Service 3 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 2008 W204 User Guide

66 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) with you and lock the
vehicle. The engine can be started by
anyone with a valid SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only) that is
left inside the vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey: Remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.
With the KEYLESS-GO* (Canada
only): Turn off the engine and open the
driver’s door.
Deactivating
Switch on the ignition.
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens:

a door

the trunk

the hood
The alarm will stay on even if the activating
element (a door, for example) is immedi-
ately closed.
The alarm system will also be triggered
when

the vehicle is opened with the
mechanical key.

a door is opened from the inside.

the trunk is opened with the
emergency release button.
To cancel the alarm after it has been trig-
gered, see “Canceling the alarm”
(
page 67).
1Indicator lamp
iStarting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the
vehicle’s battery is charged), the system is not
operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is
initiated automatically by the Tele Aid* system
(
page 295) provided Tele Aid* service was
subscribed to and properly activated, and that
necessary mobile phone, power supply and GPS
coverage are available.

130 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Release the parking brake by pulling on
release handle1.
The indicator lamp; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.Manual transmission
Fully depress the clutch pedal.
Move gearshift lever to first gear to
drive forward, or to reverse gear to
drive in reverse.
Release the brake pedal.
Simultaneously slowly release the
clutch pedal and carefully depress the
accelerator pedal.
!If you hear a warning signal, the red indica-
tor lamp 0 (USA only) or ! (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster flashes and the mes-
sage
Release Parking Brake appears in the
multifunction display when driving off, you have
forgotten to release the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.
iAt vehicle speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h), the automatic central locking system
engages and the locking knobs in the doors drop
down.
The automatic door lock feature can be deacti-
vated (
page 173).
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.
!Do not run a cold engine at high engine
speeds as this may shorten its service life.
!In order to avoid damage to the transmis-
sion, place the gearshift lever to reverse gear
only when the vehicle is stopped.
!Shift gear in a timely manner and do not ex-
ceed the maximum permissible engine speed for
each gear.
Do not allow the wheels to spin as this could
damage the drive train.

151 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position2 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button (Canada
only) is in position 2. The control system
enables you to:

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control
system to find out when your vehicle is
next due for service, to call up statistical
data on your vehicle, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Text field
2Line for main menus
3Temperature
4Current program mode
(automatic transmission*)
5Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
(automatic transmission*)
Additional speedometer
(manual transmission)
6Digital clock
Settings, functions, submenus as well as
any malfunctions are shown to you in the
text field.
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.

155 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Menu1Menu2Menu3Menu4Menu5Menu6
Trip computerNavi*AudioTel*ServiceSettings
(page 156)(page 158)(page 158)(page 160)(page 164)(page 165)
Commands/submenus
Standard displayShow route guid-
ance instructions,
current direction
traveledSelecting radio
stationTo take a callCall up vehicle mal-
function, warning and
system status mes-
sages stored in mem-
ory
1
1The vehicle status message memory menu is only displayed if there is a message stored.
Reset to factory
settings
Fuel consumption
statistics since startSelecting satellite
radio station*Select a phone
book entryTire Pressure Monitor-
ing System (TPMS)
(USA only)Instrument cluster
submenu
Fuel consumption
statistics since the
last resetOperating
CD player* RedialRun Flat Indicator
(Canada only)
Distance to emptyCall up maintenance
service display
Digital speed-
ometer or outside
temperature

161 Controls in detail
Control system
Switch on the telephone and audio sys-
tem.
Activate and register the telephone
(
page 225).
Press ( or & to select the Tel
menu.
Which messages will appear in the
multifunction display depends on whether
your telephone is switched on or off:

If the Bluetooth® function on the audio
system is disabled, the message
Blue-
tooth not activated in system set-
tings
appears. To enable Bluetooth®
(
page 193).

If the telephone is switched on, the
telephone will then search for a net-
work. During this time, the message
No
Service
appears in the multifunction
display. If no network available, the
multifunction display message
No Ser-
vice
is shown continuously.

If the telephone is on, as soon as the
telephone has found a network,
Phone
Ready
appears in the multifunction dis-
play.This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can
operate it using the control system.
You may carry out the following functions:
Otherwise, you may not be able to observe
traffic conditions and could endanger your-
self and others.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
Warning!G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system,
possibly resulting in an accident and
personal injury.FunctionPage
Dialing a number from the phone
book162
Redialing163
Answering a call163
Ending a call or rejecting an in-
coming call163

164 Controls in detail
Control system
Service menu
The
Service menu is used for

calling up messages

checking tire inflation pressure elec-
tronically with the TPMS (standard on
U.S. vehicles)

activating Run Flat Indicator (standard
on Canada vehicles)

calling up the maintenance service in-
dicator displayCalling up vehicle malfunction, warning
and system status messages stored in
memory
Use the vehicle status message memory
menu to scan malfunction and warning
messages that may be stored in the
system. Such messages appear in the
multifunction display and are based on
conditions or system status the vehicle’s
system has recorded.
The vehicle status message memory menu
only appears if there are any messages
stored.
Warning!G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 387).

