stop start MERCEDES-BENZ C240 2005 W203 Owner's Manual

40 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel adjustment, manual
1Handle
To unlock the steering column, pull
handle1 out to its stop limit.

Move steering wheel to the desired
position.

To lock the steering column, push
handle1 all the way in until it
engages.
The steering wheel is once again
locked into position.

Make sure the steering wheel is
securely locked by trying to move it up
and down, and in and out before driving
off.Steering wheel adjustment, electrical*
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the steering column (lower left).
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down

Switch on ignition (
page 33).
or

Open the driver’s door.
Warning!
G
Only adjust the steering wheel with the
vehicle at a standstill and make sure the
steering wheel is securely locked in place
before driving off.
Driving without the steering wheel adjust-
ment locked may cause an unexpected
steering wheel movement which could
cause the driver to lose control of the
vehicle. Make sure the steering wheel is
securely locked by trying to move it up and
down, and in and out before driving off.

49 Getting started
Driving
After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.
For more information on driving, see “Driv-
ing instructions” (
page 265).
Switching on headlamps
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 109).
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
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.!Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the gear selector lever in
positionR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.
!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.Warning!
G
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out ofP orN if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

53 Getting started
Driving
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be op-
erating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.The coolant temperature is
above 248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.

Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add
coolant if necessary (
page 283).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:

Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount:

Start the engine in the usual manner.

54 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Release handle
2Parking brake
Step firmly on parking brake pedal2.
When the engine is running, the
warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
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.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP (manual transmission: first or
reverse gear).


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 vehicle
when leaving.

160 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Gear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 340).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

164 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Steering wheel gearshift control (Speedshift) (C 55 AMG only)
You can change the gears manually on the
steering wheel or by using the gear
selector lever (
page 158).The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The manual program modeM will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the manual program modeM
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Upshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction
(page 158).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 164).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 166) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the multifunction
display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM is not
stored.Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
!In the manual program modeM, the
transmission will not upshift, even if
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Shift up to the next gear before
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red
marking on the tachometer
(page 24). Otherwise the engine
could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty
iThe last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.

172 Controls in detailGood visibilityRear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch

Switch on ignition (
page 33).
Always raise the sunshade fully for its
support against the window frame.
Raising the sunshade

Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is raised completely.
Stopping the raising procedure

Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Lowering the sunshade

Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is lowered completely.
Stopping the lowering procedure

Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
!Make sure that the movement of the
rear window sunshade is not restricted
by objects on the rear window shelf.
Otherwise, the sunshade or the objects
could be damaged.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
make sure there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing the
switch.
Briefly press switch again to raise or lower
the rear window sunshade completely.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, and lock your
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment can cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

193 Controls in detail
Audio system
Manual tuning
Select desired waveband.

Press S or Tbutton for approx.
three seconds.

Press button repeatedly until desired
frequency has been reached.
Step-by-step station tuning takes place
in ascending or descending order. Each
time the button is pressed, the radio
tunes further by 0.2 MHz. During
manual tuning, the radio is muted.Automatic seek tuning

Select desired waveband.

Press S or T button briefly.
The radio will tune to the next highest
or next lowest receivable frequency.Scan search


Starting scan search
Select desired waveband.

Press
SC soft key.
SC will appear in the display. The
radio briefly tunes in all receivable
stations on the waveband selected.
iYou can only enter frequencies within
the respective waveband.
If a button is not pressed within
four seconds, the radio will return to
the last station tuned.
iIf no station is received after two
consecutive scans of the complete
frequency range, then the scan stops
at the frequency from which it began.

195 Controls in detail
Audio system


Calling up stations
Press desired station button1
to R.


Leaving the Autostore memory level
Press
FM or
AM
soft key briefly.
Interrupting radio mode
The radio mode is interrupted by an
incoming call on the telephone*
(
page 213).


Mute on
Press U button.
The radio mode is interrupted and MUTED
appears in the display.


Mute off
Press U button.
The radio mode is again active.
Weather band

Press
WB soft key.
The weather band station last received
is tuned in.Selecting a weather band station
directly

Select desired weather band station
with buttons 1 to 7.
If a station cannot be tuned in, a search
is automatically started.
Search

Press S or T button to tune in
the next receivable weather band
station.iIf no weather band station is received
after three consecutive scans of the
complete frequency range, then the
scan stops at the channel with which it
began and
NO WB FOUND
appears in the
display.
If this happens, switch back to
standard radio mode.