2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 C S button

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.


135 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
SmartKey
Turning off: Turn the SmartKey in the
starter switch to position0 and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated. KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only)
Turning off: Press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button to turn off the en-
gine.
With the driver’s door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch.
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 106).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
Warning!G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the en-
gine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to brake and steer the vehicle.
iIn an emergency you can turn off the engine
while driving by pressing and holding the
KEYLESS-GO start/ stop button for approxi-
mately 3 seconds.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim pan-
el. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

151 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position2 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button (Canada
only) is in position 2. The control system
enables you to:

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control
system to find out when your vehicle is
next due for service, to call up statistical
data on your vehicle, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Text field
2Line for main menus
3Temperature
4Current program mode
(automatic transmission*)
5Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
(automatic transmission*)
Additional speedometer
(manual transmission)
6Digital clock
Settings, functions, submenus as well as
any malfunctions are shown to you in the
text field.
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others,
selecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.

152 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled using the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel.Item
1Multifunction display
Operating control system
2Volume control:
Press button
æto increase volume
çto decrease volume
Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call
to dial a call
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
Fto mute
3!to activate Voice Control*
Item
4Lto cancel Voice Control*,
back, confirm messages
5To call up line for menus and select
menus:
Press button
&to scroll to the right
(to scroll to the left
To select submenu or scroll through
lists:
Press button
$to scroll up
%to scroll down
Press button
#to confirm selection or
messages
iVoice Control* is only available with
COMAND*. Refer to separate operating instruc-
tions.

153 Controls in detail
Control system
Depending on the selected menu
(
page 155), pressing the buttons on the
multifunction steering wheel will alter what
is shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
Audio, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.
In the
Settings menu, instead of functions
you will find a number of submenus for
calling up and changing settings. For
instructions on using these submenus, see
“Submenus in the Settings menu”
(
page 166).
It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being
arranged in a circular pattern.The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
Using the control system
To select a menu:
Press button(or&.
To select a submenu:
Press button%or$.
To go to the next higher menu level:
Press buttonL.
To select the standard display: Press
buttonL repeatedly until the stan-
dard display featuring the odometer
and speedometer appears.
or
Press and hold buttonL until the
standard display featuring the odome-
ter and speedometer appears.
To confirm selection:
Press button#.
To confirm display message:
Press button# or L.
The control system saves certain dis-
play messages. Calling up display mes-
sages (
page 164).
For information about warning and mal-
function messages appearing in the multi-
function display (
page 387).
iThe headings used in the menus table are
designed to facilitate navigation within the sys-
tem and are not necessarily identical to those
shown in the control system displays.
The first function displayed in each menu will au-
tomatically show you which part of the system
you are in.

156 Controls in detail
Control system
Trip menu
In the
Trip menu, you can show an addi-
tional display for the speedometer and call
up or reset your vehicle’s statistical data.
The following information is available:Standard display
In the standard display, the trip odometer
and the main odometer are shown in the
multifunction display.
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
If another display is shown instead of the
standard display:
Press ( or & to select the Trip
menu.
or
Press buttonL repeatedly until the
standard display appears.
or
Press and hold buttonL until the
standard display appears.Fuel consumption statistics since start
Press ( or & to select the Trip
menu.
Press % to select From Start.
1Distance driven since start
2Time elapsed since start
3Average speed since start
4Average fuel consumption since start
FunctionPage
Standard display156
Fuel consumption statistics
since start156
Fuel consumption statistics
since last reset157
Distance to empty157
Digital speedometer158
Resetting157
iAll values that are based on the last start are
reset when you turn off the vehicle’s engine for
more than four hours.
If you turn the SmartKey to position1 or2 again
during this time, the values will not be reset.
After 999 hours or 9999 miles (kilometers), the
fuel consumption statistics after start are auto-
matically reset.

159 Controls in detail
Control system
Selecting radio station
Turn on the audio system (page 188)
and press buttonb on audio con-
trol unit.
Vehicles with COMAND*: Refer to
separate operating instructions.
Press ( or & to select the Audio
menu. The currently tuned station
appears in the multifunction display.
1Waveband setting
2Station frequency
Select next or previous stored sta-
tion: Press % or $ briefly to se-
lect a stored station.
Select next or previous station in
waveband: Press and hold % or
$ to select a station.Selecting satellite radio station*
The satellite radio is treated as a radio
application.
Turn on the radio (page 188) and se-
lect the satellite radio with the audio
control unit.
Vehicles with COMAND*: Refer to
separate operating instructions.
Press ( or & to select the Audio
menu. The currently tuned channel
appears in the multifunction display.1SAT mode
2Channel name and/or number
Select next or previous stored chan-
nel: Press % or $ briefly to se-
lect a stored channel.
Select next or previous channel in
waveband: Press and hold % or
$ to select a channel.
iYou can only store new stations using the
corresponding feature on the radio
(
page 198).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instructions.
You can also operate the radio in the usual
manner.
i A subscription to SIRIUS Satellite Radio ser-
vice provider is required for the satellite radio op-
eration. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for details and availability for your
vehicle.
For more information on satellite radio opera-
tion, see “Satellite radio*” (
page 200).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instructions.

162 Controls in detail
Control system
Dialing a number from the phone book
If your telephone is ready to receive calls,
you may select and dial a number from the
phone book at any time.
Press ( or & to select the Tel
menu.
Log on to the network (page 193).
Press % or $ or # to switch
to the phone book.
The stored names are displayed in
ascending alphabetical order.
Press % or $ to select the de-
sired name.1Name from the phone book
Press s or # to start dialing.
If several entries are present for the
same name, they are all shown.
Press % or $ to select the
desired entry.
Press s or # to start dialing.The message
Connecting call… ap-
pears on the multifunction display, as
well as the dialed telephone number or
name as long as it is stored in the
phone book.
The dialed number is saved in the “Di-
aled numbers” list.
Once a connection has been estab-
lished, the name appears on the multi-
function display, provided that it has
been stored in the phone book, other-
wise the dialed telephone number ap-
pears.
iFor using the phone book of the audio sys-
tem you can import business cards (vCards)
from external Bluetooth
® phones into your audio
system's phone book (
page 233).
iIf you press and hold % or $ for
more than 1 second, the system scrolls
rapidly through the list of names.
If you press and hold % or $ for more than
4 seconds, the control system shows the first
four entries of the letter next used. Release the
button to stop the quick search. The search
stops automatically at the end of the list.
iIf you do not want to dial from the phone
book, press t or L. The message
Ready
again appears in the multifunction display.