2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE wheel

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.

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.

143
Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
in N can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in position P
is dangerous. Also, position P alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to position P (
page 46).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels 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.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey 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 gear selector lever from
position P, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

144 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Program mode selector switch
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.1 Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving

Press program mode selector
switch 1 repeatedly until the letter of
the desired shift program appears in
the multifunction display (
page 109).
Select Cfor comfort driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range 1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.


The power transmission ratio for
gear selector lever position R
changes depending on the program
mode selected ( Sor C).
!Never change the program mode when
the gear selector lever is out of
position P. This could result in a
change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.

151
Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
The storage compartment between the
front seats can be ventilated (
page 157).
For information on rear passenger com-
partment adjustable air vents see “Rear
passenger compartment adjustable air
vents” (
page 158).
Item
1
Climate control panel
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Right center air vent, adjustable
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
6
Air volume control for side air vent
7
Side air vent, adjustable
8
Side defroster vent, fixediFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents 2, 3
and 7 to the middle position.
Item
1
Air volume control
2
Left-side temperature control
3
Right-side temperature control
4
Air distribution control switch
5
Rear window defroster
6
AC cooling on/off (AC
OFF)
7
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting

158 Controls in detailClimate controlRear passenger compartment adjustable air vents1 Left center air vent
2 Thumbwheel for air volume control for
center air vents
3 Right center air vent To open center air vents:

Turn thumbwheel
2 upward.iThe temperature at the air vents for
rear passenger compartment 1
and 3 is the same as at the dashboard
center air vents.

179
Controls in detail
Audio system
Repeat
The repeat function (RPT) repeats the cur-
rent track.
Switching on repeat:
Press the
RPT
key.
RPT
is highlighted in the display.
Switching off repeat:

Press the
RPT
key.
The highlighted RPT
in the display dis-
appears. Track and time display

Press the
T key.
The number of the track being played
and the elapsed playing time appear in
the display.

Press the
T key.
The total number of tracks and the total
playing time of the CD appear in the
display.
The CD main menu appears again after
eight seconds.
Telephone* operation
Various car telephone* functions and op-
erating steps for the car telephone can be
performed and displayed via the audio sys-
tem.
Further operating instructions not covered
here can be found in the operating
instructions for the multifunction steering
wheel, voice control* and the telephone*.
iThe Random play and Repeat function
cannot be used simultaneously.