MERCEDES-BENZ C230 2007 W203 Owner's Manual

320 Operation
Vehicle care
Upholstery
Using aftermarket seat covers or wearing
clothing that have the tendency to give off
coloring (e.g. when wet, etc.) may cause
the upholstery to become permanently
discolored. By lining the seats with a
proper intermediate cover,
contact-discoloration will be prevented.Leather upholstery
Please note that leather upholstery is a
natural product and is therefore subject to
a natural aging process. Leather
upholstery may also react to certain
ambient influences such as high humidity
or high temperature by showing wrinkles
for example.
Wipe leather upholstery with a damp
cloth and dry thoroughly or clean with
Mercedes-Benz approved Leather
Care.
Exercise particular care when cleaning
perforated leather as its underside should
not become wet.
MB Tex upholstery
Use Mercedes-Benz approved Interior
Care onto a soft, lint-free cloth and
apply with light pressure for cleaning
the upholstery.Wood trims
Dampen cloth using water and use
damp cloth to clean wood trims in your
vehicle.
Warning!G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
!Wipe with light pressure to avoid damage to
the upholstery.
!Do not use solvents like tar remover or
wheel cleaner nor polishes or waxes as these
may be abrasive.

321 Practical hints
What to do if …
Where will I find ...?
Unlocking/locking in an emergency
Opening/closing in an emergency
Resetting activated head restraints
Replacing SmartKey batteries
Replacing bulbs
Replacing wiper blades
Flat tire
Battery
Jump starting
Towing the vehicle
Fuses

322 Practical hints
What to do if …
Lamps in instrument clusterGeneral information:
If any of the following lamps in the instru-
ment cluster fails to come on during thebulb self-check when switching on the
ignition, have the respective bulb checked
and replaced if necessary.
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
-The yellow ABS indicator lamp
comes on while the engine is
running.The ABS has detected a malfunction and
has switched off. The BAS and the ESP®
are also switched off (see messages in the
multifunction display).
The brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without the systems specified
above.
If the ABS control unit is malfunctioning,
other systems such as the navigation
system* or the automatic transmission
may also be malfunctioning.
Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.
Read and observe messages in the
multifunction display (
page 333).
Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
Failure to follow these instructions
increases the risk of an accident.
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts. The ABS has switched off.
The battery might not be charged suffi-
ciently.Switch off electrical consumers that are
currently not needed, e.g. seat heating*.
If necessary, have the generator and bat-
tery checked.
When the voltage is above this value again,
the ABS is operational again.

323 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
-The yellow ABS indicator lamp
comes on while the engine is
running.The ABS is temporarily not available. The
ESP® and the BAS are also unavailable.
The system’s self-diagnosis may not be
completed yet.
The brake system is still functioning normally
but without the systems specified above.
Drive a short distance with added
caution at a vehicle speed of above
12 mph (20 km/h).
When the ABS indicator lamp goes
out, the ABS, the ESP
®, and the BAS
are available again.
If the ABS indicator lamp does not go out:
Continue driving with added caution.
Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.

324 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
;(USA only)
3(Canada only)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.
You are driving with the parking brake set.Release the parking brake (page 48).
;(USA only)
3(Canada only)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.Risk of accident! Carefully stop the vehi-
cle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the prob-
lem.
Warning!G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Don’t add
brake fluid before checking the brake
system. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir
can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You could be seriously burned.
!If you find that the brake fluid in the brake
fluid reservoir has fallen to the minimum mark or
below, have the brake system checked for brake
pad thickness and leaks.

325 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
ú(USA only)
±(Canada only)
The yellow engine malfunction
indicator lamp comes on while
driving.
There is a malfunction in:

The fuel management system

The ignition system

The emission control system

Systems which affect emissions
Such malfunctions may result in excessive
emissions values and may switch the en-
gine to its limp-home (emergency
operation) mode.
Have the vehicle checked as soon as pos-
sible by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
An on-board diagnostic connector is used
by the service station to link the vehicle to
the shop diagnostics system. It allows the
accurate identification of system malfunc-
tions through the readout of diagnostic
trouble codes. It is located in the front left
area of the footwell next to the parking
brake pedal.
iSome states may by law require you to visit
a workshop immediately as soon as the engine
malfunction indicator lamp comes on. Check lo-
cal requirements.

326 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
ú
±(USA only)
(Canada only)
The yellow engine malfunction
indicator lamp comes on while
driving.Your fuel tank is empty.After refuelling start, turn off and
restart the engine three or four times
in succession.
The limp-home mode is canceled. You do
not need to have your vehicle checked.
A loss of pressure has been detected in the
fuel system. The fuel cap may not be closed
properly or the fuel system may be leaky.Check the fuel cap (page 271).
If it is not closed properly:
Close the fuel cap.
If it is closed properly:
Have the fuel system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

327 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
vThe yellow ESP® warn-
ing lamp comes on while
the engine is running.The ESP® has been switched off with the
ESP® switch or has been switched off due
to a malfunction.
Risk of accident!
When the ESP
® is switched off it will not
stabilize the vehicle if the system recog-
nizes that the vehicle starts to skid or that
a wheel is spinning.
The cruise control is deactivated and can-
not be switched on.
Switch the ESP® back on (page 87).
Exceptions: (
page 85).
If leaving the ESP® switched off, adapt your speed
and driving to the prevailing road, weather and
traffic conditions.
If the ESP
® cannot be switched on:
Continue driving with added caution.
Observer additional messages that may appear in
the multifunction display (
page 335).
Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
vThe yellow ESP® warn-
ing lamp flashes while
driving.The ESP® or traction control has come
into operation because of detected trac-
tion loss in at least one tire.
The cruise control is deactivatedWhen driving off, apply as little throttle as possi-
ble.
While driving, ease up on the accelerator.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevailing
road, weather and traffic conditions.
Do not deactivate the ESP®.
Exceptions: (
page 85).
Failure to follow these instructions increases the risk
of an accident.

328 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
The yellow fuel tank reserve
warning lamp in the fuel gauge
(
page 24) comes on while
driving.
The fuel level has gone below the reserve
mark.Refuel at the next gas station
(
page 271).
on for a maximum of 6 seconds
after starting the engine.The seat belt telltale reminds you and your
passengers to fasten your seat belts before
driving off.Fasten your seat belts.
Regardless of whether the seat belts
are fastened or not, the seat belt tell-
tale always comes on and remains lit
for 6 seconds after starting the
engine.
maximum of 6 seconds after
starting the engine.You have forgotten to fasten your seat belt.Fasten your seat belt.
The warning chime stops sounding.
on while the vehicle is standing
still and the engine is running or
during driving.You and/or your front passenger have for-
gotten to fasten your seat belts.Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.Remove the items from the front pas-
senger seat and put them in a safe
place.
The seat belt telltale goes out.

329 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
telltale flashes and you addition-
ally hear an intermittent warning
chime with increasing intensity.The vehicle’s speed once exceeded 15 mph
(25 km/h) and you and/or your front pas-
senger have forgotten to fasten your seat
belts.Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out and the
warning chime stops sounding.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.Remove the items from the front pas-
senger seat and put them in a safe
place.
The seat belt telltale goes out and the
warning chime stops sounding.
iAfter 60 seconds with an unfastened seat
belt the warning chime stops sounding and the
seat belt telltale illuminates continuously. The
seat belt telltale will only go out if both, the driv-
er’s and the front passenger’s seat belt are fas-
tened, or the vehicle is standing still and a front
door is opened.