2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 Steering wheel

197 Controls in detail
Audio system
Selecting a station/channel
You have the following selection options:

The station search function

The channel list
(Weather Band)

Station memory
(except Weather Band)

The manual frequency entry
(except Weather Band)
The station search proceeds in the
following frequency increments:

200 kHz in FM range

10 kHz in AM range
Tuning to a station/channel via
station/channel search function
Press buttonb on audio control
unit repeatedly until the FM/AM/WB
waveband is selected.
Slide omp or rotate ymz when the
main area in the basic menu is active.
Depending on the direction in which
the controller is being slid or rotated,
the system searches upward or down-
ward and stops at the next receivable
station/channel.
or
Press buttonG or H on audio
control unit.
Depending on the pressed button, the
system searches upward or downward
and stops at the next receivable
station/channel.Selecting a station using station
memory
Press b button on audio control
unit repeatedly until desired waveband
has been selected.
Select Presets.
or
Press n when the main area is
selected.
The memory menu appears. The dot R
in front of a memory position indicates
that the currently selected station is
saved there.
Select station in memory by rotating
ymz or sliding qmr and press n.
or
Press desired station button1 to
R, with the keypad in audio control
unit briefly.
iThe search function searches for the next
receivable station in the FM or AM waveband.
In Weather Band (WB) the search function
switches to the next channel in the channel list.
For tuning to a station/channel you can also use
the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel
(
page 159).
iThis function is not available for Weather
Band.

222 Controls in detail
Audio system
Telephone*
Safety precautionsWhen the telephone is connected via the
Bluetooth® interface to the audio system,
you can operate the telephone using the
following devices:

audio system (page 237)

Audio controller

Audio control unit

buttonss andt on the multi-
function steering wheel (
page 152)

mobile phone keypad
Please note that these functions are only
available with Mercedes-Benz approved
telephones.
Warning!G
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving.
Whether or not prohibited by law, for safety
reasons, the driver should not use the cellu-
lar telephone while the vehicle is in motion.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location before
placing or answering a call.
If you nonetheless choose to use the tele-
phone
1 while driving, please use the hands-
free device and be sure to pay attention to
the traffic situation at all times. Use the tele-
phone only when road, weather and traffic
conditions permit. Otherwise, you may not
be able to observe traffic conditions and
could endanger yourself and others.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approxi-
mately 14 m) every second.
Warning!G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.
iThe functions and services available to you
while using the telephone depend on your ser-
vice provider and the type of telephone you are
using. See also separate operating manual for in-
structions on how to use your telephone.

224 Controls in detail
Audio system
Operating options
When the telephone is connected via the
Bluetooth
® interface to the audio system,
you can operate the telephone using the
following devices:

buttonss andt and keypad on
audio control unit

audio controller in center console

multifunction steering wheel
Please note that these functions are only
available with Mercedes-Benz approved
telephones. Please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for information on
features available for your telephone of
choice. Unless otherwise indicated, the descrip-
tions and illustrations in this section refer
to audio system.Caller ID
The audio system can display the tele-
phone number and the name of the caller,
e.g. for an incoming call and also in other
menus or displays.
For the telephone number to be displayed,
the caller must transmit their telephone
number.
This is also the case for name displays. For
this, the telephone number and the name
of the caller must also be saved in the tele-
phone book.
iThe components and operating principles of
the audio system can be found on (
page 177)
and (
page 187).
iIn order for the functions described in this
section to work correctly, the Bluetooth® tele-
phone must be linked to the audio system
(
page 192). Please make sure any other Blue-
tooth® device linked with the telephone is
switched off before you use the telephone func-
tions with the audio system.

239 Controls in detail
Audio system
Rejecting or accepting calls
You will be notified of an incoming call by
the ringing tone and a message on the dis-
play.
If the caller's name and number are among
the entries in the audio system's phone
book and the caller has not withheld this
information, it will appear on the display. If
the caller withholds this information, you
will see:
To accept: Press buttons on audio
control unit.
or
Press n on the audio controller.
To reject: Press buttont on audio
control unit.
or
Slideomor rotateymz the audio con-
troller to select
Reject, and press n
on the audio controller to confirm.
The call is rejected.If you have accepted the call using the au-
dio control unit, audio controller, or the
multifunction steering wheel, the call will
be conducted via the hands-free system.
The volume of the call can be adjusted
(
page 189).
Further operating functions can be found
in the “Functions during a single-call” sec-
tion (
page 240).
You can also accept a call if the audio dis-
play is showing a screen other than the
telephone mode screen. After accepting
the call, the display switches to the phone
display. Once the call is over, the display
for the previous mode will appear again.
iDepending on the mobile phone you are us-
ing, the audio system's ringing tone may differ
from the one you have set on your phone. You
may hear

the ringing tone set on the mobile phone

the audio system's preset ringing tone

the audio system's preset ringing tone and
the ringing tone set on the mobile phone.

