dashboard MERCEDES-BENZ C55AMG 2006 W203 Owner's Manual

48 Getting started
Driving
Automatic transmission
Depress the brake pedal.
Move gear selector lever to positionD
to drive forward, or to positionR to
drive rearward.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch
1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamp indicator
lampB in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 24).
!
Wait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.
!
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP orR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.
Warning!G
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.

62 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 in (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door or the rear
side trim panel where the front side im-
pact air bag and/or the rear side impact
air bag* inflates. This could result in se-
rious injuries or death should the air bag
be triggered. Always sit nearly upright,
properly use the seat belts and appropri-
ate size infant or child restraint system.

Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmartTM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front air bag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the air bag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.

65 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.Front air bags
1Driver’s air bag
2Passenger front air bag
Driver and front passenger air bags are
deployed

in the event of a frontal impact

if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold

independently of the front side impact
air bags and/or rear side impact
air bags*

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.

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 autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.

For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other, potentially more serious injuries
resulting from air bag deployment.

69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Depending on vehicle production date,
your vehicle is equipped with either a seat
belt reminder system or an enhanced seat
belt reminder system as follows:
Seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started the seat belt
telltale < illuminates for a maximum of
6 seconds and a warning chime sounds to
remind you and your passengers to fasten
your seat belts.
For more information on the seat belt
telltale <, see “Practical hints”
(
page 355).Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started the seat belt
telltale< illuminates for a maximum of
6 seconds and a warning chime sounds to
remind you and your passengers to fasten
your seat belts.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied and with all
doors closed) are not fastened,

and the vehicle speed does not exceed
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt tell-
tale < remains illuminated for as
long as either the driver’s or front pas-
senger’s seat belt is not fastened.

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

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

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

114 Controls in detail
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 48)
and “Turn signals” (
page 49).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 116)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 116)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the
combination switch is pushed
forward) and parking lamps
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lampi
If 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
Center.

132 Controls in detail
Control system
Select satellite radio station*
(USA only)
The satellite radio is treated as a radio
application.
Select satellite radio with the
corresponding soft key (SAT) in the
radio menu.
1SAT mode and preset number
2Channel name or number
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.Operate the CD player*
Selecting CD track
Turn on the radio and select CD or
CD changer* (
page 219).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating
instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played appear in the
multifunction display.
1Current CD (for CD changer*)
2Current track
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.
i
For more information on satellite radio
operation, see “Introduction to satellite
radio* (USA only)” (
page 209).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating
instructions.
i
The COMAND* system and the CD
changer* can play audio CDs as well as
CDs with MP3 files.
i
To select a CD from the CD changer*
magazine, press a number on the audio
system or the COMAND* system key
pad located in the center dashboard.

133 Controls in detail
Control system
For more information on CD operation, see
“CD mode” (
page 214) and for the CD
changer*, see (
page 218).
Selecting CD MP3-track (vehicles with
COMAND* and/or CD changer*)
Turn on the radio and select the
CD changer* (
page 219) or turn on
COMAND* and select CD or
CD changer*.
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating
instructions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played appear in the
multifunction display.
1MP3 mode (vehicles with COMAND*)
2Current track
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.For more information on MP3, see “MP3
notes” (
page 216), and for operating,
see “MP3 playback” (
page 217).i
A CD with MP3 files insert in the CD
changer* is handled by the
audio/COMAND* system like an audio
CD. Information contained on the CD
with MP3 files will not shown in the
multifunction display or in the au-
dio/COMAND* display.
i
Level of information displayed will vary
depending on the information con-
tained on the CD with MP3 files insert
in the single CD player of the
COMAND* system.
To select a CD from the CD changer*
magazine, press a number on the audio
system or the COMAND* system key
pad located in the center dashboard.

169 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 50).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (page 33).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 304).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 40).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
and

incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror.
The rear view mirror will not react if

reverse gearR is engaged

the interior lighting is turned on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers
with windshield washer fluid
15 times
When you switch off the ignition, the
counter resets.

183 Controls in detail
Climate control
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents
The air conditioning for the rear passenger
compartment is controlled via the climate
control panel (
page 174).The air vents for the rear passenger
compartment are located in the rear
center console.
1Left center air vent
2Thumbwheel for air volume control for
center air vents
3Right center air ventAdjusting air distribution
Push the slide for the left center
vent1 or right center vent3 to the
left, right, up or down.
The air flow is directed in the corre-
sponding direction.
Adjusting air volume
Turn thumbwheel2 up or down.
The air volume is increased or
decreased.
i
The temperature at the center air vents
for the rear passenger
compartment1 and3 is the same as
at the dashboard center air vents.i
For draft-free ventilation, push
slides1 and3 upward.

196 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control* (Canada only)
Deactivating
Press button9 (page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:

when the ignition is switched on

after about 30 minutes

if the battery voltage drops
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents
The air conditioning for the rear passenger
compartment is controlled via the auto-
matic climate control panel (
page 185).The air vents for the rear passenger
compartment are located in the rear
center console.
1Left center air vent
2Thumbwheel for air volume control for
center air vents
3Right center air ventAdjusting air distribution
Push the slide for the left center
vent1 or right center vent3 to the
left, right, up, or down.
The air flow is directed in the
corresponding direction.
Adjusting air volume
Turn thumbwheel2 up or down.
The air volume is increased or
decreased.
i
The temperature at the center air vents
for the rear passenger
compartment1 and3 i s t h e s a m e a s
at the dashboard center air vents.
i
For draft-free ventilation, push
slides1 and3 upward.