2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Sport

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.

283 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Always place items being carried against
front or rear seat backrests, and fasten
them as securely as possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo should al-
ways be kept as low as possible since it in-
fluences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.Storage compartments
Warning!G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible using cargo tie-down hooks
and fastening materials appropriate for the
weight and size of the load.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury 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. Put luggage or car-
go in the trunk if possible.
Do not pile luggage or cargo higher than the
seat backs. Do not place anything on the
rear-window shelf.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.
iThe trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.
The enlarged cargo area should only be used for
items which do not fit in the trunk alone.
Warning!G
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when storing objects in the vehicle. Put lug-
gage or cargo in the trunk if possible. Do not
pile luggage or cargo higher than the seat
backs.
Parcel nets cannot secure hard or heavy ob-
jects.
Keep compartment lids closed. This will help
to prevent stored objects from being thrown
about and injuring vehicle occupants during

braking

vehicle maneuvers or

an accident.
iAn overview of the storage compartments
can be found on (
page 22).

285 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Opening small and large storage
compartment: Press button1 or2
the armrests opens automatically to
the left and right side.
Closing small or large storage com-
partment: Swing the left or right arm-
rest backward until it engage.Parcel net in front passenger footwellA small convenience parcel net is located
in the front passenger footwell. It is for
small and light items, such as road maps,
mail, etc.
iThere is a small and a large storage compart-
ment located underneath the left armrest. The
small storage compartment can be removed for
the purpose of emptying.
Warning!G
The parcel net is intended for storing
light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
parcel net. In an accident, during hard brak-
ing, or sudden maneuvers, they could be in-
jury to vehicle occupants.
The parcel net cannot protect transported
goods in the event of an accident.

286 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Storage compartments in rear passen-
ger compartment
Armrest with integrated storage
compartment
1Release catch
Opening: Pull down the armrest.
Pull release catch 1 and swing the
cover upward in direction of arrow.Storage pockets
Storage pockets 1 are located on the
back of the front seats.
!Before storing the armrest in the backrest,
close the storage compartment cover.
!Do not sit on or lean your body weight
against the armrest when it is folded down, as
you could otherwise damage it.
Warning!G
The storage pocket is intended for storing
light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
storage pocket. In an accident, during hard
braking, or sudden maneuvers, they could
be thrown around inside the vehicle and
cause injury to vehicle occupants.
The storage pocket cannot protect trans-
ported goods in the event of an accident.

288 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Closing: Open the armrest storage
compartment.
Swing cup holder2 backward until it
engaged.
Trunk
Retaining hooks
Two hooks are located on the upper edge
of the trunk and can be used to attach car-
go items such as bags.
Use the hooks to secure light weight items
only. The maximum permissible weight per
hook is 9 lb (4 kg).Parcel net in trunk
There is a parcel net on the left trunk side
walls to secure loads.
The parcel net is intended for storing
light-weight items only. The parcel net can-
not protect transported goods in the event
of an accident.
!Do not use the retaining hooks to tie down
cargo.

322 Operation
At the gas station
Refueling
The fuel filler flap is located on the
right-hand side of the vehicle towards the
rear. Locking and unlocking the vehicle
with the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only) automatically
locks and unlocks the fuel filler flap.1To open fuel filler flap
2To insert fuel filler cap
3Holder
Warning!G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious per-
sonal injury.
Never allow sparks, flame or smoking mate-
rials near gasoline!
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid in-
haling fumes and any skin or clothing con-
tact. Extinguish all smoking materials.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the inha-
lation of fuel vapors can damage your
health.
Warning!G
C 300/C 300 4MATIC/C 300 4MATIC Sport
and 300 Sport (with automatic transmis-
sion*):
Flexible Fuel Vehicles (identified by a label
reading Premium gasoline or E85 only! on
fuel filler flap):
Ethanol fuel (E85) and its vapors are highly
flammable, poisonous and burn easily. Etha-
nol fuel can cause serious injuries if ignited
or if you come into contact with it or inhale
fumes of it. Avoid inhalation of ethanol
fumes and skin contact with ethanol. Extin-
guish all open flames before refueling. Never
smoke or create sparks close to ethanol.
iIn case that the central locking system does
not release the fuel filler flap, or the opening
mechanism is clamping, notify Roadside Assis-
tance or an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iOnly use premium unleaded gasoline with a
minimum Posted Octane Rating of 91 (average
of 96 RON / 86 MON). Information on gasoline
quality can normally be found on the fuel pump.
C 300/C 300 4MATIC/C 300 4MATIC Sport and
300 Sport (with automatic transmission*):
Flexible Fuel Vehicles are identified by a label
reading Premium gasoline or E85 only! on the
fuel filler flap.

