1999 MERCEDES-BENZ C-280 Owners Manual

Tires

Tread wear indicators (TWI) are required by law. These
indicators are located in six places on the

tread circumference and become visible at a depth of
approximately1/16 in (1.5 mm), at which point the
tire is considered worn and should be replaced.

The tread wear indicator appears as a solid band across
the tread.





Warning !
Do not allow your tires to wear down too far. As tread depth approaches 1/16 in (1.5 mm), the adhesion
properties on a wet road are sharply reduced. Depending upon the weather and/or road surface (conditions),
the tire traction varies widely.



Specified tire pressures must be maintained. This ap plies particularly if the tires are subjected to
high loads (e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high ambient temperatures).



Warning !
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You may lose control
of the car. Continued driving with a flat tire or driving at high speed with a flat tire will cause excessive heat
build-up and possibly a fire.



Aquaplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer on the road, aquaplaning may occur, even at low speeds and with new
tires.
Reduce vehicle speed, avoid track grooves in the road and apply brakes cautiously in the rain.



Tire Traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or icy road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the condition of t he road whenever the outside temperatures areclose to the
freezing point.



Warning !
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction will be substantially reduced. Under such weather conditions,
drive, steer and brake with extreme caution.



We recommend M + S radial- ply tires for the winter season for all four wheels to insure normal balanced handling
characteristics. On packed snow, they can reduce y our stopping distance as compared with summer tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still considerably greater than when the road is wet or dry.


Tire Speed Rating
Model C 36 AMG only: This vehicle is factory equipped with "Z "-rated tires. All other models: Your vehicle is factory
equipped with "H"-rated tires, which have a European speed rating of 130 mph (210 km/h). An electronic speed
limiter prevents your vehicle from exc eeding the speed rating. Despite the tire rating, local speed limits should be
obeyed. Use prudent driving speeds appropriate to prevailing conditions.

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Warning !
Ev
en when permitted by law, never operate a vehicle at speeds greater than the maximum speed rating of the
tires. Exceeding the maximum speed for which tires are rated can lead to sudden tire failure causing loss of
vehicle control and resulting in personal injury and possible death.

Parking


Warning !
To reduc
e the risk of personal injury as a result of vehicle movement, before
turning off the engine
and leaving the vehicle always:
1. Keep right foot on brake pedal
2. Firmly depress parking brake pedal.
3. Move the selector lever to position "P".
4. Slowly release brake pedal.
5. Turn front wheels towards the road curb.
6. Turn the key to steering lock position 0 and remove.

7. Take your key and lock vehicle when leaving


Important !
It is advisable
to set the parking brake whenever parking or l eaving the vehicle. In addition, move selector lever to
position "P". When parking on hills , always set the parking brake.


Winter Driving Instructions
The mo
st important rule for slippery or icy roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid abrupt acceleration, braking and
steering maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding, move selector le ver to position "N". Try to keep the vehicle under control by
corrective steering action. Road salts and chem icals can adversely affect braking efficiency.
Increased pedal force may become necessary to pro duce the normal brake effect. We therefore recommend
depressing
the brake pedal periodically when travelling at length on salt-strewn roads. This can bring road salt impaired
braking efficiency back to normal. A pr erequisite is, however, that this is done without endangering other drivers on
the road. If the vehicle is parked after being driven on salt treated roads, the braking efficiency should be tested as
soon as possible after driving is resumed while observing the safety rules in the previous paragraph.



Warning !
If the v
ehicle becomes stuck in snow, make sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust pipe and from
around the vehicle with engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter
vehicle interior resulting in unconsciousness and death. To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open
a window slightly on the side of the car that is out of the wind.


Deep Water
Caution !
Do not drive through flooded areas or water of unknown depth. If you must drive through deep water, drive slowly to
prevent water from entering the engine compartment or being ingested by the air intake, possibly causing damage to
electrical components or wiring, to engine or transmis sion that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.


Passenger Compartment

Warning !
Always fasten items being carried as securely as possible. In an accident, during hard braking or sudden
maneuvers, loose items will be thrown around inside the vehicle, and cause injury to vehicle occupants
unless the items are securely fastened in the vehicle.


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Automatic Climate Control


The system is always at operational readiness, except when manually
switched off. The automatic climat e control only operates with the
engine running. The temperature selector should be left
at the desired temperature setting.
The temperature selected is reached as quickly as possible. The
system will not heat or cool any quicker by setting a higher or lower
temperature.



1. Air volume control for center air outlet,
turn wheel up to open

2. Air volume control for right air outlet.
To open air outlets:
Turn wheel to position

3. Center air outlets, adjustable
4. Side air outlets, adjustable
5. Display and Controls



The automatic climate control removes considerable moisture from the air during operation in the cooling mode.
It is normal for water to drip on the ground through ducts in the underbody.

Important !
This vehicle is equipped with an air conditioner system t hat uses HFC-134a (ozone-friendly hydrofluorocarbon) as a
refrigerant. Repairs should always be performed by a qualif ied technician, and refrigerant should be collected in a
recovery system for recycling.


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Display and Controls
Press to activate, indicator lamp is on while activated.
Automatic mode Air recirculation
Raise temperature
Air distribution, manual
Lower temperature
Economy mode
Defrost Air volume, manual
Rear window defroster
Residual engine heat
utilization Basic Setting - Automatic Mode

Press for automatic mode.
Simultaneously press both
landfor temperature setting of 72°F.



