2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C240 4MATIC WAGON Owner's Manual

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Rear interior lights
2Right front reading lamp
3Rocker switch for automatic control
system
4Left front reading lampActivating automatic control

Press rocker switch3 to center
position.
Interior lamps are switched on in
darkness, even when you:

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open the tailgate
The interior lamps are switched off after a
preset time (
page 130).Deactivating automatic control

Press the= symbol on rocker
switch3.
The interior lighting remains switched
off, even when you:

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open the tailgate
Manual control
Switching all front interior lights on and
off

Press theW symbol on rocker
switch3.
The front interior lights come on.

Press rocker switch3 to center
position to activate the automatic
control.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after
approximately five minutes, when the
SmartKey is removed or in starter
switch position0.
An interior lamp switched on manually
does not go out automatically.

106 Controls in detailLightingSwitching rear interior lights on and off
Press buttonV.
The lights in the rear passenger
compartment come on.

Press buttonV again.
The lights in the rear passenger
compartment go out.Switching right front reading lamp on
and off

Press right buttonX.
The right reading lamp comes on.

Press right buttonX again.
The right reading lamp goes out.
Switching left front reading lamp on and
off

Press left buttonX.
The left reading lamp comes on.

Press left buttonX again.
The left reading lamp goes out.
Door entry lamps
The appropriate door entry lamp switches
on if a door is opened in darkness and if
the interior lighting is switched to auto-
matic function.
The entry lamp switches off automatically
when the door is closed.
iThe setting selected for the interior
lighting is used for the cargo compart-
ment lighting as well.
If you leave the tailgate open for an
extended period of time, the cargo
compartment lighting will switch off
automatically after approximately ten
minutes
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the
exterior headlamps, the door entry
lamps will remain lit for approximately
five minutes.

107 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
For a full view illustration of the instrument
cluster, see “At a glance” (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you


open a door


turn on the ignition


press the reset button (
page 22)


switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster
settings in the Instrument cluster submenu
of the control system (
page 124).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use the reset button (
page 22) to adjust
the illumination brightness for the instru-
ment cluster.To brighten illumination

Turn the reset button in the instrument
cluster clockwise (
page 22).
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination

Turn the reset button in the instrument
cluster counterclockwise (
page 22).
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.

108 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature display
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.

Call up the trip odometer and main
odometer by pressing buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 112).

Press buttonj ork until the
coolant temperature display appears.During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is badly
overheated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine
compartment to catch fire. You could be
seriously burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
iExcessive coolant temperature triggers
a warning in the multifunction display.

109 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer and main odometer in the
multifunction display (
page 111).

If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel until the trip odometer appears
(page 112).

Press and hold the reset button on the
instrument cluster (
page 22) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
denotes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is indicated in the
multifunction display (
page 23). For
information on how to select the unit of the
indicated temperature, i.e. degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit (°F),
see “Selecting temperature display mode”
(
page 125).
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious
engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

110 Controls in detailInstrument clusterThe temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs, etc.).When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.

111 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey 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.

112 Controls in detailControl systemMultifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel will alter what is
shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
AUDIO
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.
1
Multifunction display in the
speedometerOperating the control system
2
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volumeçdown/to decreaseæup/to increase
3
Telephone*íto take a callìto end a call
4
Menu systemsèfor next menuÿfor previous menu
5
Moving within a menujfor next displaykfor previous display