2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON ESP

#
Alw ays ha vewo rkon the battery car ried
out at a qualified specialist workshop. R
Further information on ABS (/ page187)
R Further information on ESP ®
(/ page 188)
Fo r saf etyre asons, Mercedes-Benz recommends
th at you on lyuse bat teries which ha vebeen tes‐
te d and appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle byMercedes-
Benz.
All vehicles except vehicles with a lithium-
ion battery &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion due toelec‐
tros tatic charge
Electros tatic charge can igni tethe highly
ex plosive gas mixture in the batter y. #
Todischar geany electros tatic charge
th at may ha vebuilt up, touch the me tal
ve hicle body before handling the bat‐
te ry. The highly
flammable gas mixture is created
while the battery is charging and during starting
assis tance. &
WARNING Danger of chemical burns
from the battery acid
Battery acid is caustic. #
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or
clo thing. #
Do not lean overth e batter y. #
Do not inhale battery gases. #
Keep children away from the batter y. #
Immedia tely rinse battery acid off thor‐
oughly with plenty of clean water and
seek medical attention immediately. All
vehicles
+ ENVIRONMENTAL
NOTEEnvironmental
dama gedue toimproper disposal of bat‐
te ries Batteries conta
in pollutants. It is
illegal todispose of them with the household
ru bbish. #
Dispose of batteries in an
environmen tally responsible manner.
Ta ke dischar ged batteries toaqu alified
specialist workshop or toa collection
point for used batteries. If
yo u ha vetodisconnect the12 V batter y,con‐
ta ct a qualified specialist workshop.
Comply with saf ety no tes and take protective
measures when handling batteries. Breakdown assis
tance 397
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from hydro‐
ge nga s igniting
There is a danger of hydrogen gas igniting
when charging the battery if there is a short
circuit or spar ksstart toform. #
Make sure that the positive term inal of
th e connected battery does not come
into conta ct withvehicle parts. #
Never place me tal objects or tools on a
batter y. #
The described order of the battery
clamps must be obser ved when con‐
necting and disconnecting the batter y. #
When giving starting assis tance, al ways
make sure that you on lyconnect bat‐
te ry term inals with identical polarity. #
During starting assis tance, you must
obse rveth e described order for con‐
necting and disconnecting the jump
lead. #
Do not connect or disconnect the bat‐
te ry cla mp s while the engine is running. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion during
ch arging process and starting assis tance
During thech arging process and starting
assis tance, the battery may release an explo‐
sive gas mixture. #
Avoid fire , naked flames, creating
spar ksand smoking. #
Make sure there is suf ficient ventila‐
tion. #
Do not lean over a batter y. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from a fro‐
zen battery
A dischar ged battery may freeze at temp era‐
tures slightly abo veor below freezing point.
During starting assis tance or battery charg‐
ing, bat tery gas can be released. #
Alw ays allow a battery tothaw before
ch arging it or per form ing starting assis‐
ta nce. If
th e indicator/warning lamps in the instrument
clus ter do not light up at low temp eratures, it is
ve ry likely that the dischar ged battery has fro‐
zen. In this case you may neither jump-s tart the
ve hicle nor charge the batter y.
The service life of a battery that has been
th awe d may be dramatically shor tened. The
st arting characteristics may be impaired, espe‐
cially at low temp eratures.
It is recommended that you ha veathaw ed bat‐
te ry checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Plug-in hybrid: be sure toobser vethe no tes in
th e Supplement. You could otherwise failto rec‐
ognise dangers.
All vehicles
* NO
TEDama gecaused bynumerous or
ex tended attempt sto start the engine Nume
rous or extended attempt sto start the
engine may damage the catalytic con verter
due tonon-combu sted fuel. #
Avoid numerous and extended attem pts
to start the engine. Breakdown assis
tance 399
Internal use only