Air volume and distribution are controlled
automatically. This setting can be used all year
around.


Economy
The function of this setting corresponds to the
automatic mode. However, because the air
conditioning compressor will not engage (fuel
savings), it is not possible to air condition in this
setting.

Press button to activate.
Press
button once again to return to previous
setting.


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Special Settings
(use only for short duration)
Defogging Windows
Switch off
button.
Press
. button.
Press
button repeatedly until
air is directed upward.

Turn wheels (2) to position

to open left and right air outlets (4).
Adjust air outlets upward.

Defrosting
Turn wheels (2) to position to

open left and right air outlets (4).
Adjust air outlets upward.
Press
button. Maximum heat-
ed and automatically controlled
amount of air is directed to the
windshield and side windows.

Press button once again to
return to previous setting. Rear Window Defroster

Turn key in steering lock to position 2.
To select, press
button.
To cancel, press
button again.
Note:
Heavy accumulation of snow and
ice should be removed before
activating the defroster.
The rear window defroster uses a
large amount of power. To keep
the battery drain to a minimum, turn
off the defroster as soon
as the window is clear.
The defroster is automatically turned
off after a maximum of
12 minutes of operation.
If several power consumers are
turned on simultaneously, or the
battery is only partially charged, it
is possible that the defroster will
automatically turn itself off. When
this happens, the indicator lamp
inside the switch starts blinking.
As soon as the battery has
sufficient voltage, the
defroster automatically turns
itself back on. Air Distribution


Press
button repeatedly until
the requested symbol is displayed.

Air Volume
Press - or + side of rocker switch
until the requested blower
speed is attained.
A choice of 7 blower speeds is
available. To switch the
automatic climate control off,
press - side of rocker switch
until symbol OFF is displayed.

The fresh air supply to the car interior
is shut off.
While driving, use this setting only
temporarily, otherwise the
windshield could fog up.
To switch the automatic climate
control on again, press

or + side of

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Air Recirculation
This mode can be selected to prevent annoying odours or dust from entering the car's interior.
Outside air is not supplied to the car's interior.
To select, press
button.
To cancel, press
button again.
The system will automatically switch from recirculated air to fresh air
• after approx. 5 minutes at outside temperatures below approx. 40°F (5°C),
• after approx. 30 minutes, at outside tem peratures above approx. 40°F (5°C),
• after approx. 5 minutes, if button
is pressed.
Notes:
If the windows should fog up from the inside, switch from recirculated air back to fresh air.
At high outside temperatures, the system automatically engages the re circulated air mode thereby
increasing the cooling capacity performance, switching to partially fresh air within 20 minutes.

Dust Filter
Dust particles (down to a certain size) and pollen are filtered out before outside air enters the
passenger compartment through the air distribution system.
Notes:
Do not obstruct the air flow by placing objects on the air flow-thr ough exhaust slots below the rear
window.
Also keep the air intake grille in front of windshield free of snow and debris.

Residual Engine Heat Utilization
With the engine switched off, it is possible to c ontinue heating the interior for a short while.
Air volume and distribution are controlled automatically
To select:
Turn key in steering lock to position 1 or 0 or remove key. Close air outlet in rear passenger
compartment.
Press
button.
This function selection will not activate if the battery charge level is insufficient.
To cancel:
Press
button.
The system will automatically shut off
• if you turn key in steering lock to position 2,
• after approx. 30 minutes,
• if the battery voltage drops.


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Car Keys

Included with your vehicle are:
• 2 electronic main keys with integrated radio frequency and infrared remote controls plus slide out and removable
mechanical key.
• 1 electronic reserve key without remote control functions, plus removable mechanical key.

Warning !

When leaving the vehicle always remove the electronic key from the steering lock, and lock your vehicle. Do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause serious personal injury. Electronic main key with integrated radio frequency
and infrared remote control, plus slide out and removable mechanical key


The remote control (1) operates all locks on the car. The mechanical keys (2) work only
in the driver's door, trunk, and storage comp artment locks. The mechanical key can be
used by sliding it out of the remote control. Move lock (3) in direction of arrow and slide
the mechanical key (2, right arrow) until it locks in place. Move lock (3) in direction of
arrow and slide the mechanical key (2, left arrow) to remove. The remote control
transmitter is located in the electronic ma in key holder. The infrared receivers are
located in the front door handles.


Electronic reserve key without remote control functions, plus removable mechanical key.

The electronic reserve key (1) works only in the steering lock. The mechanical key (2)
works only in the driver's door, trunk, an d storage compartment locks. To use the
mechanical key (2), remove it from its electronic reserve key (1).


Notes:
We recommend that you carry the electronic reserve key wi th mechanical key with you and keep it in a safe place
(e.g. your wallet) so that it is always handy. Never le ave the electronic reserve key in the vehicle. Remove the
mechanical key from the electronic main key when using va let parking service. To prevent access to trunk or storage
compartments lock them separ
ately.

Obtaining replacement Keys

Your vehicle is equipped with a theft deterrent locking system requiring a special key manufacturing process. For
security reasons, replacement keys can only be obtained from your authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer.


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Start Lock-Out

Important !
Removing the electronic key from the steering lock activates the start lock-out. The engine cannot be started.
Inserting the electronic key in the steerin g lock deactivates the start lock-out.

Note:
In case the engine cannot be started, the system is not operational. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
dealer or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes.


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