2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Headlamp cleaning

360 Operation
Winter driving
Before the onset of winter, have your
vehicle winterized at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. This service
includes:

Check of anticorrosion and antifreeze
concentration.

Addition of cleaning concentrate to the
water of the windshield and headlamp
cleaning* system. Add MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate “MB Summerfit”
to a premixed windshield washer sol-
vent/antifreeze which is formulated for
below freezing temperatures
(
page 485).

Battery test. Battery capacity drops
with decreasing ambient temperature.
A well charged battery helps to make
sure the engine can be started, even at
low ambient temperatures.

Tire change.
Winter tires
Always use winter tires at temperatures
below 45°F (7°C) and whenever wintry
road conditions prevail. Not all M+S rated
tires provide special winter performance.
Make sure the tires you use show the
mountain/snowflake.marking on the
tire sidewall. These tires meet specific
snow traction performance requirements
of the Rubber Manufacturers Association
(RMA) and the Rubber Association of Can-
ada (RAC) and have been designed specif-
ically for use in snow conditions. Use of
winter tires is the only way to achieve the
maximum effectiveness of the ABS, EBP,
ESP
® and 4MATIC in winter operation.
For safe handling, make sure all mounted
winter tires are of the same make and have
the same tread design.Always observe the speed rating of the
winter tires installed on your vehicle. If the
maximum speed for which your tires are
rated is below the speed rating of your
vehicle, you must place a notice to this
effect where it will be seen by the driver.
Such notices are available at your tire
dealer or any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!G
Winter tires with a tread depth of less than 1/6in (4 mm) must be replaced. They are no
longer suitable for winter operation.

367 Operation
Vehicle care
Automatic car wash
You can have your car washed in an auto-
matic car wash from the start. Automatic
car washes without brushes are prefera-
ble.
To protect the filter system, switch the
automatic climate control to air recir-
culation mode (
page 265).
If the vehicle is very dirty, prewash it be-
fore running it through the automatic car
wash.Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of ornamen-
tal moldings, use a damp cloth.Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
turn signal lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo, with plenty of water.
!Do not clean your vehicle in an automatic
touchless car wash which uses caustic spray.
Otherwise the caustic spray will damage the
paint or ornamental moldings.
!Make sure the windshield wiper switch is
set to0 (
page 117). Otherwise, e.g. the rain
sensor* could activate and cause the wipers to
move unintentionally. This may lead to vehicle
damage.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in exterior
rear view mirrors prior to running the vehicle
through an automatic car wash to prevent dam-
age to the mirrors.
iAfter running the vehicle through an auto-
matic car wash, wipe any wax off of the wind-
shield (
page 368). This will prevent smears
and reduce wiping noise which can be caused by
residual wax on the windshield.
When leaving the car wash, make sure the mir-
rors are folded out. Otherwise they may vibrate.
!Do not use chrome cleaner on ornamental
moldings. Although ornamental moldings may
have chrome appearance, they could be made of
anodized aluminum that will be damaged when
cleaned with chrome cleaner. Instead, use a
damp cloth to clean those ornamental moldings.
For very dirty ornamental moldings of which you
are sure are chrome-plated, use a chrome clean-
er. If in doubt whether an ornamental molding is
chrome-plated, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
!Only use window cleaning solutions that are
suitable for plastic lamp lenses. Window clean-
ing solutions which are not suitable may damage
the plastic lamp lenses of the headlamps. There-
fore, do not use abrasives, solvents or cleaners
that contain solvents.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the lenses.
Do not attempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the lens
surface.

