2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON ESP

Information on
vehicle sensors and cameras Some driving and driving saf
ety sy stems use
cameras as well as radar or ultrasonic sensors
to monitor the area in front of, behind or next to
th eve hicle. %
The radar sensors are integ rated behind the
bumpers and/or behind the Mercedes star.
1 Cameras in the outside mir rors 2
Multifunction camera
3 Front camera
4 Ultrasonic sensors
5 Reversing camera &
WARNING Risk of accident due to
re stricted de tection per form ance of vehi‐
cle sensors and cameras
If th e area around vehicle sensors or cam‐
eras is co vered, damaged or dirty, cer tain
driving and saf ety sy stems cann otfunction
cor rectly. The reis a risk of an accident. #
Keep the area around vehicle sensors
or cameras clear of any obstructions
and clean. #
Have damage tothe bumper, radiator
grille or stone chipping in the area of
th e front and rear wind owsrepaired at
a qu alified specialist workshop. Pa
rticular ly,ke ep the areas around the sensors
and cameras free of dirt, ice or slush
(/ page 384). The sensors and cameras must not be co
vered and the de tection ranges around
th em must be kept free. Do not attach additional
license plate brackets, ad vertisements, sticke rs,
fo ils or foils toprotect against stone chippings in
th e de tection range of the sensors and cameras.
Make sure that there are no overhanging loads
pr otru ding into the de tection range.
If th ere is damage toa bumper or thera diator
grille, or af ter an impact, ha vethe function of
th e sensors checked at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop. Ha vedamage or stone chipping in the
area of the cameras on the front and rear win‐
do ws repaired at a qualified specialist workshop. Overview of driving sy
stems and driving
saf ety sy stems R
ABS (Anti-lo ckBra king System)
(/ page 187)
R BAS (Bra keAssist System) (/ page187)
R ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Program)
(/ page 188)
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assi st (/ page 189)
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation (/ page189) 18 6
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

R
ABS pr events the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
re lease the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. Fu
nction of ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro‐
gr am) &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. *
NO
TEMercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. ESP
®
can moni tor and impr ovedriving stability
and traction in thefo llowing situations, within
ph ysical limits:
R When pulling away on wet or slippe rycar ria‐
ge wa ys.
R When braking.
If th eve hicle deviates from the direction desired
by the driver, ESP ®
can stabilise theve hicle by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R One or more wheels are braked.
R The engine output is adap ted according to
th e situation.
When ESP ®
is deactivated, theå warning
lamp lights up continuously:
R Driving stability will no lon ger be impr oved.
R The drive wheels could spin.
R ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% When ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still assis‐
te dby ESP ®
when braking. When
the÷ warning lamp flashes, one or
se veral wheels has reached its grip limit:
R Adapt your driving style to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
R Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
R Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
is necessary when pulling away.
Deactivate ESP ®
in thefo llowing situations to
impr ovetraction:
R When using snow chains.
R In deep snow.
R On sand or gr avel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action, which enhances traction.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rveth efo llowing information:
R Warning and indicator lamps (/ page 498)
R Display messages (/ page445) 18 8
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

ETS/4ETS (Electronic
Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4ETS traction control is pa rtof ESP ®
and
makes it possible topull away and accelerate on
a slippe rycar riag ewa y.
ETS/4ETS can impr ovetheve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R The drive wheels are braked individually if
they spin.
R More drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction.
Influence of drive prog rams on ESP ®
The drive prog rams enable ESP ®
to adapt todif‐
fe re nt we ather and road conditions as well as
th e driver's prefer red driving style. Depending on
th e selected drive program, the appropriate
ESP ®
mode will be activated. You can select the
drive prog rams using theDY NA MIC SELECT
switch (/ page166). Fu
nction of ESP ®
Crosswind Assist ESP
®
Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gu sts of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between appr ox.75 km/h and
200 km/h when driving stra ight ahead or
cornering slight ly.
R The vehicle is stabilised bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side. Fu
nction of ESP ®
trailer stabilisation &
WARNING Risk of accident in poor road
and weather conditions
In poor road and weather conditions, the
trailer stabilisation cannot pr event lu rching of
th eve hicle/trailer combination. Trailers with
a high centre of gr avity may tip over before
ESP ®
de tects this. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style to suit
th e cur rent road and weather condi‐
tions. When driving with a trailer, ESP
®
can stabilise
yo ur vehicle if the trailer begins toswer vefrom
side toside:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active abo ve
speeds of 65 km/h.
R Slight swerving is reduced bymeans of a tar‐
ge ted, individual brake application on one
side.
R Intheeve nt of se vere swerving, the engine
output is also reduced and all wheels are
braked.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation may be impaired or
may not function if:
R The trailer is not connec ted cor rectly or is
not de tected properl yby theve hicle. Driving and parking
18 9
Internal use only