Note
s on noise or unusual handling charac‐
te rist ics
Make sure there are no vibrations, noises or
unusual handling characteristics when theve hi‐
cle is in motion. This may indicate that the
wheels or tyres are damaged. Hidden tyre dam‐
age could also be causing the unusual handling
ch aracteristics.
If yo u suspect that a tyre is defective, reduce
yo ur speed immediately and ha vethe tyres and
wheels checked at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Note
s onregular lyinspecting wheels and
tyres &
WARNING Risk of injury duetodamaged
tyres
Damaged tyres can cause tyre pressure loss. #
Check the tyres regularly for signs of
dama geand replace any damaged tyres
immediatel y. &
WARNING Risk of aquaplaning due to
insuf ficient tyre tread
Insu fficient tyre tread will result in reduced
tyre grip.
The risk of aquaplaning is increased on wet
ro ads, especially when the speed of theve hi‐
cle is not adap tedto suit the conditions. #
Thus, you should regularly check the
tread de pth and the condition of the
tread across the entire width of all
tyres.
Minimum tread dep thfor:
R Summer tyres: 3 mm
R M+S tyres: 4 mm #
For saf etyre asons, replace the tyres
before the legally-prescribed limit for
th e minimum tread dep thisreached. Car
ryout thefo llowing checks on all wheels reg‐
ularly, at least once a month or as requ ired, for
ex ample, prior toa long journey or driving off-
ro ad:
R Check the tyre pressure (/ page411).
R Visually inspect wheels and tyres for dam‐
age.
R Check theva lve caps.
R Visual check of the tyre tread dep thand the
tyre contact su rface across the entire width.
The minimum tread dep thfor summer tyres
is 3 mm and for winter tyres 4 mm. Note
s on snow chains &
WARNING Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct snow chain fitting
If yo u ha vefitted snow chains tothe front
wheels, the snow chains may drag against
th eve hicle body or chassis components.
This could cause damage totheve hicle or
th e tyres. 41 0
Wheels and tyres
Internal use only

#
Neverfit snow chains on the front
wheels. #
Only fit snow chains on there ar wheels
in pairs. *
NO
TEDama getocomponents of the
ve hicle body or chassis due tofitted
snow chains If
yo ufit snow chains tothe front wheels of
4MATIC vehicles, you may damage co mpo‐
nents of theve hicle body or chassis. #
Onlyfit snow chains tothere ar wheels
of 4MATIC vehicles. Obser
vethefo llowing no tes when using snow
ch ains:
R Snow ch ains are on ly permissible for cer tain
wheel/tyre combinations. You can obtain
information about this from a Mercedes-Benz
Service Cent re.
R For saf etyre asons, only use snow chainsthat
ha ve been specifically appr ovedfo ryo ur ve
hicle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains
with the same quality standard.
R If sn ow ch ains are fitted, the maximum per‐
missible speed is 50 km/h.
R Vehicles with Active Park ing Assis t:do
not use Active Parking Assist when snow
ch ains are fitted.
R Vehicles with le vel control: if snowchains
are fitted, only drive at raised vehicle le vel
( / page 219).
% You can permanently limit the maximum
ve hicle speed for driving with winter tyres
(/ page 196).
% You can deactivate ESP ®
to pull away
( / page 190). This all owsth e wheels to
spin, achieving an increased driving forc e. Ty
re pressure Note
s on tyre pressure Ty
re pressure which is too high or too low can:
R Shor tenth e service life of the tyres. R
Cause increased tyre damage.
R Adversely af fect driving characteristics and
th us driving saf ety, e.g. due toaquaplaning. &
WARNING Risk of accident due torepea‐
te d pressure drop in the tyres
The wheels, valves or tyres could be dam‐
aged.
To o low a tyre pressure can lead tothe tyres
bur sting. #
Examine the tyres forfo re ign objects. #
Check whe ther the tyre has a puncture
or theva lve has a leak. #
Ifyo u are unable torectify the damage,
conta ct aqualified specialist workshop. Information on
there commended tyre pressure
fo rth eve hicle's factor y-fitted tyres can be found
on the tyre pressure table on the inside of the
fuel filler flap (/ page412).
Use a suita ble pressure gauge tocheck the tyre
pressure. The outer appearance of a tyre does Wheels and tyres
411
Internal use only

