Page 399 of 474
398 Practical hintsFlat tire
Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.Inflating the spare tire
Take the electric air pump out of the
trunk.
1 Flap
2 On/off switch
3 Electrical plug
4 Air hose with pressure gauge and vent
screw
5 Union nut
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
fall off the jack.
Warning!
G
Inflate spare wheel with collapsible tire only
after the wheel is properly mounted.
Inflate the spare wheel tire using the electric
air pump before lowering the vehicle.Warning!
G
Observe instructions on air pump label.!Do not lower the vehicle before inflat-
ing the collapsible tire. Otherwise the
rim may be damaged.
Page 400 of 474

399
Practical hints
Flat tire
Open flap
1 on electric air pump.
Pull out electrical plug 3 and air hose
with pressure gauge 4.
Remove the valve cap from valve.
Screw air hose 4 onto the tire valve.
Insert electrical plug 3 into vehicle
cigarette lighter socket.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position 1.
Press I on electric air pump switch 2.
The electric air pump should now
switch on and inflate the spare tire.
Inflate the spare tire to approximately
36 psi (2.5 bar).
This takes about five minutes for the
spare tire. Air hose 4 and union
nut 5 can become hot during infla-
tion. Exercise proper caution to avoid
burning yourself when using the equip-
ment.
Press 0on electric air pump switch 2.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position 0.
If the tire pressure is above 36 psi
(2.5 bar), release excess tire pressure
using the vent screw.
Detach the electric air pump.
Store the electrical plug and the air
hose behind the flap and place the air
pump back in the trunk.
!Do not operate the electric air pump
longer than six minutes without
interruption. Otherwise it may over-
heat.
You may operate the electric air pump
again after it has cooled off.
Warning!
G
Follow recommended inflation pressures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes,
etc.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear unevenly, adversely affect handling
and fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
Page 406 of 474

405
Practical hints
Jump starting
The battery is located in the engine com-
partment on the right hand side. The
terminals for jump starting are located in
front of the battery.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off the engine.
On both vehicles:
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift gear selector lever to position P
(manual transmission to Neutral). 1
Positive terminal of charged battery
2 Positive under hood terminal in front of
discharged battery
3 Negative terminal of charged battery
4 Negative under hood terminal in front
of discharged battery
Connect positive terminal 1 of the
charged battery with positive under
hood terminal 2 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the jumper ca-
bles. Clamp cable to charged
battery 1 first.
Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminal 3 of the
charged battery with negative under
hood terminal 4 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the jumper
cables. Clamp cable to charged
battery 3 first.
Start the engine of the disabled
vehicle.
Now you can turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals 4 and 3 and then
from positive terminals 2 and 1.
You can now turn on the lights.
Have the battery checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 297).
!Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Do not tow-start the vehicle.
Page 421 of 474
420 Technical dataRims and TiresSame size tiresModel
C 230 Kompressor (standard in Canada; Canada only)
Rims (light alloy)
7Jx16H2
Wheel offset
1.22 in (31 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
All season tires (radial-ply tires)
205/55 R16 91H M+S
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
205/55 R16 91H M+S
Page 422 of 474
421
Technical data
Rims and Tires
Mixed size tiresModel
C230 Kompressor
(standard in USA; optional in Canada)
Evolution Package
C320
Evolution Package
Front axle:Rims (light alloy)
71/2Jx17
Wheel offset
1.46 in (37 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
225/45 R17 91W
Rear axle:Rims (light alloy)
81/2Jx17 H2
Wheel offset
1.34 in (34 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
245/40 R17 91W
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.
Page 423 of 474
422 Technical dataRims and TiresSpare wheel
C 230 Kompressor
C320
Rim (light alloy)
4.5Bx15H2
4.5Bx16H2
Wheel offset
0.47 in (12 mm)
0.47 in (12 mm)
Collapsible Tire
165 - 15 89P
1
165/70 - 16 92P
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.
Page 430 of 474

429
Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded fuel meeting
ASTM standard D 439:
The octane number (posted at the
p um p) m us t be 91 mi n. It i s an a vera ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
Ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.
iFlexible Fuel Vehicles (identified by a
label reading Premium gasoline or
E85 only! on fuel filler flap) are de-
signed to operate on premium unlead-
ed gasoline or Ethanol fuel (E85), or any
mixture of these two.
For more information, see “Flexible
Fuel Vehicles” (
page 431).
Page 438 of 474

437
Technical terms
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Accessory weight (
page 323)
Air pressure (page 323)
Alignment bolt Metal pin with thread. The centering
pin is an aid used when changing a tire
to align the wheel with the wheel hub.
Aspect ratio (page 323)
Bar (page 323)
BAS (Brake A
ssist S
ystem)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied. Bead
(
page 323)
Bi-Xenon headlamps* Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more in-
tense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-Xenon headlamps produce low
beam and high beam.
CAC (Customer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a break-
down.
CAN system (C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping. Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
Cold tire inflation pressure (
page 323)
Collapsible tire An especially compact spare tire that
must be inflated with a provided air
pump before using. It should only be
used to bring the vehicle to the nearest
service station.
COMAND* (Cockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and navi-
gation system, as well as other optional
equipment (CD changer, telephone,
etc.).