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
4 Vehicle 5
k Assistance 5
ESP
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles: observeth e no tes in
th e Supplement. Otherwise, you may failto rec‐
ognise dangers. #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Fu
nction of EBD Elect
ronic Breakforce Distribution (EBD) is char‐
acterised bythefo llowing:
R Monitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels. R
Impr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends. Fu
nction of STEER CONT ROL ST
EER CONTROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilisation.
This steering recommendation is given in thefo l‐
lowing situations:
R both right wheels or bo thleft wheels are on a
we t or slippe ryroad sur face when you brake
R theve hicle starts toskid
Sy stem limits
ST EER CONTROL may be impaired or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R ESP ®
is deactivated.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
R The steering is malfunctioning.
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering. HOLD function
HOLD function
The HOLD function holds
theve hicle at a stand‐
st ill without requ iring youto depress the brake
pedal, e.g. while waiting in traf fic.
The HOLD function is only an aid. The responsi‐
bility forth eve hicle safely standing still remains
with the driver.
Sy stem limits
The HOLD function is only intended toprov ide
assis tance when driving and is not a su fficient
means of safeguarding theve hicle against rolling
aw ay when stationar y.
R The incline must not be greater than 30%. 19 0
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

Displa
yson the multifunction display
R È (grey):va riable limiter is selec ted but
not yet acti vated.
R È (green): variable limiter is activated.
A stored speed appears along with theÈ dis‐
pla y.The segments in the speedome ter light up,
up tothe cur rently stored speed.
When the driving speed is greater than the
st ored speed, theÈ display flashes.
Kickd own
If yo u depress the accelera tor pedal be yond the
pressure point (kickdown), theva riable limiter
swit ches topassive mode. The Limiter passive
message appears in the multifunction displa y.
Af ter completion of kickdown, theva riable lim‐
iter is activated again in thefo llowing situations:
R Ifth eve hicle speed drops below thestored
speed.
R Ifth estored speed is called up.
R Ifyo ustore a new speed. Operating cruise control or
theva riable lim‐
iter &
WARNING Risk of accident due tostored
speed
If yo u call up thestored speed and this is
lo we rth an your cur rent speed, theve hicle
decelerates. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. Re
quirements:
Cruise control
R Cruise control is selected.
R ESP ®
must be activated, but not inter vening.
R The vehicle speed is at least 20 km/h.
R The transmission is in position h.
Va riable limiter
R The variable limiter is selec ted. #
Tooperate cruise control or theva riable
limi ter: press thero ck er switch on thesteer‐
ing wheel control unit up or down tothe
desired position.
Switching between cruise control and the
va riable limi ter #
Toselect cruise control: selecthwith
th eright rock er switch. Driving and parking
19 5
Internal use only

#
Toselect theva riable limi ter: select È
with theright rock er switch.
% Vehicles with Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC: theva riable limiter is selec ted
by a dif fere nt button (/ page 199).
Ac tivating cruise control or the variable lim‐
iter #
Press rocker switch 1upM or down
N.
The cur rent vehicle speed is stored and the
ve hicle maintains this speed (cruise control)
or does not exceed it (variable limiter).
or #
Select Jwiththe left rock er switch.
The last stored speed is called up and the
ve hicle maintains this speed (cruise control)
or does not exceed it (variable limiter).
If th e last stored speed has pr eviously been
dele ted, the cur rent vehicle speed is stored.
% When you swit choff theve hicle, the last
speed stored is dele ted. When
you activate cruise cont rol or Active
Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC, the last speed
st ored forth eva riable limiter is dele ted.
Increasing/decreasing thesto red speed #
1 km/h: press rocker switch 1upM or
down Ntothe pressure point, or press
and hold (increments of 1 km/h).
or #
10km/h: press rock er switch 1upM or
down Nbeyond the pressure point, or
press and hold (increments of 10km/h).
or #
Accelerate theve hicle tothe desired speed
and press rocker switch 1upM.
Ad opting a de tected speed #
Activate cruise control or theva riable limiter. #
If a traf fic sign has been de tected and is dis‐
pl ay ed in the instrument clus ter: select J
with the left rocker switch.
The maximum permissible speed shown by
th e traf fic sign is stored and theve hicle
maintains or does not exceed this speed. Deactivating cruise control or
theva riable
limi ter #
Select Owith th e left rock er switch.
% Ifyo u brake, deactivate ESP ®
or if ESP ®
inter venes, cruise control is deacti vated. The
va riable limiter is not deactivated.
Information on the permanent limi ter
If th eve hicle should ne verexc eed a specific
speed (e.g. for driving in winter tyre mode), you
can set this speed with the permanent limiter.
Yo u do this by limiting the speed between
16 0 km/h and 240 km/h in the multimedia sys‐
te m (/ page197).
Shortly before the set speed is reached, it
appears in the multifunction displa y.When you
confirm the message, display messages no lon‐
ge r appear until you swit choff theve hicle. The
speed will only be displa yed again once theve hi‐
cle has been restar ted or if the set speed is
ch anged.
The permanent limiter does not swit chtopas‐
sive mode even du ring kickdown and the driven
speed remains below the set speed. 19 6
Driving and pa rking
Internal use only