486 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*
Both the windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning systems are supplied
from the windshield washer fluid reservoir.
The windshield washer reservoir has a ca-
pacity of approximately 6.34 US qt (6.0 l).
Refill the reservoir with MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate “MB SummerFit”
and water (or concentrate and com-
mercially available premixed wind-
shield washer solvent / antifreeze,
depending on ambient temperatures).Windshield and headlamp washer fluid
mixing ratio
For temperatures above freezing point, use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
“MB SummerFit” and water:

1 part “MB SummerFit” to 100 parts
water
(1.34 fl oz [40 ml] “MB SummerFit” to
1 gal [4.0 l] water).
For temperatures below freezing point, use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
“MB SummerFit” and commercially avail-
able premixed windshield washer
solvent/antifreeze:

1 part “MB SummerFit” to 100 parts
solvent
(1.34 fl oz [40 ml] “MB SummerFit” to
1 gal [4.0 l] solvent).
Warning!G
Washer solvent/antifreeze is highly flam-
mable. Do not spill washer
solvent/antifreeze on hot engine parts, be-
cause it may ignite and burn. You could be
seriously burned.

493 Index
ESP®62
Four wheel electronic traction system
with ESP
®65
Messages in display 389, 397, 398
Warning lamp 27, 376, 379, 380
ETD 49
Safety guidelines 38
Ethanol fuel
At the gas station 322
Switching fuels 483
Exterior rear view mirrors
Adjusting 97
Auto-dimming on the driver’s
side 99, 100
Fold-in settings 175
Power folding* 98F
Fahrenheit see Temperature display
mode 167
First aid kit 420
Flat tire 440
Lowering the vehicle 445
Mounting the Minispare wheel 441
Preparing the vehicle 440
Flexible fuel vehicles 482
At the gas station 322
Switching fuels 483
Floormats* 294
Fluids
Automatic transmission fluid 476,
477
Brake fluid 478, 480
Capacities 476
Engine coolant 329, 478, 484
Engine oil 328, 476, 480
Power steering fluid 478
Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system 479, 486
Fog lamps 431
Messages in display 410
Replacing bulbs 431, 432, 436Four wheel electronic traction system
(4MATIC) with ESP
®65
4MATIC 65
Front air bags 39
Front lamps see headlamps
Front passenger front air bag 39
Messages in display 393
Front passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp 29, 45, 385
Front seats
Heating* 91
Fuel 322, 478, 481
Additives 481
Capacity, Fuel tank 478
Cruising range 483
E85 (Ethanol fuel) 478, 483
Filling the tank 322
Fuel filler flap and cap 322
Fuel reserve warning lamp 27, 150,
380
Gauge 27, 150
Premium unleaded gasoline 478,
481
Requirements, Octane rating 482
Switching (Flexible fuel vehicle) 483

495 Index
H
Halogen headlamp see Headlamps
Hands-free microphone 31
Hard plastic trim items, cleaning 370
Hazard warning flasher 114
Head restraints 89
Active head restraints 50
Adjustment 89
Front seat 89
Rear seat, Removing and
installing 90
Resetting activated active head
restraints 427
Headlamp cleaning system 112, 330
Washer fluid 479, 486
Headlamps
Automatic control 109
Automatic headlamp mode 172
Cleaning lenses 367
Cleaning system 330
Halogen 432
Manual headlamp mode 172
Messages in display 411
Refilling washer fluid 330
Replacing bulbs 431, 432Headliner and shelf below rear window,
Cleaning and care of 371
High beam flasher 112
Replacing bulbs (Bi-Xenon*) 431,
435
Replacing bulbs (Halogen) 431, 433
High beam headlamps
Indicator lamp 27
Replacing bulbs (Bi-Xenon*) 431
Replacing bulbs (Halogen) 431, 433
Replacing bulbs for high beam flasher
(Bi-Xenon*) 435
High mounted brake lamp 431
Hood 325
Message in display 406
Opening 325
Horn 25
Hot weather performance 483
HVAC see Climate control system
Hydroplaning 315I
Identification labels 462
Identification Number, Vehicle (VIN) 463
Ignition 82, 84, 127
Switching on 82
Switching on, KEYLESS-GO* 84
Immobilizer 66
Infant and child restraint systems see Chil-
dren in the vehicle
Inside door handle 79
Instrument cluster 26, 147
Coolant temperature gauge 27, 148
Fuel gauge 27, 150
Illumination 148
Lamps 374
Multifunction display 151
Outside temperature indicator 149
Setting the language (Audio
system) 193
Interior lighting 114
Activating automatic control 115
Deactivating automatic control 115
Delayed shut-off 173
In the rear 116
Reading lamps in the front 115, 116
Reading lamps in the rear 116

