2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C55AMG ECU

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 59
Occupant safety................................... 60
Air bags .......................................... 61
Seat belts ....................................... 67
Active head restraint ...................... 71
Children in the vehicle .................... 72
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 80
Panic alarm* ........................................ 81
Activating ....................................... 81
Deactivating ................................... 81
Driving safety systems ......................... 82
ABS ................................................ 82
BAS ................................................ 84
ESP
®............................................... 84
Anti-theft systems................................ 88
Immobilizer..................................... 88
Anti-theft alarm system* ................ 88
Tow-away alarm* ........................... 90
Controls in detail............................... 93
Locking and unlocking ......................... 94
SmartKey ....................................... 94
Opening the doors from
the inside ....................................... 99
Opening the trunk .......................... 99
Closing the trunk.......................... 101
Trunk emergency release ............. 102
Valet locking ................................ 103
Automatic central locking ............ 103
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 104
Seats ................................................. 106
Front seat active head restraints . 106
Rear seat head restraints ............. 106
Lumbar support*.......................... 109
Seat heating ................................. 110
Memory function ............................... 111
Storing positions into memory ..... 112
Recalling positions from memory . 112
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 113Lighting ............................................. 114
Exterior lamp switch .................... 114
Combination switch ..................... 118
Hazard warning flasher ................ 119
Interior lighting ............................ 120
Door entry lamps ......................... 121
Trunk lamp ................................... 121
Instrument cluster ............................. 122
Instrument cluster illumination .... 122
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 123
Trip odometer .............................. 123
Tachometer .................................. 124
Outside temperature indicator ..... 124
Control system .................................. 125
Multifunction display.................... 125
Multifunction steering wheel........ 126
Menus .......................................... 128
Standard display menu ................ 130
AUDIO menu ................................ 131
NAV* menu .................................. 134
Vehicle status message memory
menu............................................ 134
Settings menu .............................. 135
Trip computer menu..................... 150
TEL menu* ................................... 152

14 Introduction
Where to find it
This Operator’s Manual is designed to pro-
vide comprehensive support information
for you, the vehicle operator. Each section
has its own reference color.
At a glance
Here you will find an overview of all the
controls that can be operated from the
driver’s seat.
Getting started
Here you will find all the information you
need for your first drive. You should read
this section first if this is your first
Mercedes-Benz vehicle or if you are rent-
ing or borrowing this vehicle.
Safety and Security
Here you will find descriptions of the safety
and security features of your vehicle.
Controls in detail
Here you will find detailed information
about the equipment installed in your vehi-
cle. This section expands on the “Getting
started” section and also describes techni-
cal innovations. If you are already familiar
with the basic functions of your vehicle,
this section will be of particular interest to
you.
Operation
Here you will find all the information you
need for the proper operation of your vehi-
cle.
Practical hints
This section provides fast assistance for
dealing with problems you may encounter.
Technical data
All important technical data for your vehi-
cle can be found in this section.
Indexes
The glossary provides explanations of the
most important technical terms.
The table of contents and the index are de-
signed to help you find information quickly
and easily.
The following publications are part of your
vehicle documentation:

this Operator’s Manual

the Maintenance Booklet
Separate operating instructions will be
provided as required depending on the
equipment options installed in your
vehicle.

36 Getting started
Adjusting
Power seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the respective front door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Seat backrest tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 33).
or
Open the respective door.
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press switch forward or backward in
direction of arrow4.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator/brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far rearward
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant, or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional
information, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 72).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
!
When moving the seats, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or
behind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
i
The memory function (page 111) lets
you store the settings for the power
seat, the steering wheel adjustment
and the exterior rear view mirrors.

42 Getting started
Driving
Fastening the seat belt
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are ob-
structing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate.
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even those sitting in the
rear and pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passengers should
always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 67).
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats.
Regardless of seating position, children
12 years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriate infant or
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
For additional information, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 72).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.

43 Getting started
Driving
1Latch plate
2Release button
3Buckle
With a smooth motion, pull the belt
from the belt outlet.
Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate1 into buckle3 until
it engages.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use a seat belt for more than one person at
a time.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 64) and (page 67).

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Panic alarm*
Driving safety systems
Anti-theft systems

60 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
In this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts

Emergency tensioning device

Air bags

Child seats

Child seat recognition

Lower anchors and tethers for children
(LATCH)
As independent systems, their protective
effects work in conjunction with each
other.The1 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 24) comes on:

for about 4 seconds when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1.

for about 4 seconds when you start the
engine by turning the SmartKey.The1 indicator lamp goes out shortly
after you start the engine. This shows that
the restraint systems are operational.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the1 indicator lamp:
fails to extinguish after approximately
4 seconds.

does not come on at all.

comes on after the engine was started
or while driving.
For safety reasons, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to
have the system checked.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 356).i
For information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and
restraint systems for infants and
children, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 72).
i
The1 indicator lamp remains lit if
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position2 and left there. The
indicator lamp will go out when you
start the engine.

61 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
In the event that the1 indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not be activated when needed in an acci-
dent, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in
injury.
In addition, improper work on the SRS
creates a risk of rendering the SRS inopera-
tive or causing unintended air bag deploy-
ment. Work on the SRS must therefore only
be performed by qualified technicians. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags), or side impacts
(front side impact air bags, rear side impact
air bags * and head protection window cur-
tain air bags). However, no system available
today can totally eliminate injuries and fatal-
ities.
The activation of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the
air bags. This dust, however, is neither inju-
rious to your health, nor does it indicate a
fire in the vehicle. The dust might cause
some temporary breathing difficulty for peo-
ple with asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, you may wish to get out of the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have any breathing difficulty but cannot get
out of the vehicle after the air bag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear your
seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body.
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.