2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 COUPE lights

75 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
ESP
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
monitors the vehicle's traction (force of
adhesive friction between the tires and the
road surface) and handling.
The ESP recognizes when a wheel is spin-
ning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By ap-
plying brakes to the appropriate wheel and
by limiting engine output, the ESP works to
stabilize the vehicle. The ESP is especially
useful while driving off and on wet or slip-
pery road surfaces.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the speed-
ometer dial flashes when the ESP is en-
gaged.
The warning lamp
v
in the speedome-
ter dial lights up when you turn the key in
the starter switch to position2. It goes out
when the engine is running.
Warning!
G
The BAS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking efficiency beyond that af-
forded by the condition of the vehicle brakes
and tires or the traction. The BAS cannot
prevent accidents, including those resulting
from excessive speed in turns, following an-
other vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver can
prevent accidents. The capabilities of a BAS
equipped vehicle must never be exploited in
a reckless or dangerous manner which
could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.
Warning!
G
Never switch off the ESP when you see the
ESP warning lamp
v
flashing in the
speedometer dial. In this case proceed as
follows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.


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.

80 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsDisarming tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm
feature, switch off the tow-away alarm be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
1Tow-away alarm off switch
2Indicator lamp
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
Turn off the ignition and remove the
key.

Press upper half1 of the switch.
Indicator lamp2 in the switch lights up
briefly.

Lock your vehicle with the key.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed un-
til you lock your vehicle again.iYou cannot disarm the tow-away alarm
if the ignition is turned on.

84 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Checking the batteries
Press button
‹
or
Œ
.
Battery check lamp4 lights up briefly
to indicate that the key batteries are in
order.Loss of SmartKey or mechanical key
If you lose a SmartKey or mechanical key,
you should do the following:

Have the SmartKey deactivated by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey or the
mechanical key immediately to your
car insurance company.

If necessary, have the mechanical lock
replaced.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
will be glad to supply you with a replace-
ment.
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the key, then either the
batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged or the key is malfunctioning or
the vehicle battery is drained.

Check the batteries in the key and
replace them if necessary
(page 276).
or


Check the vehicle battery
(page 294).
or


Use the mechanical key to unlock
the doors (
page 274) as required.
Lock the vehicle using the mechan-
ical key (
page 275).
If the key is malfunctioning, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!If battery check lamp4 does not light
up briefly during check, then the key
batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 276).
You can obtain the required batteries
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

92 Controls in detailSeatsSwitching on seat heating
Press upper switch position1.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.
Switching on rapid seat heating

Press lower switch position2.
Both red indicator lamps on the switch
light up.Switching off seat heating

If one indicator lamp is on, press upper
switch position1.

If both indicator lamps are on, press
lower switch position2.
!If one or both of the lamps on the seat
heater switch are blinking, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heater switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.
iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only one indicator lamp re-
mains lit. iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
30 minutes.

97 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch. For exterior lamp
switch, see above.
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
U
.
Warning!
G
In automatic headlamp mode, the head-
lamps will not be automatically switched on
under foggy conditions. To minimize risk to
you and to others, activate headlamps by
turning exterior lamp switch to
B
.
The driver is responsible for the operation of
the vehicle’s lights at all times. The automat-
ic headlamp feature is only an aid to the driv-
er. Switch on the vehicle lights manually
when driving or when traffic conditions re-
quire you to do so.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.
iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in position
U
. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to position
B
.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

98 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 119).
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 120) and “Exterior lamps delayed
shut off” (
page 120).
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 96).
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.

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

Press the rocker switch to the center
position4.
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
position3
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 button1.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go on.

Press button1 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
position0.
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 button2.
The right reading lamp goes on.

Press button2 again.
The right reading lamp goes off.
Switching left front reading lamp on and
off

Press button6.
The left reading lamp goes on.

Press button6 again.
The left reading lamp goes off.Switching all front interior lights on

Press rocker switch to position5.
The front interior lamps go on.
Switching all front interior lights off

Press rocker switch to position3 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