2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C240 4MATIC WAGON engine

78 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsFour wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC*) with ESP
Only models with all-wheel-drive*
(4MATIC).
The 4MATIC improves vehicle’s ability to
use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under snowy con-
ditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.
Warning!
G
If you see the ESP warning lamp
v
flash-
ing in the speedometer dial, proceed as fol-
lows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible


While driving ease up on the accelerator


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP cannot prevent accidents resulting
from excessive speed.!Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
!Performance testing must only be con-
ducted on a 2-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.!Because of the ESP’s automatic opera-
t i o n , t h e e n g i n e m u s t b e s h u t o f f ( k e y i n
starter switch position0 or1) when
the parking brake is being tested on a
brake test dynamometer
Active braking action through ESP may
otherwise seriously damage the front
or rear axle brake system.
Operational tests with the engine run-
ning can only be conducted on a 2-axle
dynamometer.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 78 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

79 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating

Removing the key from the starter
switch activates the immobilizer.
Deactivating


Inserting the key in the starter switch
deactivates the immobilizer.
Anti-theft alarm system*
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens

a door


the tailgate


the hood.
The alarm system will also be triggered
when


someone attempts to raise the vehicle


the vehicle is opened with the mechan-
ical key.Arming the alarm system
The alarm system is armed after locking
the vehicle with the remote control. The
turn signal lamps blink three times to indi-
cate that the alarm system is activated.
A red lamp in the switch for the tow-away
alarm will blink after approximately
10 seconds when the alarm system is
completely armed.
iIn case the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle’s battery is charged),
the system is not operational. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the
USA), or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, an emergency call is initi-
ated automatically by the Tele Aid* sys-
tem (
page 211) provided Tele Aid*
service was subscribed to and properly
activated, and that necessary cellular
service and GPS coverage are avail-
able.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not blink
three times, the tow-away sensor* is
malfunctioning or one of the following
elements may not be properly closed:

a door


the tailgate


the hood
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 79 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

90 Controls in detailSeats
SeatsInformation on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 32).
Easy-entry/exit feature*
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch and the driver’s door is closed,
the steering wheel and the driver’s seat re-
turn to their last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
The steering column and the seat are
adjusted.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
switched on or off in the individual setting
menu of the control system (
page 126).
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry / exit feature* is activated,
the driver’s door is being opened and the en-
gine is turned off or the SmartKey is re-
moved from the starter switch. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature*, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 90 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

93 Controls in detail
Seats
Multicontour seat*
Some models may be equipped with driv-
er’s multicontour seat. This seat has a
movable seat cushion and inflatable air
cushions built into the backrest to provide
additional lumbar and side support.
The seat cushion movement, backrest
cushion height and curvature can be con-
tinuously varied with regulators on the
right side of the seat after turning the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position2.1Seat cushion depth
2Backrest bottom
3Backrest center
4Side bolster adjustment
Adjusting the multicontour seat in the or-
der listed above is recommended.

Check that the ignition is switched on.
All lamps in the instrument cluster light
up.The seat cushion movement, backrest
cushion height and curvature can be con-
tinuously varied with regulators1, 2
and3).
The side bolsters of the backrest can be
adjusted with rocker switch4:

Press to the left.
Side support will be increased.

Press to the right.
Side support will be decreased.iWhen the engine is turned off, the last
cushion setting is retained in memory,
and the cushion is automatically ad-
justed to this setting when the engine
is restarted.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 93 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

98 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 47).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel
M
Off
U
Automatic headlamp mode
C
Parking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
Canada only: When engine is run-
ning, the low beam is also switched
on.
B
Low beam plus parking lamps or
high beam headlamps (combination
switch pushed forward).
ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
iIf you remove the key and open the
driver’s door while the parking lamps or
low beam headlamps are switched on,
then

a warning sounds


$
appears in the multifunction
display


the message
TURN OFF LAMPS
ap-
pears in the multifunction display
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 98 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

100 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
M
or
U
.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(with a three-minute delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in position
M
.To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode” (
page 121).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 122) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 122).
Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.Switching on rear fog lamp

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 98).
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 100 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

104 Controls in detailInstrument cluster
Instrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:


open a door


turn on the ignition


press the reset knob (
page 22)


switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the Instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 118).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use the reset knob (
page 22) to adjust
the illumination brightness for the instru-
ment cluster.
To brighten illumination

Turn the reset knob in the instrument
cluster (
page 22) clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.To dim illumination

Turn the reset knob in the instrument
cluster (
page 22) counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
Coolant temperature display
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the engine hood. Stay away
f r o m t h e e n g i n e i f y o u s e e o r h e a r s t e a m
coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 104 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

105 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Call up the trip odometer and main
odometer by pressing button
è

or
ÿ
on the multifunction steering
wheel (page 108).

Press button
j
or
k
until the
coolant temperature display appears.During severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer and main odometer
(page 107) in the multifunction dis-
play.

Press and hold the reset knob on the in-
strument cluster (
page 22) until the
trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger
a warning in the multifunction display.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 105 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM