2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 4MATIC tow

123 Controls in detail
Power windows
Summer opening feature
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:

opening the side windows

opening the tilt/sliding sunroof or pan-
orama roof with power tilt/sliding pan-
el* and roller sunblinds
Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey
towards the sensor in the driver’s out-
side door handle. The SmartKey must
be in close proximity to the driver’s
door handle.
Press button Πto unlock the
vehicle.
Vehicles with tilt/sliding sunroof
Press and hold button Πuntil the
side windows and tilt/sliding sunroof
have reached the desired position.
Release button Πto interrupt pro-
cedure.Vehicles with panorama roof*
If roller sunblinds are retracted:
Press and hold button Œ. The side
windows and roller sunblinds begin to
open/extend after approximately
1 second.
With the side windows and roller blinds
fully opened/extended, press and hold
button
Πagain. The tilt/sliding pan-
el tilts and opens.
If roller sunblinds are extended:
Press and hold button Œ. The side
windows move down and the tilt/slid-
ing panel tilts and opens after approxi-
mately 1 second.
Release button Πto interrupt proce-
dure.
iThe “Summer opening” function can only be
activated via the remote control of the SmartKey
or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.

124 Controls in detail
Power windows
Convenience closing feature
When you lock the vehicle, you can close
the side windows and tilt/sliding sunroof
or panorama roof with tilt/sliding panel*
simultaneously.
Afterward, you can close the roller sun-
blinds* of the panorama tilt/sliding sun-
roof*.Vehicles with SmartKey
Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey
towards the sensor in the driver’s out-
side door handle. The SmartKey must
be in close proximity to the driver’s
door handle.
Press button ‹ to lock the vehicle.
Vehicles with tilt/sliding sunroof
Press and hold button ‹ until the
side windows and the tilt/sliding sun-
roof are completely closed.
Release button ‹ to interrupt pro-
cedure.
iThe function of the SmartKey overrules the
KEYLESS-GO function.
Warning!G
When closing the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof or panorama roof with tilt/slid-
ing panel*, make sure there is no danger of
anyone being harmed by the closing proce-
dure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release button ‹ to stop the closing
procedure. To open, press and hold but-
ton Œ. To continue the closing after
making sure that there is no danger of
anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure, press and hold button‹.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only):

Release the sensor surface on the out-
side door handle (
page 125) to stop
the closing procedure.

Immediately pull on the same outside
door handle and hold firmly. The side
windows and the tilt/sliding sunroof or
panorama roof with tilt/sliding panel*
will open for as long as the outside door
handle is held but the door is not
opened.

133 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Parking
1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Warning!G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and the
steering systems. In this case, it is impor-
tant to keep in mind that a considerably
higher degree of effort is necessary to brake
and steer the vehicle.
Warning!G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible 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.

Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into neutral position (no gear
is selected).

Firmly depress parking brake pedal.

Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.

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 to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(
page 84).

Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
Warning!G
Engaging the parking brake while the vehicle
is in motion can cause the rear wheels to
lock up. You could lose control of the vehicle
and cause an accident. In addition, the
vehicle’s brake lights do not light up when
the parking brake is engaged.


134 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Step firmly on parking brake pedal2.
When the engine is running, the
warning lamp;(USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster will be illuminated.Turning off the engine
Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.
Automatic transmission*: Place the
gear selector lever in positionP.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) 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 release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever from
positionP, either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
PositionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects. Always set the parking brake in ad-
dition to shifting to positionP (
page 140)
(manual transmission: first or reverse gear
(
page 126).
When parked on an incline, always turn the
front wheels towards the road curb.
Getting out of your vehicle without taking
the above measurements to secure it is
dangerous.
iVehicles with automatic transmission*:
You can switch off the engine with the selector
lever in positionN. However, to secure the vehi-
cle, you need to set the selector lever toP and
apply the parking brake.
The SmartKey can only be removed from the
starter switch with the gear selector lever in
positionP.
iAlways set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (manual transmission: first
or reverse gear).
On slopes, turn the front wheels towards the
road curb.


136 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission is standard
equipment on C 300 Sport and not
available on other models.
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Manual transmission”
(
page 130).
Warning!G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or
reverse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous.
Also, when parked on an incline, an engaged
first or reverse gear alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 134).
When parked on an incline, turn 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 gearshift lever, which could
result in an accident and/or serious person-
al injury.
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.
Warning!G
Make sure 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 the pedals still have
sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between or be-
neath the pedals. You could then no longer
brake or accelerate. This could lead to acci-
dents and injury.

141 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Effect
ëNeutral
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 engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle without shifting
into park positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake (
page 140)
in addition to shifting to park positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible 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 or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) 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
park positionP, which could result in an ac-
cident and/or serious personal injury.
Getting out of your vehicle without taking
the above measurements to secure it is
dangerous.

190 Controls in detail
Audio system
Example Bass
To change setting: Slide rmq or
rotateymz until desired treble or bass
setting is reached.
To save setting: Press n.
The setting is stored and the menu is
exited.
To exit menu without saving: Press
button í or slideomp.Adjusting balance or fader
Balance is used to determine whether the
sound focus should be shifted toward the
driver’s side or the passenger’s side.
Fader is used to determine whether the
sound focus should be shifted toward the
front or rear of the vehicle
Select Sound
Bal/Fad.
The current setting is indicated by an
red cross-hair symbol.
Adjusting balance and fader
To change setting: Slide rmq or omp
until desired balance/fader setting is
achieved.
To save setting: Press n.The setting is stored and the menu is
exited.
To exit menu without saving: Press
button í.
Surround sound* (Canada only)
If your vehicle is equipped with the har-
mann/kardon LOGIC7
® Surround Sound
system, you can choose between
LOGIC7®
On
and LOGIC7® Off for surround sound.
Harman/kardon LOGIC7
® Surround Sound
is available for the following operating
modes:

Radio (FM only)

Sat*

CD audio

MP3

AUX


282 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Setting up rear seat backrest
1Rear seat backrests
Fold backrest1 rearward until it en-
gages.
Check for secure locking by pushing
and pulling on the backrest.
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle
occupants and luggage/cargo should not
exceed the load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the corresponding
placard located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 334).
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
!Take care not to clamp the seat belt.
Warning!G
Always lock backrest in its upright position
when rear seat bench is occupied, or the ex-
tended trunk compartment is not in use.
Check for secure locking by pushing and
pulling on the backrest.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo.
iTo prevent unauthorized persons from ac-
cess to the trunk, always lock backrest in its up-
right position.