165 Controls in detail
Control system
Press ( or & to select the
Service menu.
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the multifunction
display:
1Number of messages
Press % or $ to select the mes-
sage.
Press # to confirm.
The stored messages will now be
displayed in the order in which they
have occurred.
Use % or $ to scroll through the
messages.Checking tire inflation pressure
For information about checking tire infla-
tion pressure (
page 339).
Activating Run Flat Indicator
(Canada only)
For information about activating Run Flat
Indicator (
page 342).
Calling up the maintenance service
indicator display
For information about calling up the main-
tenance service indicator display
(
page 362).
Settings menu
In the
Settings menu there are two
functions:

The function Reset to factory
settings
, with which you can reset all
the settings to the original factory
settings.

A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.
iSee the “Practical hints” section for mal-
function and warning messages (
page 387).
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and then back to position2,
all messages will be deleted from the message
memory.

177 Controls in detail
Audio system
Operating safetyAudio system components
With the audio system you can operate the
following main functions:

audio function with the radio, Sat*,
disc (CD audio or MP3 mode)

the telephone* with the phone book

various system settings
The audio system consists of the following:

audio control unit

audio display

audio controller with back and delete
button
In addition, the audio system can also be
operated with the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 152).
In these instructions, the keypad (right
side of audio control unit) and the function
buttons are referred to as “buttons”.Audio control unit
With the audio control unit you can:

switch the audio system on/off

adjust the volume

select the operating modes

enter telephone numbers and accept,
reject, initiate and end telephone calls

load and eject CDs
Warning!G
Any alterations made to electronic
components can cause malfunctions.
The radio, amplifier, CD changer*, satellite
radio*, and telephone* are interconnected.
When one of the components is not opera-
tional or has not been removed/replaced
properly, the function of other components
may be impaired.
This condition might seriously impair the
operating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend that you have any service
work on electronic components carried out
at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

200 Controls in detail
Audio system
Satellite radio*
Submenu overview
Warning!G
Please devote your attention first and fore-
most to the traffic situation you are in.
Before your journey, please familiarize your-
self with the radio functions.
Only use the audio system when road and
traffic conditions permit you to do so. Other-
wise you could be involved in an accident in
which you or others could be injured.
iThe components and operating principles of
the audio system can be found on (
page 187).
Sat Presets Info Category Sound
Channel ListStation presets Show program infoAll channelsTreble
Channel Entry Select categoryBass
ServiceBalance/Fader
Surround sound*

201 Controls in detail
Audio system
Satellite radio
SIRIUS Satellite Radio provides over
130 channels of digital-quality radio, in-
cluding 100% commercial-free music,
sports, news and entertainment. SIRIUS
Satellite Radio uses a fleet of high-orbit
satellites to broadcast 24 hours per day,
coast to coast, in the contiguous U.S. and
Canada.
This diverse, satellite-delivered program-
ming is available for a monthly subscrip-
tion fee.
For more information and service availabil-
ity call the SIRIUS Service Center
(
page 207) (1-888-539-7474), or con-
tact

www.sirius.com (USA)

www.siriuscanada.com (Canada)Subscribing to satellite radio
Press buttonb on audio control
unit repeatedly until satellite radio Sat
is selected.
The following options are possible:

Satellite radio service is not
activated

Satellite radio service is fully
activated
iAdditional satellite radio equipment and a
subscription to SIRIUS Satellite Radio service
provider are required for the satellite radio oper-
ation described in this chapter.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for details and availability for your vehicle.
iNote that categories and channels shown in
illustrations are dependent on programming con-
tent delivered by the service provider. Program-
ming content is subject to change. Therefore,
channels and categories shown in illustrations
and descriptions contained in this manual may
differ from the channels and categories
delivered by the service provider.
iSatellite radio service may be unavailable or
interrupted from time to time for a variety of rea-
sons, such as environmental or topographic con-
ditions and other things we can’t control. Service
might also not be available in certain places
(e.g., in tunnels, parking garages, or within or
next to buildings) or near other technologies. In
such situations, the satellite radio’s main menu
shows the “Acquiring signal...” screen. At this
point, the radio’s functions are restricted and the
service info display (
page 207) appears.
iIf a satellite receiver is not installed or not
properly installed:
The message
Device unavailable will ap-
pear.
If the satellite radio service is not activated, the
“SIRIUS Preview” display appears.