2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 Starter

164 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Gear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 392).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.

165 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 58).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Children
could move the gear selector lever from
positionP, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

174 Controls in detailGood visibilityRear window sunshade*The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch

Switch on the ignition (
page 33).
Always raise or lower the sunshade fully
for its support against the window frame.
Raising the sunshade

Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is raised completely.
Stopping the raising procedure

Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Lowering the sunshade

Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is lowered completely.
Stopping the lowering procedure

Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
make sure there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing the
switch.
Briefly press switch again to raise or lower
the rear window sunshade completely.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
!Make sure that the movement of the
rear window sunshade is not restricted
by objects on the rear window shelf.
Otherwise, the sunshade or the objects
could be damaged.

202 Controls in detailAudio systemButton and soft key operation
In these instructions, the alphanumeric
keypad (right side of radio panel) and the
function buttons (left side of radio panel)
are referred to as “buttons”. The four keys
below the display panel are referred to as
“soft keys”.
Operation
Switching the unit on/off
Switching on
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2.

If the audio system was on as you
removed the SmartKey from the starter
switch, the audio system will
automatically come back on as you
turn the SmartKey to position1 or2.
or

Press M button.
!Do not press directly in the display
face. Otherwise, the display will be
damaged.
iIf the radio is switched on without the
key in the starter switch, it will
automatically switch off again after
approx. 30 minutes.
If your vehicle is equipped with a
telephone, the display may prompt you
to enter your PIN (GSM network) or
code (TDMA or CDMA network).

203 Controls in detail
Audio system
Switching off
Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
or

Press M button.
Adjusting the volume

Turn rotary control of N button.
The volume will increase or decrease
depending on the direction turned.Adjusting sound functions
The bass and treble functions are called up
by pressing the O button.
Settings for bass and treble are stored
separately for the AM and FM wavebands,
weather band, CD mode and telephone
mode.
Bass

Press O button repeatedly until BASS
appears in the display.

Press
+ or
– soft key to increase or
decrease tone level accordingly.
or

Press
RES
soft key briefly to reset bass
tones to their center level.
The radio switches back to the
standard radio menu 8 seconds after
the last soft key is pressed.
iShould excessively high temperatures
occur while the audio system is being
operated, the display will dim. If tem-
peratures continue to rise,
HIGH TEMP

will appear in the display, after which
the audio system will be switched off
for a cooling-down period.
iIf your vehicle equipment includes a
Mercedes-Benz specified mobile
telephone*, you can adjust its volume
separately from the volume of the
audio system while the telephone is
being used.

240 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening and closing the windows
The side windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches for all the side
windows are on the driver’s door. The
switches for the respective windows are
on the front passenger door and the rear
doors.
1Left front window
2Right front window
3Right rear window
4Left rear window
5Rear window override switch
(
page 85)
Warning!
G
When closing the power windows, make
sure there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
t h a t b l o c k s i t s p a t h i n a c i r c u m s t a n c e w h e r e
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pulling and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button‹ on the SmartKey, or by press-
ing and holding button, ore on the
climate control panel, the automatic rever-
sal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

245 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof*

Switch on the ignition (
page 33).Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof

To open, close, raise, or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the sunroof
switch to resistance point in the
required direction of arrows1 to4.
Release the sunroof switch when the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the
desired position.
Fully opening (Express-open) and
closing (Express-close) the power
tilt/sliding sunroof

To open or close the tilt/sliding
sunroof, move the sunroof switch past
the resistance point in the required
direction of arrow1 to4 and
release.
The tilt/sliding sunroof opens or closes
completely.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the tilt/sliding
sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if
there is snow or ice on the roof, as this
could result in malfunctions.
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 393).
iYou can also open or close the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof using the SmartKey, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 243) and “Convenience clos-
ing feature” (
page 243).
Depending on current position, the
tilt/sliding sunroof may also open or
close when the air recirculation
button, in the control panel of the
climate control (page 177) or auto-
matic climate control* (Canada only)
(
page 192), or the charcoal filter
buttone in the control panel of the
automatic climate control* (Canada
only) (
page 194) is pressed and held.

262 Controls in detailUseful featuresRemoving ashtray insert
Push button1 to disengage ashtray
insert2 and remove it.
Reinstalling ashtray insert

Push the ashtray insert2 down into
the retainer until it engages.

Push at top of cover3 to close
ashtray.
Cigarette lighter
Switch on the ignition (
page 33).1Cover plate
2Cigarette lighter

Briefly press the bottom of cover
plate1.
The cover plate opens automatically.

Push in cigarette lighter2.
The cigarette lighter will pop out
automatically when hot.
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.