2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE length

38 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel adjustment, manual1 Release handle
To unlock the steering column, pull
handle 1 out until its stop limit.

Adjust the steering wheel to the de-
sired position.

To lock, press handle 1 all the way in
until it engages.
The steering wheel is once again
locked into position. Steering wheel adjustment, electrical*

Turn the key in the
starter switch to
position 1 or 2.
or

Open the driver’s door.
The switch is located on the steering col-
umn (lower left).
1 Steering column, lengthen or shorten
2 Steering column, height
!Do not drive the vehicle until you have
properly locked the steering column.
If the warning message
STEERING
WHEEL ADJUST - LOCK! is displayed
while the engine is running, the steer-
ing column is not locked (page 268).

39
Getting started
Adjusting
Steering column, lengthen or shorten
Move stalk forward or backward in the
direction of arrow
1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Steering column, height

Move stalk up or down in the direction
of arrow 2. Make sure that your legs
can move freely and that all the dis-
plays (including malfunction and indi-
cator lamps) on the instrument cluster
are clearly visible.
Mirrors
Adjust the inside and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions. Inside rear view mirror

Manually adjust the inside rear view
mirror.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (
page 138).
iWith the memory function*
(page 93) you can store settings for
the steering wheel together with set-
tings for the exterior rear view mirrors
and seat positions.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.

128 Controls in detailControl systemAnswering a call
When your telephone is ready to receive
calls, you can answer a call at any time. In
the display you will then see the message:
Press button
í
.
You have answered the call. In the dis-
play you see the length of the call.
Ending a call

Press button
ì
.
You have ended the call. In the display
you will again see the standby mes-
sage. Dialing a number from the phone book
If your telephone is ready to receive calls,
you may select and dial a number from the
phone book at any time.

Press button
ÿ
or
è
repeatedly
until you see the
TEL
menu in the dis-
play.

Press button
j
or
k
.
The control system reads the phone
book which is stored in the telephone.
This may take up to 30 seconds. In the
display you will see the message
PLEASE WAIT!
.
When the message
PLEASE WAIT!
dis-
appears, the phone book has been
loaded.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until the desired name appears in the
display.
The stored names are displayed in in-
creasing or decreasing alphabetical or-
der.

Press button
í
.
The system dials the selected phone
number.


If connection is successful, the
name of the party you called and
the duration of the call will appear
in the display.


If no connection is made, the con-
trol system stores the dialed num-
ber in the redial memory.
iIf you press and hold
j
or
k
for
longer than one second, the system
scrolls rapidly through the list of names
until you release the button again.
Cancel the quick search mode by
pressing
ì
.

134 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Gear ranges
With the selector lever in positionD, you
can limit the transmission’s gear range by
pressing the lever to the left ( D-), and re-
verse the gear range limit by pressing the
lever to the right ( D+).
The selected gear range will appear in the
tachometer display field. If you press on
the accelerator when the engine has
reached its rpm limit, the transmission will
upshift beyond any gear range limit
selected.
Gear
range
Effect
é
The transmission shifts
through fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts
through third gear only.
With this selection you can
use the braking effect of the
engine.
Gear
range
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts
through second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates
only in first gear
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep
or lengthy downgrades.

220 OperationDriving instructionsInformation on tire speed rating for winter
tires (
page 236).
Vehicles without Evolution Package
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“H”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km / h) or optional
“V”-rated tires which have a speed rating
of 150 mph (240 km / h) or optional
“W”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 168 mph (270 km / h).
Vehicles with Evolution Package
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“W”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 168 mph (270 km / h).
Winter driving instructions
The most 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 lever to position N or in
case of manual transmission declutch. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action. Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal periodically when traveling at
length on salt-strewn roads.
This can bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
iInformation on driving with snow
chains (
page 237).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.

238 OperationMaintenance
MaintenanceWe strongly recommend that you have
your vehicle serviced by your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, in accordance with
the Service Booklet at the times called for
by the FSS (F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem).
Failure to have the vehicle maintained in
accordance with the Service Booklet at the
designated times /mileage called for by
the FSS may result in vehicle damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
FSS will notify you when your next service
is due.
Approximately one month before your next
service is due, one of the following mes-
sages will appear in the multifunction dis-
play while you are driving or when you
switch on the ignition (example service A):
SERVICE A - IN xx DAYS
SERVICE A - IN xx MILES (KM)
SERVICE A - DUE NOW
The type of service due is indicated in the
multifunction display field:9
Minor service (A)
´
Major service (B)
Clearing the service indicator
The service indicator is automatically
cleared

after 10 seconds when you switch on
the ignition or when reaching the ser-
vice threshold while driving.


after 30 seconds, once the suggested
service term had passed.
You can also clear it yourself by pressing
the reset knob on the instrument cluster
(
page 22).
Service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested ser-
vice term a signal sounds every time when
you switch on the ignition and you will see
the following message in the multifunction
display:SERVICE A EXCEEDED BY xx DAYS
SERVICE A EXCEEDED BY xx MILES (KM)
iThe interval between services depends
on your driving habits. A gentle driving
style, moderate engine speeds and the
avoidance of short distance trips will
lengthen the interval between services.

273
Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
Spare wheel bolts
1 Wheel bolt for light alloy rims
2 Wheel bolt for light alloy spare wheel
rim size 4
1/2B x15 H2 Refer to “Technical data” section
(
page 313) for model and spare wheel
rim size information.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure that the jack
arm is fully seated in the jack take-up brack-
et. Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jack stands before working under
the vehicle.
!Wheel bolts 2 must be used when
mounting spare wheel rim
size 4
1/2Bx15 H2 (
page 313).
The use of any wheel bolts other than
wheel bolts 2 for spare wheel rim
size 4
1/2B x15 H2 can cause physical
damage to the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Be sure to use the original length wheel
bolts when remounting the original wheel af-
ter it has been repaired.

297
Practical hints
Jump starting
Jump starting
If the battery is discharged, the engine can
be started with jumper cables and the bat-
tery of another vehicle. Observe the follow-
ing:

Jump starting should only be performed
when the engine and catalytic convert-
er are cold.


Do not start the engine if the battery is
frozen. Let the battery thaw out first.


Only jump start from batteries with the
same voltage rating (12V). Jump start-
ing with a more powerful battery could
damage the vehicle’s electrical system,
which will not be covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


Use only jumper cables with sufficient
cross-section and insulated terminal
clamps.


Always make sure that the jumper ca-
bels are not on or near pulleys, fans or
other parts that move when an engine
is started or running.
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these directions will cause
damage to the electronic components, and
can lead to a battery explosion and severe
injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting
or jump starting, you might get injured.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not
allow this fluid to come in contact with eyes,
skin or clothing. In case it does, immediately
flush affected area with water, and seek
medical help if necessary.
A battery will also produce hydrogen gas,
which is flammable and very explosive. Keep
flames or sparks away from battery, avoid
improper connection of jumper cables,
smoking etc.
Read all instructions before proceeding.
!Jump starting may only be performed
on the battery installed in the engine
compartment.
Avoid repeated and lengthy starting at-
tempts.
Do not attempt to start the engine us-
ing a battery quick charge unit.
If engine does not run after several un-
successful starting attempts, have it
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Excessive unburned fuel generated by
repeated failed starting attempts may
damage the catalytic converter and
may present a fire risk.
Make sure the jumper cables do not
have loose or missing insulation.
Make sure the cable clamps do not
touch any other metal part while the
other end is still attached to a battery.