not pe
rmit any reliable conclusion about the tyre
pressure.
Only cor rect tyre pressures when the tyres are
cold. Conditions for cold tyres:
R The vehicle has been par ked with the tyres
out of direct sunlight for at least thre e hours.
R The vehicle has tr avelled less than 1.6 km.
The vehicle's tyres heat up when driving. As the
te mp erature of the tyres increases, so too does
th e tyre pressure.
Ve hicles with a tyre pressure monitoring sys‐
te m: you can also check the tyre pressure using
th e on-board computer.
Note s on trailer operation
Alw ays inflate there ar axle tyres tothere com‐
mended tyre pressures on the tyre pressure
ta ble for increased load. Ty
re pressure table The tyre pressure
table is on the inside of the
fuel filler flap. If one or more tyre sizes precede a tyre pres‐
sure,
thefo llowing tyre pressure information is
only valid forth ose tyre sizes and their respec‐
tive load condition.
If th e preceding tyre sizes are complemented by
th e+ symbol, the tyre pressure information
fo llowing sho wsalternative tyre pressures. Fuel
consum ption may then increase slightl y.The load conditions "partially laden" and "fully
laden" are defined in
theta ble for dif fere nt num‐
be rs of passengers and amounts of luggage. The
actual number of seats may dif fer from this. Ty
re pressure moni toring sy stem Fu
nction of the ty repressure moni toring sys‐
tem
The sy stem checks the tyre pressure and the
tyre temp erature of the tyres fitted totheve hicle
by means of a tyre pressu resensor.
The tyre pressure and the tyre temp erature
appear in the on-board computer (/ page413).
If th ere is a subs tantial pressure loss or if the
tyre temp erature is excessive, you will be
wa rned in thefo llowing ways:
R via display messa ges (/ page 489).
R viatheh warning lamp in the instrument
clus ter (/ page511)
The tyre pressu remonitoring sy stem is only an
aid. It is the driver's responsibility toset the tyre 412
Wheels and tyres
Internal use only

*
NO
TEVehicle and tyre damage thro ugh
tyre types and sizes that ha venot been
appr oved Fo
r saf etyre asons, only use tyres, wheels
and accessories which ha vebeen specially
appr ovedby Mercedes-Benz foryo ur vehicle.
These tyres are specially adap tedto the con‐
trol sy stems, such as ABS, ESP ®
and
4MATIC, and mar ked as follo ws:
R MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
R MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended
(run-flat tyres only for cer tain wheels)
R MO1 = Mercedes-Benz Original (only cer‐
tain AMG tyres)
Cer tain characteristics, such as handling,
ve hicle noise emissions, consum ption, etc.
may otherwise be adversely af fected. Fur‐
th ermore, other tyre sizes could result in the
tyres rubbing against the body and axle com‐
ponents when loaded. This could result in
damage tothe tyre or theve hicle. Only use tyres, wheels and accessories
that
ha ve been checked and recommended by
Mercedes-Benz. *
NO
TERisk todriving saf ety from retrea‐
ded tyres Re
treaded tyres are nei ther tested nor rec‐
ommended byMercedes-Benz, since pr evi‐
ous damage cannot alw ays be de tected on
re treaded tyres.
Fo rth is reason driving saf ety cannot be guar‐
anteed. #
Do not use used tyres if you ha veno
information about their pr evious usage. *
NO
TEPossible damage towheels or
tyres when driving over obs tacles Large wheels ha
vea lo wer tyre section width.
The lo werth e tyre section width, the greater
is therisk of damage towheels or tyres when
driving over obs tacles. #
Avoid obs tacles or drive part icularly
carefully. *
NO
TEPossible wheel and tyre damage
when parking on kerbs or in po tholes Pa
rking on kerbs or in po tholes may damage
th e wheels and tyres. #
If possible, park only on flat sur faces. #
Avoid kerbs and po tholes when parking. *
NO
TEDama getoelectronic component
parts from the use of tyre-fitting tools Ve
hicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: electronic component parts are
located in the wheel. Tyre-fitting tools should
not be applied in the area of theva lve.
The tools could damage the electronic com‐
ponent parts. #
Have the tyres changed at a qualified
specialist workshop onl y. Wheels and tyres
415
Internal use only

