2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON Owners Manual

#
With your hand flat, push down active bonnet
1 inthe area around the hinges on bo th
sides (ar rows).
In doing so, the actuator is depressurised
and you may hear a hissing sound.
The engine bonnet must en gage in position. #
Ifth e active bonn etcan be raised slight lyat
th ere ar in the area of the hinges, repeat the
st ep until it engages cor rectl y. Opening and closing
the bonnet &
WARNING Risk of accident due todriv‐
ing with the bonn etunlo cked
The bonn etmay open and block your vie w. #
Neverre lease the bonn etwhen driving. #
Before every trip, ensure that the
engine bonn etis loc ked. &
WARNING Risk of accident and inju ry
when opening and closing the bonn et
The bonnet may suddenly drop into the end
position.
There is a risk of injury for an yone in the
engine bonn et's range of mo vement. #
Do not open or close the bonn etifth ere
is a person in the bonn et's range of
mo vement. &
WARNING Risk of burn s when opening
th e bonn et
If yo u open the bonn etwhen the engine has
ove rheated or when there is a fire inthe
engine compartment, thefo llowing situations
may occur:
R You could come into contact with hot
ga ses.
R You could come into contact with other
hot, escaping operating fluids. #
Before opening the bonn et, allow the
engine tocool down. #
Intheeve nt of a fire inthe engine com‐
partment, keep the bonn etclosed and
call thefire service. &
WARNING Risk of injury duetomoving
parts
Components in the engine compartment may
continue running or start up sudden ly,even if
th e ignition is switched off.
Make sure of thefo llowing before per form ing
ta sks in the engine compartmen t: #
Switch the ignition off. #
Neverre ach into the danger zone sur‐
ro unding moving co mponents, e.g. the
ro tation area of thefa n. #
Remo vejewe llery and watches. #
Keep items of clo thing and hair away
from moving parts. 374
Maintenance and care
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of injury fromtouching
co mp onents under voltage
The ignition sy stem and the fuel injection
sy stem workunder high voltage. You could
re cei vean electric shoc k. #
Neverto uch co mponents of the ignition
sy stem or the fuel injection sy stem
when the ignition is switched on. &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING Risk of injury from usingthe
windscreen wipers while the engine bon‐
net is open
When the engine bonn etis open, and the
windscreen wipers are set in motion, you can
be trapped bythe wiper linkage. #
Alw ays switch off the windscreen wip‐
ers and ignition before opening the
engine bonn et. *
NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. Opens the bonnet
#
Torelease the bonn et, pull on handle 1. Maintenance and care
375
Internal use only

#
Push handle 1ofthe bonn etcatch up wards
and lift the bonn etuntil it opens automati‐
call y.
Closing the bonnet #
Lowe rth e bonn etto a height of around
20 cm and then allow it tofall, applying a lit‐
tle forc e as you let it go. #
Ifth e bonn etcan still be lif ted slightl y,open
th e bonn etagain and close it with a little
more forc e until it engages cor rectly. Engine oil
Che
cking the engine oil le vel using the oil
dip stick &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. *
NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. Re
quirements:
R The engine has an oil dipstic k.If not, the
engine oil le vel can be checked only with the
on-board computer (/ page377) .
Depending on the engine, the oil dipstick may be
ins talled in the engine compartment in dif fere nt
locations.
The waiting time before checking the oil le vel
when the engine is at normal operating temp era‐
ture is five minutes. 376
Maintenance and care
Internal use only

#
Park theve hicle on a le vel sur face. #
Pull oil dipstick 1out and wipe off. #
Slowly slide oil dipstick 1into the guide
tube tothestop, and pull it out again af ter
about thre e seconds.
R Oil le vel is cor rect: oil le vel is between 2
and 3.
R Oil le velto o low: oil le vel is at 3or
belo w. R
Oil le velto o high: oil le vel is abo ve2 . #
Ifth e oil le vel is too lo w,top up with 1 litre of
engine oil. #
Ifth e oil le vel is too high, drain off excess
engine oil. Consult a qualified specialist
wo rkshop.
Checking the engine oil le vel using the on-
board compu ter
Re quirements:
R The engine has an oil le vel sensor. If not, the
engine oil le vel can be checked only with the
oil dipstick (/ page376).
R The engine has been warmed up.
R The vehicle is par ked on a le vel sur face.
R The engine is running at idle speed.
R The bonnet is closed.
The engine oil le vel is de term ined during driving.
De term ining the engine oil le vel can take up to
30 minutes with a normal driving style and even
longer with an active driving style. On-board computer:
4 Service 5
Engine oil level
One of thefo llowing messages will appear on
th e multifunction display:
R Engine oil level Measuring now : measure‐
ment of the oil le vel is not yet possible. #
Repeat there qu est af ter a maximum of
30 minutes' driving.
R Engine oil level OK andthe bar display for
indicating the oil le vel on the multifunction
display is green and is between "min" and
"max": the oil le vel is cor rect.
R Engine oil level Add 1.0 l andthe bar display
fo r indicating the oil le vel on the multifunc‐
tion display is orange and is below "min": #
Add 1 l of engine oil.
R Reduce engine oil level andthe bar display
fo r indicating the oil le vel on the multifunc‐
tion display is orange and is abo ve"max": Main
tenance and care 377
Internal use only

