steering MERCEDES-BENZ C55AMG 2006 W203 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 .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 12
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 13
Where to find it .................................... 14
Symbols ............................................... 15
Operating safety .................................. 16
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 16
Problems with your vehicle .................. 17
Reporting safety defects...................... 18
Reporting Safety Defects ............... 18
Vehicle data recording......................... 19
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 19At a glance.......................................... 21
Cockpit ................................................. 22
Instrument cluster ................................ 24
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 26
Center console ..................................... 27
Upper part ...................................... 27
Lower part ...................................... 28
Overhead control panel ........................ 29
Door control panel................................ 30Getting started................................... 31
Unlocking ............................................. 32
Unlocking with the SmartKey ......... 32
Starter switch positions .................. 33
Adjusting .............................................. 35
Seats .............................................. 35
Steering wheel ................................ 38
Mirrors ............................................ 40
Driving .................................................. 42
Fastening the seat belt ................... 42
Starting the engine ......................... 45
Parking brake ................................. 46
Driving ............................................ 47
Switching on headlamps ................. 48
Turn signals .................................... 49
Windshield wipers ........................... 50
Problems while driving.................... 52
Parking and locking .............................. 54
Parking brake ................................. 54
Switching off headlamps................. 55
Turning off engine ........................... 56
Releasing seat belts........................ 56
Locking ........................................... 56

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 59
Occupant safety................................... 60
Air bags .......................................... 61
Seat belts ....................................... 67
Active head restraint ...................... 71
Children in the vehicle .................... 72
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 80
Panic alarm* ........................................ 81
Activating ....................................... 81
Deactivating ................................... 81
Driving safety systems ......................... 82
ABS ................................................ 82
BAS ................................................ 84
ESP
®............................................... 84
Anti-theft systems................................ 88
Immobilizer..................................... 88
Anti-theft alarm system* ................ 88
Tow-away alarm* ........................... 90
Controls in detail............................... 93
Locking and unlocking ......................... 94
SmartKey ....................................... 94
Opening the doors from
the inside ....................................... 99
Opening the trunk .......................... 99
Closing the trunk.......................... 101
Trunk emergency release ............. 102
Valet locking ................................ 103
Automatic central locking ............ 103
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 104
Seats ................................................. 106
Front seat active head restraints . 106
Rear seat head restraints ............. 106
Lumbar support*.......................... 109
Seat heating ................................. 110
Memory function ............................... 111
Storing positions into memory ..... 112
Recalling positions from memory . 112
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 113Lighting ............................................. 114
Exterior lamp switch .................... 114
Combination switch ..................... 118
Hazard warning flasher ................ 119
Interior lighting ............................ 120
Door entry lamps ......................... 121
Trunk lamp ................................... 121
Instrument cluster ............................. 122
Instrument cluster illumination .... 122
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 123
Trip odometer .............................. 123
Tachometer .................................. 124
Outside temperature indicator ..... 124
Control system .................................. 125
Multifunction display.................... 125
Multifunction steering wheel........ 126
Menus .......................................... 128
Standard display menu ................ 130
AUDIO menu ................................ 131
NAV* menu .................................. 134
Vehicle status message memory
menu............................................ 134
Settings menu .............................. 135
Trip computer menu..................... 150
TEL menu* ................................... 152

Contents
Automatic transmission ..................... 155
Gear selector lever position ......... 157
Driving tips ................................... 158
Gear ranges ................................. 160
Automatic shift program .............. 161
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 162
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting ................. 163
Manual shift program ................... 165
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 168
Good visibility .................................... 169
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 169
Rear view mirrors ......................... 169
Sun visors .................................... 171
Rear window sunshade* .............. 172
Rear window defroster ................. 173
Climate control .................................. 174
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 177
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 177
Setting the temperature ............... 178
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 178Adjusting air volume ..................... 179
Front defroster.............................. 179
Air recirculation mode .................. 180
Air conditioning............................. 182
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 183
Automatic climate control*
(Canada only) ..................................... 184
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 187
Operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode 187
Setting the temperature................ 188
Adjusting air distribution............... 189
Adjusting air volume ..................... 190
Front defroster.............................. 190
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 191
Air recirculation mode .................. 191
Charcoal filter ............................... 193
Air conditioning............................. 194
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 195
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 196Audio system...................................... 197
Audio and telephone, operation .... 197
Operating safety ........................... 197
Operating and display elements ... 198
Button and soft key operation ...... 200
Operation...................................... 200
Radio operation ............................ 205
Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only) ..................................... 209
CD mode....................................... 214
GSM network phones ................... 223
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 229
Emergency calls “911” ................. 235
Power windows .................................. 238
Opening and closing the windows 238
Synchronizing power windows ...... 240
Summer opening feature .............. 241
Convenience closing feature......... 241
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 242
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 242
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 244
Driving systems .................................. 245
Cruise control ............................... 245

21 At a glance
Cockpit
Instrument cluster
Multifunction steering wheel
Center console
Overhead control panel
Door control panel

23 At a glance
Cockpit
ItemPage
1Steering wheel gearshift
control163
2Cruise control lever245
3Multifunction steering
wheel26,
126
4Horn
5Instrument cluster24,
122
6Overhead control panel29
ItemPage
7Glove box lid release256
8Glove box lock256
9Center console27
aStarter switch33
bHood lock release297
cSteering wheel adjustment
lever38
dRemote trunk opening
switch100
eParking brake pedal46, 54
fDoor control panel30
ItemPage
gParking brake release46
hCombination switch

Turn signals49

Windshield wipers50

High beam49
jExterior lamp switch48,
114
kExterior rear view mirror
adjustment40,
113
lHeadlamp washer button*169

26 At a glance
Multifunction steering wheel
ItemPage
1Multifunction display125
Operating control system126
2Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call
to dial a call
tto end a call
to reject an incoming
call
3Selecting the submenu or
setting the volume:
Press button
æup/to increase
çdown/to decrease
ItemPage
4Menu systems:
Press button
èfor next menu
ÿfor previous menu
5Moving within a menu:
Press button
jfor next display
kfor previous display

30 At a glance
Door control panel
ItemPage
1Inside door handle99
2Memory function (for
storing seat, exterior mirror
and steering wheel settings)111
3Switches for seat
adjustment35,
106
4Switches for
opening/closing front door
windows238
5Rear door window override
switch80
6Switches for
opening/closing rear door
windows238
7Remote trunk lid switch100

33 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positions SmartKey
Starter switch
0For removing SmartKey
The steering is locked when the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
1Power supply for some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except low beam headlamp
indicator lamp, high beam headlamp in-
dicator lamp, and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If
a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (page 350).
3Starting position
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.

35 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
The seats can be adjusted electrically.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 106).
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The seat back and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the wearer
is in a nearly upright position and belts are
properly positioned on the body. Your seat
must be adjusted so that you can correctly
fasten your seat belt (
page 42).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the power seats* can be
operated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

36 Getting started
Adjusting
Power seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the respective front door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Seat backrest tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 33).
or
Open the respective door.
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press switch forward or backward in
direction of arrow4.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator/brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far rearward
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant, or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional
information, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 72).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
!
When moving the seats, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or
behind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
i
The memory function (page 111) lets
you store the settings for the power
seat, the steering wheel adjustment
and the exterior rear view mirrors.