• C230 Mercedes 2006

41 Getting started Driving Driving Fastening the seat beltWarning! G Do not lay any objects in the driver’s foot- well.

Be careful that floor mats or carpets in the driver’s footwell have sufficient clear- ance for the pedals. During sudden driving or braking maneuvers the objects could get caught between the pedals. You could then no longer brake or accelerate.Warning! G Always fasten your seat belt before driving off. Always make sure your passengers are properly restrained, even those sitting in the rear and pregnant women. Failure to wear and properly fasten and po- sition your seat belt greatly increases your risk of injuries and their likely severity in an accident.

You and your passenger should al- ways wear seat belts. If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can be considerably more severe without your seat belt properly buckled. Without your seat belt buckled, you are much more likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, the possibility of injury or death is lessened if you are wearing your seat belt.

The airbags can only protect as ex- pected if the occupants are using their seat belts ( page 61). G Children 12 years old and under must never ride in the front seat, except in a Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart TM compatible child seat, which operates with the BabySmart TM system installed in the ve- hicle to deactivate the passenger side front airbag when it is properly installed. Other- wise they will be struck by the airbag when it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal injury will result. According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seat- ing positions.

Infants and small children must ride in back seats and be seated in an appropriate infant or child restraint system, which is properly secured with the vehicle’s seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in accordance with the child seat manufactur- er’s instructions. A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is. 42 Getting startedDriving 1Latch plate 2Buckle 3Release button With a smooth motion, pull the belt from the belt outlet.  Place the belt over your shoulder.  Push latch plate1 into buckle2 until it clicks.

Significantly increased if the child restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle and the child is not properly secured in the child restraint.Warning! G Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat backrest reclined. Sitting in an excessively reclined position can be dangerous. You could slide under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide under it, the belt would apply force at the abdomen or neck. That could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and seat belt provide the best re- straint when the wearer is in an upright po- sition and the belt is properly positioned on the body.

G Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are seat belts available. Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re- strained with a separate seat belt - even those in the rear.Warning! G Read and observe the additional warning no- tices printed in the “Safety and Security” section ( page 61). 43 Getting started Driving  If necessary, tighten the lap portion to a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion up.

Seat belt height adjustment Adjust seat belt so that shoulder portion is located as close as possible to the middle of your shoulder (it should not touch the neck). Front seats 4Button for belt outlet height adjust- ment  Press button4 and slide belt outlet up- ward or downward.Proper use of seat belts
Do not twist the belt when fastening.
Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder portion is located as close as possible to the middle of the shoulder (it should not touch the neck or pass under the arm). For this purpose, you can adjust the height of the belt outlet.
Position the lap belt as low as possible on your hips (over hip joint) and not across the abdomen.
Place the seat backrest in a nearly up- right position.

Never use a seat belt for more than one person at a time.
Do not fasten a seat belt around a per- son and another object at the same time.

Check your seat belt during travel to ensure that it is properly positioned.
Ensure that the seat belt is always fit- ted snugly.

You should avoid wearing bulky clothing, such as winter coats, when traveling in the vehicle.Warning! G Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They could tear.

Do not allow the belt to get caught in the door or in the seat adjustment mechanism. This could damage the belt. Never attempt to make modifications to seat belts. This could impair the effective- ness of the belts. Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly stressed in an accident must be replaced by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. 44 Getting startedDrivingStarting the engine Manual transmission Gearshift pattern for manual transmission Make sure that the gearshift lever is in Neutral position.

 Do not depress accelerator.  Fully depress clutch pedal. Otherwise the engine cannot be start- ed due to the integrated safety inter- lock.  Turn the key in the starter switch to position3. Release only when the en- gine is firing regularly ( page 31). More information can be found in the “Controls in detail” section (page 137).Automatic transmission.

C230 Mercedes 2006

Gearshift pattern for automatic transmissionPPark position with selector lever lock RReverse gear NNeutral DDrive position Make sure that the gear selector lever is set toP.  Do not depress accelerator.  Turn the key in the starter switch to position3. Release only when the en- gine is firing regularly ( page 31).

G Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon- sciousness and lead to death. Do not run the engine in confined areas (such as garage) which are not properly ven- tilated.

If you think that exhaust gas fumes are entering the vehicle while driving, have the cause determined and corrected imme- diately. If you must drive under these condi- tions, drive only with at least one window fully open.

45 Getting started Driving  Depress the brake pedal. The selector lever lock is released. More information can be found in the “Controls in detail” section ( page 138). For information on turning off the engine, see “Turning off engine” ( page 53).Starting difficulties If the engine does not start as described, carry out the following steps:  Turn key in starter to position0 and re- peat starting procedure ( page 44).

