Page 299 of 376
299 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and
remove.
Replace this wheel bolt with the
alignment bolt1 supplied in the tool
kit.
Remove the remaining bolts.
Remove the wheel.Mounting the new wheel
1Wheel bolt for light alloy rims
2Wheel bolt for Minispare wheel or other
steel rims
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
Guide the spare wheel onto the
alignment bolt and push it on.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.
!Wheel bolts2 must be used when
mounting steel wheel rims or the
Minispare wheel. The use of any wheel
bolts other than wheel bolts2 for steel
wheel rims or the Minispare wheel can
cause physical damage to the vehicle. !To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while
installing first wheel bolt.
Page 300 of 376

300 Practical hintsFlat tire
Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.Minispare wheel
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are
damaged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be
repaired immediately. Do not continue to
drive under these circumstances! Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect mounting bolts or improperly
tightened mounting bolts can cause the
wheel to come off. This could cause an
accident. Be sure to use the correct mount-
ing bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. They are identi-
fied by the Mercedes star. Other wheel bolts
may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the
vehicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle
could tip over.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the Minispare wheel are
different from those of the road wheels. As
a result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a Minispare wheel
mounted.
The spare wheel should only be used
temporarily, and replaced with a regular
road wheel as quick as possible.
Page 307 of 376

307 Practical hints
Jump starting
The battery is located in the engine
compartment on the right hand side. The
terminals for jump starting are located in
front of the battery.
Make sure that the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift selector lever to positionP (man-
ual transmission to Neutral).1Positive terminal of charged battery
2Positive under hood terminal in front of
discharged battery
3Negative terminal of charged battery
4Negative under hood terminal in front
of discharged battery
Connect positive terminal1 of the
charged battery with the under hood
terminal2 in front of the discharged
battery with the jumper cables. Clamp
cable to charged battery1 first.
Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminal3 of the
charged battery with the under hood
terminal4 of the discharged battery
with the jumper cables. Clamp cable to
charged battery3 first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
Now you can again turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals3 and4 and then
from positive terminals1 and2.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 240).
!Vehicles with automatic transmission
and/or 4MATIC*:
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
Page 323 of 376
323 Technical data
Rims and Tires
Same size tires
C240
C2404MATIC
C320
C3204MATIC
C 230 Kompressor Sport
C320Sport
C 320 4MATIC Sport
C32AMG
Rims (light alloy)
7J x 16 H2
71/2J x 17
-
Rims (steel - Canada only)
7J x 16 H2
-
-
Wheel offset
1.46 in (37 mm)
1.46 in (37 mm)
-
All season tires (radial-ply tires)
205/55 R16 91 H
-
-
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
225/45 R17 91 W
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.
-
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
205/55 R16 91 H M+S
205/55 R16 91 H M+S
205/50 R17 89 H M+S
2
or
225/45 R17 91 H M+S1, 2
2Only on rim 71
/
2 Jx17 H2 ET 37
Page 324 of 376
324 Technical dataRims and TiresMixed size tires
C32AMG
Front axle:Rims (light alloy)
71/2J x 17 H2
Wheel offset
1.46 in (37 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
225/45 R17 91 Y
1
Rear axle:Rims (light alloy)
81/2J x 17 H2
Wheel offset
1.34 in (34 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
245/40 R17 91 Y
2, 3
1Also permissible: 225/45 ZR17 91 Y2Also permissible: 245/40 ZR17 91 Y3Must not be used with snow chains.
Page 325 of 376
325 Technical data
Rims and Tires
Spare wheel
Your vehicle is equipped with either a spare wheel with full size tire or Minispare wheel.
Spare wheel with full size tire
Minispare wheel
C 230 Kompressor Sport
C 240 (all models)
C 320 (all models)
C32AMG
Rim (light alloy)
-
71/2J x 17 H2
Rim (steel)
7J x 16 H2
-
Wheel offset
1.46 in (37 mm)
1.42 in (36 mm)
All season tire (radial-ply tire)
205/55 R16 91 H
225/45 R17 91 Y
C 230 Kompressor Sport
C 240 (all models)
C 320 (all models)
Rim (steel)
3.5B x 16 H2
Wheel offset
0.67 in (17 mm)
All season tire (radial-ply tire)
T 125/90 R16 M 98
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.
Page 333 of 376

333 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded meeting
ASTM standard D 439:
The octane number (posted at the
pump) must be 91 min. It is an average
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2. This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not
exceed 10%; MTBE not to exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
Ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can
be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure etc.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of
3 000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum
accelerator pedal position if the
vehicle is fully loaded or operating
in mountainous terrain.
iFlexible Fuel Vehicles (MY 2003
Mercedes-Benz C 320 models, except
those equipped with manual transmis-
sion or 4 - MATIC system*) are
designed to operate on premium
unleaded gasoline or Ethanol fuel (E85)
or any mixture of these two.
See notes on Flexible Fuel Vehicles
(page 334).
Page 341 of 376

341 Technical terms
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Alignment bolt
Metal pin with thread. The centering
pin is an aid used when changing a tire
to align the wheel with the wheel hub.
BabySmart
TM
airbag deactivation
system
This system detects if a special system
compatible child restraint seat is in-
stalled on the front passenger seat. The
system will automatically deactivate
the passenger front airbag when such a
seat is properly installed (indicator
lamp
7
located in the center con-
sole lights up). See your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for availability. BabySmart
TM
compatible child seats
Special restraint system for children.
The sensor system for the passenger
seat prevents deployment of the pas-
senger side airbag if a BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat is installed.
BAS
(B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied.
Bi-Xenon headlamps*
Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more
intense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-Xenon headlamps produce low
beam and high beam.CAC
(C
ustomer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a break-
down.
CAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control
vehicle functions such as door locking
or windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.