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131 Audio system
Technical
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Operation
Switching on and off
Press the control knob  .
The radio is switched off when the ignition key is turned 
to position 0 or removed from the ignition. The radio is 
switched on again when the ignition key is turned to 
position 1 or 2.
Note:
The radio can also be switched on even if the ignition 
key is not inserted, but will switch itself off 
automatically after one hour to conserve vehicle battery 
power.
Adjusting the volume
Turn the control knob - turning the knob clockwise will 
increase the volume, counterclockwise will decrease the 
volume.Audio functions
The AUD key is used to select the BASS, TREBLE and 
BALANCE functions. Settings for bass and treble are 
stored separately for the cassette and CD modes. Tone 
level settings are identified by the vertical bars. The 
center (flat) setting is shown by one longer bar in the 
center of the display.
Bass
Press the AUD key repeatedly 
until “BASS” appears in the 
display.
Treble
Press the AUD key repeatedly 
un til “ TREB LE”  ap pears  in  the 
display.
Press the “+” key to increase 
or the “-” key to decrease the level.
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133 Audio system
Technical
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Radio mode
Selecting radio mode
Press   button.
Selecting the band
Press the key located below 
the desired band. The band 
selected is shown in the top 
line of the display.Manual tuning
Press either the   or   
button. Step-by-step tuning in 
ascending or descending 
order of frequency will take 
place.
The first three tuning steps will take place without 
muting. The radio will then be muted and high-speed 
tuning will take place until the button is released. 
The following tuning intervals will be shown on the 
display:
Seek tuning
Pre ss  eit her  t he    or    b utton. T he radi o will tun e 
to the next receivable station. Frequency ranges: FM 87.9 - 107.9 MHz
AM 530 - 1710 kHz
WB approx. 162 MHz
FM 200 kHz
AM 10 kHz
WB Channels 1-7
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135 Audio system
Technical
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Cassette mode 
Note:
Vehicles equipped with the COMAND system do not 
come with a factory installed cassette mechanism. 
A standard 1/8” stereo phono plug for auxiliary audio 
input (located in glove box) is provided for connection of 
a portable battery operated cassette player or any other 
portable device which uses a headphone output. Please 
refer to the COMAND operating manual for information 
concerning the activation of the audio input.
Playing cassettes
Press the “TAPE” button. When the eject (EJ) key is 
pressed, the display folds down and the cassette slot 
becomes visible. Push the cassette into the slot until it 
engages. The cassette will be pulled in automatically.Note:
Do not press directly on the radio display face.
Return the display panel to its normal position by 
folding it back up and pressing gently on the display 
frame to lock in place. 
When playing mono recorded tapes (e.g. books) through 
a stereo system the sound from one track might bleed to 
the other track, despite setting the balance to the full 
left or full right speakers.
Important!
If the display is in the down position for more than 
20 seconds, 2 successive beeps will be heard. This will 
continue at 5 second intervals until the display is 
returned to its normal position.
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136 Audio system
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data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
The radio will switch to 
cassette mode. Track 1 will be 
played and “SIDE 1” 
displayed. Track 1 is the side 
of the cassette which is facing 
upward s.  The c as sette d eck  will automatically detect t he 
type of tape and switch the equalization automatically. 
A cassette symbol in the display indicates that a tape is 
in  t he mechanis m. Thi s s ym bol appears  in  all mod es  but 
not in cassette mode.
The cassette will not be ejected when the radio is 
switched off or another mode is selected.
If a cassette is in the 
mechanism, cassette mode 
can be selected by using the 
“TAPE” button. If no cassette 
has been inserted, the display 
will show “NO TAPE”.Cassette eject
Press the eject (EJ) key. The display will fold down and 
the cassette will be ejected. Remove the cassette, then 
fold the display back up manually. The radio will switch 
back to radio mode automatically.
Note:
The cassette will not be ejected when the radio is 
switched off.
Important!
If the display is in the down position for more than 
20 seconds, 2 successive beeps will be heard. This will 
continue at 5 second intervals until the display is 
returned to its normal position.
Track selection
Press the track selection 
(TRK) key. The current track 
will be displayed as “SIDE 1” 
or “SIDE 2”. The track will be 
changed automatically at the 
end of the tape.
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139 Audio system
Technical
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index CD mode
General notes on CD mode
Should excessive temperatures occur while in CD mode, 
“TEMP HIGH” will appear in the display and muting 
will take place. The unit will then switch back to radio 
mode until the temperature has decreased to a safe 
operating level.
