2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON Owners Manual

#
Alw ays engage the ball neck as descri‐
bed. &
WARNING Risk of injury from ball neck
swinging outwards
The ball neck may swing outwards when
unlo cking or when it has not been properly
engaged.
There is a risk of injury within the ball neck's
ra nge of mo vement! #
Unlock the ball neck only when its
ra nge of mo vement is unobstructed. #
Alw ays be sure the ball neck is engaged
when folding in wards. Re
quirements:
R The vehicle is secured against rolling away.
R The swivel range is clear.
R The trailer cables or adap ter plugs ha vebeen
re mo ved. Fo
lding the ball neck out #
Pull switch 2until the ball neck unloc ks.
The ball neck will fold out from under the
re ar bumper.
Indicator lamp 1will flash. #
Pull the ball neck in the direction of the
ar row until it en gage s audibly in a vertical
position.
Indicator lamp 1onthe ball neck release
switch will go out.
If th e ball neck is not securely loc ked in
place, theCheck trailer hitch lock message
will appear on the multifunction displa y.238
Driving and parking
Internal use only

#
Remo vethe co ver cap from the ball head and
st ore it in a safe place.
Make sure that the ball on the ball neck is clean.
Check that it is either greased or dr y (grease-
free), depending on the instructions forthe
traile r.
Fo lding the ball neck in #
Pull swit ch2 until the ball neck unloc ks.
The ball neck will fold up under there ar
bumper.
Indicator lamp 1will flash. #
Push the ball neck in the direction of the
ar row until it en gage s audibly behind the
bumper.
Indicator lamp 1will go out and the mes‐
sage on the multifunction display will disap‐
pear.
Obser vethe information about the displa yson
th e instrument clus ter:
R Indicator and warning lamps (/ page 498)
R Display messages (/ page445) Coupling/uncoupling a trailer
&
WARNING Risk of injury fromtheve hicle
le ve l being changed
Ve hicles with le vel control sy stem: the
ve hicle le vel may be changed unin tentional ly,
e.g. by ot her persons. You may become trap‐
ped if you couple up or uncouple a trailer
while theve hicle le vel is changing. In addi‐
tion, other people could become trapped if
th eir limbs are between theve hicle body and
th e tyres or underneath theve hicle.
When coupling up or uncoupling a trailer,
make sure that: #
The doors or tailgate are not opened or
closed. #
You do not initiate the le vel control sys‐
te m and do not operate theDY NA MIC
SELECT switch. #
Do not lock or unlock theve hicle. Re
quirements:
R The ball neck is extended and engaged in a
secu rely loc ked position. Tr
ailers with a 7-pin plug can be connec tedto
th eve hicle with thefo llowing adap ters:
R Adapter plug
R Adapter cable
The trailer will be cor rectly de tected bytheve hi‐
cle only if thefo llowing conditions are me t:
R The trailer is connected cor rectl y.
R The trailer lighting sy stem is in working
order.
The functions of thefo llowing sy stems will be
af fected bya cor rectly connected trailer:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation
R Active Lane Keeping Assist
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC
R Active Parking Assist
R Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assi st
R Drive AwayAssi st
R Cross Traf fic Alert
R Reversing camera
R 360° camera Driving and parking
239
Internal use only

R
AIRMATIC
Coupling up a trailer
* NO
TEDama getothest ar ter battery due
to full dischar ge Charging
the trailer battery using the po wer
supply of the trailer can damage thest ar ter
batter y. #
Do not use theve hicle's po wer supply
to charge the trailer batter y.#
Remo vethe co ver cap from the ball head and
st ore it in a safe place. #
Position the trailer on a le vel sur face behind
th eve hicle and couple it up totheve hicle. #
Open the soc ket cap. #
Inse rtthe plug with lug 1in groo ve3 on
th e soc ket. #
Turn bayonet coupling 2totheright as far
as it will go. #
Let the cap engage. #
Secure the cable tothe trailer with cable ties
(only if you are using an adap ter cable). #
Make sure that the cable is alw ays slack for
ease of mo vement during cornering. Under
thefo llowing conditions, a message may
appear on the multifunction display even if the
trailer has been connected cor rectly:
R LEDs ha vebeen ins talled in the trailer light‐
ing sy stem.
R The cur rent has fallen below the trailer light‐
ing sy stem's minimum cur rent (50 mA).
% Accessories can be connected tothe perma‐
nent po wer supp lyup to180 W and tothe
po we r supp lythat is swit ched on via the igni‐
tion loc k.
Un coupling a trailer &
WARNING Risk of being crushed and
becoming trapped when uncoupling a
trailer
When uncoupling a trailer with an engaged
ine rtia-activated brake, your hand may
become trapped between theve hicle and the
trailer dr awbar. #
Do not uncouple trailers with an
engaged overrun brake. 240
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

*
NO
TEDama gewhen uncoupling in a
st ate of overrun Uncou
pling in a state of overru n can dama ge
th eve hicle. #
Do not uncouple trailers with an
engaged overrun brake. &
WARNING Risk of becoming trapped
when disconnecting the trailer cable
Ve hicles with le vel control sy stem: The
ve hicle may lo wer when the trailer cable is
disconnected.
This could result in you or other people
becoming trapped if your or their limbs are
between theve hicle body and the tyres or
underneath theve hicle. #
Make sure that nobody is unde rneath
th eve hicle or in the immediate vicinity
of the wheel ar ches when you discon‐
nect the trailer cable. #
Secure the trailer against rolling away. #
Disconnect the electrical connection
between theve hicle and the trailer. #
Uncouple the trailer. #
Place the co ver cap on the ball head. Bicycle
rackfunction &
WARNING Risk of an accident when
using the bicycle rack incor rectly
The bicycle rack may become de tach ed from
th eve hicle in thefo llowing cases:
R the permissible load capacity of the
trailer hitch is exceeded.
R the bicycle rack is used incor rectl y.
R the bicycle rack is secured tothe ball
neck beneath the ball head.
Obser vethefo llowing foryo ur ow n sa fety
and that of other road users: #
always adhere tothe permissible load
capacity of the trailer hitch. #
only use the bicycle rack totranspo rt
bicycles. #
always proper lysecure the bicycle rack
by attaching it tothe ball head. #
only use bicycle rack s appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz. #
always obser vethe bicycle rack operat‐
ing instructions. *
NO
TEDama geto, or cra cks on, the
trailer hitch due tounsuitable bic ycle
ra ck s or bicycle rack s being used incor‐
re ctly #
use only bicycle rack s appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz. Driving and parking
241
Internal use only

