2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE engine

126 Controls in detailControl system
With daytime running lamp mode se-
lected and the exterior lamp switch at
position0, the following lamps will
c o m e o n a u t o m a t i c a l l y w h e n t h e
engine is turned on:

Parking lamps and low beam head-
lamps


License plate lamps in low ambient
light conditions Setting locator lighting
During darkness, the following lamps will
come on when the exterior lamp switch is
in position
U, the locator lighting fea-
ture is activated, and the vehicle is un-
locked by SmartKey:


Parking lamps


Tail lamps


License plate lamps


Front fog lamps
To activate locator lighting:

Make sure the function
LOCATOR
LIGHTING
is set.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion U .
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened. It switches off au-
tomatically after a period of approximately
40 seconds.

Move the selection marker with
the æ orç button to the
LIGHT-
ING
submenu.

Press button j ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
LOCATOR LIGHTING
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press æ orç to select the de-
sired setting.
The locator lighting will be switched on
or off.
iIf you turn the exterior lamp switch to
another position, the corresponding
lamp(s) will switch on.
For safety reasons, resetting the LIGHTING
submenu to factory settings
(
page 120) while driving will not re-
set the daytime running lamp mode.
In the display you will then see the mes-
sage:
LIGHTING – CANNOT BE TOTALLY
RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS WHILE
DRIVING.


130 Controls in detailControl systemActivating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off. After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed


you put the SmartKey in the starter
switch and


press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 96)
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 or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
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.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press the seat adjustment
switch*(
page 35).


Move the steering column stalk*
(page 38).


Press the memory switch*
(page 96).

134 Controls in detailControl systemCall up range (distance to empty)
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button j ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
RANGE
.
In the display you will see the calculat-
ed range based on the current fuel tank
level.
TEL 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 orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.
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 rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
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 sec-
ond.
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, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

137
Controls in detail
Manual transmission
 Manual transmission
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Manual transmission”
(page 137).
Do not exceed the maximum speed in the
individual gears. Refer to tachometer
(page 22) for engine speeds.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.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
the vehicle. Do not leave children unattend-
ed in the vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. Children could move the
gearshift lever, which could result in an acci-
dent and/or serious injury.
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in 1st or reverse
gear and parking brake engaged is danger-
ous. Also, when parked on an incline, an en-
gaged 1st 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 1st or reverse gear (
page 52).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheel towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay, or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.

138 Controls in detailManual transmission
Shifting into reverse
Stop the vehicle completely.

Pull gearshift lever up and shift in
Rreverse.
!Downshifting gears leading to overrev-
ving the engine can result in engine
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Do not exceed the engine speed limits
(page 324).
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.

139
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
 Automatic transmission*
For more information on driving with an au-
tomatic transmission, see “Automatic
transmission*” (
page 45).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its gear shift program. The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:


the gear selector lever position
D with
gear ranges 4, 3 , 2 , 1 (
page 141)


the selected shift program ( C/S)
(page 144)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 145)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
and shift program (
C/S) appear in the
multifunction display (page 109).
An additional indication of the current gear
selector 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 gear selector lever is in
position
D, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of P or N 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 engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

140 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action
simultaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 141). Upshifting

Briefly press the gear 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 simul-
taneously extends the gear range of the
transmission. Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the
D+direction until
D reappears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear range D.
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
acceleration 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
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear 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.

141
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in position
D,
you can limit the transmission’s gear range
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
left ( D-), and reverse the gear range limit
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
right ( D+).
The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display. If you press on the
accelerator when the engine has reached
its rpm limit, the transmission will upshift
beyond any gear range limit selected.
Effect
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.