2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 Transmission

168 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*

Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the letter of
the desired program mode appears in
the multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving:

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission, you
can change the gears manually and limit or
extend the gear range for automatic
shifting with the gear selector lever in
positionD.
!Never change the program mode when
the gear selector lever is out of
positionP. This could result in a
change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.iThe last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

169 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear as permitted by
the shift program. This action simulta-
neously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 166).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simul-
taneously extends the gear range of the
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This may
involve shifting down one or more gears.Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to
theD-direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

248 Controls in detailDriving systems1Sets current or higher speed
2Sets current or lower speed
3Cancels cruise control
4Resumes at last set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Moving the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear
selector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving, except to
coast when the vehicle is in danger of
skidding (e.g. on icy roads).iVehicles with manual transmission:
The set cruise controlled speed is
switched off when declutching exceeds
4 seconds during shifting a new gear.iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

249 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever to position1
and hold it up until the desired speed is
reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress cruise control lever to
position2 and hold it down until the
desired speed is reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip cruise control lever in
direction of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed
“Resume” function)

Briefly push cruise control lever to
position4.
The cruise control resumes the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iVehicles with automatic transmission:
When you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will
automatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not brake the
vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and/or seri-
ous injury to you and others.

261 Controls in detail
Useful features
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
1Cover plate
2Sliding button
3Ashtray insert
Briefly press the bottom of cover
plate1.
The cover plate opens automatically.Removing ashtray insert

Secure vehicle from movement by
setting the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN (manual transmission:
second gear).
Now you have more room to take out
the ashtray insert.

Push sliding button2 to the right.
The ashtray insert3 slides out
slightly.

Remove the ashtray insert.Reinstalling ashtray insert

Push the ashtray insert3 down into
the retainer until it engages.

Push down cover plate1 to close
ashtray.
The cover plate engages.
Rear seat ashtray
1Button
2Ashtray insert
3Cover

Pull at top of cover3.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to
secure vehicle from movement. Move gear
selector lever to positionN (manual trans-
mission: second gear). With gear selector
lever in positionN (manual transmission:
second gear) turn off the engine.

277 Controls in detail
Useful features
Step 12:
Confirm the garage door operation by
pressing the programmed signal trans-
mitter button (2, 3 or4).
Step 13:

To program the remaining two signal
transmitter buttons, repeat the steps
above starting with step 3.Gate operator/Canadian programming
Canadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit)
after several seconds of transmission
which may not be long enough for the
integrated signal transmitter to pick up the
signal during programming. Similar to this
Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators
are designed to “time-out” in the same
manner. If you live in Canada or if you are having
difficulties programming a gate operator
(regardless of where you live) by using the
programming procedures, replace step 4
with the following:
Step 4:

Press and hold the signal transmitter
button (2, 3 or4). Do not release
this button until it has been successful-
ly trained.

While still holding down the signal
transmitter button (2, 3 or4),
“cycle” your hand-held remote control
button6 as follows: Press and hold
button6 for 2 seconds, then release
it for 2 seconds, and again press and
hold it for 2 seconds. Repeat this se-
quence on the hand-held remote con-
trol until the frequency signal has been
learned. Upon successful training, the
indicator lamp1 will flash slowly and
then rapidly after several seconds.
iSome garage door openers (or other
rolling code equipped devices) may re-
quire you to press, hold for 2 seconds
and release the same signal transmit-
ter button a third time to complete the
training process.


285 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream will cool down
the brakes faster.
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an
extended period with the ESP
® switched
off. Doing so may cause serious damage to
the drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parking
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps
prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
!Simultaneously depressing the
accelerator pedal and applying the
brake reduces engine performance and
causes premature brake and drivetrain
wear.
!Set the parking brake whenever park-
ing or leaving the vehicle. In addition,
move gear selector lever to positionP
(manual transmission: first or reverse
gear).
When parking on hills, always turn front
wheels towards the road curb.Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before
turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:


Keep right foot on brake pedal.


286 OperationDriving instructions
Tires
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and
become visible at a tread depth of
approximately
1/16
in (1.6 mm), at which
point the tire is considered worn and
should be replaced.The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subjected to high loads (e.g. high
speeds, heavy loads, high ambient temper-
atures).


Manual transmission: Move gearshift
lever to neutral position (no gear select-
ed).


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Automatic transmission*: Move the
gear selector lever to positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey and lock vehicle
when leaving.
Warning!
G
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride disturbance, or you suspect that possi-
ble damage to your vehicle has occurred,
you should turn on the hazard warning flash-
ers, carefully slow down, and drive with cau-
tion to an area which is a safe distance from
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have the vehicle towed to
the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center or tire
dealer for repairs.
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor
vehicle safety laws consider a tire to be
worn when the treadwear indicators (TWI)
become visible at approximately
1/16in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not
allow your tires to wear down to that level.
As tread depth approaches
1/8in (3 mm),
the adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.