2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 COUPE driver seat adjustment

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.

35 Getting started
Adjusting
Power seat* adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
in each door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Backrest tilt
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2 (
page 31).
or

Open the driver’s or passenger door.Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator / brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far to the rear
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow3 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow5 until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow2.
iWhen moving the seat, be sure that
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seat.
The memory function* (
page 95)
lets you store the settings for the seat
position together with the setting for
the steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.

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.

40 Getting startedAdjustingExterior rear view mirrorsThe buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.
1Adjustment button
2Passenger side mirror
3Driver’s side mirror

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lights in the instrument cluster
come on.

Press button3 for the left mirror or
button2 for the right mirror.

Push adjustment button1 up, down,
left or right according to the setting de-
sired.For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 146).
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes. !Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their
liquid state by applying plenty of water.
iThe memory function* (
page 95) lets
you store the setting for the exterior
rear view mirrors together with the set-
tings for the steering wheel and seat
positions.
!If an exterior rear view mirror was forc-
ibly pushed forward (hit from the rear)
or forcibly pushed backward (hit from
the front), reposition it by applying firm
pressure until it snaps into place.
The mirror housing is now properly po-
sitioned and you can adjust the mirror
normally.iAt low ambient temperatures, the mir-
rors will be heated automatically.

58 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag cover on
the steering wheel must be at least ten
inches (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front airbag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the
door where the side airbag inflates. This
could result in serious injuries or death
should the airbag be triggered. Always
sit upright, properly use the seat belts
and appropriate size infant or child re-
straint system.


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 vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front airbag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the airbag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle you are responsible
to make the buyer aware of these points. Be
sure to give the buyer this Operator’s Manu-
al.
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
TM 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.
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 or rear


89 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
For information on seat adjustment, see
“Adjusting” (
page 32).
Easy-entry/exit feature*
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch and the driver’s door is closed,
the steering wheel and the driver’s seat re-
turn to their last set position.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
The steering column and the seat are
adjusted.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
switched on or off in the convenience sub-
menu of the control system (
page 130).
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry / exit feature* is activated, the
driver’s door is being opened and the engine
is turned off or the SmartKey is removed
from the starter switch.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature*, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press the seat adjustment
switch*(
page 35).


Move the steering column stalk*
(page 38).


Press the memory button*
(page 96).

130 Controls in detailControl systemActivating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed


you put the SmartKey in the starter
switch and


press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 96)
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry/exit feature is activated and
the driver’s door is being opened or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature*, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press the seat adjustment
switch*(
page 35).


Move the steering column stalk*
(page 38).


Press the memory switch*
(page 96).

360 Index
Night security illumination 100
Parking lamps 98
Rear fog lamp 101
Settings (control system) 125
Trunk 104
Limiting the gear range 141
Limp Home Mode 145
Loading 197
Instructions 199
Roof rack 197
Split rear bench seat 197
Locator lighting 100
Setting 126
Lock button 343
Lock buttons 343
Locking 52, 82
Fuel filler flap 233
Global, SmartKey 83
Vehicle in an emergency 289
Loss of keys 84Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet 321
Low beam headlamps
Messages in display 279
Replacing bulbs 293, 295
Lowering
Vehicle 306
Lubricants
Technical data 330
Luggage cover 197
M
Main dimensions 328
Maintenance 249
Vehicles with E85 fuel 335
Malfunction
Displaying 118
Malfunction memory 117
Calling up 117
Manual headlamp mode 99
Manual operations
Fuel filler flap 291Interior lighting control 103
Locking the vehicle 289
Sliding/pop-up roof 292
Unlocking gear selector lever 291
Unlocking the driver’s door 288
Unlocking the trunk lid 289
Manual seat
Adjusting 33
Adjusting backrest tilt 33
Adjusting head restraint height 34
Adjusting head restraint tilt 34, 36
Adjusting seat cushion tilt 33
Adjusting seat height 33
Front seat head restraints 90
Seat fore and aft adjustment 33
Manual transmission 137
Shifting into reverse 138
Starting with 44
MB Tex upholstery
Cleaning 256