#
Drain off any excess engine oil that has been
added. Todo so, consult a qualified specialist
wo rkshop.
R For engine oil level turn on ignition #
Switch on the ignition tocheck the engine oil
le ve l.
R Engine oil level System inoperative : The oil
le ve l sensor is defective or not connecte d.#
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
R Engine oil level System currently unavail. #
Close the bonn et.
To pping up engine oil &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING Risk offire and injury from
engine oil
If engine oil comes into con tact with hot
component parts in the engine compart‐
ment, it may ignite. #
Make sure that no engine oil is spilled
next tothefiller opening. #
Allow the engine tocool off and thor‐
oughly clean the engine oil from compo‐
nent parts before starting theve hicle. *
NO
TEEngine damage causedbyan
incor rect oil filter, incor rect oil or addi‐
tives #
Do not use engine oils or oil filters
which do not cor respond tothe specifi‐
cations explicitly prescribed forthe
service inter vals. #
Follow the instructions on the service
inter val display forch anging the engine
oil and obser vethe prescribed change
inter vals. #
Do not use additives. *
NO
TEDama gecaused bytopping up too
much engine oil To
o much engine oil can damage the engine
or the catalytic con verter. #
Have excess engine oil remo ved at a
qu alified specialist workshop. %
Depending on driving style, theve hicle con‐
sumes up to0.8 litr e of oil pe r10 00 km. The
oil consum ption may be higher than this
when theve hicle is new or if you frequently
drive at high engine speeds. 378
Maintenance and care
Internal use only

#
Turn cap 1anti-clockwise and remo veit. #
Top up the engine oil. #
Replace cap 1and turn it clockwise until it
engages. #
Check the oil le vel again (/ page376). Checking
the coolant le vel &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING Risk of scalding from hot
coolant
If yo u open the cap, you could be scalded. #
Let the mo tor cool down before opening
th e cap. #
When opening the cap, wear pr otective
gl ove s and saf etygl asses. #
Open the cap slowly torelease pres‐
sure. #
Park theve hicle on a le vel sur face. #
Check the coolant temp erature display in the
instrument clus ter.
The coolant temp erature must be below
70°C. #
Slowly turn cap 1anti-clockwise torelease
ove rpressure. Maintenance and care
37 9
Internal use only

#
Continue turning cap 1anti-clockwise and
re mo veit.
The coolant le vel is cor rect in thefo llowing
cases:
R Ifth e engine is cold, the coolant is up to
mar ker bar 2.
R Ifth e engine is warm,th e coolant is up to
1. 5 cm overth e mar ker bar 2. #
If necessar y,top up with coolant that has
been appr ovedfo r Mercedes-Benz.
% Further information on coolant
(/ page 438) To
pping up the windsc reen washer sy stem &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot com‐
ponent parts in the engine compartment
Cer tain component parts in the engine com‐
partment can be very hot, e.g. the engine,
th e cooler and parts of theex haust sy stem. #
Allow the engine tocool down and only
to uch co mponent parts described in
th efo llowing. &
WARNING ‑ Risk of fire and injury due to
windscreen washer concentrate
Wi ndsc reen washer concentrate is highly
fl ammable. It could ignite if it comes into
con tact with hot engine component parts or
th eex haust sy stem. #
Make sure that no windscre enwasher
concentrate spills out next tothefiller
opening. #
Remo vecap 1bytheta b. #
Top up thewa sher fluid.
% Further information about the windscreen
wa sher fluid (/ page 439) 380
Maintenance and care
Internal use only

Ke
eping the air-water duct free #
Keep the area between the bonn etand the
windscreen free of deposits, e.g. ice, snow
and lea ves. Cleaning and care
Information on
washing theve hicle in a car
wa sh &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
re duced braking po wer af terwa shing the
ve hicle
Braking ef ficiency is reduced af terwa shing
th eve hicle. #
Afterth eve hicle has been washed,
brake carefully while paying attention to
th e traf fic conditions until braking
po we r has been fully restored. *
NO
TEDama gefrom auto matic braking If one of
thefo llowing functions is switched
on, theve hicle brakes automatically in cer‐
ta in situations:
R Active Brake Assi st
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
R HOLD function
R Active Parking Assist
To avo id damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese sy stems in thefo llowing or similar sit‐
uations: #
during towing #
in a car wash *
NO
TEDama gedue tounsuitable car
wa sh #
Before driving into a car wash make
sure that the car wash is suitable for
th eve hicle dimensions. #
Ensure there is suf ficient ground clear‐
ance between the underbody and the
guide rails of the car wash. #
Ensure that the clearance width of the
car wash, in particular the width of the
guide rails, is suf ficient. To
avo id damage to yourvehicle when using a
car wash, ensure thefo llowing beforehand:
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is deacti‐
va ted.
R the HOLD function is switched off.
R the 360° Camera or there ve rsing camera is
switched off.
R the side windo wsand sliding sun roof are
comple tely closed.
R the blo werfo rth eve ntilation/heating is
switched off.
R the windscreen wiper switch is in position
g.
R theke y is at a minimum dis tance of 3 m
aw ay from theve hicle. Otherwise the boot lid
could open unintentionally. Maintenance and care
381
Internal use only