2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 tow-away

ContentsSafety and Security........................... 61
Occupant safety................................... 62
Air bags .......................................... 63
Seat belts ....................................... 69
Active head restraint ...................... 73
Children in the vehicle .................... 74
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 85
Panic alarm* ........................................ 86
Activating ....................................... 86
Deactivating ................................... 86
Driving safety systems ......................... 87
ABS ................................................ 87
BAS ................................................ 88
ESP
®.............................................. 89
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 92
Anti-theft systems................................ 93
Immobilizer..................................... 93
Anti-theft alarm system* ................ 93
Tow-away alarm* ........................... 95
Controls in detail............................... 97
Locking and unlocking ......................... 98
SmartKey ....................................... 98
Opening the doors from
the inside ..................................... 102
Opening the trunk ........................ 103
Closing the trunk.......................... 104
Trunk emergency release ............. 105
Valet locking ................................ 106
Automatic central locking ............ 107
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 107
Seats ................................................. 109
Front seat active head restraints . 109
Rear seat head restraints ............. 109
Lumbar support*.......................... 112
Multicontour seats*
(Canada only) ............................... 113
Seat heating* ............................... 113
Memory function* ............................. 115
Storing positions into memory ..... 116
Recalling positions from memory . 116
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 117Lighting ............................................. 118
Exterior lamp switch .................... 118
Combination switch ..................... 122
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
(C 280, C 350 4MATIC: with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps) ................. 123
Hazard warning flasher ................ 124
Interior lighting ............................ 125
Door entry lamps ......................... 126
Trunk lamp ................................... 126
Instrument cluster ............................. 127
Instrument cluster illumination .... 127
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 128
Trip odometer .............................. 128
Tachometer .................................. 129
Outside temperature indicator ..... 129
Control system .................................. 130
Multifunction display.................... 130
Multifunction steering wheel........ 131
Menus .......................................... 133
Standard display menu ................ 135
AUDIO menu ................................ 136
NAV* menu .................................. 138
Vehicle status message memory
menu............................................ 138
Settings menu .............................. 140

27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Seat heating*, driver’s side
113
2
Rear window sunshade
switch*
174
3
ESP
® control switch
89
4
Hazard warning flasher
switch – switching on/off
124
5
Central locking switch
107
Central unlocking switch
107
6
Switch for folding back rear
seat head restraints
111
7
Tow-away alarm switch*
95
Anti-theft alarm system
indicator lamp*
94
Item
Page
8
Seat heating*, passenger
side
113
9
Front passenger front
air bag off indicator lamp
80,
357,
366
a
Audio system,
199
orCOMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)
b
Climate control
176
Automatic climate control*
(Canada only)
186
Rear window defroster
175

94 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsArming the alarm system
The indicator lamp is in the switch for the
tow-away alarm* in the center console.
1Indicator lamp

Lock your vehicle with the SmartKey.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the alarm system is
activated.
Indicator lamp1 begins to flash after
approximately 30 seconds after arming
the alarm system.Disarming the alarm system

Unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey.
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is dis-
armed.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:

Press theŒ or‹ button on the
SmartKey.
or

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, one of the following
elements may not be properly closed:

a door


the trunk


the hood
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally after approximately 40 seconds if
neither a door nor the trunk lid was
opened.

95 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Tow-away alarm*
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle.Arming tow-away alarm

Lock your vehicle with the SmartKey.
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about 30 seconds.
Disarming tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm,
switch off the tow-away alarm feature
before towing the vehicle, or when parking
on a surface subject to movement, such as
a ferry or auto train.The switch is located on the center
console.
1Tow-away alarm off switch
2Indicator lamp

Switch off ignition (
page 33).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is
triggered, for example, if the vehicle is
lifted on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid system* (
page 265) provid-
ed Tele Aid service was subscribed to
and properly activated, and that neces-
sary cellular service and GPS coverage
are available.
iWhen you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms
automatically. The tow-away alarm
remains disarmed until you lock the
vehicle again.


96 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systems
Press tow-away alarm deactivation
switch1.
Indicator lamp2 in tow-away alarm
deactivation switch comes on briefly.

Exit your vehicle.

Lock your vehicle with the SmartKey.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed
until you lock your vehicle again.Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:

Press theŒ or‹ button on the
SmartKey.
or

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
iYou cannot disarm the tow-away alarm
while the ignition is switched on.


273 Controls in detail
Useful features
Stolen Vehicle Recovery services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:
Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered
incident report.

Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is
located, the Response Center will
contact the local law enforcement and
you. The vehicle’s location will only be
provided to law enforcement.
Garage door opener*
The integrated remote control is capable of
operating up to three separately controlled
devices. It provides a convenient way to re-
place up to three hand-held remote con-
trols used to operate devices such as
garage door openers, gate openers, or oth-
er devices compatible with HomeLink
® or
some other systems.
Before the integrated remote control can
be used, it must be programmed to the ga-
rage door opener, gate operator or other
device you wish to operate. See the follow-
ing instructions for programming informa-
tion.
Interior rear view mirror with integrated re-
mote control1Indicator lamp
2 3 4Signal transmitter button
Needed for programming (not part of vehi-
cle equipment):
5Hand-held remote control of ga-
rage door opener, gate operator
or other device
6Hand-held remote control but-
ton
iWhen the anti-theft alarm or the
tow-away alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call is initiated automat-
ically to the Response Center. See
anti-theft alarm system* (
page 93)
and tow-away alarm* (
page 95).

417 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the
vehicle be transported with all wheels off
the ground using flatbed or appropriate
wheel lift/dolly equipment. This method is
preferable to other types of towing.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the
vehicle may be towed with all wheels on
the ground or front wheels raised (except
vehicles with 4MATIC) only so far as
necessary to have the vehicle moved to a
safe location where the recommended
towing methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with the SmartKey in the starter
switch turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm*
(page 95) and deactivate the auto-
matic central locking (
page 152).
!Vehicles with automatic transmission
and/or 4MATIC:
Do not tow-start the vehicle.!Vehicles with 4MATIC:
Do not tow with one axle raised. Doing
so could damage the transfer case,
which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
All wheels must be on or off the ground.
Observe instructions for towing the
vehicle with all wheels on the ground.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised (not permissible for vehicles
with 4MATIC), the engine must be shut
off (SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or1). Otherwise the ESP
®
will immediately be engaged and will
apply the rear wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever
must be in positionN (manual trans-
mission: gears disengaged) and the
SmartKey must be in starter switch
position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for
distances up to 30 miles (50 km) and
at a speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).

419 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the
following:
With the automatic central locking
activated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, the vehicle doors
lock if the left front wheel as well as the
right rear wheel are turning at vehicle
speeds of approx. 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more.
Switch off the tow-away alarm*
(page 95).
To prevent the vehicle doors from
locking, deactivate the automatic
central locking (
page 152).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed
towing eye bolt. Never attach tow
cable, tow rope or tow rod to vehicle
chassis, frame or suspension parts.
iIf the battery is disconnected or
discharged

the SmartKey will not turn in the
starter switch. For more informa-
tion, see “Battery” (
page 412)
and “Jump starting” (page 415).


the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP. For informa-
tion on manually unlocking the
transmission gear selector lever
see (
page 392).