Page 95 of 474
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.
Page 101 of 474

100 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingFactory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system* is
disarmed.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm
system* within approximately 40 seconds
of unlocking if:
neither a door nor the trunk is opened
the SmartKey is not inserted in the
starter switch
the central locking switch is not
activatedGlobal locking
Press button‹.
With the hood, trunk and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs in the doors
move down. The anti-theft alarm sys-
tem* is armed.
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that
pressingŒ only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds.
Battery check lamp5 flashes twice.The SmartKey will then function as follows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap
Press buttonŒ once.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knob in the driver’s door moves
up. The anti-theft alarm system* is
disarmed.
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ twice.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system* is
disarmed.
Page 102 of 474

101 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Global locking
Press button‹.
With the trunk and all doors closed, all
turn signal lamps flash three times. The
locking knobs in the doors move down.
The anti-theft alarm system* is armed.
Restoring to factory setting
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about 6 seconds un-
til battery check lamp5 flashes twice.
The SmartKey is set to factory setting
again.Checking the batteries
Press button‹ orŒ.
Battery check lamp5 comes on
briefly to indicate that the SmartKey
batteries are in order.
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the SmartKey, then either
the batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged, the SmartKey is malfunction-
ing or the vehicle battery is drained.
Check the batteries in the
SmartKey (
page 101) and
replace them if necessary
(
page 396).
Use the mechanical key to unlock
the driver’s door (
page 389) and
the trunk (
page 390).
Use the mechanical key to lock the
driver’s door (
page 390) and the
trunk (
page 106).
Have the vehicle battery and the
battery connections checked
(page 412).
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning,
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iIf battery check lamp5 does not
come on briefly during check, then the
SmartKey batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 396).
You can obtain the required batteries
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iIf the batteries are checked within
signal range of the vehicle, pressing
the‹ orŒ button will lock or
unlock the vehicle accordingly.
Page 106 of 474

105 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Trunk emergency release
With the emergency release button, the
trunk can be opened from inside the trunk.
The emergency release button is located
on the inside of the trunk lid.
1Emergency release button
Briefly press emergency release
button1.
The trunk unlocks and the trunk lid
opens.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
opening when closing the trunk. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
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.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as a blocked visibility,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.
iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatical-
ly after closing it. The turn signals will
flash three times to confirm locking.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards
automatically.
Page 119 of 474

118 Controls in detailLightingFor information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 52)
and “Turn signals” (
page 53).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 120)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 120)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the
combination switch is pushed
forward) and parking lamps
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Page 124 of 474

123 Controls in detail
Lighting
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
(C 280, C 350 4MATIC: with Bi-Xenon* headlamps)
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps im-
prove illumination of the road into which
you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with
the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 118)
or
the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 118)
or
the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 120)Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Depending on whether you are turning
left or right, switch on the left or right
turn signal (
page 53).
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the road onto which
you are turning.
iCorner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting
conditions.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps
function is not available at a vehicle
speed above 25 mph (40 km/h).
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
will come on automatically depending
on the steering angle, even if you did
not switch on either turn signal. If the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps
came on automatically, they will also
go out automatically depending on the
steering angle.
Page 125 of 474

124 Controls in detailLightingSwitching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and cornering
fog lamp can be switched off by returning
the combination switch to its original posi-
tion.Driving rearward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector lever (manual
transmission: gearshift lever) in
positionR.
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the
steering direction and steering angle.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector lever (manual
transmission: gearshift lever) out of
positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter
switch.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the upper part of the center
console.
1Hazard warning flasher switch
Page 126 of 474

125 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Rear interior lights on/off
2Right front reading lamp on/off
3Rocker switch for automatic control
system
4Left front reading lamp on/offAutomatic control
Activating
Press rocker switch3 to center
position.
Interior lamps are switched on in
darkness, when you
unlock the vehicle
open a door
remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
The interior lamps are switched off after a
preset time, see “Set interior lighting de-
layed shut-off” (
page 152).
iWith the hazard warning flasher
activated and the combination switch
set for either left or right turn, only the
respective turn signals will operate
when the SmartKey is in the starter
switch position1 or 2.iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard
warning flasher switch1 once to
switch it off.
iLeaving an interior light switch in the
ON position for extended periods of
time with the engine turned off could
result in a discharged battery.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after
approximately 5 minutes, when the
SmartKey is removed or in starter
switch position0.