2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C32AMG warning

111 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the key in the starter switch is turned to
position1. The control system enables you
to

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control
system to find out when your vehicle is
next due for service, to set the language
for messages in the instrument cluster
display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Outside temperature
2Main odometer
3Trip odometer
4Automatic transmission program mode
5Current gear selector lever position
6Digital clock
iThe displays for the audio systems
(radio, CD player, cassette player) will
appear in English, regardless of the
language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 13.5 m) every second.

118 Controls in detailControl systemOperate the cassette player
Turn on the radio and select the
Casette player (
page 174).
Vehicles with COMAND*: Refer to
separate operating instructions.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until the settings for the cassette
currently being played are shown in the
display.
1Current side

Press button
j
to fast forward to
the next track.

Press button
k
to rewind the
cassette to the beginning of the current
track.
NAVI menu
The
NAV
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the messageNAV
in the
display.


If the navigation system is switched off,
the message
NAV OFF
is shown in the
display.


If the navigation system is on, the
message
NAV ACTIVE
is shown in the
display.
Please refer to the COMAND* manual for
instructions on how to activate the route
guidance system*.
Malfunction memory menu
Use the malfunction memory menu to scan
malfunction and warning messages that
may be stored in the system. What
information is shown in the display
depends on whether malfunctions have
actually occurred.
iTo select the reverse side of the tape,
press button below track number on
the audio system display, or enter
request on the COMAND* system
located in the center dashboard.
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 261).

119 Controls in detail
Control system

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the malfunction message
memory in the display.
No malfunction messages
If no malfunctions have occured, the
message in the display is:
NO MALFUNCTIONMalfunctions have occurred
If malfunctions have occurred, you will see
the number of malfunctions in the display:
1Number of malfunctions

Press button
k
or
j
.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in order. See the “Practical
hints” section for malfunction and
warning messages (
page 261).
Should any malfunctions occur while
driving, the number of malfunctions will
reappear in the display when the key in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch.
Settings menu
In the
SETTINGS
menu there are two
functions:


The function
RESET TO FACTORY
SETTINGS
, with which you can reset all
the settings to the original factory
settings.


A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until the
SETTINGS
menu is seen in the
display.
iThe message memory will be cleared
when you turn the key in the starter
switch to position1 or2. You will then
only see high-priority messages in the
multifunction display (
page 261).

129 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting automatic locking
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the automatic central locking. With the
automatic central locking system
activated, the vehicle is centrally locked at
vehicle speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h).
Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to the
VEHICLE
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the
display:
AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to switch
AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK
ON or
OFF
.Convenience submenu
Access the
CONVENIENCE
submenu via the
SETTINGS
menu. Use the
CONVENIENCE

submenu to change the settings for a
number of convenience features. The
following functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and
deactivate the easy-entry/exit feature.
When the feature is activated, the steering
wheel and driver’s seat will move back to
facilitate exiting when you


remove the key from the starter switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/
exit feature*
see
below
Set key dependency
131
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
131
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
and the driver’s door is being opened and
the engine is turned off or the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised 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.

134 Controls in detailControl systemTEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and
COMAND*.

Press button
ÿ
or
è
on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL OFF
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display is
empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the
display.
1Signal strength
Warning!
G
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
recommend that you pull over to a safe
location and stop before placing or taking a
telephone call. If you choose to use the
telephone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the
telephone when weather, road and traffic
conditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a
vehicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every
second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system,
possibly resulting in an accident and
personal injury.

137 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Information for driving with a manual
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 44).
Gearshift leverDo not exceed the maximum speed in the
individual gears. Refer to tachometer
(page 109) for engine speeds.
Shifting into reverse
Stop the vehicle completely.

Pull gearshift lever up and shift inR
reverse.
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or re-
verse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous.
Also, when parked on an incline, an engaged
first or reverse gear alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 51).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the gearshift lever, which could result in an
accident and/or serious injury.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action.
This could result in drive wheel slip and
reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS
will not prevent this type of loss of control.!Downshifting gears leading to overrev-
ving the engine can result in engine
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Never hold the vehicle stopped on a hill
by using the clutch pedal. The clutch
may be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warran-
ty.
Do not exceed the engine speed limits
(page 109).

138 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*
Automatic transmission*Information for driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 44).
Your transmission adapts its gear shifting
process to your individual driving style by
continually adjusting the shift points up or
down. These shift point adjustments are
performed based on current operating and
driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change the au-
tomatic transmission reacts by adjusting
its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on


the selector lever positionD with gear
ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 140)


the selected shift program (W/S)
(page 142)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 143)


the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program (W/S) appear in the speed-
ometer display (
page 111).
An additional indication of the current se-
lector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate. The indicators
come on when you activate a switch (e.g.
unlocking the vehicle or opening a door)
and go out after approximately
15 minutes.When the selector lever is in positionD,
you can influence transmission shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears yourself
iDuring the brief warm-up the transmis-
sion upshifting is delayed. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
ofP orN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

139 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears yourself when the
selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the selector lever to the
left in the D–direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action si-
multaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 140).Upshifting

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the selector lever in the
D+direction untilD reappears in the
tachometer display field.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D–direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal accelera-
tion and deceleration. This will involve
shifting down one or more gears.
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 loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the selector lever is moved to the
D–direction, the transmission will not
shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.