2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 COUPE octane

13 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Operating your vehicle outside the USA or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in for-
eign countries, please be aware that:

Service facilities or replacement parts
may not be readily available,


unleaded gasoline for vehicles with cat-
alytic converters may not be available;
the use of leaded fuels will damage the
catalysts,


gasoline may have a considerably low-
er octane rating, and improper fuel can
cause engine damage.Certain Mercedes-Benz models are avail-
able for delivery in Europe under our Euro-
pean Delivery Program. For details, consult
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or
write to:
In the USA:
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
European Delivery Department
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350
In Canada:
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
European Delivery Department
849 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario M4G 2L5

225 Operation
At the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Coolant level
More information on the coolant level
can be found in the “Operation” section
(
page 229).
2Brake fluid (fuse box cover removed)
More information on brake fluid can be
found in the “Technical data” section
(page 317).
Removing fuse box cover see page
(page 303).
3Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
For more information on refilling the
reservoir, see the “Operation” section
(page 232).Engine oil level
More information on engine oil can be
found in the “Operation” section
(
page 227).
Opening hood see (
page 226).
Coolant
For normal replenishing, use water (pota-
ble water quality). More information on
coolant can be found in the“Operation”
section (
page 229).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. For more
information on replacing light bulbs, see
the “Practical hints” section (
page 280).
Exterior lamp switch (
page 96).
Tire inflation pressure
More information on tire inflation pressure
can be found in the “Operation” section
(
page 234).
iUse only premium unleaded gasoline
with a minimum Posted Octane Rating
of 91 (average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can
normally be found on the fuel pump.
More information on gasoline can be
found in the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet.iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the
?
lamp to
illuminate.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 250).

318 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
16.4 US gal (62.0 l)
2.1 US gal (8.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON / 86 MON)
Air conditioning system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant oil (never R-12)
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning sys-
tem:
Without headlamp clean-
ing system
With headlamp cleaning
system
3.2 US qt (3 l)
6.4 US qt (6 l)
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
1
1Use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and water for temperatures above freezing or MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and commercially available pre-
mixed windshield washer solvent/antifreeze for temperatures below freezing. Follow suggested mixing ratios (
page 324).

320 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded meeting
ASTM standard D 439:

The octane number (posted at the
pu mp ) m us t b e 91 mi n. It is an a ve ra ge
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
3000 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 ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.

329 Technical terms
GPS*
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer
and fuel gauge.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.Memory function*
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions for
each key.
Menu
The control system displays are ar-
ranged in menus. Each menu contains
a number of commands for particular
systems. In the Audio menu, for exam-
ple, you will find the commands
Select
radio station
or Operate CD player
.
Using commands you can directly
change the settings for your vehicle.
MON
(M
otor O
ctane N
umber)
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline
as determined by a standardized meth-
od. It is an indication of a gasoline's
ability to resist undesired detonation
(knocking). The average of both the
MON (Motor Octane Number) and
->RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as AN-
TI-KNOCK INDEX.Multifunction display
Display field in the instrument cluster
used to present information provided
by the control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.
Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
of the tachometer dial. Avoid this en-
gine speed range, as it may result in se-
rious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

330 Technical termsPower train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing


engine


clutch/torque converter


transmission


transfer case


drive shaft


differential


axle shafts/axlesPoly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.
Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operationS and
winter operationW.
Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
Transmission of vehicle data and cur-
rent location to the Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance Center for sub-
scribers to Tele Aid service.
Restraint systems
Seat belts, belt tensioners, airbags and
child restraint systems. As indepen-
dant systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.RON
(R
esearch O
ctane N
umber)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line's ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the ->MON (Motor Octane Number)
and RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as AN-
TI-KNOCK INDEX.
Shift lock
When the vehicle is parked, this lock
prevents the transmission selector le-
ver from being moved out of positionP
without key turned and brake pedal de-
pressed.

344 IndexMalfunction
Displaying 113
Malfunction memory 112
Calling up 112
Manual headlamp mode 97
Manual operations
Fuel filler flap 277
Interior lighting control 100
Locking the vehicle 275
Sliding/pop-up roof 278
Unlocking the driver’s door 274
Unlocking the trunk lid 275
Unlocking transmission selector lever
277
Manual seat
Adjusting 33
Adjusting backrest tilt 33
Adjusting head restraint height 33
Adjusting head restraint tilt 34
Adjusting seat cushion tilt 33
Adjusting seat height 33
Front seat head restraints 90
Seat fore and aft adjustment 33
Manual transmission 130
Shifting into reverse 131
Starting with 44MAXCOOL maximum cooling 154
MB Tex upholstery
Cleaning 244
Mechanical key 274, 275
Memory function 93, 329
Recalling positions from memory 94
Storing exterior rear view mirror park-
ing positions 95
Storing key dependent settings 94
Menus 106
AUDIO 110
Control system 329
In control system 108, 109
Malfunction memory 112
NAV 112
Settings menu 114
Standard display 110
Submenus 107
TEL* 126
Trip computer 125
Microphone
Hands-free microphone 26
Miles/kilometers in speedometer
Setting 117Mirrors
Adjusting 39
Automatic antiglare for rear view mirror
138
Exterior rear view mirror 40
Exterior rear view mirror parking posi-
tions 124
Inside rear view mirror 39
Storing exterior rear view mirror park-
ing position 95
MON 225
MON (Motor Octane Number) 329
Mph or km/h in speedometer 117
Multifunction display 105, 329
Selecting language 118
Standard display 109
Multifunction display messages
ABS 253
BAS 254
Battery 270
Brake fluid 256
Brake pads 256
Check engine 250
Coolant 258
Coolant level 257
Display 270

348 Index
Rear turn signal bulbs 285
Side marker lamp bulbs 285
Standing lamp bulbs 283, 284
Wiper blades 287
Reset knob in the instrument cluster 114
Resetting
All functions (control system) 114
All functions of a submenu 115
Fuel consumption 125
Service indicator (FSS) 239
Trip odometer 103
Residual heat utilization 158, 330
Residual ventilation 158
REST (Residual engine heat utilization) 330
Restraint system see Infant and child re-
straint systems 65, 69
Reverse (manual transmission)
Shifting into 131
Rims 311
Roadside assistance
Tele Aid* 204
Rolling code programming 211
RON 225
RON (Research Octane Number) 330
Roof rack 192
Rotating wheels 235Rubber parts
Cleaning 244
S
Safety
Occupant 56
Safety belts see Seat belts 41
Safety systems
Driving 73
Saving current speed 190
Searching
Radio station 111
Seat belt force limiter 64
Seat belt outlet height adjustment 43
Seat belts 62
Cleaning 244
Fastening 41
Height adjustment 43
Proper use of 43, 63
Safety guidelines 60
Warning lamp 250
Seat heater*
Switching off 92
Switching on 92
Seats 89
Adjusting 32
Easy entry/exit feature 89Heater 91
Manual 33
Rapid seat heating 92
Split rear bench seat 192
Selecting
Display 118
Selector lever 23
Lock 45
Position (automatic transmission) 23,
132
Self-test
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation sys-
tem 68
Tele Aid* 202
Service
Calling up the service indicator 239
Major service (Service B) 238
Minor service (Service A) 238
Overdue 238
Spare parts 306
Types 238
When due 238
Service and Warranty Booklet
Loss of 307