2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 KOMPRESSOR SPORT reset

ContentsOperation......................................... 237
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km) ......... 238
Driving instructions ............................ 239
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 239
Drinking and driving ..................... 239
Pedals .......................................... 239
Power assistance ......................... 239
Brakes .......................................... 240
Driving off..................................... 241
Parking ......................................... 241
Tires ............................................. 242
Hydroplaning ................................ 242
Tire traction .................................. 243
Tire speed rating .......................... 243
Winter driving instructions ........... 244
Standing water ............................. 245
Passenger compartment .............. 246
Driving abroad .............................. 246
Control and operation of radio
transmitters.................................. 246
Catalytic converter ....................... 247
Emission control........................... 247
Coolant temperature .................... 248At the gas station .............................. 249
Refueling ...................................... 249
Check regularly and before
a long trip ..................................... 251
Engine compartment ......................... 252
Hood ............................................ 252
Engine oil ..................................... 253
Transmission fluid level ................ 256
Coolant level ................................ 257
Battery ......................................... 258
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 259
Tires and wheels ................................ 260
Important guidelines .................... 260
Life of tire..................................... 261
Direction of rotation ..................... 261
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 261
Rotating wheels ........................... 262Winter driving .................................... 263
Winter tires .................................. 263
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 264
Snow chains................................. 264
Maintenance...................................... 265
Clearing the service indicator ...... 265
Service term exceeded ................ 265
Calling up the service indicator .... 266
Resetting the service indicator .... 266
Vehicle care....................................... 267
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 267

23 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Left turn signal indicator
lamp
47
2
Speedometer
3
Right turn signal indicator
lamp
47
4
Fuel gauge with:Fuel reserve warning lamp
278
5
warning lamp
60,
278
1Supplemental
restraint system
indicator lamp
54,
278
6
Multifunction display
with:
113
Trip odometer
111
Main odometer
113
Item
Page
Gear selector lever
position
44,
145
Program mode
146
Outside temperature
indicator
111
Digital clock
113
7
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
276
vElectronic Stability
Program (ESP)
warning lamp
74,
277
AHigh beam head-
lamp indicator
47,
106
EIndicator lamp
without function
1
DTRIndicator lamp
without function
1
1The indicator lamp illuminates with SmartKey in
starter switch position2. It sh ould go out when the
engine is running.
Item
Page
8
-Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
indicator lamp
72,
274
;Brake warning
lamp, USA only
45,
50,
275
3Brake warning
lamp, Canada only
45,
50,
275
9
Tachometer
111
a
Reset button for:

Resetting trip
odometer
111


Resetting individual
settings
124


Instrument cluster
illumination
109

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child
12 years old or under in the front passenger
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use
a BabySmart
TM1
child restraint which will
turn off the passenger front airbag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
side impact airbag.
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact airbags there is a
possibility for a side airbag related injury if
occupants, especially children, are not prop-
erly seated or restrained when next to a side
airbag which needs to deploy rapidly in a
side impact in order to do its job.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
side airbag inflates. This could result in
serious injuries or death should the side
airbag be activated.
(2) Always sit upright, properly use the seat
belts and use an appropriately sized in-
fant or child restraint system for all chil-
dren 12 years old or under.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
rear seat occupants to have both rear door
mounted side airbags deactivated, then
deactivation can be accomplished upon
your written request to do so at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center at an additional
cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.iAirbags are designed to activate only in
certain frontal impacts (front airbags)
and in side impacts (side impact and
head protection window curtain air-
bags) which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of
sufficient severity to meet the deploy-
ment tresholds, will they provide their
supplemental protection.
The driver and passengers should
always wear their seat belts. Otherwise
it is not possible for airbags to provide
their supplemental protection.