295 Controls in detail
Useful features
lTele Aid*
The Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic Alarm Identification on De-
mand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:

automatic and manual emergency

Roadside Assistance, and

informationThe Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and
telephone phone and GPS coverage are
available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the multifunction steering wheel. To
raise, press buttonæ and to lower,
press buttonç or use the audio system
rotary control button (
page 189).
To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button*b or
the Information button*}, depend-
ing on the type of response required.
Shortly after the completion of your
Tele Aid acquaintance call, you will receive
a user ID and password. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
(USA only), you will have access to account
information, remote door unlock and
more.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid system
may only be performed by completing the sub-
scriber agreement and placing an acquaintance
call using the Information button*}. Failure
to complete either of these steps will result in a
system that is not activated.
If you have any questions regarding activation,
please call the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
iThe Tele Aid system utilizes the telephone
network for communication and the GPS (Global
Positioning System) satellites for vehicle loca-
tion. If either of these signals are unavailable, the
Tele Aid system may not function and if this oc-
curs, assistance must be summoned by other
means.
iThe SOS button, the Roadside Assistance
button*b, and the Information
button*} are located in the overhead con-
trol panel (
page 31).

300 Controls in detail
Useful features
Information button*}
The Information button} is located in
the overhead control panel.
1Information button}
Press and hold Information button
} (for longer than 2 seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance Cen-
ter will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message:

Connecting call appears in the
multifunction display
and the audio system is muted.When the connection is established, the
message:

Call connected appears in the multi-
function display
The Tele Aid system will transmit data gen-
erating the vehicle identification number,
model, color and location (subject to avail-
ability of cellular and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. Information regarding the operation
of your vehicle, the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or Mercedes-Benz
USA products and services is available to
you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).
iThe indicator lamp on the Information
button} remains illuminated in red for ap-
proximately 10 seconds during the system
self-check after switching on the ignition (togeth-
er with the SOS button and the Roadside Assis-
tance button*b).
See system self-check (
page 296) if the indi-
cator lamp does not come on in red or stays on
longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button} is flashing continuously and no
voice connection to the Response Center was
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate an Information call (e.g. the relevant tele-
phone network is not available). The message:

Call failed appears in the multifunction
display for approximately 10 seconds
Information calls can be terminated using the
t button on the multifunction steering wheel
or the respective button for ending a telephone
call on the audio system or the COMAND* head
unit.

301 Controls in detail
Useful features
Call priority
If other service calls such as a Roadside
Assistance call or Information call are ac-
tive, an emergency call is still possible. In
this case, the emergency call will take pri-
ority and override all other active calls.
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the reserve SmartKey is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.
or
Contact the Tele Aid web page via In-
ternet using the ID and password sent
to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
Then return to your vehicle and pull the
trunk lid handle for a minimum of
20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message:
Call connecting ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
The Response Center will then unlock
your vehicle with the remote door un-
locking feature.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flashing
after pressing one of the buttons or remain illu-
minated (in red) at any time, the Tele Aid system
has detected a fault or the service is not current-
ly activated, and may not initiate a call. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center and have
the system checked or contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon as possi-
ble.
iThe indicator lamp in the respective button
flashes until the call is concluded. Calls can only
be terminated by a Response Center or Custom-
er Assistance Center representative except
Roadside Assistance and Information calls,
which can also be terminated by using the t
button on the multifunction steering wheel or the
respective button for ending a telephone call on
the audio system or the COMAND* head unit.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash or
the system does not terminate the call at all,
contact the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Customer Ser-
vice at 1-800-387-0100 in Canada.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated, the
audio system is muted. The optional cellular
phone (if installed) switches off. If you must use
this phone, the vehicle must be parked. Unplug
the telephone, switch it on and place the call.
The COMAND* navigation system (if engaged)
will continue to run. The multifunction display in
the instrument cluster is available for use, but
spoken commands are not available.
iThe remote door unlock feature is available
if the relevant telephone network is available and
data connection is possible.
The SOS button will flash and the message:
Call
connecting
appears in the multifunction dis-
play to indicate receipt of the door unlock com-
mand.


317 Operation
Driving instructions
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of 130
mph (210 km/h).
The factory equipped tires on your vehicle
may have a tire speed rating above the
maximum speed permitted by the elec-
tronic speed limiter.
Make sure your tires have the required tire
speed rating as specified for your vehicle in
the “Technical data” section (
page 467),
for example when purchasing new tires.
For information on how to identify the tire
speed rating on a tire’s sidewall, see “Tire
size designation, load and speed rating”
(
page 348).
If you are uncertain about the correct read-
ing of the information given on a tire’s side-
wall, any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center will be glad to assist you.
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move gear selector lever to position N. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely
affect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed.
iFor information on speed ratings for winter
tires, see (
page 351) and (page 360).
iFor information on driving with snow chains,
see “Snow chains” (
page 361).
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
Warning!G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.