342 Operation
Tires and wheels
Run Flat Indicator (Canada only)
While the vehicle is being driven, the Run
Flat Indicator monitors the set tire inflation
pressures by evaluating each wheel’s rota-
tional speed. This allows the system to de-
tect a significant loss of pressure in a tire.
If a wheel’s rotational speed changes due
to falling tire inflation pressure, you will
see a corresponding warning message in
the multifunction display.
The Run Flat Indicator may function in a re-
stricted manner or with a delay if:

snow chains are mounted to the
vehicle

winter road conditions prevail

you are driving on a loose surface (e.g.
sand or gravel)

you are driving in a very sporty manner
(involving rapid acceleration or high
speeds in curves)
Warning!G
When the multifunction display shows the
message
Check Tire Pressure Soon,
one or more of your tires is significantly un-
derinflated. You should stop and check your
tires as soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper tire inflation pressure as indicat-
ed on the vehicle’s Tire and Loading
Information placard or, if available, on the
tire inflation pressure label. Driving on a sig-
nificantly underinflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Un-
derinflation also reduces fuel efficiency and
tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s
handling and stopping ability. Each tire, in-
cluding the spare, should be checked
monthly when cold and set to the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure as specified
on the Tire and Loading Information placard
on the driver’s door B-pillar (
page 334) or,
if available, on the tire inflation pressure
label located on the inside of the fuel filler
flap (
page 322).
Warning!G
The Run Flat Indicator does not indicate a
warning for wrongly selected tire inflation
pressures. Always adjust tire inflation pres-
sure according to the Tire and Loading
Information placard on the driver’s door
B-pillar (
page 334) or, if available, on the
tire inflation pressure label located on the
inside of the fuel filler flap (
page 322).
The Run Flat Indicator does not replace
regular checks of the tire inflation pressures
since a gradual pressure loss in more than
one tire cannot be detected by the Run Flat
Indicator.
The Run Flat Indicator is not able to issue a
warning due to a sudden dramatic loss of
tire inflation pressure (e.g. tire blowout
caused by a foreign object). In this case
bring the vehicle to a halt by carefully apply-
ing the brakes and avoiding abrupt steering
maneuvers.

352 Operation
Tires and wheels
Load identification
1Load identification
In addition to tire load rating, special load
identification1 may be molded into the
tire sidewall following the letter designat-
ing the tire speed rating6 (
page 348).
No specification given: absence of any text
(like in above example) indicates a
standard load (SL) tire.
XL (Extra Load): designates an extra load
(or reinforced) tire.Light Load: designates a light load tire.
C, D, E: designates load range associated
with the maximum load a tire can carry at
a specified pressure.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S. tire regulations require each new tire
manufacturer or tire retreader to mold a
TIN into or onto a sidewall of each tire
produced.
The TIN is a unique identifier which facili-
tates efforts by tire manufactures to notify
purchasers in recall situations or other
safety matters concerning tires and gives
purchasers the means to easily identify
such tires.
The TIN is comprised of “Manufacturer’s
identification mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type
code” and “Date of manufacture”.1DOT
2Manufacturer’s identification mark
3Tire size
4Tire type code (at the option of the tire
manufacturer)
5Date of manufacture
DOT (D
epartment of Transportation)
A tire branding symbol1 (
page 352)
which denotes the tire meets require-
ments of the U.S. Department of Transpor-
tation.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.