2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 COUPE Owner's Manual

41 Getting started
Driving
Driving
Fastening the seat beltWarning!
G
Do not lay any objects in the driver’s foot-
well. Be careful that floor mats or carpets in
the driver’s footwell have sufficient clear-
ance for the pedals.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate.Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even those sitting in the
rear and pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passengers should
always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The airbags can only protect as ex-
pected if the occupants are using their seat
belts (
page 56).
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front air-
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it in-
flates in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er’s instructions.


42 Getting startedDriving
The seat belt presenter for driver and pas-
senger makes it easier to put on the seat
belt.
1Seat belt presenter
Manually adjust the seat belt presenter
to the desired position
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest reclined. Sitting in an excessively
reclined position can be dangerous. You
could slide under the seat belt in a collision.
If you slide under it, the belt would apply
force at the abdomen or neck. That could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The seat
backrest and seat belt provide the best re-
straint when the wearer is in an upright po-
sition and the belt is properly positioned on
the body.
Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt.Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 60).
iThe seat belt presenter must be put
back to its original position before lean-
ing the seat backrest toward the rear or
letting someone enter the rear passen-
ger compartment.


43 Getting started
Driving
1Latch plate
2Release button
3Buckle
With a smooth motion, pull the belt
from the belt outlet.

Place the belt over your shoulder.

Push latch plate1 into buckle3 until
it clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Belt outlet height adjustment
1Button for belt outlet height adjust-
ment

To raise, slide belt outlet upward.

To lower, press button1 and slide
belt outlet downward.Proper use of seat belts


Do not twist the belt when fastening.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck or pass under the
arm). For this purpose, you can adjust
the height of the belt outlet.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time.


Check your seat belt during travel to
ensure that it is properly positioned.

44 Getting startedDriving

Ensure that the seat belt is always fit-
ted snugly. You should avoid wearing
bulky clothing, such as winter coats,
when traveling in the vehicle.
Starting the engine Manual transmission
Gearshift pattern for manual transmissionFor more information, see “Manual trans-
mission” (
page 137).
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as garage) which are not properly ven-
tilated. If you think that exhaust gas fumes
are entering the vehicle while driving, have
the cause determined and corrected imme-
diately. If you must drive under these condi-
tions, drive only with at least one window
fully open.

45 Getting started
Driving
Starting
Depress brake pedal.

Make sure the gearshift lever is in neu-
tral position (no gear selected).

Fully depress clutch pedal.
Otherwise the engine cannot be start-
ed due to the integrated safety inter-
lock.

Do not depress accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 31).
For information on turning off the engine
with the SmartKey, see “Turning off the en-
gine” (
page 53).Automatic transmission*
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position with selector lever lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission*” (
page 139).Starting

Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.

Do not depress accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 31).

Depress brake pedal.
The selector lever lock is released.
For information on turning off the engine
with the SmartKey, see “Turning off the en-
gine” (
page 53).
iYou can also use the “touch-start”
function. Turn the SmartKey to
position3 and release it again immedi-
ately. The engine then starts automati-
cally.

46 Getting startedDrivingStarting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:
Turn SmartKey in starter to position0
and repeat starting procedure.
Remember that extended starting at-
tempts can drain the battery.

Get a jump start (
page 310).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.Parking brake
1Release handle
2Parking brake

Release the parking brake by pulling on
handle1.
The indicator lamp ; (USA only) or
3 (Canada only) in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Driving

Depress brake pedal.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
orR (manual transmission: first or re-
verse gear).

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the auto-
matic central locking system engages
and the locking knobs drop down.
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 release the
parking brake, which could result in an acci-
dent and/or serious injury.

47 Getting started
Driving
After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.For more information on driving, see “Driv-
ing instructions” (
page 223).
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open doors only when condi-
tions are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic lock-
ing using the control system
(page 129).
!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.
iVehicles with automatic transmission:
Wait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.Warning!
G
Vehicles with automatic transmission: It is
dangerous to shift the gear selector lever
out ofP or N if the engine speed is higher
than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on
the brake pedal, the vehicle could acceler-
ate quickly forward or in 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.
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.!Place the gear selector lever in
positionR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
speeds may shorten the service life of
the engine.

48 Getting startedDrivingSwitching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the switch to B.
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 98).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signal, right
2Turn signal, left
Press the combination switch up1 or
down2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL or K in the instrument clus-
ter flashes.
High beam
Push the combination switch forward.
The high beam symbolA in the
instrument cluster comes on.
For more information on high beam, see
“Combination switch” (
page 102).
1High beam
2High beam flasher
iTo signal minor directional changes,
move combination switch to point of
resistance only and release. The turn
signal flashes three times.