STS MERCEDES-BENZ C350 2006 W203 Owner's Manual

13 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Operating your vehicle outside the USA or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in for-
eign countries, please be aware that

service facilities or replacement parts
may not be readily available,


unleaded gasoline for vehicles with cat-
alytic converters may not be available;
the use of leaded fuels will damage the
catalysts,


gasoline may have a considerably low-
er octane rating, and improper fuel can
cause engine damage.Certain Mercedes-Benz models are avail-
able for delivery in Europe under our
European Delivery Program. For details,
consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or write to:
In the USA:
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
European Delivery Department
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350
In Canada:
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
European Delivery Department
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4G 4C9

18 IntroductionReporting safety defectsFor the USA only:
The following text is published as required of manufacturers under Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the
“National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.Reporting Safety Defects
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual problems between you, your dealer,
or Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236 (or 366-0123 in Washington, D.C. area) or
write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590. You can also obtain other information about motor ve-
hicle safety from the Hotline.

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the air bags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
Your vehicle was originally equipped
with air bags that are designed to acti-
vate in certain impacts exceeding a
preset threshold to reduce the poten-
tial and severity of injury. It is important
to your safety and that of your passen-
gers that you replace deployed air bags
and repair any malfunctioning air bags
to make sure the vehicle will continue
to provide supplemental crash protec-
tion for occupants.Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD
that was activated must be replaced.


Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the 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 re-
moving 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 front 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 curtain air bag is deployed.


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.


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

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Occupant Classification System
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
automatically turns the front passenger
front air bag on or off based on the classi-
fied occupant weight category determined
by weight sensor readings from the front
passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a
nearly upright position with their back
against the seat backrest and feet on the
floor to be correctly classified. If the occu-
pant’s weight is transferred to another
object in the vehicle (e.g. by leaning on
armrests), the OCS may not be able to
properly approximate the occupant’s
weight category.Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 56indicator lamp
as an indication of whether or not the front
passenger is properly positioned.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper belt positioning
for children from 18.6 kg (41 lbs) until they
reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.
iThe system does not deactivate the
front passenger side impact air bag,
the window curtain air bag and the
emergency tensioning device.
iIf your seat, including your trim cover
and cushion needs to be serviced in
any way, take the vehicle to your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used. Warning!
G
If the 56indicator lamp illuminates
when an adult or someone larger than a
small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the
56indicator lamp goes out.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 357).


81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2, the
56indicator lamp1 located in
the center console illuminates. If an adult
occupant is properly sitting on the front
passenger seat and the system senses the
occupant as being an adult, the
56indicator lamp will illuminate
and go out after approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the 56indicator lamp will
illuminate and not go out. For more information, see “Lamp in center
console” (
page 357).
In order to ensure proper operation of the air
bag system and OCS:

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.


Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.


Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.


Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
Warning!
G
If the 56indicator lamp should not
illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the front
passenger seat.
Warning!
G
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the Occupant Classifi-
cation System. The bottom of the child seat
must make full contact with the passenger
seat cushion. An incorrectly mounted child
seat could cause injuries to the child in case
of an accident, instead of increasing protec-
tion for the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.

92 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsFour wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves vehicle’s ability to
use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under snowy
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the speedometer, proceed as fol-
lows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.!Performance testing must only be con-
ducted on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
!Because of the ESP
®’s automatic
operation, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1) when the parking brake is being
tested on a brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through ESP
®
may otherwise seriously damage the
front or rear axle brake system.
Operational tests with the engine
running can only be conducted on a
two-axle dynamometer.
iAt highly demanding operating condi-
tions, the electronic traction system
may temporarily switch off to prevent
overheating of the drive wheel brakes.
The message
unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
will then
appear in the multifunction display
while the ESP
® warning lamp
v
is
flashing. The ESP
® is still functioning
normally.

182 Controls in detailClimate controlAir recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press button, (
page 177).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 183) is activated, or
press buttonP or 0.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically at high outside tempera-
tures.
The indicator lamp on button, is
not lit when the air recirculation mode
is automatically switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after
approximately 30 minutes.Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof* if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
side windows can be immediately halted by
pressing or pulling the respective window
switch. The closing of the tilt/sliding
sunroof* can be immediately halted by
moving the tilt/sliding sunroof* switch in
the overhead control panel in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof* can be reversed by
again pressing and holding the, button.iPress and hold button, for approx.
2 seconds. The side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof* will close. You can
release button, once the closing
procedure has begun. The windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof* continue clos-
ing until they are fully closed.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control* (Canada only)The air conditioning switches
automatically to the following functions:


cooling on to dehumidify


maximum blowing and heating
power


air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windows


the air recirculation mode is
switched off
Deactivating

Press buttonP (
page 187) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 54).
If the automatic mode of the climate con-
trol is switched off:

Turn air distribution control1 or8
toa orY (
page 187).
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set toU (
page 187) and there is a
high need for cooling, the display
“MAXCOOL” appears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when side windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof* are closed).
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
iThe cooling remains switched on.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 187) is activated, or
press buttonP.

219 Controls in detail
Audio system
Compatible bit and sampling rates
Fixed and variable bit rates of up to
320 kBit/s are possible.
The following table lists possible sampling
rates:Information on copyright
The music tracks that you create for use in
MP3 mode or that you play in MP3 mode
are subject to copyright laws under appli-
cable international and national regula-
tions.
In many countries, the reproduction of
copyrighted materials is not permitted,
even if only for personal use, without the
express prior consent of the copyright
holder.
Please check the current copyright laws
for your country and comply with them.
These restrictions do not apply, for exam-
ple, to your own compositions and record-
ings, or for recordings for which
authorization has been obtained from the
copyright holder.MP3 playback
You can play an MP3 CD on the
CD changer* as you would any standard
audio CD. All of the functions described for
the CD changer also apply for the playback
of MP3 CDs. Keep in mind that the single
CD player in the audio system unit is not
able to read MP3 CDs.
The first 99 tracks on the CD, including
tracks in subdirectories, are recognized
and played. Any additional tracks will not
be played.MPEG1
Audio Layer3
44.1 KHz, 48 KHz,
32 KHZ
MPEG2
Audio Layer3
22.5 KHz, 24 KHz,
16 KHz
MPEG2.5
Audio Layer3
11.025 KHz,
12 KHz, 8 KHz
WMA
32 KHz, 44.1 KHz,
48 KHz
iOnly use MP3 tracks with a bit rate of
128 kBit/s or higher and with the spec-
ified sampling rates.
The use of rates other than those spec-
ified may lead to noticeably inferior
sound quality.
iDue to the branched data structure,
playback of the first track may be de-
layed slightly.

243 Controls in detail
Power windows
Summer opening feature
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:

opening the side windows


opening the tilt/sliding sunroof*

Aim transmitter eye at the driver’s door
handle. The SmartKey must be in close
proximity to the door handle.

Press and hold button
Œ
until the
windows and the tilt/sliding sunroof*
have reached the desired position.

Release button
Œ
to interrupt proce-
dure.
Convenience closing feature

Aim transmitter eye at the driver’s door
handle. The SmartKey must be in close
proximity to the door handle.

Press and hold button ‹ until the
windows and the tilt/sliding sunroof*
are completely closed.

Release the ‹ button to stop
procedure.
Make sure all windows and the tilt/sliding
sunroof* are properly closed before leav-
ing the vehicle.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof*, make sure that there is no
danger of anyone being harmed by the clos-
ing procedure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release button ‹ to s t op t h e c lo s in g
procedure. To open, press and hold
buttonŒ. To continue the closing
procedure after making sure that there
is no danger of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure, press and hold
button‹.