutch pedal is depressed (vehi-
cles with manual transmission)
or


the gear selector lever is in
positionD or R (vehicles with auto-
matic transmission*)
or


the wiper setting is changed using
the combination switch

57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.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
vehicle.
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.


Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever to neutral position (no gear is
selected).


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Automatic transmission*: Move the
gear selector lever to positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


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


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey and lock the vehicle
when leaving.

59 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn exterior lamp switch
toM(
page 52).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 118).
Turning off engine 
Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.

Automatic transmission*: Place the
gear selector lever in positionP.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0.

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(page 46).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP (manual
transmission: first or reverse gear).
On slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the road curb. iVehicles with automatic transmission:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so
that the seat belt and/or latch plate
cannot get caught or pinched in the
door or in the seat mechanism. This
can damage the seat belt and impair
the effectiveness of the seat belt,
and/or cause damage to the door
and/or door trim panel. Such damage
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

97 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control* (Canada only)
Audio system
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

120 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the
following lamps will switch on additionally:


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.Canada only:
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three-minute delay.
When the engine is running, and you


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps
switch on additionally.


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 118).USA only:
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime
running lamp mode using the control
system, see “Set daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 149).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to positionC
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 118).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch
in positionM, the high beam head-
lamps cannot be switched on.
The high beam flasher is available at all
times.