2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 COUPE child seat

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty information .. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 12
Operating your vehicle
outside the USA or Canada ............ 13
Where to find it .................................... 14
Symbols ............................................... 15
Operating safety .................................. 16
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 16
Problems with your vehicle .................. 17
Reporting safety defects...................... 18
Reporting Safety Defects ............... 18At a glance......................................... 19
Cockpit ................................................ 20
Instrument cluster ............................... 22
Multifunction steering wheel ............... 24Center console ..................................... 25
Upper part ...................................... 25
Lower part ...................................... 26
Overhead control panel ........................ 27
Door control panel................................ 28
Getting started................................... 29
Unlocking ............................................. 30
Unlocking with the SmartKey.......... 30
Adjusting .............................................. 32
Seats............................................... 32
Steering wheel ................................ 37
Mirrors ............................................ 39
Driving .................................................. 41
Fastening the seat belt ................... 41
Starting the engine ......................... 44
Switching on headlamps ................. 48
Turn signals .................................... 48
High beam ...................................... 48
Windshield wipers ........................... 49
Problems while driving .................... 50
Parking and locking .............................. 52
Parking brake.................................. 52
Switching off headlamps................. 53
Turning off the engine ..................... 53
Safety and Security........................... 55
Occupant safety ................................... 56
Airbags ........................................... 57
Seat belts ....................................... 62
Children in the vehicle .................... 65
Panic alarm* ........................................ 72
Activating........................................ 72
Deactivating.................................... 72
Driving safety systems ......................... 73
ABS ................................................. 73
BAS ................................................. 74
ESP ................................................. 75
Anti-theft systems ................................ 78
Immobilizer ..................................... 78
Anti-theft alarm system* ................ 78
Tow-away alarm* ............................ 79Controls in detail................................ 81
Locking and unlocking ......................... 82
Keys ................................................ 82
Opening the doors from the inside . 85
Opening the trunk lid ...................... 85
Closing the trunk lid ....................... 86
Trunk lid emergency release ........... 86

31 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing SmartKey
The steering is locked when the Smart-
Key is removed from the starter switch.
If necessary, move steering wheel
slightly to allow the locking mechanism
to engage.
1Power supply to some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3Starting position
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. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury.iVehicles with automatic transmission:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be
sufficiently charged.

Check the battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 307).


Get a jump start (
page 310).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge and a possible dead battery, al-
ways remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch when the engine is not in
operation.

32 Getting startedAdjusting
AdjustingSeats
The seats can be adjusted either manually
or electrically, depending on the vehicle’s
equipment.Warning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back reclined. Sitting in an excessively re-
clined 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 fatal injuries.
The seat back and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in an up-
right position and belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body. Your seat must be
adjusted so that you can correctly fasten
your seat belt (
page 41).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
your vehicle.
The power seats* can also be operated with
the driver’s or passenger door open. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
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.

33 Getting started
Adjusting
Manual seat adjustment
1Backrest tilt
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustmentSeat fore and aft adjustment

Lift handle4.

Slide seat to the desired position.

Allow handle4 to reengage.

Check for proper engagement before
driving.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating posi-
tion that still allows you to reach the accel-
erator/brake pedal safely. The position
should be as far rearward as possible,
consistent with ability to properly operate
controls.Seat cushion tilt

Turn handwheel3 forward or back-
ward until your upper legs are lightly
supported.
Seat backrest tilt

Turn handwheel1 forward or back-
ward until your arms are slightly angled
when holding the steering wheel.
Seat height

Pull handle2 up to rai se se at c us hion.

Push handle2 down to lower seat
cushion.
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.
iWhen moving the seats, be sure that
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding backrest forward
Pull release lever1 forward and fold
the seat backrest forward.
Vehicles with manual seat adjustment:

If necessary, press the head restraint
downward while tilting the backrest
forward.Folding backrest back

Fold and press the backrest rearward
until it engages in driving position.
Vehicles with manual seat adjustment:

If necessary, pull the head restraint out
while tilting the seat back.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 89).
Steering wheel
iVehicles with power seat*: The head
restraints will automatically move
down.
iVehicles with power seat*: The head
restraint returns to its previous posi-
tions.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing, or driving without the adjustment
locked could cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
your vehicle.
The electrical steering wheel adjustment
feature* can also be operated with the driv-
er’s door open. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

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.


53 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to M
(page 48).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 98).
Turning off the engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP (manual transmission: first
or reverse gear).

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 41).
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 and/or move the gear selec-
tor lever from positionP, either of which
could result in an accident and/or serious
injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (manual transmission:
first or reverse gear).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP (manual
transmission: first or reverse gear).
On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the road curb.iVehicles with automatic transmission:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.