instrument panel MERCEDES-BENZ C300 2008 W204 Owner's Manual

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty information .. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 11
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 12
Operating your vehicle
outside the USA or Canada ............ 12
Where to find it .................................... 13
Symbols ............................................... 14
Operating safety .................................. 15
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 15
Problems with your vehicle .................. 16
Reporting safety defects...................... 17
Reporting safety defects ................ 17
Vehicle data recording ......................... 18
Information regarding electronic
recording devices ........................... 18At a glance.......................................... 19
Exterior view ......................................... 20
Storage compartments ......................... 22
Cockpit ................................................. 24
Instrument cluster ................................ 26
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 28
Center console ..................................... 29
Upper part ...................................... 29
Lower part ...................................... 30
Overhead control panel ........................ 31
Driver’s door control panel
and seat adjustment/memory*............ 32Safety and Security........................... 33
Occupant safety ................................... 34
Air bags .......................................... 36
Occupant Classification System ..... 41
Seat belts ....................................... 46
Active head restraints ..................... 50
Children in the vehicle .................... 51
Blocking of
rear door window operation............ 57
Panic alarm .......................................... 58
Driving safety systems ......................... 59
ABS ................................................. 59
Adaptive Brake ............................... 60
BAS ................................................. 60
EBP ................................................. 61
ESP
®............................................... 62
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 65
Anti-theft systems ................................ 66
Immobilizer ..................................... 66
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 66
Canceling the alarm ........................ 67

19 At a glance
Exterior view
Storage compartments
Cockpit
Instrument cluster
Multifunction steering wheel
Center console
Overhead control panel
Driver’s door control panel and seat
adjustment/memory*

25 At a glance
Cockpit
ItemPage
1Lever for cruise control242
2Instrument cluster26
3Multifunction steering wheel152
4Horn
5Overhead control panel31
6Glove box284
7Glove box lock284
8Center console29
9Starter switch
KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button
(Canada only)82
83
ItemPage
aSteering wheel release handle
(manual)94
bSteering wheel adjustment
stalk (electrical)*
(Canada only) 93
cCombination switch

High beam

Corner-illuminating
lamps*

Windshield wipers

Turn signals
112
112
117
131
ItemPage
dHood lock release326
eParking brake pedal130
fParking brake release130
gExterior lamp switch108
hDoor control panel and seat
adjustment/memory*32

38 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
Warning!G

Damaged seat belts or seat belt that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Only use
seat belts installed or supplied at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate
material, which may require special han-
dling and regard for the environment.
Check with your local government’s dis-
posal guidelines. California residents,
see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/Hazard-
ousWaste/Perchlorate/index.cfm.

Air bags and pyrotechnic emergency
tensioning devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that is deployed must be
replaced.

Do not pass seat belt over sharp edges.
They could tear.

Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.

Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.

No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the seat
backrests, door trim panels, or door
frame trims, and installation of addition-
al electrical/electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).

Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when the window curtain air bag is
deployed.

Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

48 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate for
6 seconds to remind you and your passen-
gers to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’ s
seat belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied) is not fastened
with front doors closed,

the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the driv-
er’s or front passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.

and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing
impacts which exceed preset deploy-
ment thresholds and in certain rollovers
(window curtain air bags and ETD).

Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would
increase the chance of head and neck
injuries. The seat belt would also apply
too much force to the ribs or abdomen,
which could severely injure internal
organs such as your liver or spleen.

Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the seat belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious
injuries in a crash.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects.

Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to distribute
impact forces. The twisted seat belt
against your body could cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat, always follow the child seat manu-
facturer’s instructions.


69 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Starter switch positions
Seats
Steering wheel
Mirrors
Memory function* (Canada only)
Fastening the seat belts
Lighting
Windshield wipers
Power windows
Driving and parking
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*Instrument cluster
Control system
Audio system
Driving systems
Air vents
Dual-zone automatic climate con-
trol
3-zone automatic climate control*
(Canada only)
Trunk
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
Loading and storing
Useful features

108 Controls in detail
Lighting
Exterior lamp switch
Low beam headlamps
The low beam headlamps can be switched
on and off with the exterior lamp switch us-
ing the manual headlamp mode.
Switching on: Turn the exterior lamp
switch to positionB.
The green indicator lampC in the
exterior lamp switch comes on.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.1‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 110)
4*Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 110)
5CParking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6BLow beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps
7‡Front fog lamps
8†Rear fog lamp
iIf you hear a warning signal you have
forgotten to switch off the low beam headlamps
or the parking lamps before opening the driver’s
door.
In addition the message
Switch Off Lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message
Switch Off Lights or Re-
move Key
appears in the multifunction display
remove the SmartKey from the starter switch or
switch off the automatic headlamp mode.
!Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.