R
Ifth ere are nar rowvehicles in front, such as
bicycles or mo torcyc les.
In addition, on slippery roads, braking or accel‐
erating can cause one or se veral wheels tolose
traction and theve hicle could then skid.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC in
th ese situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident from acceler‐
ation or braking byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC may accel‐
erate or brake in thefo llowing cases, for
ex ample:
R Ifth eve hicle pulls away using Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC.
R Ifth estored speed is called up and is
considerably faster or slo werth an the
cur rently driven speed.
R IfAc tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC no
longer de tects a vehicle in front or does
not react toreleva nt objects. #
Alw ays carefully obser vethe traf fic con‐
ditions and be ready tobrake at all
times. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient decele ration byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC brakes
yo ur vehicle with up to50% of the possible
deceleration. If this decele ration is not su ffi‐
cient, Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
alerts you with a visual and acoustic warning. #
Adjust your speed and main tain a suita‐
ble dis tance from theve hicle in front. #
Brake theve hicle yourself and/or take
ev asive action. &
WARNING Risk of accident if de tection
function of Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is impaired
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC does not
re act or has a limited reaction:
R when driving on a dif fere nt lane or when
ch anging lanes
R topedestrians, animals, bicycles or sta‐
tionary vehicles, or unexpected obs tacles
R tocompl extraf fic conditions
R tooncoming vehicles and crossing traf fic
As a result, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC may nei ther give warnings nor
inter vene in su chsituations. #
Alw ays obser vethe tra ffic conditions
carefully and react accordin gly. Operating
Active Di stance Assist DIST RONIC
Re quirements:
R The elect ric pa rking brake is released.
R ESP ®
is activated and is not inter vening. Driving and pa
rking 19 9
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC being
acti vewhen you lea vethe driver's seat
If yo u lea vethe driver's seat while theve hicle
is being braked byActive Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC only, theve hicle can rollaw ay. #
Alw ays deactivate Active Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC and secure theve hi‐
cle topreve nt it from rolling away
before you lea vethe driver's seat. #
Select Owiththe left rock er switch.
% Ifyo u brake, deactivate ESP ®
or if ESP ®
inter venes, Active Dis tance Assi st
DISTRONIC is deacti vated.
Increasing/decreasing thesto red speed #
1 km/h: press rocker switch 1upM or
down Ntothe pressure point, or press
and hold (increments of 1 km/h).
or #
10km/h: press rock er switch 1upM or
down Nbeyond the pressure point, or
press and hold (increments of 10km/h).
or #
Accelerate theve hicle tothe desired speed
and press rocker switch 1upM.
Changing the specified distance totheve hi‐
cle in front #
Toreduce the speci fied distance: press
th eright rock er switch up (Ñ). #
Toincrease the specified distance: press
th eright rock er switch down (Ò).
Fu nction of Active Speed Limit Assi st
If speed limit change between 20 km/h and
13 0 km/h is de tected and the automatic adop‐
tion of speed limits is active, it will be automati‐
cally adop ted as thestored speed
(/ page 212).
The driven speed is adju sted when theve hicle is
le ve l with the traf fic sign at the latest. In the
case of signs indicating entry into an urban area,
th e speed is adap ted according tothe speed
permitted within the urban area. The speed limit display in
the Instrument Display is alw ays upda‐
te d when theve hicle is le vel with the tra ffic sign.
If th ere is no speed restriction on an unlimited
st re tch of road (e.g. on a mo torw ay),th ere com‐
mended speed is auto maticallyadop ted as the
st ored speed. The sy stem uses the speed stored
on an unlimited stre tch of road as there com‐
mended speed. If you do not alter thestored
speed on an unlimited stre tch of road, there c‐
ommended speed is 130 km/h.
If Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC has been
put into passi vemode bypressing the accelera‐
to r pedal, only speed limits which are higher
th an the set speed are adop ted.
Obser vethe no tes on driving sy stems and your
re sponsibility; you may otherwise failto recog‐
nise dangers (/ page 185).
Sy stem limits
The sy stem limits of Traf fic Sign Assi stapply to
th e de tection of traf fic signs (/ page 211).
Speed limits bel ow20 km/h are not auto mati‐
cally adop tedby the sy stem as thestored speed.
Te mp orary speed restrictions (e.g. for a cer tain
time or due towe ather conditions) cannot be Driving and parking
201
Internal use only