58 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
airbag In cases of other frontal impacts,
angled impacts, roll-overs, other side
impacts, rear collisions, or other acci-
dents, the airbags will not be activated.
The driver and passengers will then be
protected by the fastened seat belts.
We caution you not to rely on the
presence of the airbags in order to
avoid wearing your seat belt.
Your vehicle was originally equipped
with airbags that are designed to acti-
vate in certain impacts exceeding a
preset threshold to reduce the poten-
tial and severity of injury. It is important
to your safety and that of your passen-
gers that you replace deployed airbags
and repair any malfunctioning airbags
to ensure that the vehicle will continue
to provide supplemental crash protec-
tion for occupants.Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Airbags and emergency tensioning
devices (ETDs) are designed to function
on a one-time only basis. An airbag or
ETD that was activated must be
replaced


No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front airbag
cover, door trim panels, or door frame
trims, and installation of additional elec-
trical/electronic equipment on or near
SRS components and wiring. Keep area
between airbags and occupants free
from objects (e.g. packages, purses,
umbrellas, etc.).


Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.


Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when curtain airbag is deployed.

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.
Front airbags
1Driver’s airbag
2Passenger front airbagDriver and passenger airbags are
deployed:


in the event of a frontal impact


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact
airbags
The airbags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s
deployment thresholds. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belts.
The passenger front airbag will only be
deployed if:


the front passenger seat is occupied


the PASS. AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
in the center console is not lit
(page 66)


the impact exceeds a preset
deployment treshold


An airbag system component within the
steering wheel gets hot after the airbag
has inflated. Do not touch.


Improper work on the system, including
incorrect installation and removal, can
lead to possible injury through an unin-
tended activation of the SRS.


In addition, through improper work
there is a risk of rendering the SRS inop-
erative or causing unintended airbag de-
ployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the airbag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Given the considerable deployment
speed and the textile structure of the
airbags, there is the possibility of abra-
sions or other injuries resulting from air-
bag deployment.

60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetySide impact airbags, window curtain
airbags
The window curtain airbags1 fill up the
area between the A and C pillars (see
arrows).
1Window curtain airbag
2Side impact airbagsThe side impact airbags and window
curtain airbags are deployed:


on the impacted side of the vehicle


in impacts exceeding a preset
deployment threshold


independently of the front airbags
The front passenger side impact airbag will
only deploy if the system senses that the
front passenger seat is occupied.
The side impact airbags and window
curtain airbags are not deployed in
impacts which do not exceed the system’s
deployment threshold.
Seat belts
When the engine is started, the seat belt
non-usage warning lamp< illuminates
to remind you and your passengers to
fasten your seat belts. If the driver’s seat
belt is not fastened before the engine is
started, the seat belt non-usage warning lamp< illuminates and a warning
chime sounds for approximately six
seconds when the engine is started.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the
U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts
fastened whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
For more information on seat belts, see
“Fastening the seat belt” (
page 40).
!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger
seat. This could cause the front or side
impact airbag on the front passenger
side to deploy in a crash which exceeds
the system's deployment threshold.
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and
restraint systems for infants and
children, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 63).

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries in case of an accident.


Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver airbag, pas-
senger front airbag, side impact airbags,
head protection window curtain airbags
for side windows), ETD (seat belt emer-
gency tensioning device), and front seat
knee bolsters. The system is designed
to enhance the protection offered to
properly belted occupants in certain
frontal (front airbags) and side (side im-
pact airbags and window curtain air-
bags) impacts which exceed preset
deployment thresholds.


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The
belt would also apply too much force to
the ribs or abdomen, which could se-
verely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.


Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
might cause injuries.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage impact forces. The
twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the floor in front of the seat.

63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases when the seat belts are
fastened:

in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding a preset severity level.


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly.
See 1indicator lamp (
page 54).
In an impact, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Belt force limiters
reduce the force exerted by the seat belts
on occupants during a crash.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:

Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child and recommended for
use by Mercedes-Benz.


Ensure that the infant or child is prop-
erly secured by a belt at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and infor-
mation on choosing an appropriate re-
straint system can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Infant and child restraint systems
Only use a BabySmart
TM1
compatible child
restraint for the front passenger seat in
this vehicle.
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When scrapping the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger
seat. This could cause the front or side
impact airbag on the front passenger
side to deploy in a crash which exceeds
the system's deployment threshold.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.