 Remember that extended starting at- tempts can drain the battery.  Get a jump start ( page 306).

If the engine does not start after several starting attempts, there could be a mal- function in the engine electronics or in the fuel supply system.  Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Parking brake 1Release handle 2Parking brake iYou can also use the “touch-start” function. Turn the key to position3 and release it again immediately. The en- gine then starts automatically. G When leaving the vehicle, always remove the key from the starter switch and lock the ve- hicle.

Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Children could release the parking brake, which could result in an accident and/or serious injury. 46 Getting startedDriving Release the parking brake by pulling on handle2. The indicator lamp; (USA only) or 3 (Canada only) in the instru- ment cluster goes out. Driving  Depress the brake pedal.

 Move selector lever to positionD orR (manual transmission: first or reverse gear).  Release the brake pedal.  Carefully depress the accelerator. Once the vehicle is in motion, the auto- matic central locking system engages and the locking knobs drop down.After a cold start, the automatic transmis- sion engages at a higher revolution. This al- lows the catalytic converter to reach its operating temperature earlier. More information on driving can be found in the “Operation” section ( page 223).

IVehicles with automatic transmission: Wait for the gear selection process to complete before setting the vehicle in motion. IYou can open a locked door from the inside.

Open door only when conditions are safe to do so.!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator pedal and applying the brake reduces engine performance and causes premature brake and drivetrain wear.!If you hear a warning signal when driv- ing off, you have forgotten to release the parking brake. Release the parking brake. G On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in order to obtain braking action. This could result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi- cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre- vent this type of loss of control.Warning! G Vehicles with automatic transmission: It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is higher than idle speed.

If your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit someone or something. Only shift into gear when the en- gine is idling normally and when your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal. 47 Getting started Driving Switching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1Off 2Low beam headlamps on Turn the switch to B.

More information can be found in the “Controls in detail” section (page 101). Turn signals and high beam The combination switch is on the left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right 2Turn signals, left Press the combination switch up1 or down2.High beam  Push the combination switch forward. The high beam symbol A in the instrument cluster lights up.

More information can be found in the 'Controls in detail' section ( page 104). ITo signal minor directional changes, move combination switch to point of resistance only and release. The turn signal blinks three times. 48 Getting startedDrivingWindshield wipers The combination switch is on the left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe 2Switching on windshield wipers  Make sure that the ignition is switched on.Switching on windshield wipers  Turn the combination switch to the de- sired position depending on the inten- sity of the rain.

0Windshield wipers off IIntermittent wiping IINormal wiper speed IIIFast wiper speediVehicles without rain sensor.: Fast wiper speedIII goes to settingII when the vehicle is standing still. Vehicles with rain sensor.: Intermittent wiping interval dependent on wetness of windshield.

Wiping will not occur with a front door open.!Vehicles with rain sensor.: Do not leave in intermittent setting when vehicle is taken to an automatic car wash or during windshield cleaning. Wipers will operate in presence of wa- ter sprayed on the windshield, and wip- ers may be damaged as a result. The switch should not be left in inter- mittent setting as the wipers will wipe the windshield once every time the en- gine is started.

Dust that accumulates on the windshield might scratch the glass when wiping occurs on a dry windshield. 49 Getting started Driving Single wipe Press switch briefly in the direction of arrow1. The windshield wipers wipe one time without washer fluid.

Wiping with windshield washer fluid  Press switch in the direction of arrow1 past the resistance point. The windshield wiper operates with washer fluid. Information on filling up the washer reser- voir can be found in the “Operation” sec- tion (page 241). Problems while driving The engine runs erratically and misfires
An ignition cable may be damaged.
The engine electronics may not be op- erating properly.
Unburned gasoline may have entered the catalytic converter and damaged it.

 Give very little gas.  Have the problem repaired by an au- thorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.!If leaves, snow, etc.

Block the wind- shield wipers, switch off the wipers.
For safety reasons, withdraw key from starter switch. Remove block- age.
Turn the windshield wipers on again. If windshield wipers fail to function at all in switch positionI,
set the combination switch to the next highest wiper speed.

have the windshield wipers checked at the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. 50 Getting startedDrivingThe coolant temperature is over 248°F (120°C) The coolant is too hot and is no longer cooling the engine. Stop the vehicle as soon as possible and turn off the engine.

Allow engine and coolant to cool.  Check the coolant level and add cool- ant if necessary ( page 238).In case of accident If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:  Do not start the engine under any cir- cumstances.  Notify local fire and/or police authori- ties.

If the extent of the damage cannot be de- termined:  Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. If no damage can be determined on the
major assemblies
fuel system
engine mount:  Start the engine in the usual manner.