Should temperatures occur while in CD mode which are 
too low, “TEMP LOW” will be displayed, but the CD will 
play. It will be sensitive to skipping if you are driving 
over rough roads.
Handle CDs carefully to prevent interference during 
playback.
Avoid fingerprints and dust on CDs. Do not write on the 
CDs or apply any label to the CDs.
Clean CDs from time to time with a commercially 
available cleaning cloth. No solvents, anti-static sprays, 
etc. should be used. 
Replace the CD in its container after use. Protect CDs 
from heat and direct sunlight.Only use CDs, which bear the 
label shown and that conform to 
the compact disc digital audio 
standard (IEC 60908).
Use of CDs which do not meet this 
stan dard  may  cause d am age to t he 
CD changer. Do not play single-CDs (80 mm) with an 
adapter.
1Optional equipmentWa r n i n g !
The CD changer
1 is a Class 1 laser product. There is 
a danger of invisible laser radiation if the cover is 
opened or damaged.
Do not remove the cover. The CD changer
1 does not 
contain any parts which can be serviced by the 
user. For safety reasons, have any service work 
which may be necessary performed only by 
qualified personnel.
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140 Audio system
Technical
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
CD changer installed
1CD changer
1 
2CD magazine
3CD tray
4CD
If a CD changer1 is installed, it can be operated from the 
front control panel of the radio. A loaded magazine must 
be installed for CD playing.
1 Optional equipment
Loading/emptying the CD magazine
Slide the changer door to the right and press the eject 
button  . The magazine will be ejected. Remove the 
magazine. Pull out the CD tray until its stop is reached 
and place the CDs in the recess of the tray, label side up. 
Push the tray into the magazine in the direction shown 
by the arrow. Insert the loaded magazine into the 
changer.
Important!
Close the door after the magazine has been inserted.
Playing CDs
Press the “CD” button. The CD most recently played will 
start at the point where it was last switched off. CDs 
stored in the magazine can be selected by using the 
station preset buttons 1-6.
The magazine slot number of 
the selected CD will then be 
displayed after “CD”. The 
number of the track being 
played will be displayed after 
“TRACK”.
3
2
2
1
4
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143 Audio system
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and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Telephone operation
Various functions of the Mercedes-Benz integrated 
cellular telephone
1 can be performed and displayed via 
the car radio. Further instructions for operating the car 
telephone can be found in the operation guide for the 
cellular telephone1.
Switching the telephone on and off
Switching on: Press the   
button, “TEL” appears in the 
corner of the display.
Switching off: Press and hold 
the   button until the telephone symbol “TEL” no 
longer appears in the display, or press the “PWR” button 
on the phone’s keypad.
1 Optional equipment
Entering telephone number and starting dialing 
process
Enter the desired telephone 
number using the alpha-
numeric keypad. The number 
can have up to 32 digits, but 
only 13 of these can be 
displayed. The dialing process is started by pressing the 
SND button. The entered number can be corrected using 
the “CLR” key.
Press the CLR key briefly - 
and the last digit will be 
deleted.
Press the CLR key longer - and 
the complete number will be deleted.
Calling up the phone book
The numbers stored in the telephone memory can be 
called up via either name or number entries. The 
memory contents from the portable phone must be 
downloaded and the telephone menu must be selected 
in order to call up the phone book. Refer to the 
“Memory download” section of the cellular telephone 
operation guide for more information.
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145 Audio system
Technical
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and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Accepting incoming call in telephone mode
With an incoming call, the ringing tone will be heard 
and the message “CALL” appears in the display. Press 
the SND key to answer the call.
Accepting incoming call in tape, CD or radio mode
If the telephone is activated in the background 
(te lep hone  s ym bol in  t he d isp lay),  t hen  a s witch i s mad e 
automatically to telephone when an incoming call is 
received. The audio source is muted, the ringing tone is 
heard and the message “CALL” appears. After the call 
has been terminated, the previously selected audio 
source is resumed.
Terminating call
A current call can be terminated by pressing the END 
key.Component malfunctions
The radio, CD changer
1, and Mercedes-Benz integrated 
cellular telephone
1 are part of a fiberoptic networked 
system. Failure of one of the components can lead to 
malfunctions of the other components. Please contact 
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call 
1-800-FOR-MERCedes for more information in the event 
of a malfunction.
1Optional equipment
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