Page 45 of 330
42 Central locking system
Technical
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Trunk lid emergency release
(vehicles built September 2001 and later)
The emergency release button (1) is located in the trunk
lid.
Briefly press emergency release button (1).
The trunk unlocks and the trunk lid opens.
The vehicle production date (e.g. 09 / 01) can be found
on the certification label, which is located on the
driver’s door pillar, see page 299.Important!
The emergency trunk lid release button (1) does not
open the trunk lid, if the vehicle battery is discharged or
disconnected.
Illumination of the emergency release button (1):
The button will blink for 30 minutes after opening the
trunk.
The button will blink for 60 minutes after closing the
trunk.
1
J_C208_II.book Seite 42 Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2001 10:13 10
Page 52 of 330

49 Seats
Technical
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Recalling
To recall a seat/head restraint and exterior rear view
mirror position, push and hold position button “1”, “2”
or “3” until seat/head restraint and exterior rear view
mirror movement has stopped. The seat/head restraint
and exterior rear view mirror movement stops when the
position button is released.
Caution!
Do not operate the power seats using the memory
button if the seat backrest is in an excessively reclined
position. Doing so could cause damage to front or rear
seats.
First move the backrest to an upright position.Synchronizing power seats and head restraints
If the power supply was interrupted (battery
disconnected or empty), the power seats and head
restraints are no longer adjusted automatically.
To resynchronize the adjustment feature, turn
electronic key in steering lock to position 2, move the
seat completely forward and the head restraint fully
down, and hold respective buttons for approx.
2seconds.
J_C208_II.book Seite 49 Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2001 10:13 10
Page 60 of 330
57 Seats
Technical
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Notes:
When in operation, the seat heater consumes a large
amount of electrical power. It is not advisable to use the
seat heater longer than necessary.
The seat heaters may automatically switch off if too
many power consumers are switched on at the same
time, or if the battery charge is low. When this occurs,
the indicator lamp in the switch will blink (both
indicator lamps blink during rapid seat heating mode).
The seat heaters will switch on again automatically as
soon as sufficient voltage is available.
If the blinking of the indicator lamps is distracting to
you, the seat heaters can be switched off.
J_C208_II.book Seite 57 Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2001 10:13 10
Page 115 of 330

112 Flexible service system
Technical
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
The service indicator disappears automatically after
30 seconds or if button J on the instrument cluster is
pressed.
Calling up service indicator manually:
Turn the electronic key in steering lock to position 1
or 2.
Call up the trip odometer and main odometer by
pressing button è or ÿ on the multifunction
steering wheel until the display appears. See page 94.
Press button j or k until the FSS indicator
appears.
Pressing the è or ÿ button displays the next or
previous system.
Important!
The FSS indicator does not include an engine oil level
indicator. See page 114 for engine oil level indicator.Notes:
When disconnecting vehicle battery for one or more
days at a time, such days will not be counted. Any such
days not counted by the FSS can be added by your
Mercedes-Benz Center.
The interval between services is determined by the type
of driving for which the vehicle is used. For example,
driving at extreme speeds, and cold starts combined
wi t h short di stan ce d r ivi ng in which the e ngin e d oes not
reach operating normal temperature, reduce the interval
between services.
J_C208_II.book Seite 112 Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2001 10:13 10
Page 129 of 330

126 Automatic climate control
Technical
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Rear window defroster
Turn electronic key in steering lock to position 2.
To select, press F button.
To c a nc el, pr ess F button again.
Notes:
Heavy accumulation of snow and ice should be removed
before activating the defroster.
The rear window defroster consumes a large amount of
electrical 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
TPress b button for each side repeatedly until the
requested symbol is displayed.
Press U button to return to automatic mode.
Air volume
Press – or + side of rocker switch ï 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 ï until symbol OFF is displayed.IThe fresh air supply to the vehicle 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
U, P or + side of ï.
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Page 130 of 330

127 Automatic climate control
Technical
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Air recirculation
This mode can be selected to temporarily reduce the
entry of annoying odors or dust into the vehicle’s
interior.
Outside air is not supplied to the vehicle’s interior.
To select, press O button.
To c a nc el, pr ess O 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 temperatures
above approx. 40
°F (5
°C),
•after approx. 5 minutes, if button S is pressed.
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 recirculated air mode thereby increasing
the cooling capacity performance, switching to partially
fresh air within 30 minutes.Residual engine heat utilization
With the engine switched off, it is possible to continue
heating the interior for a short while.
Air volume and distribution are controlled
automatically.
To s e l e c t :
Turn electronic key in steering lock to position 1 or 0 or
remove key.
Press T button
This function selection will not activate if the battery
charge level is insufficient.
To c a n c e l :
Press T button.
The system will automatically shut off
•if you turn electronic key in steering lock to
position 2,
•after approx. 30 minutes,
•if the battery voltage drops.
J_C208_II.book Seite 127 Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2001 10:13 10
Page 136 of 330

133 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 swi tched of f when t he igni ti on key i s turne d
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,
FADER 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 cen ter (f lat) s ettin g is shown by one lon ger 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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Page 140 of 330

137 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.
Notes:
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.
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
upwards. The cassette deck will automatically detect the
type of tape and switch the equalization automatically.
A cassette symbol in the display indicates that a tape is
in t he m echan ism . This sy mbol app ears i n all m ode s but
not in cassette mode.
The cassette will not be ejected when the radio is
switched off or another mode is selected.
J_C208_II.book Seite 137 Donnerstag, 31. Mai 2001 10:13 10