automatic lights MERCEDES-BENZ C230 KOMPRESSOR 2003 W203 Owner's Manual

74 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsContinuous steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and ability to steer
the vehicle.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even with light brake pressure. The
pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions and func-
tions as a reminder to take extra care while
driving.ABS control
The
-
malfunction indicator lamp in
the speedometer lights up when you turn
the key in the starter switch to position2.
It goes out when the engine is running.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 257).
BAS
The Brake Assist System (BAS) operates in
emergency situations. If you apply the
brakes very quickly, the BAS automatically
provides full brake boost, thereby poten-
tially reducing the braking distance. Apply
continuous full braking pressure until the
emergency braking situation is over. The
ABS will prevent the wheels from locking.
When you release the brake pedal, the
brakes function again as normal. The BAS
is then deactivated.
iTo alert following vehicles to slippery
road conditions you discover, operate
your hazard warning flashers as appro-
priate.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction. The
ABS cannot prevent accidents, including
those resulting from excessive speed in
turns, following another vehicle too closely,
or aquaplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The ca-
pabilities of an ABS equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er’s safety or the safety of others.

97 Controls in detail
Seats
Heated seats*
Both switches for the front seats are locat-
ed in the center console.
1Normal heating
2Rapid heating
Make sure that the ignition is switched
on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.
Switching on seat heating

Press upper switch position1.A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.
Switching on rapid seat heating

Press lower switch position2.
Both red indicator lamps on the switch
light up.Switching off seat heating

If one indicator lamp is on, press upper
switch position1.

If both indicator lamps are on, press
lower switch position2.
!If one or both of the lamps on the seat
heater switch are blinking, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heater switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only one indicator lamp re-
mains lit.
iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
30 minutes.

102 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch. For exterior lamp
switch, see above.
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
U
.
Warning!
G
In automatic headlamp mode, the head-
lamps will not be automatically switched on
under foggy conditions. To minimize risk to
you and to others, activate headlamps by
turning exterior lamp switch to
B
.
The driver is responsible for the operation of
the vehicle’s lights at all times. The automat-
ic headlamp feature is only an aid to the
driver. Switch on the vehicle lights manually
when driving or when traffic conditions
require you to do so.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.
iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in position
U
. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to position
B
.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

103 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
M
or
U
.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(with a three-minute delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in position
M
.To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 125).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 126) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 126).
Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.Switching on rear fog lamp

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 101).
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Rear interior lights
2Right front reading lamp
3Rocker switch: Automatic control off
4Rocker switch: Automatic control on
5Rocker switch: Front interior lights on
6Left front reading lampActivating automatic control

Press the rocker switch to the center
position4.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when

unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from start-
er switch
The interior lamps are switched off follow-
ing an adjustable time delay (
page 127).Deactivating automatic control

Press the rocker switch to the right
position3.
The interior lighting remains switched
off, even when

centrally unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from the
starter switch
Manual control
Switching rear interior lights on and off

Press button1.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go on.

Press button1 again.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go out.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes, when the key
is removed or in the starter switch
position0.
An interior lamp switched on manually
does not go out automatically.

106 Controls in detailLightingSwitching right front reading lamp on
and off
Press button2.
The right reading lamp goes on.

Press button2 again.
The right reading lamp goes off.
Switching left front reading lamp on and
off

Press button6.
The left reading lamp goes on.

Press button6 again.
The left reading lamp goes off.
Switching all front interior lights on and
off

Press rocker switch in position5.
The interior lighting stays on while the
rocker switch is pressed in.

Press rocker switch to position3 or4.
The interior lighting goes out.
Door entry lamps
The appropriate door entry lamp switches
on if a door is opened in darkness and if
the interior lighting is switched to automat-
ic function.
The entry lamp switches off automatically
when the door is closed.
Trunk lamp
The trunk lamp switches on if the trunk lid
is opened.
If you leave the trunk open for an extended
period of time, the trunk lamp will switch
off automatically after approximately ten
minutes.
iIf you turn the key in the starter switch
to position0 and switch off the exterior
headlamps, the door entry lamps will
remain lit for approximately five min-
utes.

153 Controls in detail
Climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button
F
.
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Deactivating the climate control
system
Deactivating
Set the air volume control
(page 149) to position 0.
Reactivating

Set the air volume control
(page 149) to any speed.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

160 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to
U
and there is a high need for
cooling, the display “AUTO MAXCOOL” ap-
pears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
sliding/pop-up roof* are closed).
Defrosting
Activating
Press button
P
.
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button
O
.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press button
P
.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button
O
.
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is
below 41°F (5°C), only switch to air
recirculation mode for short periods to
prevent window fogging.

161 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Deactivating
Press button
O
.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5°C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5°C)At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26°C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press button
e
.
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
The system switches automatically to the
air recirculation mode if the carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level.
iIf you keep button
O
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof* will be closed.
The air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:


at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases, for example in a
tunnel
Please note that the charcoal filter
must be activated (see below) for
the air recirculation mode to be
activated automatically.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (page 163) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.
iIf you keep button
O
pressed the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof* will be returned to their previous
position.

162 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Deactivating
Press button
e
.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if theACOFF
mode is selected
or if the outside temperature has fallen
below 41°F (5°C).The activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on the
inside, or if the passenger compartment
needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button
F
.
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.Deactivating

Press button
F
again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof* will be closed.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof* will be returned to their previous
position.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.