*
NO
TEDama getosummer tyres at low
ambient temp eratures At
low ambient temp eratures, tears could
fo rm when driving with summer tyres, caus‐
ing permanent damage tothe tyre. #
Attemp eratures below 7 °C use i
M+S- tyres. Ac
cessory pa rts th at are not appr ovedfo ryo ur
ve hicle byMercedes-Benz or are not being used
cor rectly can impair the operating saf ety.
Before pu rchasing and using non-appr oved
accesso ries, visit a qualified specialist workshop
and enquire about:
R Suitability
R Legal stipulations
R Factory recommendations &
WARNING Risk of accident with high
per form ance tyres
The special tire tread in combination with the
optimised tyre compound means that the ri
sk of skidding and aquaplaning on wet
ro ads is inc reased.
In addition, the tyre grip is greatly reduced at
a low outside temp erature and tyre running
te mp erature. #
Switch on the ESP ®
and adapt your
driving style accordingly. #
Use i M+S tyres at outside temp er‐
atures of less than 10 °C. #
Only use the tyres forth eir intended
purpose. Obser
vethefo llowing when selecting, fitting and
re placing tyres:
R Countr y-specific requirements for tyre
appro valth at define a specific tyre type for
yo ur vehicle.
R Furthermore, the use of cer tain tyre types in
cer tain regions and areas of operation can
be highly beneficial.
R Only use tyres and wheels of the same type
(summer tyres, winter tyres, MOEx tended
tyres) and the same make. R
Only fit wheels of the same size on one axle
(left and right).
It is only permissible tofit a di fferent wheel
size in theeve nt of a flat tyre in order to
drive tothe specialist workshop.
R Do not make any modifications tothe brake
sy stem, the wheels or the tyres.
The use of shims or brake dust shields is not
permitted and may in validate theve hicle's
ge neral operating pe rmit.
R Vehicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: allfitted wheels mu stbe equipped
with functioning sensors forth e tyre pres‐
sure monitoring sy stem.
R Attemp eratures below 7°C use winter tyres
or all-season tyres mar kedi M+Sfor all
wheels.
Wi nter tyres pr ovide the best possible grip in
wintry road conditions.
R For M+S tyres, only use tyres with the same
tread.
R Obser vethe maximum permissible speed for
th e M+S tyres fitted. 416
Wheels and tyres
Internal use only

#
Ensu rethat the wheel bolts or wheel
nuts are tightened tothe prescribed
tightening torque. #
Ifyo u are not sure, do not mo vethe
ve hicle. Contact a qualified specialist
wo rkshop and ha vethe tightening tor‐
qu ech ecked immediately. #
Check the tyre pressure of the newly fitted
wheel and adjust it if necessa ry.#
Vehicles with a tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem: restart the tyre pressure monitoring
sy stem (/ page413).
Excep tion:the new wheel is an emer gency
spa rewheel. Emer
gency spare wheel Note
s onthe emer gency spare wheel &
WARNING Risk of accident caused by
incor rect wheel and tyre dimensions
The wheel or tyre size and the tyre type of
th e emer gency spa rewheel or spare wheel
and the wheel tobe replaced may dif fer. The
emer gency spa rewheel or spare wheel can
significantly impair driving characteristics of
th eve hicle.
To preve nt hazardous situations: #
Drive carefully. #
Neverfit more than one emer gency
spa rewheel or spare wheel that dif fers
in size. #
Only use an emer gency spa rewheel or
spare wheel brief ly. #
Do not deacti vate ESP ®
. #
Have the emer gency spa rewheel or
spare wheel of a dif fere nt size replaced
at the nearest qualified specialist work‐ shop. The new wheel must ha
vethe
cor rect dimensions. %
The emergency spa rewheel is secured in the
emer gency spa rewheel bag in the boot.
Obser vethefo llowing no tes on fitting an emer‐
ge ncy spa rewheel:
R Check the tyre pressure of the emer gency
spa rewheel fitted. Co rrect the pressure as
necessar y.
R The maximum permissible speed with an
emer gency spa rewheel fitted is 80 km/h.
R Do not fit th e emer gency spa rewheel with
sn ow ch ains.
R Replace the emer gency spa rewheel af ter six
ye ars at the latest, rega rdless of wear. 424
Wheels and tyres
Internal use only