2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C32AMG steering

193 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The cruise control driving system of your
vehicle is described on the following pag-
es.
The BAS, ABS and ESP driving systems are
described in the “Safety and Security” sec-
tion (
page 73).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set any speed
over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 24).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must remain at all
times responsible for the vehicle speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

209 Controls in detail
Useful features
You can take and place telephone calls us-
ing the
í
and
ì
buttons on the
steering wheel. To carry out other tele-
phone functions, use the control system
(
page 111).
See separate operating manual for instruc-
tions on how to use the telephone.
Tele Aid*
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his /her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
o m m e n d t h a t y o u p u l l o v e r t o a s a f e l o c a t i o n
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND* (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System)
1 if road, weather
and traffic conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approx. 44 feet (ap-
proximately 13.5 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Warning!
G
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle. Whether or not prohibited by law, for
safety reasons, the driver should not use the
cellular telephone while the vehicle is in mo-
tion.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location before an-
swering or placing a call.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid
system may only be performed by
completing the subscriber agreement
and placing an acquaintance call using
the SOS button. Failure to complete
either of these steps will result in a
system that is not activated. If the
system is not activated, the indicator
lamp in the SOS button stays on after
turning key in starter switch to
position2 and the message
TELE AID
– NOT ACTIVATED
will be shown in the
multifunction display for approx. ten
seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).

210 Controls in detailUseful featuresThe Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic A
larm I
dentification on
D
emand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:

automatic and manual emergency


roadside assistance and


information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the multifunction steering wheel. To
raise, press button
æ
and to lower,
press button
ç
.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button
•
or
the Information button
¡
, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your Ac-
quaintance Call, you will receive a user ID
and password via first call mail. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
( U S A o n l y ) , y o u w i l l h a v e a c c e s s t o a c c o u n t
information, remote door unlock and
more.System self-check
Initially, after turning the key in starter
switch to position2, malfunctions are de-
tected and indicated (the indicator lamps
in the SOS button, the Roadside Assis-
tance button
•
and the Information
button
¡
stay on longer than ten sec-
onds or do not come on). The message
TELE AID – VISIT WORKSHOP!
appears for
approx. ten seconds in the multifunction
display.
iThe SOS button is located above the in-
side rear view mirror.
The Roadside Assistance button
•

and the Information button
¡
are
located below the center armrest
cover.
!The Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (Global Positioning System) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the
Tele Aid system may not function and if
this occurs, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.

214 Controls in detailUseful features
Information button
¡
Located below the center armrest cover is
the Information button
¡
.

Press and hold the button (for longer
than two seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance Cen-
ter will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
INFO – CONNECTING CALL
will
appear in the multifunction display.
When the connection is established, the
message
INFO – CALL CONNECTED
appears
in the multifunction display. The Tele Aid
system will transmit data generating the
vehicle identification number, model, color
and location (subject to availability of cel-
lular and GPS signals).A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. When a voice connection is estab-
lished the audio system mutes and the
message
TELE AID – INFO CALL ACTIVE

appears in the multifunction display. Infor-
mation regarding the operation of your ve-
hicle, the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
or Mercedes-Benz USA products and ser-
vices is available to you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).
iThe indicator lamp in the Roadside As-
sistance button
•
remains illumi-
nated in red for approx. ten seconds
during the system self-check after turn-
ing the key in the starter switch to
position2 (together with the SOS but-
ton and the Information button
¡
).
See system self-check (
page 210)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately ten seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button
•
is illuminated
continuously and there was no voice
connection to the Response Center es-
tablished, then the Tele Aid system
could not initiate a Roadside Assis-
tance call (e.g. the relevant cellular
phone network is not available). The
message
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE –
CALL FAILED
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be ter-
minated using the
ì
button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
remains illuminated in red
for approx. ten seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after turning key in the
starter switch to position2 (together
with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button
•
).

215 Controls in detail
Useful features
Upgrade signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority:

Automatic emergency – First priority


Manual emergency – Second priority


Roadside assistance – Third priority


Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard, and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the
appropriate indicator lamp will stop flash-
ing. The COMAND* system operation will
resume. See system self-check (
page 210)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately ten seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
is illuminated continuous-
ly and there was no voice connection to
the Response Center established, then
the Tele Aid system could not initiate
an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not avail-
able). The message
INFO –
CALL FAILED
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Information calls can be terminated us-
ing the
ì
button on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or
remain illuminated (in red) at any time,
the Tele Aid system has detected a
fault or the service is not currently ac-
tive, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your Mercedes-Benz Center and have
the system checked or contact the Re-
sponse Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in
the USA) or 1-888-923-8367 (in Cana-
da) as soon as possible.

216 Controls in detailUseful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. key inside vehicle), and the
reserve key is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull the
trunk recessed handle for minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the multi-
function display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your Acquaintance Call.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp in the respective
button flashes until the call is conclud-
ed. Calls can only be terminated by a
Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
pressing button
ì
on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the audio system or the COMAND* sys-
tem audio is muted and the selected
mode (radio, tape or CD) pauses. The
optional cellular phone (if installed)
switches off. If you must use this
phone, the vehicle must be parked. Dis-
connect the coiled cord and place the
call. The COMAND* navigation system
(if engaged) will continue to run. The
display in the instrument cluster is
available for use and spoken com-
mands are only available by pressing
the RPT button on the COMAND* unit.
A pop-up window will appear in the CO-
MAND* display to indicate that a
Tele Aid call is in progress.

224 OperationDriving instructionsPower assistanceBrakesTo help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only
subject to moderate loads, you should
occasionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads. If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter stays on, the brake fluid level in the res-
ervoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.
Have the brake system inspected at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only install brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.Warning!
G
When the engine is not running, the brake
and steering systems are without power as-
sistance. Under these circumstances, a
much greater effort is necessary to stop or
steer the vehicleWarning!
G
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through wa-
ter deep enough to wet brake components,
the first braking action may be somewhat
reduced and increased pedal pressure may
be necessary to obtain expected braking ef-
fect. Maintain a safe distance from vehicles
in front.
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will
cause excessive and premature wear of the
brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effec-
tiveness. It may not be possible to stop the
vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an acci-
dent.
!Be very careful not to endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Refer to the description of the Brake
Assist System (BAS) (
page 74).

228 OperationDriving instructionsC240, C2404MATIC, C320, and
C 320 4MATIC
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“H”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).
C 230 Kompressor Sport, C 320 Sport,
and C 320 4MATIC Sport
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“W”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 168 mph (270 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).C32AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 188 mph (300 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km/h).
Regardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.
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 positionN or in
case of manual transmission declutch. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.
iInformation on driving with snow
chains, see “Snow chains”
(page 246).
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 control loss.