2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE interior lights

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe front passenger side airbag will only
deploy if the system senses that the front
passenger seat is occupied.1 Window curtain airbag
2 Side impact airbagsSeat belts
The seat belt nonusage warning lamp
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in the instrument cluster lights up and a
warning sounds for a short time when you
turn the key in the starter switch to
position 2 and the driver‘s seat belt is not
fastened. After starting the engine the seat belt non-
usage warning lamp blinks for a brief peri-
od to remind the driver and passengers to
fasten the seat belts.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in
most states and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.
Information on fastening seat belts is
found in the “Getting started” section
(
page 41).iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 65).
Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even those sitting in the
rear and pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passengers should
always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. Airbags can only protect as
they are designed if the occupants are prop-
erly wearing their seat belts.

100 Controls in detailLightingInterior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.1 Rear interior lights
2 Right front reading lamp
3 Rocker switch: Automatic control off
4 Rocker switch: Automatic control on
5 Rocker switch: Front interior lights on
6 Left front reading lamp Activating automatic control

Press the rocker switch to the center
position
4.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when

unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from start-
er switch
The interior lamps are switched off follow-
ing an adjustable time delay (
page 121). Deactivating automatic control

Press the rocker switch to the right
position
3
The interior lighting remains switched
off, even when

centrally unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from the
starter switch
Manual control
Switching rear interior lights on and off

Press button 1.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go on.

Press button 1 again.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go out.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes, when the key
is removed or in the starter switch
position 0.
An interior lamp switched on manually
does not go out automatically.

101
Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching right front reading lamp on
and off
Press button
2.
The right reading lamp goes on.

Press button 2 again.
The right reading lamp goes off.
Switching left front reading lamp on and
off

Press button 6.
The left reading lamp goes on.

Press button 6 again.
The left reading lamp goes off. Switching all front interior lights on

Press rocker switch to position
5.
The front interior lamps go on.
Switching all front interior lights off

Press rocker switch to position 3 or 4.
The front interior lamps go out.iThe setting selected for the interior
lighting is used for the trunk lighting as
well.
If you leave the trunk lid open for an ex-
tended period of time, the trunk light-
ing will switch off automatically after
approximately ten minutes

148 Controls in detailClimate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 143).
The indicator lamp on the
button AC
OFF
lights up. Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press
AC
OFF
again (
page 143).
The indicator lamp on the
button AC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning system uses the refrig-
erant R134a. This refrigerant is free of
CFCs which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Ventilated storage compartment
The front center console storage compart-
ment has its own air vent that allows for
cooling ventilation when the climate con-
trol system is activated.
1 Lever
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning system is losing refrigerant.
The compressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning system
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
iYou should keep this air vent closed
when outside temperatures are low.

154 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control* (Canada only)Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to
U
and there is a high need for
cooling, the display “AUTO MAXCOOL” ap-
pears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
panorama sliding/pop-up roof* are
closed).
Defrosting
Activating
Press button
P
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button
O
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press button
P
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button
O
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.

157
Controls in detail
Automatic climate control* (Canada only)
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press button
AC
OFF
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the
button AC
OFF
lights up. Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press
AC
OFF
again (
page 151).
The indicator lamp on the
button AC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning system uses the refrig-
erant R134a. This refrigerant is free of
CFCs which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning system is losing refrigerant.
The compressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning system
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.