497 Index
L
Labels 462
Certification 462
Emission control information 463
Tire and Loading Information 335
Lamps, exterior 431
Light sensor 409
Lamps, indicator and warning
ABS 27, 59, 374
Air bag Off 40
Battery check lamp (SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 77
Battery check lamp (SmartKey) 72
Brake warning lamp 27
Brakes 376
Engine diagnostics 27, 378
Engine malfunction 27, 378
ESP
®27, 376, 379, 380
Front passenger front air bag off 29,
45, 385, 386
Fuel reserve 380
High beam headlamps 27
Instrument cluster 374–383
Maintenance service indicator 362
Seat belt telltale 27, 380
SRS 27, 382Turn signals 27
Language 193
Language, Setting 168
LATCH-type child seat anchors see
Children in the vehicle
Lever
For cruise control 242
License plate lamps
Messages in display 411
Replacing bulbs 431, 437
Light alloy wheels, Cleaning 370
Light sensor
Message in display 409
Lighter see Cigarette lighter
Lighting 108
Automatic headlamp mode 109
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamps* 112
Daytime running lamp mode 110
Door entry lamps 116
High beam flasher 112
Instrument cluster illumination 148
Interior 114
Manual headlamp mode 108
Trunk 116
Limp-home mode 146Loading see Vehicle loading
Locator lighting 172
Lock button
Door handle (KEYLESS-GO*, Canada
only) 76, 125
Key, SmartKey 70
Key, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) 73
Locking 133
Vehicle in an emergency 425
Locking knob 79
Loss of
Key, Mechanical 79
Key, SmartKey 79
Key, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) 79
Service and Warranty Information
Booklet 461
Low beam headlamps
Replacing bulbs (Bi-Xenon*) 431
Replacing bulbs (Halogen) 431, 433
Lowering
Vehicle 445
Lubricants 476
Lumbar support* 91

501 Index
Replacing bulbs 430
Additional turn signals 431
Backup lamps 431, 436
Brake lamps 431
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamp* 431
Fog lamps 431, 436
Headlamp bulbs 432
Headlamps 431
High beam flasher
(Bi-Xenon*) 431, 435
High beam flasher
(Halogen) 431, 433
High beam headlamps
(Bi-Xenon*) 431
High beam headlamps
(Halogen) 431, 433
High mounted brake lamp 431
License plate lamps 431, 437
Low beam headlamps
(Bi-Xenon*) 431
Low beam headlamps
(Halogen) 431, 433
Parking lamps 431, 434, 436
Side marker lamps 431
Standing lamps 431, 434, 436Tail lamps 431, 436
Turn signal lamps 431
Turn signal lamps (Bi-Xenon*) 436
Turn signal lamps (Halogen) 434
Reporting safety defects 17
Reset to factory settings
(Audio system) 193
Residual engine heat and ventilation 266
Restraint systems
Messages in display 416
See Children in the vehicle
See SRS
Reverse gear position, Automatic
transmission* 138, 140
Reverse gear position,
Manual transmission 126
Rims 358
And Tires 467
Tires and wheels 331
Roadside Assistance 12
Roadside Assistance*
Tele Aid* 299
RON 478
Roof rack* 280
Rubber parts, cleaning 370
Run Flat Indicator* (Canada only) 342S
Safety
Driving safety systems 59
Occupant 34
Reporting defects 17
Safety belts see Seat belts
Satellite radio*
Calling SIRIUS Service Center 207
Channel update 207
Operation 200
Selecting program category 203
Showing program info 206
Storing channels 206
Submenu overview 200
Tuning in channels 204
Seat belts 46
Children in the vehicle 51
Cleaning 371
Fastening 46, 105
Force limiter 49
Messages in display 416
Proper use of 47, 106
Safety guidelines 38
Telltale 27, 48, 380
Seating capacity 335