Depending on
the bicycle rack 's design, up to
th re e bicycles can be transpor ted on the bicycle
ra ck.
When mounted byattaching toball head 1,the
maximum load capacity is 75kg.
The load capacity is calculated from thewe ight
of the bicycle rack and the bicycle rack load.
The vehicle's driving characteristics will change
when a bicycle rack isfitted. Adapt your driving st
yle according ly. Drive carefully and maintain a
sa fe dis tance.
When using a bicycle rack , set the tyre pressure
fo r maximum loading on there ar axle of the
ve hicle. Further information on the tyre pressure
can be found in the tyre pressure table
(/ page 412).
Note s on loading
The lar gerth e dis tance between the load's
cent reof gr avity and the ball head, the greater
th e load on the trailer hitch.
Therefore, obser vethefo llowing no tes:
R mount heavy bicycles as close totheve hicle
as possible
R always distribute the load on the bicycle rack
as evenly as possible across theve hicle's
longitudinal axis
Mercedes-Benz recommends removing all
de tach able parts from bicycles (e.g. bask ets,
ch ild seats, rech arge able bat teries) before load‐
ing them onto the bicycle rack . This will impr ove
th e aerodynamic resis tance and centre of gr avity
of the bicycle rack. Alw
ays secure the bicycles topreve ntthem from
moving around and check them at regular inter‐
va ls to ensure that they are secure.
Do not use tarp aulins or other co vers. The driv‐
ing characteristics and rear view may be
impaired. In addition, aerodynamic resis tance
and the load on the trailer hitch will increase. Load distribution on
the bicycle rack
1 Vertical dis tance between centre of gr avity
and ball head
2 Horizon tal dis tance between centre of gr av‐
ity and ball head
3 The centre of gr avity is on theve hicle's
centre axis 242
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

Obser
vethefo llowing information when you are
loading the bicycle rack with up tothre e bicy‐
cles:
Loading the bicycle rack To
tal weight
of bicycle
rack and
load Max. dis‐
tance
1 1 Max. dis‐
tance
2 2
Up to75 kg 420 mm 300 mm Ve
hicle towing instructions
The vehicle is not suitable forth e use of tow bar
sy stems that are used forflat towing or ding hy
to wing, forex ample. Attach ing and using tow bar
sy stems can lead todamage on theve hicle.
When you are towing a vehicle with tow bar sys‐
te ms, safe driving characteristics cannot be
guaranteed forth eto wing vehicle or theto wed
ve hicle. The vehicle-trailer combination may
swer vefrom side toside. Comply with the per‐
mitted towing me thods (/ page 402) and the
instructions forto wing with bo thaxles on the
ground (/ page 403). Driving and parking
243
Internal use only

Note
s onthe instrument display and on-
board compu ter &
WARNING Risk of accident due toan
instrument display malfunction
If th e instrument display has failed or mal‐
functioned, the function restrictions applying
to saf etyre leva nt sy stems are not visible.
The operating saf ety of your vehicle may be
impaired. #
Drive on carefull y.#
Have theve hicle checked immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop. &
WARNING Risk of dist raction from infor‐
mation sy stems and communications
equipment
If yo u operate information and communica‐
tion equipment integ rated in theve hicle
when driving, you will be distracted from the
traf fic situation. This could also cause youto
lose control of theve hicle. #
Only operate this equipment when the
traf fic situation permits. #
Ifyo u cannot be sure of this, stop the
ve hicle whilst paying attention toroad
and traf fic conditions and ope rate the
equipment with theve hicle stationar y. *
NO
TEMercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. *
NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. Yo
u must obse rveth e legal requirements forthe
country in whi chyou are cur rently driving when
operating the on-board computer.
The on-board computer sho wsonly display mes‐
sages and warnings from specific sy stems on th
e multifunction displa y.Yo u must therefore
ensure that your vehicle is alw aysre liable.
If th e operating saf ety of your vehicle is
impaired, park theve hicle immediately and
safel y.Con tact a qualified specialist workshop. 244
Instrument display and on-board computer
Internal use only

Instrument display
overview 1
Speedome ter
The segments on the speedome ter indica te
th est atus of thefo llowing sy stems: cruise
control / limiter / Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC
2 Outside temp erature
3 Time 4
Area for additional values (e xamp le:rev
counter): rev counter / navigation / ECO
display / consum ption / G-me ter / date
The fuel supply will be inter rupted toprotect
th e engine when there d mark on therev
counter (o verrev ving range) is reached.
5 Coolant temp erature display During normal operation,
the coolant tem‐
perature display is permitted torise to
12 0°C.
Ve hicles with 48 V on-board electrical sys‐
te m: POWER and CHARGE displ ays (electri‐
cal drive support and recuperation po wer of
th e electric mo tor)
6 Selected drive program Instrument display and on-board computer
245
Internal use only