Help needed

[annieredhead]

Hi, I am new to this site, have just bought a Mercedes C180 Elegance automatic, it's 1997, and there are a few things I can't seem to find in the handbook, so I was wondering if one of you lovely ppl could help me! First, there is a switch next to the shift stick marked W and S it's currently set to S so is that sport? and what is the W for? Secondly, is there any way I can change the brightness of the display? It is so dim I can't see the speedo at night! Thanks!

 

[tpwuk]

S = Standard, W = Winter (iirc)

oh...and welcome!

 

[annieredhead]

Thank you! Seems obvious now but that's great thanks for the help.

Anne

 

[Brian WH]

Display illumination can be changed when the lights are on. The reset button on the dashboard which can be turned to increase/decrease the brightness of the screen. Also used to reset mileage trip.

 

[annieredhead]

Brilliant! Thank you Brian

 

[Stratman]

To elaborate a little, S mode pulls away in first gear and will change up a little later than W mode, which pulls away in second gear and has slightly softer changes.

W mode is great for creeping in motorway jams.


And welcome to the forums.

 

[Chrishazle]

In a C class (W = winter, S = Summer) W is also for trying to get moving when there's snow and ice around - as we C class owners know only too well how ****** useless they are in the snow!! Luckily we saw it coming this winter, stocked up at the local supermarket before the snow arrived then parked it until the snow had gone. Sat here reading all the posts here and on t'other side about how bad auto C class is unless you have winter tyres.

 

[SAFC]

Chrishazle,
You're soooooo right !! Winter time, especially in the NE of England, is all fun and games for C Class owners. There's absolutely no weight or grip on the back end and no matter how much sand I've put in the boot or how much air I let out of the back tyres I STILL slip all over the place.
The equivalent W setting on the W203 (C270 CDI Auto) I have seems to start off in a higher gear to avoid too much torque to the drive wheels and hence much embarassment in front of front-wheel-drive car owners !!!
(Welcome to the MB Forum, Annieredhaed).

 

[annieredhead]

That's very handy to know - thank you!, I am still getting used to the automatic after 25 years of driving a manual, and can't help wanting to change down at roundabouts etc!

 

[annieredhead]

Thanks!

Thank you all for your kind help, and for welcoming me to these forums, they make fascinating reading!

 

[annieredhead]

Display illumination can be changed when the lights are on. The reset button on the dashboard which can be turned to increase/decrease the brightness of the screen. Also used to reset mileage trip.

As regards the lighting display, I am beginning to think that a bulb may have gone under the dashboard, is there any way of changing this myself?

 

[markjay]

Welcome annieredhead.

As you are drawn into the wonderful world of MB ownership, you might be interested to learn a few more facts about your car:

Mercedes-Benz C-Class - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope this helps....

 

[renault12ts]

As regards the lighting display, I am beginning to think that a bulb may have gone under the dashboard, is there any way of changing this myself?

The whole display/cluster pulls out, using a hook on each side. It's covered very comprehensively here:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/interior/83792-w202-dash-light-broken-how-replace.html

 

[annieredhead]

That's great - thank you very much!